Would you be surprised if..........
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Would you be surprised if..........you were denied retail business with a wholesaler??
-----I wouldn't.
Would you be surprised if..........you arrived at a dealers shop or show table un-announced, un-known and un-referred and you never got to see the best material he had for sale??
-----I wouldn't.
Ten to Fifteen years ago my answers would have been different. Around that time I joined the PCGS forum and realized how out of touch I was with the Hobby. I had reconnected with a dealer and we became better friends than we had been before, so I was hanging around at his shop and helping. I made a conscience decision to help at shows in an effort to understand the workings of the "business" from a dealer's perspective and it has served me well. I parlayed that volunteer work into a job(I only work for a dealer and despite what some think, no, I am not a dealer) and the end result is that I saw how misinformed I was about a lot of things. Questions like the two above became clearer in part by "walking in the other guys shoes" for a few miles.
Perhaps if we all strive to be more helpful to each other and not so quick to attack, getting a better feel for how the Hobby works instead of insisting it should work the way we think it should, our experiences would be more enjoyable. I know that my decision many years ago has showed to be a good one, maybe the best I have made in Numismatics.
Al H.
-----I wouldn't.
Would you be surprised if..........you arrived at a dealers shop or show table un-announced, un-known and un-referred and you never got to see the best material he had for sale??
-----I wouldn't.
Ten to Fifteen years ago my answers would have been different. Around that time I joined the PCGS forum and realized how out of touch I was with the Hobby. I had reconnected with a dealer and we became better friends than we had been before, so I was hanging around at his shop and helping. I made a conscience decision to help at shows in an effort to understand the workings of the "business" from a dealer's perspective and it has served me well. I parlayed that volunteer work into a job(I only work for a dealer and despite what some think, no, I am not a dealer) and the end result is that I saw how misinformed I was about a lot of things. Questions like the two above became clearer in part by "walking in the other guys shoes" for a few miles.
Perhaps if we all strive to be more helpful to each other and not so quick to attack, getting a better feel for how the Hobby works instead of insisting it should work the way we think it should, our experiences would be more enjoyable. I know that my decision many years ago has showed to be a good one, maybe the best I have made in Numismatics.
Al H.
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Comments
Now that you've "walked in the other guys shoes", care to explain why you gave those answers to the two questions starting your post?
As far as holding back "the best stuff", I can see that if you know certain regular buyers are coming to a show/the shop........ but to just withhold material from sale seems like a poor business practice too. You're either here to sell coins or you're not.
<< <i>Would you be surprised if..........you were denied retail business with a wholesaler??
-----No.
Would you be surprised if..........you arrived at a dealers shop or show table un-announced, un-known and un-referred and you never got to see the best material he had for sale??
-----I would have to say no because how would I know they aren't showing me their best? If I liked what I was shown I would buy it. >>
Is it common practice for dealers to hold back their best material?
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
<< <i>
As far as holding back "the best stuff", I can see that if you know certain regular buyers are coming to a show/the shop........ but to just withhold material from sale seems like a poor business practice too. You're either here to sell coins or you're not. >>
Hard to get new customers when all you choose to show them is your dreck or dreck+. My $500 is as good as anyone else's; assuming that your selling at the same price no matter who is buying.
it is really very simple.
Would you be surprised if..........you were denied retail business with a wholesaler??
everyone seems to understand that you will do best when buying/selling if you go to a dealer who actually does business in that area of the Hobby. would you go to a dealer who specializes in Colonials if you were looking to buy some Modern Half-Dollars?? would you try to sell slabbed U.S. Type coins to a dealer who had a case full of ancients?? the answer to both questions for me is "No" and I wouldn't expect a wholesale dealer to have much interest in retail.
Would you be surprised if..........you arrived at a dealers shop or show table un-announced, un-known and un-referred and you never got to see the best material he had for sale??
certainly some dealers will show anyone everything, but most only bring out the best for their established customers or "put stuff back" that they know to hold for someone. heck, I work in a coin shop and am a good buyer but my boss sometimes buys and sells stuff without me even knowing it. if a dealer is successful and knows his customer base he knows what to hold for who. this is especially true if a stranger is at the table or in the shop.
please remember that this is just my experience, others may see or do things differently.
<< <i>care to explain why you gave those answers to the two questions starting your post?
it is really very simple.
Would you be surprised if..........you were denied retail business with a wholesaler??
everyone seems to understand that you will do best when buying/selling if you go to a dealer who actually does business in that area of the Hobby. would you go to a dealer who specializes in Colonials if you were looking to buy some Modern Half-Dollars?? would you try to sell slabbed U.S. Type coins to a dealer who had a case full of ancients?? the answer to both questions for me is "No" and I wouldn't expect a wholesale dealer to have much interest in retail.
>>
I don't see it like that at all. A wholesaler should carry a variety of series so if I'm looking for Morgans, I'd expect him to have a lot of them. If I was a wholesaler, I'd prefer to spend an hour with someone who might buy 100 coins and not someone who will take up the same time and space and maybe buy 1 or 2 or even no coins.
I guess if you don't want to deal with retail collector/customers, don't have a storefront. eBay does not discriminate for all those who are frustrated with the coin shops that do. You can sit there all day and night searching.
I remember every dealer who treated me well in the 1970s, and certainly every one who didn't.
I remember Karl Stephens taking time with me over Austrian silver, though he knew I didn't have much money. Likewise Allen Berman. And I remember those who didn't look up from their tables.
Oh yes.
<< <i>Would you be surprised if.......... >>
Al, after 13 years of steady activity in coin selling, buying and forum activity, I'm no longer surprised by anything.
The name is LEE!
<< <i>Yet we lament the lack of younger collectors.
I remember every dealer who treated me well in the 1970s, and certainly every one who didn't.
I remember Karl Stephens taking time with me over Austrian silver, though he knew I didn't have much money. Likewise Allen Berman. And I remember those who didn't look up from their tables.
Oh yes. >>
Coin Collecting is not a "life long" passion for all serious collectors. Most of those who treat it as a hobby, don't start with any seriousness until they hit their 50's.
And this does not surprise me..........
The name is LEE!
My policy has always been that everyone's money is equally green (and I'm not talking about verdigris). At the same time, there are those who seem to exist only to annoy others. Their lack of introspection is the real mystery.