What is killing my interest in helping newbies here
RYK
Posts: 35,796 ✭✭✭✭✭
I am growing tired of new members who come here, ask a whole lot of questions about coins they are about to purchase, how much to pay for them, what are their grades, are they nice for the grade, whether they should send them in for grading (or regrading), etc., and then a week later have them for sale on the BST or on ebay or both. FEC was the master of this, although I have seen many others do the same, including one seller who is currently on the front page of the BST selling some gold coins.
Does anyone else feel the same way? Or am I just getting old and cranky (with no offense to kranky)?
Does anyone else feel the same way? Or am I just getting old and cranky (with no offense to kranky)?
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This fact doesn't rule out the possibility that you might just be getting cranky.
The entertainment can never be overdressed....except in burlesque
I've cut back a lot on trying to help for the reasons you state as well as for the rudeness and argumentativeness that many of the new folks have (as well as some older ones).
In my old age, it just isn't worth the arguments anymore.
What I find interesting is that the ones that like to whine and argue the most do the least amount of helping
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
1. I like to whine and argue too.
2. Like you said before, RYK, "Some see coins, and others see money"
3. I would honestly much prefer to trust eBay over the BST, especially regarding the newer members.
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
<< <i>I thought everyone already quit helping newb's. I've posted several threads over the last year asking about something strange on a coin and I never receive any replies. Maybe it has something to do with the coins I have which are pulled from circ most of the time. I imagine its b/c they aren't MS70's or thousand dollar coins so they must not be worth a reply. >>
Example? Every post of yours i've seen I have been unable to comment on, but has had at least one reply. Some of the best threads have to do with cheaper coins... hell look at Russ's Dot-Head and Hairy-Head halves. They aren't worth too much (outside of top-pops) but nearly everyone here knows about them...
My posts on the coin forum normally involve a coin pulled from a roll with some sort of doubling, marks or the like but they quickly drop off lol. No biggie, I just felt like whining. Its what I do.
and we tell them
Whatever the case, I don't let online stuff bother me much. It ain't worth that. I'm not a moderator. In any case, my opinion isn't going to influence the jerks in any case. Complaining about it will like have zero impact. Jerks rarely think they are the jerks, they think it is the other guy that is always at fault. Jerks, when named, become belligerent and unpleasant, and sometimes vindictive and hateful.
Seeing the humor in a situation is often the best road when I find something that might otherwise be upsetting. Another road is to excuse folks for bad behavior such as spamming by remembering these are very tough economic times for a lot of folks.
Finally, there is no need to answer every newbie question. If a few go unanswered, or answered with sarcasm or bad info, that is okay too, because the real information is out there for anyone willing to look. This isn't a "butler" forum where a person can ring a bell and get instant service, even though a few do think the world is there to serve them.
Lane
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
asked many questions. Some folks use the answers to make money by selling
the coin(s) for more, based upon the advise. They seem to take, but never give
back to the Forum. There will always be people like this in life . Eventually, this
take and no give attitude, will cause Forum Members to isolate and finally ignore
these few people . Good people leave, bad people leave and are replaced by more
good people and a few bad people. This is the world, and we do the best we can, for
as many deserving people as we can, as well as we can.
Camelot
<< <i>Where possible, I have tried to help newbies with questions and even with locating employment. Sometimes the information is used for "evil" purposes as RKY articulated. I think as the "seasoned" members of the Board, we need to do what we can to help encourage the newbies knowing that, on occasion, we will be used. The alternative (i.e. ignoring the new folks) is just not in the Board's or hobby's best interest. Just my double-dime's worth...
Lane >>
Lane, BINGO! I have noticed myself PMing the newer members much more often then before. Giving them very detailed advice when I can tell they are sincere and pointing them in the right direction as far as who is the expert in the series on this forum.
not that you were out to sell coins at first.. but we are all newbs at
one point in time. I still am :-)
If you don't like the profiteering flipper-newbie types then try to offer positive reinforcement for the hobbyist.
I'll never have the resources to play with the big guys in this hobby, and I doubt I will ever make a profit on my collection. It's a hobby to me and I enjoy it. If I can pass that enthusiasm on to a Newbie then I'll be glad to do so.
It's not the flippers so much that bother me, but their targets who buy because they know no better. I guess it is the latter group that I would like to help.
Cheers!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BONGO HURTLES ALONG THE RAIN SODDEN HIGHWAY OF LIFE ON UNDERINFLATED BALD RETREAD TIRES
<< <i>Not long ago I changed user ID so they wouldn't come up in a search for this name.
My posts on the coin forum normally involve a coin pulled from a roll with some sort of doubling, marks or the like but they quickly drop off lol. No biggie, I just felt like whining. Its what I do. >>
Not a highly followed area. Post a Vam question and see if you don't get a response...good pics help a lot. --Jerry
Helping is still a net positive for me.
roadrunner
In return, I try to share the meager knowledge I've picked up. I have sponsored a few give-a-ways. Started a few threads that people seem to enjoy (and others that were completely ignored).
Members here share and celebrate joyous occasions and share and mourn sad events.
I have bought and sold on BST. Met some very interesting people on BST and then latter in real life. I've learned of coin shows. Had lunch with a few members.
I like our little online community.
There will always be fly-by-nighters that just want to turn a fast buck here or there. But there are newbies that will hang with us and contribute to our little community. Sometimes when I think I don't feel like helping a newbie (not that I can help all the much being pretty new myself to the hobby), I remind myself that if no one had taken the time to be nice to me when I was zeebob(1) then I would have had far LESS enjoyment of the hobby over the last year or two. Then I try and post something helpful and nice.
I don't really have anyone in RL that I can share my hobby with (well except for a couple of forum members that I now count as friends), but here... here, I can share my hobbie with others and they with me and that my friends is a lot of fun!
Brighten up. Enjoy life. And thank you (especially the senior members here like RYK and Broadstruck and others) for helping to make this place a very comfortable, educational, interesting and fun place to hang out.
Cheers,
Bob
Edited for spelling
EDITED TO ADD: Screwed up and hit the wrong carriage return so the above got posted to the board when it should have just been the first paragraph.
Anyhow, as to helping newbies, I like Franklins, and if they want to talk about Franklins I'm happy to help. If the newbies are whiny little sh1ts, it becomes real obvious very quickly and toodle-oo for helping them. OTOH, if they want to learn, in the "I'm interested in coins as coins" mode, then I'm more than happy to help. After all, I figure anybody that turns to me for advice really DOES need help.
Hi Geotovore! Welcome to the boards!
U.S. Type Set
Welcome! And if you have questions, ask away.
Those who take and do not give will soon enough wear out their welcome…most can see through their veil of deception.
add: Welcome aboard there Geotovore
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
However, I do have a question regarding my avatar. Is the reason why I can't select my own is because I'm brand spanking new?
<< <i>Thank you. I like to think that I can tread water when it comes to numismatics, and prefer to read everyday conversation between two collectors than dates, prices, et cetera.
However, I do have a question regarding my avatar. Is the reason why I can't select my own is because I'm brand spanking new? >>
Did you not read the post on here your a newbe dont ask so many qustions. Just kidding ask all you want I dont know but some one will tell you and to the nut house, Type2.
Hoard the keys.
--Jerry
I don't always reply as very often someone else has already expressed a similar opinion to mine, but sometimes I have to just go away for a while...
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ronsrarecoin.com
ebay auctions for ronsrarecoin-com
<< <i>Thank you. I like to think that I can tread water when it comes to numismatics, and prefer to read everyday conversation between two collectors than dates, prices, et cetera.
However, I do have a question regarding my avatar. Is the reason why I can't select my own is because I'm brand spanking new? >>
There is what is called an "Avatar Load" day...gee around the middle of the month, like the 15th (someone will know the specific date) on that day for like 24 hours, you can load your own avatar. Make sure it's shrunk to the right size...again I don't have specifics, it's like 50 kb or the program will reject it.
Usually someone yells out that day or the day before, so it looks like you have a couple of weeks to get ready.
~Woody~
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
I LIKE your avatar!
.........and welcome!
___________________________
click to email me
ronsrarecoin.com
ebay auctions for ronsrarecoin-com
I have been collecting seriously for roughly a year, and still getting a feel for what exactly I want to collect. It's easy to be stretched thin.
I'll PM someone who has questions posted re a series about which I think I have some knowledge he / she should know before spending serious money on such coins (ie., AT'd Unc. CBH coins).
I don't do BS & T. For all I know, Saddam Hussein's ghost is selling coins there.
Anyone who thinks he can jump into numismatics and make a quick buck is hoping he finds people to whom he can sell who are bigger fools than he is. I have radar for people like this and avoid them.
It's a bit OT, but I'll mention this anyway. My biggest pet peeve is people who don't know how to grade coins, buy a coin which is either marginal for its slabbed grade, or overgraded, pay greysheet bid for the coin, and thinks he got a rip when he really got a financial kick in the a@@. I see it all of the time.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
The reason I am posting this is that my post count is like 290 but I am not new here.
Ron
essential to the survival of the hobby. Imagine for a moment if no newbs came into the hobby?
How long would the hobby last? I consider myself a newb, but search my inquiry before generating a thread.
scott
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
earlyAurum
<< <i>I am growing tired of new members who come here, ask a whole lot of questions about coins they are about to purchase, how much to pay for them, what are their grades, are they nice for the grade, whether they should send them in for grading (or regrading), etc., and then a week later have them for sale on the BST or on ebay or both. FEC was the master of this, although I have seen many others do the same, including one seller who is currently on the front page of the BST selling some gold coins.
Does anyone else feel the same way? Or am I just getting old and cranky (with no offense to kranky)? >>
I don't know,
I may be guilty of this the odd time,
I'm not a newbie, but I do often ask for grading advice and sometimes list the same coin on the BST.
I may have a better excuse though because here in Canada there is no reliable source for grading US coins and sending them to the US TPG's has proven very costly, time consuming and very difficult (with customs and insurance).
I enjoy the 'grading opinions needed' postings.
It's a fun way to learn grading (even though it's from a picture).
And If they decide to sell it later on the BST, I'm not bothered at all by that.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
Some people make bad or inadvisable decisions regarding their money essentially gambling on coins. If they lose they pick up the pieces and do it again. If they win they roll the profits into material they otherwise may never have been able to acquire. Is this a smart or even healthy way to pursue this hobby? Probably not, but we're talking about the same types of people that speculate in stocks and real estate without the proper research or know how - these ones just happen to have been attracted to numismatics.
Other people (take me as an example) have a pretty modest lifestyle and devote most of their "extra" money to coins. I get by pretty well in general, but there have been a few times when I had to sell from my collection to save my a$$. Because of the way I pursue collecting my most recent purchase always tends to be my nicest and most valuable coin. That means that when push comes to shove my newest coin is usually the first to go because it will bring me the most money and will be easily salable. I even had one occasion on which I had to sell my entire collection and wait a couple of years to start again. Say what you will about these habits, that they aren't wise, that there are far safer things to do with my money, etc., but my coins never lost me nearly so much money as stocks and mutual funds have lost for many I know over the last two years. The biggest benefit of having my long term money in coins, IMHO, is that I actually get to enjoy it while I have it.
So please remember when you see behavior that seems crass, disingenuous or ill advised that on some level to everybody coins are money. To those of us that aren't exactly flush that concept is impossible to ignore. A person's income directly affects how they collect and oftentimes how long they hold on to what they collect.
<< <i>What is killing my interest in helping newbies here >>
We have had our share of Newbie deception too many times on this board..It seems to be a problem that when one joins the forum there is also an alt and later we find out that person has deceived us somehow.We have listened to too many stories of their one sided deception coming here trying to help them resolve their issues only later finding out ...they're the ones that are the tricksters....
Possible!
It is my experience that:
Help is best given without anticipation of reward or thanks.
If you feel that what is requested is used for purposes that you do not endorse-refrain.