Coin Shop Vs. Online

Located where I am, the nearest coin shop is 1,700 klms away...

There is no choice for me other than to buy on line through ebay or direct from dealers or by postal bids from auction houses.

Purchasing through ebay can be a veritable minefield if you are not careful and even so, I have been caught out a couple of times. I have learnt never to purchase any high ticket items through ebay unless I know the seller and have purchased from them before without any hassels.

I tend to be more relaxed with brick and mortar dealers and have about 6 or 7 that I will not hesitate in making any purchases from them. They may cost more than what is on ebay, but then I have the peace of mind that I will not be "robbed".

I buy online ebay included but only low value stuff, or certified coins on my want list that I can't find anywhere else. I always check feedback and always e-mail the seller before I buy. If I don't like the tone of the reply or I don't get one I won't bid.
There are a number of coin shops in the Houston area most of which I stay well clear of. The only one I had any time for was Houston Numismatic Exchange. Unfortunatley the old gentleman who I enjoyed dealing with is no longer there. I will still go evey once in a while and buy supplies and search their junk bins but they do not seem to be looking after the low end collectors like myself as they used to.
My main source the last few months hs been estate auctions. Most of the stuff is junk but every now and again you can get a cigar box full of coins with one or two keepers at a reasonable price.

Ditto what Metalman said, but mine was more because of lowball offers on coins I wanted to sell. Mike

I buy on ebay almost exclusively, although I've acquired slabbed coins from other sources. For me, the thrill of the chase is a lot of the enjoyment. First, I have to identify a diamond in the rough - a coin that's likely to go for less than its' actual worth while at the same time being appealing to me - and then there's the waiting game, lurking, watching, waiting for the exact right moment when I swoop in and snipe it at the price I'm willing to pay.

I no longer hunt, but the emotions are very similar.

As lim118 said, it's a minefield out there and even as experienced as I am I still occasionally let my emotions get the better or me. However, I have a hard and fast rule never to spend as much as $100 on an unslabbed coin, and rarely over $30, so even a loss doesn't hurt too badly.

I buy almost everything I have from coin shows. My local dealer doesn't get enough material for me, and I have never had any luck with online purchases.

I buy coins for my own collection via second hand deals, other dealers and ebay. As I run a shop myself I have the backing of the fact that I am a professional dealer so this helps greatly in disputes, particularly when talking about Aussie predecimal coins.

I purchase probably 80+% of my coins through my local coin shop (2 blocks from me) with the other 20% coming from the occasional show or ebay. My local coin shop has a weekly bid board and that is how I get most instead of out of the cases.

If you are not familiar with the concept of a "bid board" it is basically a weekly informal auction with a small annual membership fee ($10/year for my shop). Each coin is placed on a board with a lined card for adding bids. The number of weekly lots is 100-125. The variety of coins is quite nice and all of the final bids are in the few dollar to $100 range. This week, I picked up a 1869 Shield nickel F-15 for $17, a 1856 O Seated dime VF-20 for $15, 1952 GWC/BTW Commem nice BU for $8, and a 1954 D Franklin MS63 FBL for $9.

Most of the coins are from excess dealer stock that cant be displayed in cases(fairly small shop size-wise) and members can also place coins up for auction as well with a 5% fee.