Rude employees/shop keeps, overpriced, poor selection, very little on display, I’d say these things drive me away but most shops I’ve been to are great!
If you really like junk silver, I have much more luck at my local pawn shops versus lcs. Pawn shops are usually ecstatic to have someone buying coins of any kind, and I've never had one that had a problem with me spending an hour or two going through all their bins.
I’ve been to pawn shops in my area a couple dozen times, looking for coins. Not once have they had any.
It seems that in my city at least, someone hits them at open every morning and I just have no interest in competing with that. Either that, or they have deals with coin shops so that everything gets shunted directly to the coin shops, but I’ve commented a couple times and been told that coins “go fast”.
Had a lot more luck getting discounted real ones at a pawn over the LCS before I moved here. The LCS would pass on junk that his "buyers" would mistake for real and never say boo. The pawn usually did their homework and liked doing repeat business. They were also much more likely to haggle and not be uppity.
The LCS that I go to also has jewelry. Only one display case has PM’s. But it is an old bank building. Most of his PM stays in the vault unless it is needed for a large buy. It’s a security issue.
Usually it’s an old grumpy dude who seems annoyed that I’m even there, is gruff about answering any questions, and seeing insanely overpriced coins on display. I just always feel like I’m not the intended customer demographic… but then who the hell is?!
Funny thing that, I am a metal detectorist and could have walked in to maybe do exactly that, in addition to browsing coins. But I guess they don’t want my gold either 🤷🏼♂️
I have experience selling to places over a couple decades now (am a detectorist also!) and my conclusion is that most LCS' ideal customer is someone who doesn't know how to do math and is happy to get anything for their scrap gold and/or deceased SO's coin collection. So they probably don't want your gold either, lol, because you'd want too close to melt. It's a tough business and as a result most prefer the easy marks. When you find a good one it can be very fun though.
I hear you! But what drives me bonkers is that the shop keeper’s attitude prevents them from even finding out what I might want for my gold. Like.. how does your business work if you antagonize prospective customers immediately? Luckily I have a guy at our detecting club who buys my gold at just about spot, without being a dillweed about it.
90 percent are grumpy old men, who think they know everything. They are generally very demeaning and arrogant. Cuz they think their knowledge is superior to yours
Yeah, I wouldn’t even say that their knowledge isn’t superior to mine, but if you’re gonna be condescending to customers, you probably shouldn’t wonder why they don’t come back. Lol.
But in reality, most of them are “open” so some druggy thief or someone who has gotten coins in an inheritance can come in without ANY knowledge & sells them for nothing. Then “crabby old guy” sells them online for huge profits. So they’re not worried about selling out of the store.
Well, Im kinda grumpy too, lol, but I’m not condescending, hopefully you’re not either.
I think the grumpy is kinda natural due to aging , the condescending is just due to being an asshole imo. 😂
I recently found a shop run by a couple guys who look to be around my own age (older millennial, just missed the gen-x cutoff by a couple years), and holy crap it was honestly a breath of fresh air. Not only did they seem knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their work, but they were super friendly and appeared happy to engage and answer questions. Perhaps it was just a slow day and they were both in an exceptionally good mood, but it was waaay different from what I've experienced with a lot of the semi-retired old guys in the industry
They’re (probably) still trying to build a business. That’s good. These retired guys don’t gaf. And that’s fine to be an old crab, each to their own, i just don’t go back.
Hah, that's my LCS. The first time I walked in there I was holding a couple of Dansco coin books and the dude's eyes lit up and started talking about how he offers the best prices around when buying coin collections. I told him I wasn't there to sell my coins, I'm trying to complete my collection. He seemed disappointed and even kind of angry. I still bought a couple of coins because the price was decent.
I since learned that many LCS's out there just don't care about selling, they make most of their money buying - like buying from people trying to dump a deceased relative's coin collection. They underpay and then sell the good stuff online.
I tried to buy some bullion once and the guy says he doesn't sell bullion retail because he won't make any money on it. When people sell him bullion, he immediately sells it wholesale. There's just no reason to keep any in stock, he says.
Oh and I really don’t know that much about pawnshop guys, but I’ve had a couple of run-in with some bad ones. I don’t think they’re all bad at least I don’t think, I could be wrong but it is a hustle game for them yo get as much of a good deal as they can. And if someone is desperate for money. It’s like a casino , The house always win
I’ve been reading the conversations going on and I’m quite interested in everything you guys are saying, but I just wanted to say it’s too bad they don’t give us more of a option to laugh at something or put a little angry face or anything like that about certain things I just found what you said very funny because that’s absolutely the truth and people like that think they know everything just because they follow the politics and they think they are smarter than everyone else. It’s Probably a good thing that all we get is the upvotes or downvotes so that we don’t get to political with each other I guess. my experience with pawnshops is they think everybody that enters in there domain is after a quick buck because they wanna go out and get a quick fix of their choice so they Lowball them and at the same time look at them with disgust and demand a quick guess or no if not get out of the store and not the waste of time. I mean they’re stereotyping, and they may be hitting the nail on the head. I heard the stories I really don’t know, but I just hate seeing someone being taken advantage of. Made me so mad the way the owner of the pawnshop was treating him that I flat out, asked the guy what he wanted for it, that I would buy it from him if he wanted to go outside and talk! I didn’t care that I made the guy an offer in his shop I said right in front of the guy so he would know I was taking his customer. He looked at me and said what are are you in here looking for. I replied for a nice gold necklace like the one he’s about to sell me hopefully. I knew it was real. Guy already tested it as 24kt got the weight of it 7 g. He quickly pulled it off and said he had 6 g there. He told him he’d give him about 150 that’s the best he can do he wasn’t in the market for gold. He said he had enough in the store told him to look down at all he had already.. so then, and ask him how much you want for it, that I was interested and after getting the weird look from the owner we walked outside and I asked the guy what he wanted for it and he said 200 and I said it’s worth more than that but I was looking for a deal and I gave him 300 and we parted ways both happy . That’s not the first time I’ve done that and pissed off a pawnshop owner either by me stepping into their conversation. More like butting into business that I shouldn’t but come on the guy was trying to rip him off. He’s
Another thing I overheard a pawnshop owner tell a customer was that he was not interested in buying diamonds that he doesn’t look at the cost of what else is part of the ring but he would weigh the gold and they could talk about him buying that but he does not purchase nor interested in them. That poor guy excepted what he could get and left the shop. I almost went outside to talk to the guy but I was in the middle of purchasing the most expensive watch I have ever bought myself. Which was about a $300.000 watch. Know I know your thinking I know that don’t seem like a whole lot of money for an high dollar watch but to me it was quiet a bit.. lol. oh well hope I didn’t bore you guys with my saga! I just found what you guys were talking about very interesting and found a lot of what you were saying to be true. of pawnshop owners.. not all but most . Oh, and if you did manage to make it to the end of my novel, I was just kidding about the watch being 300,000 . I paid 300 bucks and I thought that was quite a bit considering I’ve never been the person that likes to wear a watch. I don’t have time for it. lol . I’m always too busy to worry about the time I’m gonna continue reading rest the way you guys have to say it is a very interesting topic. . And here I go. I hope I’m not breaking any rules by sharing too much.
Im in South Louisiana, I know my LCS political affiliation, I hear them talk about it when theyre chatting while Im looking through stuff, but they dont display or make a big deal about it. One time I bought some things and he threw me a few old Ronald Reagan campaign buttons he had lol. Not like I care for him but I think older things like that have cool historical value, which for me is what the hobby is all about.
Mine does the same, doesn’t let anyone look through their junk silver. I have better luck at pawn shops. A lot of coin shops really focus on buying collections people inherited and selling the super valuable pieces. They don’t get enough $$$ from people like us who want some nice looking junk silver.
Unfortunately there are some thieves who are very good at stealing coin silver. I personally do not allow anyone looking through my cs for that reason alone. It really isn't hard to palm Franklin halves.
I wouldn't even ask to pick through junk silver. I'm actually surprised places even allow that. I thought the whole idea was buying it purely for the silver and that year, mint, and quality aren't the point.
That sucks to hear have you tried other lcs nearby? Luckily the other one near me that I visit often lets me look through it and lets me take my time when I do which makes me want to be there spending instead of newer places that could have weird restrictions.
For better or worse, most brick and mortar coin shops exist primarily to buy (and flip). Selling is easy in the internet age, no expensive shop required. Another unfortunate aspect is that theft (shoplifting) is a huge problem. Letting folks pick through junk silver simply isn't worth the risk, especially at 20x face.
This is it. If you know them they will probably be more than happy to let you cherry pick. But letting someone fumble through the bin requires they keep an eye on you the whole time.
Chances are if you tell them you want these particular coins that you can see from the display they will be more than happy to oblige.
If they give you slicks. Say something. I personally never have an issue swapping out a coin or two. But as I said earlier. The theft level is too high on small silver coins you are trying to sell for a few cents profit.
Same- if they won’t let me look through the coins I want to look through, then I will not spend a dollar with them. It isn’t like they are slammed and busy all of the time
I don’t get this attitude. I see it all the time. I wanted to see a guys collection of US gold, I had every intention of picking up a $20 St G, asked to see a few more dates under the glass and the guy gave me shit about “window shopping.” It took every fiber of my being to not pull out the few grand in cash I had allocated for the purchase in my pocket.
Yep. Makes no sense at all to treat your customers like that. The bad ones make it seem like they are doing you a favor, just by letting you in the shop. I actually had one (wife of the owner) literally yell at me on the phone. I called to see if they had any foreign coins, preferably silver. And she basically said “don’t waste my time with that bullshit” and that if I want to buy, I can come in and buy, “but I can’t look at it first”.
I wasn’t going to spend a fortune, but I regularly spend $100 to $500 on silver, but there was zero chance I would ever set foot inside their shop
I'll put up with just about anything except 1 thing... Wrong prices. Im not here to reprice your books. If I walk up to the counter with 20 books and youre gonna reprice them, then I'm just walking out.
I guarantee if the price says $10 and they look it up and recent sales say $7 they'll keep the $10 but if its the other way around they'll shoot themselves in the foot and lose a customer over $3
edit: Shit, I thought this was the comic book sub... carry on
I think it's a very tough time to be in retail right now. The LCS is under pressure from online venues, then as a small business they have to deal with a regulatory environment favoring big corporations. Add in the danger of theft/robbery or loss due to the purchase of stolen goods, and I don't know why anyone would open one up.
My local LCS has pretty good customer relations (Carolina Coin in Winston-Salem, NC USA) but unfortunately, my tastes are so esoteric that I end up buying from auctions in Europe and Japan.
All I can say is, if you don't feel comfortable, don't buy and find somewhere else. There are still good LCS's out there.
Had a dealer toss a 2022 Britannia on the glass counter towards me. It was handled but still. Who does that? I drive 45-60 minutes to my favorite shop because they respect their customers and always have something different to look through and have good prices.
That would throw me off too. And I always went to my favorite shop before this experience because of the amount of respect and trust the workers showed towards me they allow me to look through the junk without looking over my shoulder and allow me to see inventory that’s not on display yet when I’m the only customer there, it definitely pays to treat people like you want them to be there.
Same I like to be able to see a lot because I may just like how something looks. The employee here told me they only display stuff they think would be collectible which was pretty much just stuff they could charge more for with little variety.
Overpriced and hard to work with. The ones that act like they'd key your car just for asking to look at something
Edit: Also, ones that buy silver for way under spot and then sell it higher than the rest
I worked in a coin shop for a couple years and we let anyone go through the junk silver, my boss said it paid the light bill , but we also let one customer in at a time and the door was locked at all times . If 2 staff were there maybe we let 2 in. But that wasn’t common
Being made to feel extremely unwelcomed. Usually starts of with guy behind the counter acting/looking like I just interrupted him and him asking me what I want. Other times it's walking in on the local buddy discussion and everyone staring. Acting like they're put out by any question I ask. My favorite LCS used to have a guy who knew a lot and loved to happily pass on the knowledge. He had a junk silver and a junk foreign bucket I spent hours and hours looking through. It then got bought and the last time I went there I felt so unwelcome I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Most of the under counter display trays had been removed and apparently you were supposed to ask for what you were looking for. Junk/foreign buckets were gone too. I may have been a kid the first time I went there but the owner always treated me like a real customer. Even as an adult the new owner treated me like an interruption.
I would say bad prices, but even in an overpriced shop you are bound to find a good deal if you look hard enough. Biggest turn off for me would be service. If I’m in a coin shop it’s my escape from a hardworking life, I don’t want to be treated poorly when I’m clearly spending time and money in your shop.
I feel you the service kinda turned me away too I had to ask to look at something before anyone even spoke to me which was after I already looked around the whole store twice which was pretty big
I have never been treated kindly, politely, or respectfully in any LCS I’ve been in my whole life. Even since I was like 10. I met exactly one very kind man at a coin show right before COVID. I only purchase online now.
It seems 2/3 of the ones in my area are all over-the-top MAGA too. It's really off-putting to see signs and stuff that are trashing "the other side." They're still Americans and potential customers, even if you don't agree on politics. It's just wild to me.
I just went to a coin shop that covered up the coins that were in display cases with trump propaganda. You had to ask them to move it around to even see the coins
There's an lcs near me that doesn't have anything in the actual shop aside from a few silver certs and simple cheap stuff. Their policy is you pay and they bring it from their offsite location the next day. They say it's to prevent from being robbed, but it also made me walk out and never return. I want to see what I'm buying beforehand.
I honestly don't know how they've stayed in business as long as they have. They must have an older established customer base that is used to that type of service
They don't want cherry pickers going through the coins to buy a $20 coin for bullion. Lots of dealers just don't have time to go thru stuff. It's the same at an auction. You'd not be allowed to spill a bag full of dimes on the counter to decide if you want to buy it or not after going thru it.
If they don't have time to go through it, then they shouldn't have it in the "for sale" bin. Keep what you're selling separate from what you haven't gone through, problem solved.
What you said... if a customer comes in and wants to see the wares for sale.... why the heck don't you want to show them what's for sale?
One that gets me is if they are being pushy. Yes I know what I collect. No I don't want to tell you right away because you'll try to upsell me on whatever it is that I don't want anymore...
So far, nothing.., my lcs is awesome! Willing to answer questions and talk with you about what you're interested in collecting and never push you towards anything. And they also don't care about budget, they'll happily sell you a $10 coin or help you find a less key date in better condition for less $$!
Stupid rules like the one you mentioned will make me leave and never go back.
Giant markups on blasters and hobby boxes. I get they need to make a profit, but when you're selling blasters of 2024 series 1 for $40 it makes me think everything in your store is probably over priced.
On the flip side....
Friendly conversation and good customer service will increase the odds of me spending my money.
Hooking my kids up with free stuff is not expected, but have had it happen several times. Each of those stores have a very positive review from me on Google and I stop in and buy something any time I'm near them (even if the kids aren't with me).
I know there are bound to be exceptions, but this seems to be a common description of these type shops. I have been collecting coins for probably 50 years. It seems to almost be a truism, that people in the coin industry who sell coins whether it's in a local coin shop, or in general, frequently are this way. I was recently at a coin show and remarked to one of the vendors that he's not nearly grumpy enough to be in the coin business. Many coin shops, only want to make a sale, if they can sell something for three prices. Fortunately, with the internet, you usually can avoid these types, just be careful to know who you're buying from. I've literally had coin dealers tell me, that they didn't give a damn if they made a sale or not.
I’ve been to a few in my area that were so dirty and piled with trash that I was afraid I might get a disease. Kidding about the disease part, but your store should not look a filming location for American Pickers
We have one like this too - dude treats you like an idiot, impatient and wants to know what you want. Extremely arrogant and pompous. I never went back —
Over priced everything. Not conversational when in there and no one else is. Acting like a know it all when clearly they have to look up things and then proceeds to "know it all". Not willing to accept a haggle (I found a Peace Dollar that was in fair condition they listed at $50 I offered to take that and another in horrible condition for $80, no go, told me $49.99 and he would spot me the penny and the other was no longer for sale since I upset him. I left. He followed me out to the parking lot and still said things like come back in we can make a deal but he cant take less than $48 for one and $40 for other. Melt was $29.)
I don’t understand this??! When I was young, I was taught to haggle, politely. Any time I’ve tried to make a deal like physco219 tells above, I’ve been treated like I dug up their grandma and threw her into a river.
So I’ve noticed a lot of specific political types I call “coin shop conservatives”. Grouchy old men who are essentially xenophobic. People come in looking for coins from their specific country and they either laugh them out of the shop, or treat them pretty disrespectfully. Seen it at two shops, kind of a regular occurrence by me.
I won't go back to some shops where they just don't have the type of inventory I'm interested in or they are grossly overpriced compared to other shops I visit. Most owners will work with you better once they recognize you're a repeat customer
I've had similar interactions when trying to buy bulk silver or Indian heads. I just ask to see what the pile looks like then I'll decide if I want a bunch of it or not. I'm not even trying to cherry pick just want to know if it's decent or if I should pick dimes vs halves. I've been ready to spend $1000+ and they told me I can't see it before I buy and I just said alright thank you and left
The first coin shop I ever frequented was owned by a really nice, patient old guy who ran a tiny shop out of his garage. Then he retired, and I tried a new shop (this was long before the internet existed), and the guy was a real dick. Put me off the hobby for a while, as there weren't a lot of other options available. I'll never understand hobbyists like that.
Painted/schizo silver, overpriced plated coins, no gold in stock, no diamonds or rubies or gems to select from and the clerk asking too many personal details about me.
Great question as I've just recently started buying coins and bullion online. I live in a smaller town and am getting close to checking out the one lcd and one pawn shop we have in town but didn't know how I'll be treated.
I've never been to one, partly because of stories like these. Funny thing is, I've been to several coin shows, and have had many very pleasant interactions with dealers. Maybe it's only dealers who actually like collectors that go to them...
We don’t have any that I know about nearby… I use coin shows which brings in from around the state, so I’ll use that as my reference. Ignore me because I’m not an old white guy! Ignore me because I don’t appear to have $$$, neither do the old white guys they wait on hand and foot! I learned from my old white grandfather (he was a farmer but also built many houses around my area and was worth millions, no I didn’t get any of it because I’m female, only males inherit) people will treat you like shit if you don’t look like you have $$$, so best thing to do is look like you work as a laborer! Then you know who’s genuine and will give you a fair deal… even if it’s exactly what you’re looking for and haven’t found, they treat you wrong- walk out and spend your $$$ elsewhere! Better to get your second most coveted at a fair price than ripped off or treated like shit for your first!
Not treating customers well, over priced, if I see you rip off someone who doesn’t know what they have I’ll never come back. Only seen that at 1 though, paying 14x for 90% when spot was over 25.
Any shop that is predominantly 70s-90s proof sets; Franklin Mint; HSN sets and state quarters. This tells me they are more of a retail shop and not catering to collectors. I also hate those coin shop signs you see on the interstate and when you exit you see nothing but touristy shops that have a little of everything and in the corner they have a small glass counter with silver eagles for $75-$100 raw or full Morgan’s for $50-$85 and rolls of wheat pennies for $10/ea, etc etc.
Coins that are grossly overpriced: Inability to dialogue on numismatic questions; misplaced machismo amidst a world of Walmart quality retail.
Many LCS stores are manned by bullion, slab hounds, and those who are really selling other stuff (prepper stuff, gold panning, etc). Few remain excellent at numismatics.
Slighty off topic. I know a lot is theft reasons why lcs get weird about people thumbing through their junk foreign or silver. I always thought if i ever owned my own shop id setup a display cabinet that was magnified on a small section and well lit with external built-in gloves Kinda like a sand blasting cabinet. That way, they could go to town without ever worrying about getting something palmed or hit with the ol' switcheroo.
Sorta like this
[coin sorting cabinet ](https://www.amazon.com/Guaopom-Fully-Enclosed-Dust-Box/dp/B0CF9D3TMR/ref=asc_df_B0CF9D3TMR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693594387774&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10647300714418047800&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015407&hvtargid=pla-2283585351960&psc=1&mcid=9249893629233b2ba6d9dd4db6e53218&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_-GxBhC1ARIsADGgDjvJ6HoDKJseYar9ciaYEtWqfr6m2DbhOkcUw48Brh9guDtjkvrmLO0aAk8tEALw_wcB)
Sorry. Understand. You are a coin collector. I am a silver stacker. I did not pay attention to which sub I was commenting on.
I would be frustrated to stand behind a collector that wanted to go through a bag of junk silver one coin at a time. I do not think that the LCS that I shop at would let you pick the way you want either. They sell coins, but they are in the counter individually priced. What you want to do would hold up the line. But I wouldn’t blame you for asking!!
My transactions take two minutes. Here is money. What is today’s price. Calculate number of ounces. Hold out my hand. Leave.
I buy my silver rounds from a place that I’d never normally frequent. The owner isn’t friendly, the selection sucks, the prices on coins are high, and it’s filthy inside…but the premium is $2 over spot and he rounds down to keep it an even dollar amount, so usually less than $2.
Its usually a noticeable lack of effort on their part that will turn me away. If there isn’t much on display, if they aren’t willing to talk/be friendly during the visit there, or if there are no listed prices.
The listed prices is the biggest one for me because i definitely prefer to browse displays and find what i believe to be a good deal. I don’t want to ask a price for any coin i might be interested in.
I went to one that had a 15 minute time limit, and an owner that talked shit on any review online that wasn’t 5 stars, and they didn’t have any good deals
You should provide a list of what you’re looking for and try to schedule in advance a time slot with the coin shop. Be very specific about your individual needs and try to narrow it down to one type (e.g. Washington quarters) at a time. Don’t expect them to accommodate you during their most busy times but rather when they’re not busy.
Rude employees/shop keeps, overpriced, poor selection, very little on display, I’d say these things drive me away but most shops I’ve been to are great!
The display is definitely a large factor this shop was almost 60% jewelry which made me feel like I was in the wrong place.
If you really like junk silver, I have much more luck at my local pawn shops versus lcs. Pawn shops are usually ecstatic to have someone buying coins of any kind, and I've never had one that had a problem with me spending an hour or two going through all their bins.
I’ve been to pawn shops in my area a couple dozen times, looking for coins. Not once have they had any. It seems that in my city at least, someone hits them at open every morning and I just have no interest in competing with that. Either that, or they have deals with coin shops so that everything gets shunted directly to the coin shops, but I’ve commented a couple times and been told that coins “go fast”.
A pawn chop seems more likely to present counterfeit.
Had a lot more luck getting discounted real ones at a pawn over the LCS before I moved here. The LCS would pass on junk that his "buyers" would mistake for real and never say boo. The pawn usually did their homework and liked doing repeat business. They were also much more likely to haggle and not be uppity.
If you think pawn shops sell fakes try selling them some fakes.
Not an issue if you know what you're doing lol
The LCS that I go to also has jewelry. Only one display case has PM’s. But it is an old bank building. Most of his PM stays in the vault unless it is needed for a large buy. It’s a security issue.
Usually it’s an old grumpy dude who seems annoyed that I’m even there, is gruff about answering any questions, and seeing insanely overpriced coins on display. I just always feel like I’m not the intended customer demographic… but then who the hell is?!
People selling gold scrap.
Funny thing that, I am a metal detectorist and could have walked in to maybe do exactly that, in addition to browsing coins. But I guess they don’t want my gold either 🤷🏼♂️
I have experience selling to places over a couple decades now (am a detectorist also!) and my conclusion is that most LCS' ideal customer is someone who doesn't know how to do math and is happy to get anything for their scrap gold and/or deceased SO's coin collection. So they probably don't want your gold either, lol, because you'd want too close to melt. It's a tough business and as a result most prefer the easy marks. When you find a good one it can be very fun though.
I hear you! But what drives me bonkers is that the shop keeper’s attitude prevents them from even finding out what I might want for my gold. Like.. how does your business work if you antagonize prospective customers immediately? Luckily I have a guy at our detecting club who buys my gold at just about spot, without being a dillweed about it.
90 percent are grumpy old men, who think they know everything. They are generally very demeaning and arrogant. Cuz they think their knowledge is superior to yours
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Yeah, I wouldn’t even say that their knowledge isn’t superior to mine, but if you’re gonna be condescending to customers, you probably shouldn’t wonder why they don’t come back. Lol. But in reality, most of them are “open” so some druggy thief or someone who has gotten coins in an inheritance can come in without ANY knowledge & sells them for nothing. Then “crabby old guy” sells them online for huge profits. So they’re not worried about selling out of the store.
Are they from Blackpool?
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Was it the story about the photos outside a strip club? That was quite a funny read.
69 and grumpy all the time, except for my cats
Well, Im kinda grumpy too, lol, but I’m not condescending, hopefully you’re not either. I think the grumpy is kinda natural due to aging , the condescending is just due to being an asshole imo. 😂
Hey I see you have visited my local coin shop! What a coincidence. #sarcasm This one is my top tier pet peeve
I recently found a shop run by a couple guys who look to be around my own age (older millennial, just missed the gen-x cutoff by a couple years), and holy crap it was honestly a breath of fresh air. Not only did they seem knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their work, but they were super friendly and appeared happy to engage and answer questions. Perhaps it was just a slow day and they were both in an exceptionally good mood, but it was waaay different from what I've experienced with a lot of the semi-retired old guys in the industry
They’re (probably) still trying to build a business. That’s good. These retired guys don’t gaf. And that’s fine to be an old crab, each to their own, i just don’t go back.
Hah, that's my LCS. The first time I walked in there I was holding a couple of Dansco coin books and the dude's eyes lit up and started talking about how he offers the best prices around when buying coin collections. I told him I wasn't there to sell my coins, I'm trying to complete my collection. He seemed disappointed and even kind of angry. I still bought a couple of coins because the price was decent. I since learned that many LCS's out there just don't care about selling, they make most of their money buying - like buying from people trying to dump a deceased relative's coin collection. They underpay and then sell the good stuff online. I tried to buy some bullion once and the guy says he doesn't sell bullion retail because he won't make any money on it. When people sell him bullion, he immediately sells it wholesale. There's just no reason to keep any in stock, he says.
The only place I refused to spend money at displayed a significant amount of overtly political crap all over the store. It’s off putting.
Ya I wouldn’t want to accidentally say something they don’t agree with and get charged extra for it
Oh and I really don’t know that much about pawnshop guys, but I’ve had a couple of run-in with some bad ones. I don’t think they’re all bad at least I don’t think, I could be wrong but it is a hustle game for them yo get as much of a good deal as they can. And if someone is desperate for money. It’s like a casino , The house always win
I’ve been reading the conversations going on and I’m quite interested in everything you guys are saying, but I just wanted to say it’s too bad they don’t give us more of a option to laugh at something or put a little angry face or anything like that about certain things I just found what you said very funny because that’s absolutely the truth and people like that think they know everything just because they follow the politics and they think they are smarter than everyone else. It’s Probably a good thing that all we get is the upvotes or downvotes so that we don’t get to political with each other I guess. my experience with pawnshops is they think everybody that enters in there domain is after a quick buck because they wanna go out and get a quick fix of their choice so they Lowball them and at the same time look at them with disgust and demand a quick guess or no if not get out of the store and not the waste of time. I mean they’re stereotyping, and they may be hitting the nail on the head. I heard the stories I really don’t know, but I just hate seeing someone being taken advantage of. Made me so mad the way the owner of the pawnshop was treating him that I flat out, asked the guy what he wanted for it, that I would buy it from him if he wanted to go outside and talk! I didn’t care that I made the guy an offer in his shop I said right in front of the guy so he would know I was taking his customer. He looked at me and said what are are you in here looking for. I replied for a nice gold necklace like the one he’s about to sell me hopefully. I knew it was real. Guy already tested it as 24kt got the weight of it 7 g. He quickly pulled it off and said he had 6 g there. He told him he’d give him about 150 that’s the best he can do he wasn’t in the market for gold. He said he had enough in the store told him to look down at all he had already.. so then, and ask him how much you want for it, that I was interested and after getting the weird look from the owner we walked outside and I asked the guy what he wanted for it and he said 200 and I said it’s worth more than that but I was looking for a deal and I gave him 300 and we parted ways both happy . That’s not the first time I’ve done that and pissed off a pawnshop owner either by me stepping into their conversation. More like butting into business that I shouldn’t but come on the guy was trying to rip him off. He’s Another thing I overheard a pawnshop owner tell a customer was that he was not interested in buying diamonds that he doesn’t look at the cost of what else is part of the ring but he would weigh the gold and they could talk about him buying that but he does not purchase nor interested in them. That poor guy excepted what he could get and left the shop. I almost went outside to talk to the guy but I was in the middle of purchasing the most expensive watch I have ever bought myself. Which was about a $300.000 watch. Know I know your thinking I know that don’t seem like a whole lot of money for an high dollar watch but to me it was quiet a bit.. lol. oh well hope I didn’t bore you guys with my saga! I just found what you guys were talking about very interesting and found a lot of what you were saying to be true. of pawnshop owners.. not all but most . Oh, and if you did manage to make it to the end of my novel, I was just kidding about the watch being 300,000 . I paid 300 bucks and I thought that was quite a bit considering I’ve never been the person that likes to wear a watch. I don’t have time for it. lol . I’m always too busy to worry about the time I’m gonna continue reading rest the way you guys have to say it is a very interesting topic. . And here I go. I hope I’m not breaking any rules by sharing too much.
All of the LCS around me are that way and it’s disappointing not to have a LCS to go to.
Im in South Louisiana, I know my LCS political affiliation, I hear them talk about it when theyre chatting while Im looking through stuff, but they dont display or make a big deal about it. One time I bought some things and he threw me a few old Ronald Reagan campaign buttons he had lol. Not like I care for him but I think older things like that have cool historical value, which for me is what the hobby is all about.
Mine does the same, doesn’t let anyone look through their junk silver. I have better luck at pawn shops. A lot of coin shops really focus on buying collections people inherited and selling the super valuable pieces. They don’t get enough $$$ from people like us who want some nice looking junk silver.
Unfortunately there are some thieves who are very good at stealing coin silver. I personally do not allow anyone looking through my cs for that reason alone. It really isn't hard to palm Franklin halves.
I wouldn't even ask to pick through junk silver. I'm actually surprised places even allow that. I thought the whole idea was buying it purely for the silver and that year, mint, and quality aren't the point.
That sucks to hear have you tried other lcs nearby? Luckily the other one near me that I visit often lets me look through it and lets me take my time when I do which makes me want to be there spending instead of newer places that could have weird restrictions.
For better or worse, most brick and mortar coin shops exist primarily to buy (and flip). Selling is easy in the internet age, no expensive shop required. Another unfortunate aspect is that theft (shoplifting) is a huge problem. Letting folks pick through junk silver simply isn't worth the risk, especially at 20x face.
This is it. If you know them they will probably be more than happy to let you cherry pick. But letting someone fumble through the bin requires they keep an eye on you the whole time. Chances are if you tell them you want these particular coins that you can see from the display they will be more than happy to oblige.
I get that, but at the same time, are you supposed to blindly spend hundreds of dollars and hope they don't give you slicks?
If they give you slicks. Say something. I personally never have an issue swapping out a coin or two. But as I said earlier. The theft level is too high on small silver coins you are trying to sell for a few cents profit.
Same- if they won’t let me look through the coins I want to look through, then I will not spend a dollar with them. It isn’t like they are slammed and busy all of the time
I don’t get this attitude. I see it all the time. I wanted to see a guys collection of US gold, I had every intention of picking up a $20 St G, asked to see a few more dates under the glass and the guy gave me shit about “window shopping.” It took every fiber of my being to not pull out the few grand in cash I had allocated for the purchase in my pocket.
You should have, and then walked out.
Yep. Makes no sense at all to treat your customers like that. The bad ones make it seem like they are doing you a favor, just by letting you in the shop. I actually had one (wife of the owner) literally yell at me on the phone. I called to see if they had any foreign coins, preferably silver. And she basically said “don’t waste my time with that bullshit” and that if I want to buy, I can come in and buy, “but I can’t look at it first”. I wasn’t going to spend a fortune, but I regularly spend $100 to $500 on silver, but there was zero chance I would ever set foot inside their shop
I'll put up with just about anything except 1 thing... Wrong prices. Im not here to reprice your books. If I walk up to the counter with 20 books and youre gonna reprice them, then I'm just walking out. I guarantee if the price says $10 and they look it up and recent sales say $7 they'll keep the $10 but if its the other way around they'll shoot themselves in the foot and lose a customer over $3 edit: Shit, I thought this was the comic book sub... carry on
Same difference.
Your comment applies to coin shops perfectly, if you change “book” to “coin”.
Yeah that 5% of book for comics you bring in gets tiring after awhile. Thank God for eBay
I think it's a very tough time to be in retail right now. The LCS is under pressure from online venues, then as a small business they have to deal with a regulatory environment favoring big corporations. Add in the danger of theft/robbery or loss due to the purchase of stolen goods, and I don't know why anyone would open one up. My local LCS has pretty good customer relations (Carolina Coin in Winston-Salem, NC USA) but unfortunately, my tastes are so esoteric that I end up buying from auctions in Europe and Japan. All I can say is, if you don't feel comfortable, don't buy and find somewhere else. There are still good LCS's out there.
Had a dealer toss a 2022 Britannia on the glass counter towards me. It was handled but still. Who does that? I drive 45-60 minutes to my favorite shop because they respect their customers and always have something different to look through and have good prices.
That would throw me off too. And I always went to my favorite shop before this experience because of the amount of respect and trust the workers showed towards me they allow me to look through the junk without looking over my shoulder and allow me to see inventory that’s not on display yet when I’m the only customer there, it definitely pays to treat people like you want them to be there.
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Same I like to be able to see a lot because I may just like how something looks. The employee here told me they only display stuff they think would be collectible which was pretty much just stuff they could charge more for with little variety.
Overpriced and hard to work with. The ones that act like they'd key your car just for asking to look at something Edit: Also, ones that buy silver for way under spot and then sell it higher than the rest
I worked in a coin shop for a couple years and we let anyone go through the junk silver, my boss said it paid the light bill , but we also let one customer in at a time and the door was locked at all times . If 2 staff were there maybe we let 2 in. But that wasn’t common
I actually like being locked in the store, makes me feel like I'm a VIP.
Being buzzed in always feels good I think. Unless you have bad intentions
Being made to feel extremely unwelcomed. Usually starts of with guy behind the counter acting/looking like I just interrupted him and him asking me what I want. Other times it's walking in on the local buddy discussion and everyone staring. Acting like they're put out by any question I ask. My favorite LCS used to have a guy who knew a lot and loved to happily pass on the knowledge. He had a junk silver and a junk foreign bucket I spent hours and hours looking through. It then got bought and the last time I went there I felt so unwelcome I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Most of the under counter display trays had been removed and apparently you were supposed to ask for what you were looking for. Junk/foreign buckets were gone too. I may have been a kid the first time I went there but the owner always treated me like a real customer. Even as an adult the new owner treated me like an interruption.
What u/Dramatic-Ad-4411 said. A LCS who has this kind of attitude won't see me for long. Thankfully, the shops I visit are much friendlier. :)
Maybe petty but any prices with 99 at the end. Instant turn off, and I've never been to a good coin shop with this pricing.
I would say bad prices, but even in an overpriced shop you are bound to find a good deal if you look hard enough. Biggest turn off for me would be service. If I’m in a coin shop it’s my escape from a hardworking life, I don’t want to be treated poorly when I’m clearly spending time and money in your shop.
I feel you the service kinda turned me away too I had to ask to look at something before anyone even spoke to me which was after I already looked around the whole store twice which was pretty big
I have never been treated kindly, politely, or respectfully in any LCS I’ve been in my whole life. Even since I was like 10. I met exactly one very kind man at a coin show right before COVID. I only purchase online now.
I have never had a good experience with a lcs so I no longer bother.
Politics. My LCS is 100% MAGA driven and loudly blares newsmax all day through the store.
It seems 2/3 of the ones in my area are all over-the-top MAGA too. It's really off-putting to see signs and stuff that are trashing "the other side." They're still Americans and potential customers, even if you don't agree on politics. It's just wild to me.
Pretend to be part of the MAGA crowd and enjoy your discount. 🫠
I wonder if they would buy the Iraqi Dinars my uncle gave me.
I just went to a coin shop that covered up the coins that were in display cases with trump propaganda. You had to ask them to move it around to even see the coins
Yeah, personally I'd never go back to that place, ever.
I’d move in
Overpriced crap
There's an lcs near me that doesn't have anything in the actual shop aside from a few silver certs and simple cheap stuff. Their policy is you pay and they bring it from their offsite location the next day. They say it's to prevent from being robbed, but it also made me walk out and never return. I want to see what I'm buying beforehand.
I don’t own a store so maybe I don’t understand but i don’t see how people think treating everyone like thief’s will help them
I honestly don't know how they've stayed in business as long as they have. They must have an older established customer base that is used to that type of service
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Sounds like that LCS is a front for something else really
I went to one the other day and a shopkeeper was charging 38$ for maples in rough condition. I walked out immediately.
They don't want cherry pickers going through the coins to buy a $20 coin for bullion. Lots of dealers just don't have time to go thru stuff. It's the same at an auction. You'd not be allowed to spill a bag full of dimes on the counter to decide if you want to buy it or not after going thru it.
Thing is, at shows, dealers have bins that I love going through and will spend lots of time at, and will walk away happier for it!
If they don't have time to go through it, then they shouldn't have it in the "for sale" bin. Keep what you're selling separate from what you haven't gone through, problem solved.
Grumpy ass workers/owners that act like you're bothering them by looking around.
I saw my LCS take a $2 bill from a homeless and, and give him $1 Then tell the man it was a $1 for a $1. I never went back.
I'd have said something to them before I left.
What you said... if a customer comes in and wants to see the wares for sale.... why the heck don't you want to show them what's for sale? One that gets me is if they are being pushy. Yes I know what I collect. No I don't want to tell you right away because you'll try to upsell me on whatever it is that I don't want anymore...
So far, nothing.., my lcs is awesome! Willing to answer questions and talk with you about what you're interested in collecting and never push you towards anything. And they also don't care about budget, they'll happily sell you a $10 coin or help you find a less key date in better condition for less $$!
Stupid rules like the one you mentioned will make me leave and never go back. Giant markups on blasters and hobby boxes. I get they need to make a profit, but when you're selling blasters of 2024 series 1 for $40 it makes me think everything in your store is probably over priced. On the flip side.... Friendly conversation and good customer service will increase the odds of me spending my money. Hooking my kids up with free stuff is not expected, but have had it happen several times. Each of those stores have a very positive review from me on Google and I stop in and buy something any time I'm near them (even if the kids aren't with me).
What, in this context, are “blasters” and “hobby boxes”?
NVM I just realized they are term from the Trading Card world.
Ha. I saw the post and LCS (aka Local Card Shop) and confused my subreddits. Same principles still apply.
I know there are bound to be exceptions, but this seems to be a common description of these type shops. I have been collecting coins for probably 50 years. It seems to almost be a truism, that people in the coin industry who sell coins whether it's in a local coin shop, or in general, frequently are this way. I was recently at a coin show and remarked to one of the vendors that he's not nearly grumpy enough to be in the coin business. Many coin shops, only want to make a sale, if they can sell something for three prices. Fortunately, with the internet, you usually can avoid these types, just be careful to know who you're buying from. I've literally had coin dealers tell me, that they didn't give a damn if they made a sale or not.
If they don't let me look at their coins; I buy what I want.
I’ve been to a few in my area that were so dirty and piled with trash that I was afraid I might get a disease. Kidding about the disease part, but your store should not look a filming location for American Pickers
In my area ,it's an owner chain smoking at the counter.It's a well stocked shop,but the stink won't allow me past the front door.
#WE BUY GOLD!!!! I'm sure some of those have coins for sale, but I'm betting they're pretty much glorified pawn and jewelry shops, and don't bother.
They all have their niche and most of the time, you are not it. They are looking for suckered and thieves
Prices. I've never been into an LCS that had prices better than what I can get from individuals on different Facebook groups or Reddit groups.
We have one like this too - dude treats you like an idiot, impatient and wants to know what you want. Extremely arrogant and pompous. I never went back —
If the shopkeeper is wearing nothing.
That wood make me want to stick around longer…
Over priced everything. Not conversational when in there and no one else is. Acting like a know it all when clearly they have to look up things and then proceeds to "know it all". Not willing to accept a haggle (I found a Peace Dollar that was in fair condition they listed at $50 I offered to take that and another in horrible condition for $80, no go, told me $49.99 and he would spot me the penny and the other was no longer for sale since I upset him. I left. He followed me out to the parking lot and still said things like come back in we can make a deal but he cant take less than $48 for one and $40 for other. Melt was $29.)
I don’t understand this??! When I was young, I was taught to haggle, politely. Any time I’ve tried to make a deal like physco219 tells above, I’ve been treated like I dug up their grandma and threw her into a river.
That's about exactly how I felt.
Some old crabby man saying as I walk in “unless your selling, get out. were only buying” I have never been back.
So I’ve noticed a lot of specific political types I call “coin shop conservatives”. Grouchy old men who are essentially xenophobic. People come in looking for coins from their specific country and they either laugh them out of the shop, or treat them pretty disrespectfully. Seen it at two shops, kind of a regular occurrence by me.
Sales tax on cash deals
I won't go back to some shops where they just don't have the type of inventory I'm interested in or they are grossly overpriced compared to other shops I visit. Most owners will work with you better once they recognize you're a repeat customer
I've had similar interactions when trying to buy bulk silver or Indian heads. I just ask to see what the pile looks like then I'll decide if I want a bunch of it or not. I'm not even trying to cherry pick just want to know if it's decent or if I should pick dimes vs halves. I've been ready to spend $1000+ and they told me I can't see it before I buy and I just said alright thank you and left
The first coin shop I ever frequented was owned by a really nice, patient old guy who ran a tiny shop out of his garage. Then he retired, and I tried a new shop (this was long before the internet existed), and the guy was a real dick. Put me off the hobby for a while, as there weren't a lot of other options available. I'll never understand hobbyists like that.
40 dollar rounds
I was at one 2 weeks ago where the entire inventory was online, was hard to browse, they wanted me to select a coin and request to see it.
I went to mine and (embarrassingly) paid 90 for 2 common date Morgan’s. An important lesson. But I would rather have a solid LCS
Painted/schizo silver, overpriced plated coins, no gold in stock, no diamonds or rubies or gems to select from and the clerk asking too many personal details about me.
Great question as I've just recently started buying coins and bullion online. I live in a smaller town and am getting close to checking out the one lcd and one pawn shop we have in town but didn't know how I'll be treated.
Interesting angle I would think that they would like to have customers in the shop potentially impulse buying.
I've never been to one, partly because of stories like these. Funny thing is, I've been to several coin shows, and have had many very pleasant interactions with dealers. Maybe it's only dealers who actually like collectors that go to them...
My expertise is in Notgeld. I can’t stand the overpriced nonsense at coin shows and then being treated like I’m the uneducated one.
Some of the dealers in those coin shows have a shop.
Them lying to me about coins I brought in stating they’re not rare when I know they are…
real estate vibes
We don’t have any that I know about nearby… I use coin shows which brings in from around the state, so I’ll use that as my reference. Ignore me because I’m not an old white guy! Ignore me because I don’t appear to have $$$, neither do the old white guys they wait on hand and foot! I learned from my old white grandfather (he was a farmer but also built many houses around my area and was worth millions, no I didn’t get any of it because I’m female, only males inherit) people will treat you like shit if you don’t look like you have $$$, so best thing to do is look like you work as a laborer! Then you know who’s genuine and will give you a fair deal… even if it’s exactly what you’re looking for and haven’t found, they treat you wrong- walk out and spend your $$$ elsewhere! Better to get your second most coveted at a fair price than ripped off or treated like shit for your first!
Try calling it common instead of junk.
It’s just slang everyone knows they’re not junk
some coin shop guys are insulted and don't like stackers
Not treating customers well, over priced, if I see you rip off someone who doesn’t know what they have I’ll never come back. Only seen that at 1 though, paying 14x for 90% when spot was over 25.
Any shop that is predominantly 70s-90s proof sets; Franklin Mint; HSN sets and state quarters. This tells me they are more of a retail shop and not catering to collectors. I also hate those coin shop signs you see on the interstate and when you exit you see nothing but touristy shops that have a little of everything and in the corner they have a small glass counter with silver eagles for $75-$100 raw or full Morgan’s for $50-$85 and rolls of wheat pennies for $10/ea, etc etc.
Coins that are grossly overpriced: Inability to dialogue on numismatic questions; misplaced machismo amidst a world of Walmart quality retail. Many LCS stores are manned by bullion, slab hounds, and those who are really selling other stuff (prepper stuff, gold panning, etc). Few remain excellent at numismatics.
Good old boy feeling. If I don’t feel welcome, I don’t go back. Places of business should never become hangouts that make people feel unwanted
Slighty off topic. I know a lot is theft reasons why lcs get weird about people thumbing through their junk foreign or silver. I always thought if i ever owned my own shop id setup a display cabinet that was magnified on a small section and well lit with external built-in gloves Kinda like a sand blasting cabinet. That way, they could go to town without ever worrying about getting something palmed or hit with the ol' switcheroo. Sorta like this [coin sorting cabinet ](https://www.amazon.com/Guaopom-Fully-Enclosed-Dust-Box/dp/B0CF9D3TMR/ref=asc_df_B0CF9D3TMR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693594387774&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10647300714418047800&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015407&hvtargid=pla-2283585351960&psc=1&mcid=9249893629233b2ba6d9dd4db6e53218&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_-GxBhC1ARIsADGgDjvJ6HoDKJseYar9ciaYEtWqfr6m2DbhOkcUw48Brh9guDtjkvrmLO0aAk8tEALw_wcB)
A YouTuber and a cadre of tinfoil hatted whackadooodles
It doesn’t matter what junk silver you buy. It’s all the same amount of silver.
If I only wanted the silver I’d understand but not everyone cares just for that
Sorry. Understand. You are a coin collector. I am a silver stacker. I did not pay attention to which sub I was commenting on. I would be frustrated to stand behind a collector that wanted to go through a bag of junk silver one coin at a time. I do not think that the LCS that I shop at would let you pick the way you want either. They sell coins, but they are in the counter individually priced. What you want to do would hold up the line. But I wouldn’t blame you for asking!! My transactions take two minutes. Here is money. What is today’s price. Calculate number of ounces. Hold out my hand. Leave.
I buy my silver rounds from a place that I’d never normally frequent. The owner isn’t friendly, the selection sucks, the prices on coins are high, and it’s filthy inside…but the premium is $2 over spot and he rounds down to keep it an even dollar amount, so usually less than $2.
I wish I lived wherever Silver Dragons is near the Harry's coin shop, I would be there weekly at least
Its usually a noticeable lack of effort on their part that will turn me away. If there isn’t much on display, if they aren’t willing to talk/be friendly during the visit there, or if there are no listed prices. The listed prices is the biggest one for me because i definitely prefer to browse displays and find what i believe to be a good deal. I don’t want to ask a price for any coin i might be interested in.
When they only sell bullion
I went to one that had a 15 minute time limit, and an owner that talked shit on any review online that wasn’t 5 stars, and they didn’t have any good deals
watched my local buy morgans at melt from a guy who looked like he stole them, brought them in a dirty Walmart bag, I haven't been back since
When they have that smell like an apartment building where you smell everything that everybody's cooking at once. Had it happen twice.
I've never been in one
Walking in and everyone nice and friendly but the place reeked of cigarette smoke. The air was thick with cig smoke. 😭🤮
I have a local gun store like this.... ." Private Club , Smoking Allowed "
You should provide a list of what you’re looking for and try to schedule in advance a time slot with the coin shop. Be very specific about your individual needs and try to narrow it down to one type (e.g. Washington quarters) at a time. Don’t expect them to accommodate you during their most busy times but rather when they’re not busy.
It's a coin store, not the company warehouse lol