No, I don't think that just because someone is a dealer that they are giving a fair deal. Like I mentioned a few posts up, there are at least a few dealers in my area that I do avoid. I'm just noticing that this is the case with more and more dealers. I would just like to run into more of the good crowd or at the very least someone who acts in a professional manner.
A good dealer would at least explain the price drop if you ask. If it was an inventory problem, the dealer should say "I already have too many of these." If it's a profit/margin issue, the dealer should say "I can't make any money unless I buy it for 20% under," etc. If you get a low-ball with no explanation, especially if you ask why the low-ball, then that probably is a dealer to avoid. Of course you can get one of these explanations if a dealer is just trying to take advantage of you as well. It's a difficult uphill battle. Sellers want to make money and buyers want to make money. Those two fronts collide head-on and who knows what will happen? Win-win can happen, but it doesn't seem like a common outcome these days. Win-win usually means less money for both sides, unfortunately. And we don't seem to live in a world that can tolerate fewer profits no matter what the outcome. Someday that may change, but this attitude seems cast in concrete as of this moment. We live in hardball times. So be it.
That's a very antiquated opinion, or people with an agenda. Anyone not using the internet at this point is just hurting themselves. There is truth that a lot of buyers are unreasonable with sellers, but at the same time local dealers you are at the geography mercy, nothing says they will ever enhance your experience. The sheet is the biggest thing that has really hurt everyone as I mentioned earlier in my opinion. People love saying oh I bought this for this, but they forget that means if they're buying at "wholesale" prices they will be selling far below that.
CDN has already solved the pricing problem with the "Collector's Pricing Guide (CPG) Values" "We use a sophisticated formula to determine the proper CPG value ...The formula will change from time to time..." "We do NOT publish a comprehensive list of CPG values. We offer the individual pricing values to individual coin dealers, auction houses and other web site developers..." Oh boy.
Haven't sold much on ebay but apparently the "make offer" button is equivalent to "will sell for any price" to buyers lol One has had about 12 offers, it's buy it now at $72 and most offers have been $20-$25, one reasonable person offered $62 and met me in the middle.
That really is how some people view those. Or they just fish the various listings seeing if anyone ever takes it
Depending on the type of coins. i.e...If a dealer sold you some PR/MS70 coins he probably don't want to see them back in his store again.
There is an old saying. you must put the same amount of effort into selling as you do into buying. Coin dealers are not benevolent genies placed on earth to give you handsome profits. I have never been a coin dealer, but I am usually puzzled by how they can stay in business. i have been an independent product rep, for several dozen different products. Many of those jobbers needed to double or triple the price of their product just to cover overhead and break even. Coin dealers eat too. the electric company seems to like them to pay for their lights too. You can bet his wife likes a new dress just as much as the other guy. Food for thought.
I wonder about this in all sorts of different businesses as I run a small business myself and know how tough it is. Our town is expensive to rent in, yet coffee shops that never seem busy stay open somehow. And you are correct about the price some companies need to charge to break even - the average homeowner doesn't have a clue. My company is a service contractor. We are very fairly priced but I still get the occasional call that goes like: "I FOUND THAT PART ONLINE FOR $125 HOW CAN YOU CHARGE ME $300!?!?!?!". Could be the $30,000 truck we pulled up in, the gas we put in the tank, the employee who makes a wage and benefits, the phones you're talking to me on, my employee who answers the phone and gets paid, the time it took to install the part, the knowledge to diagnose the faulty part and how to replace it, the warranty we have to provide on the part, the office I'm sitting in. By all means next time take a crack at doing all that yourself to save the cash.