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 Replies: 17 / Views: 2,970 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
 Sometimes the actions of other coin collectors does not make me proud that I am one also. Saturday at the flea market in town was a young fellow that had a booth. He had several zip-lock bags of coins he had received from his father. As I walked into the area there was a collector sitting on a chair at the back going through one bag with several unopened in front of him. About five feet away was another bag on the display table I picked it up and asked the young guy if I could look through it. Just as he said OK, this guy jumps off his chair and snatches it off the table and adds it to his pile. He looks at me with glittery little eyes that reminded me a lot of Gollum in The Lord of The Rings and says "I'll let you know if there is anything good in these after I finish looking." I removed myself from the immediate area and watched as the guy finished and explained to the owner that he really didn't have anything of value and he would give him eight bucks for all of it. The kid said no way and he immediately said how about fifty? At this point the young guy said they weren't for sale. When Smeagol had departed I returned. The kid apologized for the nasty behavior of his customer and asked if I knew anything about coins and if so would I would help him price them. There were two bags of old foreign coins that I don't know anything about. I suggested he get a book and look them up before he sells any. I than went through the remaining zip-locks of US coins. No keys, but some nice Indian Head cents and some Two Cent Pieces and Three Cent Nickels as well as a large number of high grade circulated Liberty nickels. I gave him approximate values for everything he had, explaining about how value is often as much about condition as it is about the date. I could not bring myself to buy anything, but there was nothing there I needed for my collection anyway. I hope I restored some trust in this guy. When numismatics becomes more about how much can I acquire and add to my stash, than having fun, it is time to hang it up. I also fail to understand how it adds to a collector's pleasure to have cheated someone just to snatch a coin at a bargain price. There are way too many of this type of collector around to make me comfortable with our hobby. What do you think?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
That guy should have known better to go to a flea market to sell coins without knowing anything. Not to defend the idiot rude guy, but if you are selling something then it is your responsible to know what you are selling. I wouldn't go try and sell jewelery or something that I know nothing about at a flea market. If you are the seller then it is assumed you know what you are doing. So idiot rude guy messed up trying to really screw the seller, and the seller was stupid for trying to sell something that he knew nothing about. You saved the seller from himself.
-SFWUSC
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
...this guy jumps off his chair and snatches it off the table and adds it to his pile. He looks at me with glittery little eyes that reminded me a lot of Gollum  my precioussss....bad, Gollum, bad! Somebody never learned to share.  Yep, I see this often at shows too...it's like a dog sitting on a pile of bones, snarling when you get too close. A little courtesy goes a long way, imo. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1083 Posts |
Sure the seller should have known better and sure he was ignorant. Nevertheless, I believe in fair fights!
Edited by okie-colin
02/15/2009 9:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
what would he have done if the guy had offered say $200 for the whole lot? I don't know what was there... would that have been fair? Say he offered a fair price for the whole thing.
What was the guy thinking? I mean he had know idea what was fair and what wasn't.
If a coin shop had sold them for $8, then would you feel bad for the dealer? I kind of think it was a fair fight. That guy was selling coins as a merchant. He had a table at a flea market selling coins, which it has been awhile since I took business law...yet I think that would make him a dealer under the law.
I don't feel sorry for stupid, so therefore I feel sorry for neither party.
It isn't the buyers job to make sure the seller doesn't get taken.
-SWUSC
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
Here is my point. https://goccf.com/t/42692The poster is talking about getting a good deal from the dealer because the dealer is clueless about foreign coins. -SWUSC |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
I agree with okie-colin's point that this is clearly bad behaviour and puts a bad taste in everyone's mouth who is involved (including Gollum, who already has nasty breath!). I commend okie-colin for being a positive Representative of the numismatic community. It abhors me to see the bad behaviour so prevalent in all of society and especially when it invades our hobby.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
Yeah I read that post swusc. Not the same situation at all. The difference is intent. It was not the intent to cheat the dealer out of a rare foriegn coin. He just bought a lot unseen and found a good coin. In my Flea Market scenario if the Gollum guy had walked in, saw a bag of coins and said I'll give you ten dollars than he made a good deal. He didn't. He went through them, knew the value was much greater before buying, and knew the buyer was clueless. The intent was to defraud.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
I hear ya. Yet, that poster said he might go back and buy more since the dealer didn't cherry pick the bags. I don't think it is real cool to take advantage of the idiot. Still it isn't possible to defraud a merchant as they are an assumed expert in what they are selling.
I guess I am looking at it this way... if the guy had gone into a dealer shop and got those offers, then I would say someone is trying to defraud him. If he rents a booth to sell the coins, and gets offers...then that is different. He put himself out there as a DEALER even if it was just for that day.
The guy didn't think. Bad things happen when you don't think. It isn't everyone job to think for you. You were nice and thought for him.
I think you are a super nice guy. I don't think the rude guy is a crook. I think the seller is an idiot.
-SWUSC
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
SWUSC, no question he had no business setting up a booth and offering coins that he knew nothing about. I also concede that the rude guy was not technically a crook, but I do think his actions were unethical at best. As for helping the stupid, I have always been a rescuer. A trait that gets me in trouble way too often. These ethical situations are tricky, but they are interesting to discuss.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
615 Posts |
Yea they are. I have one that I heard... I think the buyer was the crazy one here. It was a wheat bag the dealer threw on the table. I think the price was $230 for the bag (5000 cents) or $.10 a coin. Well the guy started going through the bag. I think he said he found some teen s mints... a few IHC, then a EF 57 or 58 flying eagle... before he was really into the bag maybe 20%. Well the idiot... keep trying to cherry pick. I think the dealer started to figure out that the bag happen been looked through yet. So he just stop the sell and didn't let the guy buy any of them. The guy hadn't paid yet, so they were still the dealers. Well the guy said he called the show manager over, but that guy took the side of the dealer. The guy posting this online was asked why didn't you just buy the bag once you saw an s mint and a few IHC? You knew at that point, that it was likely to be a great bag and the $230 price wasn't bad at all. The guy said he wanted to just cherry pick it at 10 cent a coin. Well, what do you think? |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I go to flea markets all the time. Sometimes 2 or 3 a day on weekends. One I go to on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Over many years of this I realize the average mentality of people there sometimes would total less than that of a Chimpanse. At flea markets you are usually dealing with some that don't even know what is going on in the world. Almost every week I run into someone at those places that still shocks me as to their mental abilities.
Example: not long ago a guy was selling CD's for $1/each or 3 for $5. He just could not figure out why no one wanted to buy 3.
One seller had a package of photo paper on his table for $1. I asked if he had any more. He almost angrily yelled at me that he had a lot more in his car but if he puts it out, people keep buying it.
I usually leave a flea market laughing.
That person that was so rude is what I consider just the average person I run into there all the time. The bigger the flea market, the more likely you'll run into people like that.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
No ethical problem in that scenario. Just stupidity on the buyers part. Every seller has the right to withdraw anything from being offered if there is no handshake and no compensation received. In a way my greedy guy tipped his hand also by offering 8 bucks and than fifty
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2600 Posts |
My wife and I go to flea markets and auctions all the time and have searched many a can and bag of coins. After looking through them, I ask the dealer what they are asking. Generally, the price they ask is a good buy and I purchase them. I do not feel bad if I have made a good buy but never attempt to negotiate the price down. I do not feel it is my job to educate the seller. I have, in a couple of instances, suggested that they buy a book and reprice their product. I don't mind giving $15 for what might be $30 in coins when I am done but cannot pay $15 knowing that there is a $250 coin in the bag.
Jim
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1231 Posts |
If someone tries to snatch a bag of coins outta my hand, they might get pimp-slapped
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Valued Member
United States
462 Posts |
The rude part, to me, isn't the price issue, it is asking to look through a bag and mister lawn chair potato jumping up and grabbing the bag. I would have pushed him back, but that is just me. It helps to be 6-2 and 225. Price negotiating is just that. People can be rude or polite, offer low or high, it really doesn't matter. If a seller won't give me a price, I offer a really low price. I have a standing offer at our local pawn shop to buy all his ASE's for $15.00 each, and he refuses. I can go buy rolls of ASEs online for around $17.00 so I am not going to offer more than that. The pawn shop owner counters at $25.00 each and I politely say no thanks. He will not come down one penny so the ASEs sit in his glass case and my money sits in my wallet. No feelings hurt and no harm done. I think swfusc is correct, if you are going to sell something, you had better have a price, a range and an idea what you are selling. Mr. lawn chair was a potential customer, no matter how rude. But to grab something that another customer has asked about is wrong. |
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Replies: 17 / Views: 2,970 |
Posted 02/15/2009 9:52 pm
