What would you do? Coin show etiquette.

I havent been to many shows and defer to the veterans. I was recently shopping at a show, and asked a dealer to let me take a closer look at some higher end older blue seal notes I've had my eye on for a while. I asked the dealer what he wanted for them and while digging out his book he got side tracked by another dealer. The dealer left several hundred dollars worth of notes on the display case in the open in front of me. I tried to get his attention again to close out our transaction (I was planning to buy if they were reasonable), but it seemed shy of walking over and dragging him away from his dealer buddy he wasn't going to break away. I finally got a bit peeved and said loudly "I guess I'll buy from someone else who is interested in selling" and walked away leaving their couple hundred worth of notes laying on the counter and out in the open and they seemed not to notice. What would you do? Normally, I wouldn't have a problem walking away like that except there was a lot of money on the table someone could have easily walked off with these dealers off in La-La land. It's not my responsibility to protect their merchandise, but at the same time it would really ruin my day if so done did steal from them and then the dealers pointed at me for the theft. What would you do?

Also, I bought some circulated low end red seal 2's not for any kind of investment or anything I just liked they way they look. When buying from a large stack of low end notes is it considered bad form to cherry-pick?

Thanks!

 

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I would have just made sure the dealer knew I was walking away with his notes still out of the display case. It is his fault if he wouldn't pay any attention to you. I have had the same experience, but with coins. Choosing to not spend your money with this dealer was probably a good call. I just like to make sure they are aware of where the merchandise is, so if it disapears they can't blame me.

 

Simply put, he doesn't deserve your money. The easiest thing to do is to leave the money in front of him regardless if he gives you attention. This way he sees the notes and you walking away without them.

 

I would have probably had patience enough to either wait for him to return or if I ran out of it I would have taken them to him and handed them to him but I would not have left them unattended.

 

Yeah you guys are probably right, I was just kind of miffed about getting blown off so the person I'm dealing with could go off and shoot the breeze with someone who came after me.

 

What the dealer did was extremely rude, so I could justify what you did. It would be like if I were talking to you and then I ...

 

I completely understand why you handled the situation the way you did and i don't think many would fault you for it. It was poor customer service, pure and simple. In almost any collectible market, multiple dealers are going to have the exact same thing for roughly the same price, so customer service is your best way of getting a sale. It doesn't make sense to me why you would turn away someone who is about to buy something from you....

 

I would have stuffed the notes in my pockets, drop kicked the display case, yell "now what b!tch," do a backflip and slowly make my getaway on a segway.

 

I now go to the coin show to see the exhibits, displays etc.The dealers are there to do transaction among themselves or there high endcustomers. They don't seem to care about anybody else. I fine it interesting if the dealer has no
one at there booth then they will take a little time with you, but if another dearler walks up they will drop you like a hot potato. I don't ask to see a coin if I don't intend to buy

 

Ditto!

Chris

 

If the dealer has no interest in taking care of them, why should you? They aren't yours to take care of. Sounds to me like personal matters took precedent over business matters. You waited patiently, then exhausted that patience.

You're a customer, not a note babysitter.

 

"You're a customer, not a note babysitter." I agree 100%; the dealer should not have put you in such a position.

"When buying from a large stack of low end notes is it considered bad form to cherry-pick?"
High end or low end it doesn't matter, cherry-picking is simply looking at merchandise and choosing what you like and want to spend your money on.​

 

That's one of my pet peeves. I've been in retail and I was taught to give the customer full attention because in essence, they are the ones who pay your salary and keep the business going. When I'm ignored or put on stand-by while the dealer attends to another dealer or goes to chit-chat, I no longer have the patience to keep asking for his attention. I'll walk away. That usually gets them interested because they want to see if something had disappeared from their table.

 

I don't even know how to respond to that, but I do like your style.

 

Having just attended the WFoM I looked at ton of notes from dozens of dealers. At no time would I have walked away from notes I asked to see. There was only one instance where the dealer got tied up while I was looking at notes. I waited a moment and when I could tell the dealer was not going to be free quickly, I interrupted her just to thank her and let her know I was moving on. I would not have left until she acknowledged me regardless of how that might have disrupted her other conversation. Regardless of their behavior I see it as my responsibility to make sure the merchandise is protected when I ask to see it. You probably did the right thing by not buying from him. There are plenty of dealers willing to give you the attention you deserve.

 

I've never been to a show like this, but they don't have security cameras overseeing everything like Wal Mart or a bank? It seems to me with so much value contained in so little space, they should have that placed watched like hawks in the sky.

I probably would have literally grabbed something, took it to him, as told him how easy it would have been for me to steal it, especially if the money was left out in the open as you claim it to be. People like him need to learn...

 

When you said this did he turn and hear you?

If he didn't hear you, I would have picked up the whole lot and walked over between the dealers with them and said
"Here, put these away."
Since you just left them there and you are evidently safe at home now and not in the clink, it's too bad if they got stolen or he is sitting wondering if you left with some or somebody else stole any.
He is responsible to watch his wares not you.
Don't worry about it!

 

Especially when you're a kid, if you do that, they will threaten to call the cops and call you "what's wrong with our country". And yes a similar incident has happened to me. I found some silver modern coins laying under their table and asked if they were his and he proceeded to rant about why kids shouldn't be allowed there.

 

Yeah I wouldn't put up with that crap. I hope you set him straight and made sure he knew you found them.

 

I think you were justified in the way you handled the situation. As previously stated, you are not a note babysitter. If this had happened to me I would have gone elsewhere as well since all shows I have been to have about the same notes for sale at every dealer, and a lot of them are willing to bend over backwards for your business for the same price of thoe other notes at that other guy's table.