local coin shop?

I've gone into this coin shop a couple of times but these last two times when i have asked to look at the ASE's if i find a mark or ding i ask to see another, looking for the nicest one. this seems to make the guy behind the counter mad and stating there B.U. they should all be the same, today when i looked at his 2010's the first two i looked at had marks on them the he stated i could look at one more before he starts to charge a cherry picking fee the third one i did look at was without mark at least none that i could see but can shop owners do that? IMO i should be able to choose any coin that appeals to me regardless of it all being the same year and B.U. he certainly doesnt complain when im searching through the buckets for the best looking coins. so what do you all think about this.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

ASE's regardless of what ************ say's are bullion coins to most people...coin shop owners espically.
So they price them at bullion plus a buck or so for handling. If you are wanting to search through them I see why he would be a bit annoyed if everyone wanted to do that.
But I can see you being a bit annoyed with him saying that too
He can charge for cherrypicking if he wants it is his store and you can spend your money elsewhere if you want.
I've never had a dealer say that to me but they know I'm a buyer and will make some accomidations for me.

 

It's his shop, he can make the rules as long as he stays within the law. Telling you not to cherrypick is allowed and threatening to charge is allowed, too. However, you are also allowed to shop elsewhere.

 

Sure, he can.
Just like, you can spend your money elsewhere.
If he really valued you as a customer he would have helped you pick out the best one in the lot.

 

i agree that yes i can shop some were else unfornunantly the only other place is an hour drive away no biggy except for then i have less money to spend on coins and what not cuz now i have to put it back into gas. these last two visits i have dropped close to 70 bucks and this next wekk coming week i pretty much plan to do the same, maybe after he sees me more than the five times i've been there he'll start to give me privlages.

 

Was the time that the holders that these coins were packaged in held these coins very tightly and securely. Seems like the '09's and '10's were packaged in "looser' holders and hence, more marks on the coins due to them rattling around in the tube. Sorry about the 'malo" experience Joey. Chalk it up to "brick and mortar" grumpiness. Keep this guy on your places to visit list, but look elsewhere also.........

 

thank you for your input, maybe ill just stop buying ASE's from him but i will continue to look through the buckets will see what happens next week.

 

Yes - it might improve with time. Especially if he see's you coming in each week.

 

not to sure about how they were delivered to him but the funny thing is, is that there was only about 7 to 10 2010's he was displaying last week it was only 4 and i just asked to see all of them then. i will keep him in my 1 of 2 places to visit, it still a nice little store and his selection is decent.

 

Or try asking to see a whole roll at once. Or ask him what they cost if you pick them. It might only be a buck and be worth it to you.

 

I buy Eagles and Maple leaves from my local dealer. Every time I ask, he picks out a nice one and shows it to me for my approval.

One time I went to buy a Maple Leaf. His partner was there that day. He grabbed one and I bought it sight unseen. When I got home, there was a coin rim mark across the queen's face. I think it looks cool, but I would be upset if I was expecting a nice one.

 

It is his shop, as others have said. But I agree that the more he sees of you, the more likely he will warm to your presence. Most coin shops are not bustling with activity. Of course, you need to be polite and courteous too.

Don't ever hammer the guy. I did that to a dealer once when gold took a jump. He bought them back, but made a mention of his loss. So, if you buy them cheap and sell them high, find different dealers for the transactions. NOBODY likes to lose money.

 

Why do you say that?

Assuming that he originally sold the gold to you at a profit and will sell the gold he bought from you to another collector at a profit, he didn’t lose anything. In fact, I will go out on a limb and say it was a win for both of you.

You made a profit from the increase in value of gold. He got a coin to sale without having to call another dealer and he saved shipping charges.

The dealer should have congratulated you on your good fortune instead of mentioning some unrealized loss.

I understand that few cities have competing coin shops, but that is not an excuse for arrogance or poor customer service.

Someone who says he is going to charge me a fee to look at his coins does not want my business.

Someone who bemoans my good fortune does want to build a equal relationship with me.

 

True, but after I did it, I was a persona non grata. LOL It's just easier to buy at one and sell to another. Some shops operate on spot margin and could care less, other guys need to feel a gain with every transaction.

 

Joey0053,

I feel I have to answer this one as there are so many views and all of them right depending on how you look at it.

I work in a shop and although I wouldn't be that rude with you as a customer the bottom line to dealers is REALLY it's a bullion coin. It's a piece of silver.

Where I work we've already gone through a few "monster boxes". A "monster box" contains 25 rolls (500 pieces). So figure we have gone through at least 1000 coins and at no time has my boss asked me to inspect each one to find a potential MS70.

It would take me a long time and cost him money because I get paid by the hour. NOW, if I stand there and watch a customer go through 3 rolls looking for the perfect coin he is paying me to stand there and watch a guy. In other words he will most likely LOSE on the transaction. It's a business after all.

Spending $100 a month at a shop is most likely not a big deal to the owner. I know it sounds rough but it's reality. I was a customer a VERY long time before I started working for my employer.
I learned this very quickly when I set foot on the OTHER side of the counter. You are still a valuable customer but if the guy can make $1000 by spending five minutes on the phone or making $2 for 15 minutes on the floor guess where his mind is at?

It's really hard to work yourself into that "I spend $100 a month club" and get treated well. It IS possible though.
I should know. I did it and now I work there so don't give up on your dealer just realize he has bigger things going on. Those bigger things keep him going as a business and allow him to cater to smaller things.

Establishing yourself as a "regular" takes time but can be well worth it and from the sound of it you have a decent dealer. As you gain trust they'll let you look at more WITHOUT being there to monitor. We simply count what is given to you to look at and count what is there when you're done.

One customer I wait on has spent a lot over the years in small increments. He's very trusted. If he's buying the newest quarter he wants a good one. I gladly show him what we have in "open stock". If he finds one he likes he buys it. If he doesn't I'm not going to start opening rolls to make a 25 cent profit.
He knows this and I know this yet he gets the same respect as a customer dropping 10K because he's paid his dues as it were.

I don't agree with the "it will cost you more to cherrypick" remark but I've also seen my boss make similar remarks.
Having been at the shop for two years now I can be that way at times as well. Time is money after all and if I spend an hour to sell two bullion coins and the shop nets a profit of $4 it's not time well spent.

Please consider this and keep frequenting your local shop.

 

I have been very direct on the front end of what exactly I am looking for. I communicate that despite it being loosely classified as bullion that my preference is for as close to shiny and not dinged up as possible and it may require that I have the opportunity to peruse the inventory more than the usual bullion buyer. This seems to set the expectation and if there are issues with this, well, I find another shop.

One last thing, it rally bothers the crap out of me when a dealer asks, "How much are you looking to buy?" Just seems cheesy to me, and I always respond, "well, that depends on what you have."

Laimbeer4452

 

I once had a local dealer I really liked. He would always say something like, take your pick at this price or take them all at a lower price. With junk silver he would just let me sit and pick at a figure times face. At that time it was about 3 X face. With silver eagles he would lay out about half a roll on a pad and say take your pick and state a price. I probably paid a bit more to be able to do that but I was fine with it. We became good friends over the 40 years I was going to his shop. I really miss the guy.

 

I can see how he might lose patience, as coin shops are busy places and ASE's are not what keeps them in business. I think he was hasty in threatening a cherry picking fee, however. At the same time I know where you are coming from. You want to buy the best example you can for your money and shouldn't have to settle for something less if possible. He might have just been having a bad day, who knows. Like Mark said, with time as he sees you as a regular customer, regardless of what you buy or how much you spend, he'll warm up to you, even on bad days. Take this experience with a grain of salt.
Guy~

 

I think that your dealer needs to display his products more efficiently, having to stand there while you are hemming and hawing over a bunch of bullion is not efficient. You should be able to pick and choose, he should not be tied to waiting on you, as clembo says time is money. He should have those eagles set out in a display case so you can look at them and decide which ones you want to take a closer look at. You could help in this process by quickly making your decision once you have a good mark free bullion coin.

 

Chip I agree and disagree

That would be easier for both parties but we are talking about a bullion coin so lets remember that.

I guess if he has a large enough store that there is room in his display cases then yes why not put some out in a tray and heck he could put an extra dollar on those that are there. But if he has a smaller store or no extra room in his display's then that leads us back to it's bullion out of tubes.