What is your "Buying Strategy?"

I'm both,at the same time. It's like doublethink, but I guess this is doublebuy or doublebuy plus good.

 

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Well, you and I are in agreement. We have, in my mind, agreed upon a price before meeting, i.e., the published price. It's the unsolicited lowball offers during the initial contact that really frost me. Most of my items are under $50, so a $5 hit (after the buyer shows up, IF he shows up) is about as much as I'll come down. I'm running at least 50% no-shows. I don't pursue or antagonize them, too many guns around.

 

strategy? You mean we are sposed to have a strategy?

 

Napoleon had a good strategy but lost the war nevertheless... I buy a coin when I "think" it's an excellent coin and a good deal (it doesn't need to be a bargain).

 

Amen brother! I

 

Remember what Mike Tyson says "everybody has a strategy until you get punched in the face!".

 

I go for nice looking coins. Price is second. Bought enough ugly coins at a young age.

 

I'm not especially proud of it, but my strategy is "buy bargains", with an implicit "and sell them at a profit". Until I start executing the "sell them at a profit" part on a more regular basis, though, there's a very real danger that I'm deceiving myself and/or simply hoarding.

In other words, I may think I'm acquiring undergraded coins at a good price, only to find out that they're not undergraded at all. Or I may be accumulating nicer raw coins hidden in random lots, only to find that they have problems, or worse yet, aren't genuine. Until I'm getting regular feedback in the form of successful sales (or, in the latter case, successful TPG submissions), I can't be sure that I'm doing it right.

So, yeah, it's possible that I'm setting myself up for some bad surprises down the line -- but I'm not gambling anything I can't afford to lose, and I'm having a good time, so I think I'm doing it "right enough".

 

For me, I look for coins that I really want. That means it is normally associated with some set or project I am working on...but sometimes a coin "outside" that area will catch my eye. My big thing is eye appeal. I then decide what the coin is worth to me and I won't pay more than that. If I can get it cheaper, great...but if the seller wants more then I pass.

 

Frequently I find myself in the same boat.

 

I forgot to mention that I am selling coins with low eye-appeal or those I consider unspectacular. Buy 3, sell 1 - that's how I ensure my collection stays exclusive.

 

A lot of coins that I purchase fall in the “ Veni, vidi, vici” category. Or what I refer to as “ I saw it, I liked it, I bought it”. The majorities are coins that fit whatever theme or set I am working on. I do a lot of research to determine what I want and try to get it for the price I want. I don’t get too upset if I lose an auction. Another one always comes along. I will jump on a bargain whenever I come across one even if it’s not something I collect. Those are the ones I set aside and sell later to fund what I do want.

 

I almost always snipe at whatever I feel to be a fair bid. I "set it and forget it". If I don't win, then oh well, there will be another coin and another day. If I see a coin that is listed for fixed price sale somewhere, it is "unique" and when I look at the buy it now price my jaw doesn't drop -- then I'll check to see if it fits in my budget, and buy it if I think I'll never see another like it.

In short, I buy what I like, with the intent to hold it in my collection for a very long time. This year my goal has been to add a few high-cool-factor (more expensive) coins to my collection, instead of a lot of so-so-cool-factor (lower cost) coins. Quality over quantity. I was finding I was purchasing a lot of coins I liked, but that I didn't love. Now I require the "love" factor for purchase. So far it's working out pretty well, and I've only fallen off the wagon with a couple purchases in 2014.

 

I buy only what I like and only if there is little interest in it from others and only if the grade does not involve bells, whistles, ribbons, bows, Wow! or the need for a microscope. If I follow these rules, which are far from easy, the right price usually follows automatically.

 

"That's ludicrous."

 

I buy only what I find very attractive in coins, and doing so I see what similar coins are going for, and set a price of how much is the most I'm willing to pay, and I don't go over it.