I like the concept of getting a few coins in the mail monthly at a set price. I like the idea even more knowing that I am paying less than retail. Is anyone able to point me to a company with a setup similar to Littleton but without the high markup? It seems like the market would be there for both a buyer and a seller. Ebay is getting what? 25-30 percent commisssion after ebay and paypal fees are taken and you are getting probably 25 percent less than retail typically. Seems like it would be worthwhile to cut out the middleman for both parties.
Try your local dealer. but if not, here are a few links. there are tons of online dealers out there. these are all retail. but you can still find good deals. http://www.apmex.com/ https://www.mintproducts.com/ http://www.ModernCoinMart.com/cart1/home.php and for older coins. http://www.saharacoins.com/ http://www.adkinscoin.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home http://www.coastcoin.com/DirectionsWEB/webcart_home.php And Welcome to the CT.:welcome:
I appreciate the heads up but I'm in a little different situation. I don't have a local dealer in Afghanistan, where I'm going to be until probably February I like the Littleton set up of just sending a variety of coins monthly, I would just prefer them at a cheaper cost. I'll check out those sites none the less though.
Thank you, for your service. :thumb: I hope those links help. but Im not sure if they have that monthly service you asked for.
Mike - over the years I have looked at and checked out many different monthly programs where you get coins sent to you every month. Without exception they all tell you that you are getting a great deal price wise. Problem is, you're not. Never once have I ever seen one where the coins were not grossly over-priced for what you were getting. And not only were the coins over-priced, they were sub-par coins as well. I would strongly urge you to forget all about these types of programs and pick your coins out one coin at a time.
I totally agree with Doug. In cases like this you don't get what you pay for. If you're looking for specific coins, post a want list here or use one of the other dealers' sites to look for what you want. Going the "on approval" route, you're just going to be disappointed.
Monthly approval programs are a great way for dealers to get rid of excess bulk and subpar coins that they have no other efficient way to get out from under. In other words, the buyers of these programs are generally receiving filler that has little value on a per coin basis and that takes quite a bit of energy to get rid of if it isn't sold in bulk. I would stay away from such offers.
It's just the nature of the beast: "on approval" sellers must charge high prices - the people who buy from them have to also cover the merchandise that is neither bought nor returned. That's true whether you are talking about coins, stamps, jewelry, or whatever.
Yeah, I'm not sure why you wouldn't just browse the CoinTalk For Sale section - there are always plenty of coins listed, and I'm sure many sellers would give you a good price - plus, you can make sure the coins you're getting are worth getting. I know as someone who has plenty of coins listed here at less than Fair Market Value (and who would listen to reasonable offers on top of THOSE prices), it baffles me why you'd let someone send you their junk coins at full retail instead of seeing what people like me have to offer... I have never once seen a coin I'd pay more than double its face value in Littleton plastic. I'm just saying...
