Have you ever paid big premiums for something...

291fifth

...only to find out that the market you thought was there didn't exist when it came time to sell?

coinkat

big premium is a relative term... $50 or $2,000?

ziggy29

The house I'm trying to sell.

cladking

No.

I've been extremely lucky in getting into popular things before everyone
else or waiting until they crash to get in. I usually sell way too early when
I beat the crowds.

The only problems I've had was buying overgraded coins when I was a
child but even these weren't great losses.

291fifth

While I certainly didn't pay big premiums for them, numismatic telephone cards come to mind. The present market seems to be non-existant.

dizzyfoxx

Here's an idea, when you buy a coin that has a very high premium because of the toning, it might be a good idea to get a promise from who you are buying from that they will stand behind their price and the liquidity of the coin, and buy back the coin for at least a tiny % less than what you paid for it. That is one way you can be sure that you aren't being 'taken for a ride'. I do not have a specific occurrence to speak of, I just see prices paid for nice toners at auction and then prices asked at retail for the exact same coin, and sometimes the differences are astounding.