What are your Coin Dealer pet peeves?
Broadstruck
Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have two that I deal with constantly that drive me 
1.) Lack of communication either via an email response or a return phone call.
2.) Sending out a list of New Inventory prior to having images on their web sites.
1.) Lack of communication either via an email response or a return phone call.
2.) Sending out a list of New Inventory prior to having images on their web sites.
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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Comments
In answer to the original question, however
2) Greed - I don't bother making inquiries of a handful of dealers, because irrespective of the quality of the coins, I can find most everything they have @ 20-25% less if I'm patient (yes, and the same quality for the grade as well).
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
<< <i>I'm with you on #1. But with respect to #2, many collectors prefer to see a list of new coins, sooner, rather than later, even if it does not yet include images.
In answer to the original question, however
#1 is more of a serious issue as it will actually keep me from wanting to do any initial or future business with a dealer.
#2 is more of a petty issue, but personally I rather wait a few extra days to see the new coins.
Ken
www.brunkauctions.com
2. Not having a website.
3. Not giving me first shot.
The other is being rushed. I give myself between 2 and 5 minutes to view a coin prior to purchase. I hate when dealers stare at me while I am examining the coin or worse keep talking to me. If I feel rushed or pressured to make a quick decision I walk.
Tom
Camelot
MJ
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
<< <i>Having a specific item on a want list with a dealer and then seeing it some time later on their website (without a call placed) >>
Thats a darn good one Greg !!
<< <i>#2 is more of a petty issue, but personally I rather wait a few extra days to see the new coins. >>
You might want to consider that the new coins that you waited to see on the website may have already been offered to other buyers sight-unseen.
1 Being Rude
2 Greed
3 And WHY DONT DEALERS like EXHIBITORS
#2 Leaving shows early. I hate not being able to get to a show until the last day and I find 25% to 50% of the dealers have left.
That said most dealers are great. Many will give you time even when they know you aren't going to buy. Thanks to those kind of dealers.
I try not to annoy them too much...
Most try not to annoy me but in the spirit of answering your question, I will offer the following-
1. Dealers that are rarely at their table
2. Dealers that are overly aggressive with pushing sales
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
never to be seen again.
Camelot
BUT
There is one vest pocket dealer I see at St. Louis shows that always tries to sell me coins in the aisles. I do my best to avoid him when I see him (might even wear a Groucho mask to the net show). I did make the mistake of buying a coin from him once several years ago and paying by check. He copied the address down from the check and even mailed me a couple of handwritten letters describing coins, etc.
Self-serving market reports.
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Only caring about business with other dealers and ignoring collectors entirely at shows.
<< <i>I had a pet peeve once , but he ran away
never to be seen again.
Dealer : hhmmmmm. Gee. not sure tck tock tick tock looking around for the lost greysheet......tick tock. tick tock......i guess maybe....tick tock
me: I'll come back later
LOL How could you not know your prices?????
Hong kong/Long Beach JUNE Table #838
MACAU
emgworldwide@gmail.com
Cell: 512.808.3197
EMERGING MARKET GROUP
PCGS, NGC, CCE & NCS, CGC, PSA, Auth. Dealer
<< <i>LOL How could you not know your prices????? >>
Do you really think it's reasonable for a dealer to know, off the top of his head, the current greysheet price for every coin in his inventory?
<< <i>Dealers whining to the public how tough they have it. I have no doubt it's a tough business, but so is any other business. And no, I'm not gonna bring them a bottle of water at a show that I've seen mentioned on here. They can bring a small cooler and fill it, up and quit begging trying to get us to feel soooo sorry for them!!!
Wow, I usually don't mind reading threads that complain about dealers, because I am glad to hear what it is that bothers collectors and usually learn something, but this comment just seems, well, heartless to be honest.
I can tell you, without complaining or whining at all - just fact - but when I do fly away shows I can't bring a cooler, and I often do shows by myself so I don't get much chance to leave my table (I too don't like it much when dealers leave their tables empty). Sometimes I don't even get a chance to run to the powder room, so I am completely and extremely grateful when a customer or another dealer for that matter offers to get me a bottle of water. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me - I do what I do because I love it and want to be at the shows. But geese, when did asking for a bottle of water become asking for people to feel sorry for us? What happened to just simple common courtesy?
The Penny Lady®
If you're going to lowball me, give it to me straight. Tell me that's all you can afford to pay, because you have to make a profit and that's the nature of the business, etc. I can accept that. But don't treat me like an idiot if you ever want to see me again.
Other than that, general rudeness is also frowned upon.
Not too long ago at a local show I saw/overheard a collector attempting to sell a coin to a dealer and the collector asked what the price in the latest greysheet was for reference. The dealer looked at his greysheet (just out of the collector's view) and told him it was listed with a bid of $125 in VF (the agreed upon condition of the coin) and that although he wouldn't make much money on that one he would pay the collector the full bid price. The collector thought it was worth more, but said the deal was fair. I later looked up the same coin the the greysheet and found out the dealer misquoted the price listed in the significantly as VF bid was actually $290!!! Not cool and I now hope that the collector finds out the same information somehow.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
<< <i>ME; How much for so & so
Dealer : hhmmmmm. Gee. not sure tck tock tick tock looking around for the lost greysheet......tick tock. tick tock......i guess maybe....tick tock
me: I'll come back later
LOL How could you not know your prices????? >>
Prices change very frequently and it is impossible to update prices on hundreds or thousands of coins. I have signs that state all prices are subject to review in my store.
I'm sorry if up-to-the minute pricing is offensive, but that is just the way it is.
I firmly believe in numismatics as the world's greatest hobby, but recognize that this is a luxury and without collectors, we can all spend/melt our collections/inventories.
eBaystore
2. Dealers who make assumptions that I can't afford something for whatever reason. Some of you have seen pictures of the coins that I post up here. I own 99% of them, and most of my coins are something more than bargain basement material.
3. General rudeness. If I've done something that offended you in the past, that might account for something. But if you don't know me at all, what's with the attitude.
Come to think of it, this guy's shop is a great example of my other pet peeve. Here, I'll say it: While the "expert" remains busy in the back (supposedly this "Gusty Roe" character) his crew of shopkeepers remain completely oblivious to any of the finer nuances of numismatics. You might as well ask them for complex tax advice. I find it amazing every time I drive past that he has managed to keep his doors open.
Empty Nest Collection
1. Not standing behind what they sell to customers. If a specialty dealer sells me a coin, representing it as nice (and getting a 'nice' price from me), and then makes excuses (low quality, etc.) when I offer it to him some years later, then I will question whether I should continue to buy coins from him.
2. Acting like it's an imposition when I request a printed/written receipt on dealer letterhead. I want one for every coin I purchase, so that I can maintain accurate records.
3.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
to dealers , regular clientel , or the uninformed . then there are dealers that
have one price for most everybody , or very little variance
Other than that, I think the anti-dealer sentiment is highly overrated and not deserved.
<< <i>1. Not standing behind what they sell to customers. If a specialty dealer sells me a coin, representing it as nice (and getting a 'nice' price from me), and then makes excuses (low quality, etc.) when I offer it to him some years later, then I will question whether I should continue to buy coins from him. >>
Yea, I hear you on that one. Some dealers might claim that they are no obligation to buy back what they sell, but if they praised it to the skies when you bought it, they should be prepared to pay a fair wholesale price for it when it comes time to re-sell it.
and brings me stuff all the time just not stuff on my list.
His standerds are a little higher than mine so I know that when he does get me something on my list I will be happy with it.
More frustration than a peeve
<< <i>Having a want list for over a year and a half with nothing to show for it . And my dealer goes to every major show and auction
and brings me stuff all the time just not stuff on my list.
His standerds are a little higher than mine so I know that when he does get me something on my list I will be happy with it.
More frustration than a peeve >>
Some what list stuff is just impossible to find, and sometimes it takes a premium price (perhaps more than you want to pay) to land it. When I was dealer I did a lot of want list work, but there were a few instances where I just couldn't find the item no matter how hard I tried.
and really experts..I deal with a few small dealers I really like and
trust..a few large dealers i might buy a coin or 2 or 3 from a year..
And one dealer that gets the lions share of my business..several
purchases a month usually..I like this group a lot..if there was something
i didnt like i could express it and easily work thru it..Good folks!
Bruce Scher
ps to double dime..you need a new dealer..thats just crazy!
Short of the item in question being a hyper rarity that is virtually never seen on the market, I'm trying to understand why this would be a really big deal for someone.
Speaking for myself, if I'm buying something at a show it's usually either for standing want lists or for a likely buyer back at our store- and if it's for inventory, then that means I'm selling the item readily back at the shop...so, quite obviously, said new purchases are bought with the intent to take them home and not to sell them at the show. It kinda defeats the purpose otherwise. I think most reasonable people look at it as a "first come, first served" situation.
As the dealer in that scenario- it would depend to a point on the demeanor of the person involved. If it was a collector who was polite and asked nicely if the coin was for sale and said that it was something they'd been seeking for quite some time, I'd consider flipping it to them for a small profit, or maybe even no profit if it was for a kid. However, if they cop an attitude about it and come up to me whining about how they wanted the coin and how I'm somehow the bad guy just because I bought it ahead of them...tough luck. And rather than wasting time quoting a too-high price that a) obviously wouldn't be paid and b)would inevitably be followed by yet more complaining, I'd simply say "sorry but I already have a home for it". I have missed out on items many times but I simply get over it and go look for another one. I don't know why some people just can't accept that NO is a valid answer to a question and take it personally when they hear it.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
Also, this is not a peev but a suggestion to dealers: If you have coins that have been listed for sale for more than a year look at your price compared with what simmilar coins are actually selling for.
<< <i>I can tell you, without complaining or whining at all - just fact - but when I do fly away shows I can't bring a cooler >>
Perhaps the above links will help if storage is a problem. Hope this helps.
Signed, "heartless."
A Dealer should enjoy what he does but not collect what he sells.
peacockcoins
<< <i>Dealers begging for want lists, then never servicing them.
Self-serving market reports. >>
<< <i>For me, Dealers who have too much of the collector blood running through their veins.
A Dealer should enjoy what he does but not collect what he sells. >>
Then, that would eliminate the vast majority of dealers including myself. I don't know any dealer who didn't have a collection of something.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
<< <i>For me, Dealers who have too much of the collector blood running through their veins.
A Dealer should enjoy what he does but not collect what he sells. >>
Pat, would you go along with "A Dealer should enjoy what he does, but not sell what he collects"?
<< <i>1. A dealer buys something I need on the bourse floor ahead of me. I don't know what they paid, but they won't give a quote or even a shot at the item. I can understand that perfectly if they have the item sold to a want list customer, but if they bought only for general inventory, why won't they give me a quote? Even if if it is an off the wall, too high number, that's more polite and refusing to quote a price at all.
Short of the item in question being a hyper rarity that is virtually never seen on the market, I'm trying to understand why this would be a really big deal for someone.
Speaking for myself, if I'm buying something at a show it's usually either for standing want lists or for a likely buyer back at our store- and if it's for inventory, then that means I'm selling the item readily back at the shop...so, quite obviously, said new purchases are bought with the intent to take them home and not to sell them at the show. It kinda defeats the purpose otherwise. I think most reasonable people look at it as a "first come, first served" situation.
As the dealer in that scenario- it would depend to a point on the demeanor of the person involved. If it was a collector who was polite and asked nicely if the coin was for sale and said that it was something they'd been seeking for quite some time, I'd consider flipping it to them for a small profit, or maybe even no profit if it was for a kid. However, if they cop an attitude about it and come up to me whining about how they wanted the coin and how I'm somehow the bad guy just because I bought it ahead of them...tough luck. And rather than wasting time quoting a too-high price that a) obviously wouldn't be paid and b)would inevitably be followed by yet more complaining, I'd simply say "sorry but I already have a home for it". I have missed out on items many times but I simply get over it and go look for another one. I don't know why some people just can't accept that NO is a valid answer to a question and take it personally when they hear it. >>
First of all I'll tell you what one of the items was in which I've had this situation. It was Bechtler gold dollar. I've been looking for one for a while that was not damaged, and I've seen very few offered. The coin in question was a nice AU that was raw. The dealer in question does not have a store and does most of his business at national shows. And, yea, I'm regular customer who has done many thousands of dollars worth of business with this dealer over the years. Given the situation I rhought that I deserved a quote. And no I didn't whine when he refused to quote me, but I was not happy.