How many times have you bought coins from a dealer you personally disliked?
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,885 ✭✭✭✭✭
I can think of two or three occasions where I have.
Mind you, I don't mean somebody you mistrust ... just someone you don't like much on a personal level, or somebody who rubs you the wrong way. Somebody who's on top of his trade or even well known, but who's obnoxious or repellent to you somehow.
I like to think I am a pretty easygoing sort but as with anybody, there are a few people who I just don't care much for. It's funny how often those people end up being the ones with nice coins that I specifically need for an ongoing collection.
Once at a state show, I had one specific coin on a wantlist, and I found exactly one example I could afford, out on the bourse. It was in the case of a prominent dealer who happened to be one of the organizers of the show- a guy I found to be a rather boorish, self-centered blowhard. (You know the type, I fear).
I still bought the coin from him, and didn't try haggling over the price, either, but you can bet that if there had been a second coin of similar quality, priced ten bucks higher at somebody else's table, I would have paid the extra ten bucks in order to avoid dealing with the first guy.
Another time I ended up buying a coin I found on eBay which I needed, and found the seller to be a person I'd met at a show and gotten a very unfavorable impression of. In fact, somebody I'd had words with.
Neither of these people were untrustworthy or did anything wrong from a business standpoint- in fact, you might say I had a grudging respect for their eye in building their inventories, since in both cases they dealt in very nice quality coins. It's just that I found their personalities lacking.
I guess that's the way it goes in a business transaction, though. Personal feelings are secondary if both parties can come to an agreement.
Mind you, I don't mean somebody you mistrust ... just someone you don't like much on a personal level, or somebody who rubs you the wrong way. Somebody who's on top of his trade or even well known, but who's obnoxious or repellent to you somehow.
I like to think I am a pretty easygoing sort but as with anybody, there are a few people who I just don't care much for. It's funny how often those people end up being the ones with nice coins that I specifically need for an ongoing collection.
Once at a state show, I had one specific coin on a wantlist, and I found exactly one example I could afford, out on the bourse. It was in the case of a prominent dealer who happened to be one of the organizers of the show- a guy I found to be a rather boorish, self-centered blowhard. (You know the type, I fear).
I still bought the coin from him, and didn't try haggling over the price, either, but you can bet that if there had been a second coin of similar quality, priced ten bucks higher at somebody else's table, I would have paid the extra ten bucks in order to avoid dealing with the first guy.
Another time I ended up buying a coin I found on eBay which I needed, and found the seller to be a person I'd met at a show and gotten a very unfavorable impression of. In fact, somebody I'd had words with.
Neither of these people were untrustworthy or did anything wrong from a business standpoint- in fact, you might say I had a grudging respect for their eye in building their inventories, since in both cases they dealt in very nice quality coins. It's just that I found their personalities lacking.
I guess that's the way it goes in a business transaction, though. Personal feelings are secondary if both parties can come to an agreement.
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For me, it is not only about the coin, it is also about the experience. If I have had a bad experience with a dealer in the past regardless of whether or not I have actually purchased something from that dealer in the past, I do not put myself in a position for a repeat performance.
There are enough dealers that I do business with that I enjoy purchasing from that I don't have to purchase from someone I "dislike". There is no coin that I have to have that would make me deal with someone I "dislike".
Joe.
Rob, was one of your dislikes a person who commented on your holey vest?
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don
Are there any particular coins you would want badly enough that you'd purchase them from somebody you disliked?
You'd think decent people-skills would be essential to success as a seller. I guess not.
Lance.
This dealer had tried to put one over on me back in the 1970s when we were both young. As a result I almost always avoided him at the shows.
I was at a Baltimore show on the first day they let the public into the bourse. I was walking down by his table when I saw him put a coin I really wanted into his case. I asked to look at the piece, and it took me about 30 seconds to realize that this was best example of the coin that I could ever afford. I asked the price, didn't haggle at the offer, which was very fair and bought it. Today the coin still pleases me very much. I believe that the dealer had the piece on consignment from a collector who was looking for some quick, significant cash which made the deal work. In this case everyone was happy.
Like Rob, I'm pretty easy going. So I'm not overly sensitive and I don't take anything too seriously. But this guy goes through life like he's driving a bumper-car! And there isn't a coin in the world worth being abused for.
In reality, I only buy from a very small group of dealers anyway. I stick with them because they have material that fits my specialty...and because I respect them and like doing business with them.
Ken
Cliff
As a side note, you're okay by me, even if I haven't purchased from ya.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Hey, it's just a hobby. Life is too short for the extra grief.
I knew it would happen.
<< <i>Never more than once, but usually never.
Hey, it's just a hobby. Life is too short for the extra grief. >>
I don't want to screw up a potential future deal, but wouldn't it have been clearer to say:
Never more than once, but usually never twice, maybe ?
Edit to add: What I mean is this... If a guy is not personally liked, but one's never dealt with him, what drives a person to not like them, personally ?
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
However, I didn't realize that I disliked them until after I purchased the coin.
There have been a couple of times when I found something I wanted, but the dealers revealed themselves as total duckheads early enough that I was able to just walk away.
There is one particular dealer, however, who is on my numismatic "to do" list... in the form of finding a nice juicy Morgan VAM cherrypick at his table. Once that is done, I'll happily sail past him at shows without even bothering to stop.
I wouldn't buy an 1870-S Dollar from him in PCGS MS67 for $50.
On an internet forum, there are lots of comments made that shouldn't be made. Sometimes people post provocative comments because they are just bored, and other times they might simply be cranky or tired. I shudder to think what some people here might think of me after some of my posts.
But that doesn't mean that I didn't mean what I said, nor does it mean that someone has to like me if they didn't like what I said.
That really didn't answer the question, did it?
I knew it would happen.
<< <i>How many times have you bought coins from a dealer you personally disliked? >>
Probably a hundred times or so.
He was a rude old man and made fun of me several times for collecting varieties.
It took the guy years to figure out just how valuable some of these were.
Once he did, he had to study every coin I wanted before he would sell it to me.
I pulled at least 10 Multi-denominational clashed Flying Eagles from his shop.
Thinking back I guess I should like the guy.
But the entire experience was so negative in the way he tossed and I literally mean TOSSED on to the counter coins that we wanted to check out. Plus the way he acted toward my friend and I as far as trying too hard to impress upon us that what I was looking at was a waste if his time Morgan's, Peace and Ike Dollars. And when he insisted that real collectors collect these and again TOSSED and $20 Saint and a Bust dollar on the counter like they were nothing. Both were VERY Nice.At that point I was done picking out stuff I wanted. I could have went on for at least another hour there. But I could not take the I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT COINS ATTITUDE. I ended up spending about $400.00 that day when I had to put and end to it. And for the next couple of weeks every time I pulled them out to get them cataloged I just kept remembering that rude Gentleman. Week Three I boxed all I had purchased from him that day and got on the motorcycle and went to visit my 11year old niece who is beginning to collect and gave every one of those coins to her Needless to say she was very excited.
As for me I was rid of a bad experience. So I guess the moral of the story is for me each of my coins have a story that goes along with them and no matter how nice the coin if it has a bad experience attached to it, Then it feels like it is a Taint on my collection that I would rather not have. Now my niece has a positive feeling these are the coins that her uncle gave me one summer day in 2009 for no reason what so ever.
Turned a negative into a positive.
As a side note I went past that coin shop about a month ago and it was closed down, I wonder why?
Stew
I don't know why you call him any kind of gentleman. You're the gentleman, he's the jerk.
I knew it would happen.
Makes absolutely perfect sense to me. Visit with dealers at a show about what you like, but don't leave it at that. Get a dealer to give you some advice, but don't accept rudeness.
There are two ways to approach a dealer - as a vendor or as an expert. I prefer to ask dealers at least something about one of the interesting coins in their case. A simple question, like "tell me about that coin". You will learn something and he will probably not be ignoring you in the future.
If he doesn't know your series as well as you do, ask him who is the specialist in that area, and then go see him. By the time you have enough money to make a splash, you will already know who you want to deal with, and better yet - you will know more about some interesting coins.
I knew it would happen.
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay
I would not buy a coin from a dealer that I did not like, or was unethical or a back stabber. I used to buy lots of coins from a dealer that was very nice to my face, but when you turn your back the guy was 100% trash talker-back stabber PLUS he is a total low ball when offered a coin to buy.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer- that is what I have learned in this "hobby".