Coin Show Etiquette (from a Dealer's Perspective)

Other customers. Because, while I might be after that Walker, you might be after that Morgan.. BY GOD!!! You shall not get ANYTHING out of the dealer's case while I examine every dang coin... Even though I don't want that MS63 1881-S Morgan and you do.

 

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Going o th almedia show...hope to see somepeple there...

 

Of course that would depend on which side of the table you're on. But it all comes down to being courteous on both sides goes a long way.

 

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And I do suppose that greasy pizza fingers and messy chocolate hands wouldn't be a welcome site at any dealer table.....

 

Green, I know you're teasing, but you actually bring up a good point. Sometimes parents let their young children climb all over the chairs, leaning on and touching the cases, touching and grabbing anything and everything, often with sticky and/or food-covered little fingers. Of course, I welcome and look forward to helping any kids who are sincerely interested in coins but the little ones who plainly are quite bored and would rather be anywhere else can be an issue.

I know and completely understand that some parents for whatever reason cannot get a babysitter so they must bring their little ones with them to shows. However, it is important especially at a coin show that parents keep track of their kids and make sure they do not climb on the chairs and table, and not touch or grab anything on a dealer's cases and table. It is already hard for a dealer to give their attention to several customers at one time, and to be distracted by little fingers trying to touch or play with everything on the table makes it much more difficult for dealers to pay attention to the customers and the coins that are out being shown to customers.

I have often had to politely ask a parent to keep their child off the cases and sometimes when the parent was distracted, I even had to ask the child to please climb down off my cases or to stop touching items on display. Usually, the parent will apologize and comply, but sometimes this can be tricky since some parents get offended when asked to keep their child away from things the child wants to play with.

So little children at coin shows is probably another "do/don't" I should add to my list.

 

I remember not long ago a few people standing in front of a dealers display area chatting, blocking his tables from anyone getting to them. I looked at the dealer and he rolled his eyes. I finally told the two gentleman that if I were that dealer and they were blocking my table like that, I would be charging them rent.. They moved on and the dealer said thanks to me because they were regulars and he didn't want to offend them. I said whatever they spend probably isnt going to make up for what your losing..

Great List Charmy... Gonna have to fly out to one of the shows and pay you a visit one of these days.

 

I would agree other customers are the worst usually. I don't like many coin shows just because you see so many looking like they are "setting up shop" in front of a dealer monopolizing multiple cases with their crap. I am not talking about a serious seller taking some time, I am talking about the guys who have reference books, papers, sometimes even their danscos all out covering dealer cases. It really looks like their personal little office.

I usually look at these dealers, they give me a knowing look about what's going on, and I move on. Please use PennyLady's list and don't monopolize all of the area and cover up dealers cases. They are there to sell, they have large costs to cover, and I cannot buy anything I cannot see.

 

Isn't part of the problem that they cram so many dealers into too tight a space?

I've only been to the shows in South Florida. There's no room to move and the dealers are all right next to each other without any space between them. It's their own fault for setting up the way they do; nobody can help blocking tables.

And by the way, the only rude person I ever met at a show was a dealer. What a jerk. I'd rather buy on ebay than put up with that. But to be fair, the other dealers are pretty good. But it only takes one bad apple to make me question why I'm paying show prices and wasting gasoline.

 

And don't bite the gold coins to see if they're real.

 

Or knaw on the PCGS slabs to see if they're real......

 

By no means am I an expert with many many years attending shows, but these rules are what I expected (from Dealers point of view) and am glad to know that I have been following them anyway.

Another point is not to put your carrying case or whatever you have on the empty chair next to you. I have on occasion when sitting down had to pick up the persons stuff that was just sitting in the empty chair because I wanted to sit down. So far no rude looks or comments.

 

This is a good one.

And I can't fathom why someone would put their carrying case into a vacant chair anyways... that's a fast invitation for someone to take it for a walk.

 

I don't disagree in principle, but some of the OP's suggestions seem to put the dealer's convenience first and the customer's needs second.

"Only ask to see a coin if you’re seriously interested in purchasing it – don’t ask to see a coin just to compare it to one you already have or just purchased"

I find that borderline offensive. Why do I have to be "seriously interested" before I even look?

"Don’t criticize a coin if you don’t like – just hand it back and say thank you"

I guess customer feedback is unwelcome, unless it's effusive praise.

"Don’t try to negotiate when the price is fair – ask the dealer for the price, and if you think it is fair, then pay it, don’t keep trying to negotiate; besides, if an offer is made and a counteroffer received, the original offer is no longer valid and the dealer doesn’t legally have to honor the original offer, so you may lose the deal altogether"

Petulant. My job as a collector/consumer is to get the best deal possible. A dealer who voids an offer because he doesn't like the counteroffer is not one I'd care to do business with anyway.

"Don’t try to haggle if you cherry pick a coin – many dealers don’t mind if you happen to “cherry” pick a coin from them (meaning, you find a rare date or variety that was unmarked), but as mentioned above, don’t try and negotiate if you happen on a good buy"

See previous comment.​

"...you will be appreciated and respected by the dealers you encounter!"


Appreciation and respect are two-way streets. A dealer who is annoyed by the individuality of his customers at a show might want to consider mail-order only. It might be all about maximizing your sales to you, but for many collectors it's a rare treat.

 

I think it is a matter of degree Texas John. I thought the same things when I read Penny Lady's post the first time, but thinking about my experiences at coin shows I know what she is talking about.

I have seen the guys wanting to look at every coin close up, then walking away. The dealer has limited time they have paid a lot for, but some collectors do not mind taking their time up and preventing them from serving customers who may actually buy. I have also seen/heard collector just rail on and on about how cruddy a coin is. Well, it is what it is, and some goings on may dissuade others to look at that dealers stock. Its just rude to go on and on about deficiencies in a coin for no reason.

Regarding the last two points, I have seen this. I know a dealer who is not the best about updating prices. He had a half dollar in a junk box at below melt. The customer picked it up and showed the dealer. He quickly saw it was too cheap, but was going to honor the price. Then the guy asked for a discount, so the dealer said no, and the coin is no longer for sale. The customer had a deal, and by trying to get even cheaper lost the deal, since once the customer did not accept the price which was in error to begin with, the dealer then felt comfortable to not sell it for that price at all. I agree with the dealer, and thought he was doing the right thing to sell it for the incorrect posted price, but once the customer counteroffered the dealer had no resposibility to honor the original price.

This is what Penny Lady was getting to. Dealers are not stupid, and many see the mistake they made when you hand the coin to them, and many will honor that price since it was their mistake. If you counteroffer, they have every right to put it into their pocket and tell you its no longer for sale.

Chris

 

I totally agree medorman! I don't know what that customer was thinking! :smile
-Taylor

 

Good points.

Customers can be helpful, informative, and colorful--they are the lifeblood of any business. They can also be rude, obnoxious, dumb and troublesome in other ways. Usually by their mannerisms the dealers show whether they are people they want to do business with or not. Certainly there have been quite a few stories of the latter type over the years--some customers with the deepest pockets had a crusty exterior, but with other admirable features too.

At a coin show it is hard not to comment on problem slabs, quite a few NNC holders have been cropping up at shows. IMO a shoddy grading company. http://www.nnccoingrading.com/ I wonder if a renegade coin grader started this outfit?

Scott Travers in one of his books recommends writing a check for a coin for the amount you are willing to pay for it, tearing it in half, and telling said dealer that the check is good for a specified amount of time, and to call the customer if interested. I don't know if any one has tried this tactic.

 

Hmmm....I have never heard of that tactic! :smile
-Taylor

 

Texas John, I appreciate the feedback from your point of view, but as mentioned above, these suggestions are from the dealer's perspective and, although they may seem offensive to some, these points will help YOU as the collector to not step on anyone's toes, so to speak, and can only help you when negotiating with a coin dealer for a coin.

You certainly are free to NOT follow any of these things, especially if they go against your grain, but again, as common sense will show, if you do not act professionally, push too hard, and use irritating tactics in trying to negotiate for a coin you want to buy, you will probably not get the best deal you would have, had you followed some of these suggestions.

And, as I mentioned above and as Melodrama points out, if you insist on trying to get an even lower price than what was already fairly offered, you may lose the entire deal. I haven't voided an offer after one counteroffer, but I have had a customer offer a ridiculously low price for a coin after I gave him what I thought was a very fair discounted price. I countered with the same price I originally gave, and he kept pushing. I found this irritating, so I finally told him that I was done, and put the coin back in the case.

I have also had customers ask to see coin after coin after coin only to hand them back, and ask to see yet another coin. I finally asked him what specifically he was looking for and he said he just wanted to compare them to ones he already had so he could see if he got a good deal. Again, I found this irritating and rude.

As far as criticizing a coin goes, you are certainly free to say what you like, and of course there is no need for you to offer "effusive praise" on my coins, nor do I mind if you want to politely ask me about a flaw you see on a coin. But I can tell you from experience that I do not appreciate a customer going on about how awful a coin is, that it has a big ding, an ugly spot, a nasty scratch, or whatever - don't you think I already know that? As a matter of fact, I note it on my raw coins. But why would you feel the need to disparage a coin you are looking at? If it's to get an even lower price, most likely, that coin is already priced accordingly. The coin is what it is - flaws and attributes and all - and if it's not for you, simply hand it back.

On a personal note, I changed careers to deal in coins because I enjoy it immensely and it is the people who make what I do worth it. I came from working with contentious and often demeaning lawyers and found having my own business very refreshing because I get to choose who I do business with. As many who know me will attest, I certainly do bend over backwards to please my customers because I know they are the ones who allow me to do what I do.

But life is too short for me to continually put up with rude and obnoxious people - and that includes dealers. I have a personal and business ethic that I try to follow, but I also desire the same courtesies from the people I do business with - and if I feel someone has pushed too many buttons, I don't mind discontinuing doing business with that person - and I have (refer to the "dealer war stories" I previously posted!).

 

Totally agree here.With my local dealer, I only check for better prices on Morgans priced above $500. If it's $150 for an MS65 Morgan that I need, I don't even ask. Just ask if they'll honor that price.