Is it wrong to go to a coin shop and spent a half hour or so cherrypicking, and then not buy anything because the coins I was looking at were either overgraded, cleaned in some way, or just didn't have good eye appeal? Would the the dealer be right in getting testy about that? I mainly collect type coins. I try to stick with EF or AU that has not been cleaned, but not dirty either. One time I asked to meet a person who claimed to have an EF Shield Nickel, and it looked like only a Fine to me. I turned it down and he got testy because he made a special trip. I then bought it to save face. I the case of a coin shop, I may sometimes buy something inexpensive so as to not leave the dealer empty handed. Other times I don't.
No it is not wrong. Buy only what makes u happy and if in one particular shop that happens to be nothing, then so be it. Trust me you will never run in to a dealer who is happy when someone walks away without buying anything but thats only because the coin business is not a good one. If they had 50 customers buying stuff each day they would not care if one or two walk out. I had one dealer a few months back give me a free coin 2x2 storage box in an attempt to get me to buy something from him. Dont worry about it though. You would only be wasting ur money if u bought something just to satisfy the dealer
You made a good point, but sometimes I feel obligated since the dealer spent time showing me the coins.
If a murderer spent the time to draw out and explain a murder plan woukd you feel obligated to kill? Ha thats a little extreme i know but its kind of the same idea. If u dont like anything he shows you, you shouldnt buy it anyway to pllease him. If you do your gonna get home and wish thatc u had ur money back. But you know a coin dealers return policy; turn your back and its a done deal
the dealer is in business to serve you, not the other way around. If you leave without buying anything he should smile and wish you "have a nice day". A dealer who is cheerful and respectful will around to sell to you another day. one who gets a rep as a miserable grump might not. I only deal at shows but every person that stops at my table gets greeted and thanked for looking when they leave. Richard
I do this a lot. I have 1 local B&M I go to regularly to search their coin bin for proofs and uncirculated coins. Sometimes I find something I'm looking for, or interested in, and sometimes I walk out without making a purchase. I don't feel bad about it at all.
Did the guy with the shield nickel in OP seem to act wrong even though he made a special trip to meet me?
Yes, the guy with the shield nickel did not act appropriately. He wasted his time on the special trip because he was not honest, not because you were ungrateful. If he had been honest about the grade up front, you would have told him not to come and he would not have 'wasted' his time.
In those situations, I find it valuable to put yourself in the other person's shoes, then decide what YOU think is right. That said, I think it's even more important to not buy anything unless you are completely satisfied with the purchase beforehand, as any dissatisfaction is likely only to grow over time and turn into regret.
Never buy something just because you feel awkward. They are a business, you are a customer. If they don't provide something you are interested in, come back when they do. They have to earn your business. Nothing irritates me more than a pushy salesman.
Your use of the word "cherrypicking" implies that you're trying to get something that he graded wrong or grabbing an error or variety he missed. If that is the case then you are wrong in wasting the time he has to send monitoring you and pulling out stock for you to search. You might want to set aside a couple of real buys and then ask to just look through something else. If, however, you are there looking for something specific, tell him! Just say, 'I'm looking a nice uncleaned XXXXXXX, between 19AA and 119BB and grading EF-AU. Something that will be a nice fit with the rest of my collection" That way he can show you what he has and it will take far less time, and you can decline if it doesn't look right to you. If you have a problem with his grading, just ask if he'd take another look. He doesn't really have to justify his grading but if you see something obvious you can ask if he'd knock off a bit for the wear/scratch/dent/weakness/etc.
In general, no there's nothing wrong with that at all. In general, NO. Assuming you treated them with respect they should certainly treat you with respect. Good dealers enjoy what we do for a living. It's fun. Personally, I like people and thoroughly enjoy teaching. That should show up in dealings.
How dare you not buy anything! Every time I test drive a car, I buy it. Every pair of shoes my wife tries on, I tell her to buy them! I don't want to inconvenience any salesperson or owner.
If I bought something just to make a dealer happy and I didn't really want the coin, then I'd end up being unhappy. I would rather please myself rather than trying to please a grumpy dealer.
