help me quick fellas.... i want to buy these... what should I pay?

If you would not buy them because you do not think they are not worth the time and effort to sell, that's fine, but such low value coins can offer returns in other ways. For someone who claims to have repeatedly tried his hand at coins as a business, you would do well to understand this.

Place some nice detail, yet low value, late date Buffalo Nickels in an antique mall or shop and see how fast they get snapped up, even if priced at a couple bucks a pop. Another idea would be to place them in flips that have your business info printed on (or attached to) them, and hand out to anyone who shows an interest in what you do. Believe it or not, such small and seemingly insignificant gestures can, in the long run, be great for business, (depending on your targeted clientele) and help to bring new blood into the hobby. For someone in your situation who has been unable to sell coins profitably, it may be worth your time to start thinking outside the box. Instead of trying to buy on ebay and sell to dealers, perhaps you should slowly try to build a customer base of collectors who may or may not have the time, knowledge, or desire to hunt down the coins they wish to own.

Regardless… there is no reason to possibly confuse a new collector by spewing personal opinions that intentionally have nothing to do with the question asked. I highly doubt he cares about anything other than what is a fair retail price for the coins, and there is no reason to inject your defeat and foolishness into every other thread.

 

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i almost never buy coins on ebay as i have already mentioned many times. i don't have a shop or a mall to display coins in. you opinions on making money on coins are directed towards those who already have large amounts of money, and are of no help to us poor folks.

 

let me ask you a question, what are you maybe 20 to 25 years old and you think that know everything and are qualified to tell others exactly what they should or should not do?

 

Here's the thing coins776... the OP wants to buy from a family friend (not eBay), so as long as the coins have readable dates, $5.00 is a fair price. My LCS sells low grade common buffs (all with dates) for seventy-five cents each. I doubt if the OP is buying to re-sell for a profit.

 

My sincerest apologies... I must have imagined the thread where you spoke of trying to buy large cents off of ebay to sell to dealers. Actually, here is the thread so everyone else can imagine this too: (post # 36)

http://www.cointalk.com/threads/i-have-lost-money-on-every-coin-i-have-ever-purchased.224284/page-2

Regardless… does it really matter where you bought the coins? The point is that your business plan was doomed from the start, and instead of simply accepting this as a mistake, you whine and complain while dismissing every bit of advice given to you. It is time for a reality check… if you’ve been unable to make a profit off of coins, it's not ebay’s or anyone else’s fault but your own, so place blame where blame is due, or in other words, take a long look in the mirror.

This is just another in your near endless string of excuses. The example used was the very same coins you brilliantly stated that you would not buy for 1/30th of their face value, so do tell me how my advice was directed towards only those with large amounts of start-up money? I simply tried to explain to you how such low dollar coins can have value and offer opportunity beyond the obvious.

You don’t own a shop, so what? It is not a necessity, and as for an antique mall, if there is one in your general area, rent a cabinet. If you were that poor, you would not have (or at least claimed to have) thrown away 1000 coins, which alone likely could have paid for your cabinet rental. Again, simple suggestions, but god forbid you accept them as such.

Double the latter and you would be getting closer. Oh, what I would give to be in my twenties again, so in a way I will take that as a compliment.

With all due respect, sir, I believe that I am qualified to give advice in this area because I've lived it. The two suggestions were not shot from the hip, but are both things that I’ve had past successes with.

Instead of dismissing any and all advice that has been given you, and questioning the qualifications of the person giving it, perhaps you should listen and at least consider, but this, of course, would go against your “victim” MO. There is little worse than someone who incessantly whines about their inabilities and failures while giving every excuse imaginable as to why it is not their fault. Life is what you make of it, sir, so if one thing does not work, you pick yourself up and try something else.

I once felt that underneath the nonsense, you were probably a decent guy who just didn’t “get it”, but clearly I was wrong and have wasted my time; a mistake that I will not make again. Good luck to you.

 

you again twist the truth to try and make a fool out of me. i had already mentioned that i have purchased (a few) coins on ebay in the past. and i also said that i don't like buying coins on ebay and i almost never do. your opinions about how to make money on coins are for those who already have money, whether you realize it or not. as for reality, it does not sound like you and so many others even have a clue about reality. your notions that a few dollars worth of coins would be enough money to rent space in a mall, only show how far from reality your thinking really is. from the very start here on cointalk, you have made many smart remarks about me in your commments. you say that i blamed others, who did i blame? besides the times that i got scammed on ebay. you and many of the others seem to enjoy blaming me for everything is the real truth of the matter. i would bet that you and most other people would not be so quick to blame themselves for anything. you have been wrong about almost everything that you said about me. and by the way, i have said many times that i failed at everything. i did not deny that i am a failure.

 

Again, does it really matter where they came from? The point is that it was an exercise in futility, so change your game plan. I am not the one who is making a fool of you.

I started with next to nothing, and busted my butt to turn it into something, so go sing the blues to someone else. For the last time, here are a few friendly suggestions for someone with very modest means.

Did you bother contacting any antique malls in your area before dismissing what I said about renting a cabinet? There are two that I am familiar with in my general area, and a cabinet rental runs $50/mo at one, and $60/mo at the other (plus 10% of sales), so stop whining about how only those with money could do this. The cabinets are approximately 1'x4'x5', and if space is used wisely, a total of SIX 2x2 trays can be placed on each shelf (three flat on the shelf, and three propped up against the wall), so with each tray having a capacity of 24 coins, you do the math. If 1.5x1.5 flips and trays are used for smaller coins, the total number one can display will go up substantially. Now, before you dismiss this by telling me you do not own any trays, they are not necessary as you can simply place your coins on the provided shelves.

As for inventory, dreck sells, as does low dollar novelty types, so here too it is not necessary to have significant start up funds. If you do not presently possess enough inventories to reasonably stock such a cabinet, I suggest getting off of your butt and contacting a few dealers in your general area to see if they have, and would be willing to wholesale the aforementioned types that do best in such a venue. Off the top of my head I can think of a number of guys who would be pleased as punch to clear out such space wasters on the cheap to someone who both wanted and could use them. And no, you do not need thousands or even hundreds of dollars to get your hands on coins that will sell, but you do need to make contacts willing to work with and supply you unless you have already set sources. Having a better attitude would be a good place to start.

Anyways, in my experience, this is as idiot proof a coin operation as one could hope for. As long as your offerings are priced less than most guides, and as long as they are popular types, you could write JUNK in big red letters on the flip and someone will still buy them.

Actually, I've tried and even offered to help you on more than one occasion, so again... please stop playing the victim.

As for blame, I’ve made many, many mistakes in my life, but have tried to learn from instead of dwelling on them as you seem to do. No one is perfect, and I do not believe that any of us would argue this (well, one individual probably would, but that is beside the point), so again, please stop playing the victim. You’ve made a few bad moves, so what? Should they define you, or should you move on and try again? Life is what you make of it, sir, so if you want to sit back and see yourself as a failure that is your choice. I am truly sorry that I cannot wave a magic wand and make everything better for you.

 

my LCS sells common liberty heads for $0.65 each and buffaloes for $0.39(with dates) and gives dateless ones in change

i would not pay more than $2 for the coins

 

Wow, I never thought of cabinet space. Such an idea. Novel, I'll have to check into that. Just wish my LCS was closer. Thanks for the advice.