Is there people you wont buy from simply because of their attitude?
 

Was curious how many out there, if any, wont buy from someone on here,ebay, and/or at a show simply because their attitude sucks.
I have a couple myself. I've been to a show where just simply asking how much a card is (because the dealer didnt bother putting a price on it) is meant with disgust or just a general crappy attitude.
I've passed on a few deals on before simply because of previous dealings where emails go unanswered, they are not helpful in the least, or you get short condescending responses.
I'm of the opinion I'd rather spend my money with helpful, courteous people.

I only have 3 sellers I won't buy from. 2 on eBay and 1 on here.

One "old school" card dealer, for multiple instances of card misrepresentation.

Yes

Quite a few, because I believe they are outlets for card doctors.

Totally. There are even people I wouldn't sell to because I don't like them.

Yes. Mainly for one of the reasons you mentioned above. When I was in my early teens (had a job at 14, so I had $$) some dealers would either act bothered that I dared to ask them about the condition of a card, or they would simply ignore me.

Fast forward to the world of the internet and there are so many places to buy a card that I will not spend my time or money on some jerk. Luckily, I've only had incredible transactions here on the BST, including two where I recieved the item before the check had even cleared!

This is interesting. I'm trying to think if I would refuse money because I didn't care for someone...probably yes. Can you elaborate on this...only because it's interesting.

Attitude NO, Price YES but that's mostly all eBay

LOL you make an interesting point Andrew. It is very noble for not accepting money out of the principal of disliking someone though.

Yes.

We collectors are frequently a very quiet, sensitive, and immensely passionate bunch of people. We take our collecting very seriously, even if we try to be low-key about the whole thing. I am speaking of collectors in general, because I believe we all share the same passions, and sensitivity to certain attitudes found among assholes in whatever hobby interests us.

Maya Angelou was so right-on when she wrote of all the things we'll remember about a person, how they made us feel will be the main thing we'll always remember, and it will affect everything about how we feel towards that individual.

For better or for worse, how you got a treasured card or complete set--the circumstances, the price, and the whole experience from whom you got that meaningful piece from, will, as the years go by, come back to your mind. It won't just be the card or set. You wish you could separate the card from the jerk, but sometimes you cannot take "the jerk" out of the card, and have to just sell the thing and get another one, to get the asshole's stench removed from the association with the given item. Odious comment, but it's been true for me.

Forgive me for not getting too specific or naming names, much as I might feel the urge to now and then. There's two sides though, remember?

Dealers probably have their own lists of reprehensible buyers whom they feel a genuine headache coming upon them every time they see one those scumbags approach their table. Yep, it can go both ways. No, I've never been a dealer. Took out some ads in SCD back in the day with numerous frantic phone calls. I tried to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and let down the guys who called "too late" as tenderly as I could, 'cause I had been there numerous times before myself. I'm pleased to say that of well over 100 sales, a decent amount were repeat customers; I only had one returned item.

Good topic to cogitate about, but sometimes there's things you really don't want to remember.....

Cheers.

---Brian Powell

I won't sell to anyone who tells me to ship the card to Dick Towle. :D Seriously, it's happened.

I agree this could definitely work both ways. I wouldn't buy from someone who had a bad attitude or didn't respond to a question before the sale. If they're rude before they have your money how are they going to respond to a problem.

Same with a rude customer. I work in car sales and have seen deals passed on because the guy was a jerk. Some customers are not worth having in any industry.

affirmative

Yes. Both buying and selling and both here on the boards. I buy much more than sell but the two things that prevent me from working on a deal with certain members are poor communication skills and the way they treat others in general topics and discussions.
If I see someone who is a know it all and condescending towards others in most comments they make I don't even look at their threads in the BST.
Same with people who are selling, trading or buying then you open up discussion then once an agreement is made they drop the conversation. I'm still "waiting" on a payment for an item someon promised to purchase in March. When I see the same thread pop up saying "looking to buy..." I move along and hope others do the same.
Overall I've had great deals with many members and likewise I have my favorites I enjoy buying from. Goes both ways.
Drew

Sean

Good thread topic!

After being a pre war card collector for almost ten years now, there are a few people that I refuse to buy from.


Jantz

I've been collecting on and off for around .....:eek:

lets just say a long time. Not as long as some, but a long time.

There aren't really many people I've run across that I've put on the "never buy from" or "won't sell to" list. Of course there's a bunch I just don't bother with, but not actively. More like the guys at shows who don't have what I'm interested in or whose prices seem to be "excessively imaginative"

Most of the big problem dealers are in the category of people who sell stuff I can't afford so by default I won't deal with them.

I can't say I'm a great seller or buyer. I can drop communication for a day or two if I'm busy of thinking about something, or simply haven't dug it out from under the stuff on top of the box it's in. (Lots better with active sales - I keep that stuff easily accessible so I can ship it easily)
But then, I don't get cranky if I'm debating a purchase and someone else comes along with a solid offer. That's the risk of thinking about stuff.

The very short list?
A card shop in CT where I got dropped off and after 5 minutes the guy gets a call and says I'll have to leave since he needs to go sell his house! What, you couldn't have mentioned it when my ride who is now gone for 2 hours was still here? Gee thanks.

Mr Mint. I called about his ad for the tango egg cards and never got a call back. Not even from staff to say they were sold out or that the prices were a typo - they might have been.

A current Ebay seller with very washed out scans and a trimmed card that didn't respond until I filed a case. Then it was "oh I was away" so I couldn't respond and eventually a request to remove the negative I gave. All without ever addressing the trimming........

And not cards, but one stamp dealer.......Picked out some stuff, and the first thing in the stack he says "ok that's $75 " " umm, but it's clearly marked $10" "that's from when I bought it" "ever hear of an eraser?" Do you want it or not" "No" How about the other stuff?" "are those the price you paid too?" "probably" "Then nevemind and thanks for wasting my time"
I think he might have died, he was pretty old and I haven't seen him setup anywhere in a few years. But I always passed by his booth without looking.


The close runner up is an antique shop in CT. They had a bunch of nice sewing stuff my wife wanted at great prices. When we went to buy it she said "Oh no, you can't buy all of them you have to leave some for other people" followed by a lengthy gripe about how ebay meant she couldn't buy stuff cheaply anymore. When they worked out what my wife would be allowed to buy - easily the strangest negotiation I'd ever seen. We got to my stuff. And I said "well, I'd have bought about $100 in stuff, but I suppose I need to leave some for other people". And went through the stack and put back about $75 of the stuff. Then she took back some tools which were apparently the handymans he'd left in a pie plate in the window with price tags on them.......Never seen such a messed up place. But the stuff I did get was REALLY cheap, so.....maybe.

Steve B

Yes

I don't choose not to buy based on attitude. I have had some guys who have seemed gruff at first and later I saw them or heard from them in some fashion (i.e. e-mail) and they were much more pleasant. The ones I do not buy from did something specifically that I thought was unethical.

If there's a rare card that you need for your collection, just about everyone who says that they wouldn't, will in fact buy the card, regardless of who the seller is. Same thing is true with the auction houses.

I am sure there have been a few, but I usually just forget about them and move on to the next card or seller...I have found that bad customer service gets its own 'reward' without my help.

Everyone can have a bad day, but I prefer to be treated at least as well as my money.
.
.

yeah this is pretty much the way I am. I've been doing this 33 years and my list of "no deals" is surprisingly short considering. With the National coming up I expect to see a few. Thankfully I remember them and walk past but on occasion I still get the dealer that is soooo put out because I ask to see a card that turns out has a price tag on the BACK that is way overpriced.

Yes, there are those I will not buy from or sell to.

People will probably avoid buying from me now that I've made my feelings known concerning the awful arm of Babe Ruth's daughter. It's not my fault that she couldn't hit the broad side of a fluorescent barn, yet people would make me suffer for her shortcomings. What a world.

Absolutely. Collecting is what I do for fun/enjoyment. If I want attitude, I could just stay at work, or coach a team of 13 year olds.

Plus, mean people suck.

I wouldn't avoid buying or selling to you. I just think your comment is misplaced. She is 98 yrs old. What kind of arm should she have?

A better one. She has Hall of Fame blood running through her veins, for goodness sake.

I can't tell whether you are just trying to be funny, or if you really believe what you are saying :confused:...hoping the former.

Maybe she should train with the Mandelbaums. Just don't pick up a TV if it's bolted to the dresser.

I think your humor is being lost on everyone, friend :/

The problem is it wasn't humor to start with and now it's deflection.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what he's saying here but I didn't take what he said to be serious in the slightest. I can't imagine he was being serious.

changed my mind

There are definitely sellers I won't buy from, mostly those who treat others poorly. I also avoid sellers who bump their BST threads too often ...

Definitely. This is a big factor to me. I agree with others that on N54 I don't do business with sellers whose other posts aggravate me.

In terms of ebay, etc. I have a similar approach. One example: I had bought some cards over the years from a prominent ebay dealer. In 2011 I saw his tables at the National. I went over and bought a couple pre-war graded cards from him...maybe a bit overpriced, but cards I needed for things I was working on. I went back later in the day and asked him to pull about 10 more pre-war graded cards. We started to discuss price and I told him the VCP I had looked up. After about a minute he dramatically scooped up all the cards that were in front of me, turned his back on me and walked away...in the middle of the conversation. Just left me standing there. I can assure you that I was not "lowballing" him at all...not my style. Another collector/shopper beside me just looked at me uncomfortably and shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to make of it. In the last 4 years I have refused to spend one penny with this guy - and I have stuck to that. I don't care what cards he has...not one penny from me ever again. As a pissed-off customer I can only vote with my wallet - and I do.

Cheers,
Blair

No, but there are a few who I avoid due to their poor grammar :)

Yes, there are those who I will not do business with.

Yes - at the top of the list, way above the others, is Mr. Mint.
Val Kehl

Brown Paper Bags
 

I won't do business with people based on looks. If someone has a card I want but appears unkempt or dressed for a backyard BBQ, is out of shape, or looks like a bad yearbook photo from the 70's or 80's I move on.

My monster # is 4.:)

I'm going off on a highjack of this thread, but one thing I've noticed more and more of at show tables is dealers who have hot young women working the table with them. Most of the time they know nothing about baseball cards and are clearly there for window dressing.

This really bugs me when I ask them a question about a card or a price and they have to go ask the actual dealer himself.

Mind you, I don't mind having women at card shows, but if they are working your table they should have some knowledge of the hobby.

It is a proven fact that hot young women or having little kids behind a sales counter will outsell ones with anybody else. I learned that in marketing class.

Absolutely. Good topic.

I always find it helps to bring my beautiful fiancé with me to shows. Dealers will usually spend more time talking to her than me and when I ask for a price, it's usually lower than what's on the card.

there are a couple of folks I generally avoid. During the heyday, I would always avoid anyone who had a dice game. Unless you're old you probably don't remember those.

There are four of five type dealers and once you have done this a little you know which one you are talking to immediately.

1) The guys I can do business with. A professional who treats you decently and prices things fairly but doesn't give stuff away. William Chappel and Rand Bailey are this type of folk. They will be 80% of my money most shows.

2) the unpriced pile-er…there are two sup-varieities of this type dealer…the guy who will shoot from the hip on a price and the buy who has to look every card up or get a price when his partner comes back. I work with guy one, usually walk away from guy two.

3) The museum curators who sets up at shows but have no intention or need of selling anything at less than top dollar. There are mostly older retirees who are just doing card shows to have something to keep them busy. Pass.

4) The buy guy and the auction house…they aren't there to sell, just to make connections and buy. No need to spend a lot of time with them.

5) The visitor…he's too busy opening packs or talking to his buddy to help you. There is also the lazy guy and the asshole who are close cousins to the visitor.

Dealers
 

I am not a dealer and hardly ever sell a card, but have often thought while at shows that if I was ever to set up a table I would likely commit homicide before the show was over. I bet dealers could tell some great stories about people who visit their tables :)

+1. I heard many a things that my young ears shouldn't have behind a table at shows.

at the right price I don't see how anyone wouldn't buy from anyone.

basically if you hated a guy and he wanted to hand you $200 with no string attached..don't you still take it? $15 dollars maybe not..but there is a price you will end up taking it..forget principals..

LOVE your sense of humor! :D


After some thought . . .

Local to me, there used to be a dealer who fit all of those descriptors. He also ran a monthly card show.

Being friendly with several of the dealers, I found out that some of them had given him the moniker "Smelly Joe"

When asked if they were kidding, one even showed me his contacts on his cell phone, and there he was, entered as . . . "Smelly Joe"!

I think for the most part you are right. I have dealt with someone on this board a few years on and off and he was very rude to me the first time we struck a deal. I wanted the card, so I bit my tongue and ever since we have made a handful of deals and he's still not very friendly. In the end, his prices and cardboard trumped what I actually wanted to do [emoji16]

+1

right..besides handing you $200 the guy can be saving you $200 in additional money you would have to pay for the same card to a nice dealer...I think you pay the $200 to the bad dealer with a legit same card versus $400 to the nice dealer with knowledgeable hot girls who are single and like personality over looks and know about Old Judges and in their own personal collection they buy card not the grade and they post on forums against shilling and they want to improve the hobby...hmm maybe I changing my mind now with those qualifiers :)

Not an attitude thing per se, but I won't buy from anyone leading off a BST post with "taking offers on......."

Yes, there is an AH nearby that I gave up on due to a very rude and nasty attitude by one subordinate. The boss is a great guy but if he hasn't figured her out yet....I will direct my modest funds elsewhere, like Sterling, where nobody yells at you but rather converses pleasantly. I have not even looked at The offending Ah's offerings since the bad phone call. And will continue to focus elsewhere.

Just two that I can think of. One was deeply involved in putting off-grade cards through a paper press and trimming them back down to size, eliminating slightly worn corners in the process, and making the altered raw cards appear to be NrMt-Mt or better. They would consequently measure correctly, but the edges revealed a much cleaner cut than original cards ever possessed. Most of this BS was eliminated when TPG began to loom very, very large on the scene in the early to mid-nineties, but the same seller now "appears" to be selling legitimate PSA-graded cards. I don't think a leopard changes his spots, however. I wouldn't put it past this dealer to be opening slabs and inserting altered cards in place of the originals, or buying from the Mexican scammer who was a prime topic of discussion with regard to his counterfeiting PSA holders and slips several months ago on this forum.

I don't even know if the other (local) dealer is still in business. His specialty was pricing Ex+ to ExMt cards at NrMt-Mt prices, then getting angry when you made an offer more akin to the real value of the card in its actual grade. This kind of jerk tends to put himself out of business as collectors become more knowledgeable, though sometimes that knowledge is expensive.

May your knowledge increase substantially before those lacking in morals or integrity get a chance to get their hands on your money!

Larry

true that annoying..also annoying is after a awhile on B/S/T when a price is listed but after months and months with no offers the seller writes 'OFFERS ANYONE?' then if get an offer they say its lowball and get angry when they are the one begging for an offer when obviously no one even remotely even contacted them based on the price they posted which would suggest they are sky high..

again its their card they can do what they want but the not in a position to be upset with any offer they get at that point...they should just list a lower price if they want to sell or just admit they don't want to sell it a market price only higher...they later become the 'ill just keep it' people or 'ill sent to auction, which auction and how many years from now, nobody knows!'

Greg, your comment leads me to guess that you are able to visit all of the dealers you are willing to do business with at the National in 30 minutes or less! :D
Val

Here's the one for me that I avoid and don't do business with.
I walk up to the table and he's either talking/bragging either to his buddy sitting with him or on his cell phone about the latest awesome pickup or pull he had, all the time not acknowledging the customer who is thinking of spending money at his table. I move on pretty quickly from "the visitor".

Oh, Val, you have put me in a very awkward position. Although I have never had a deal in place with Mr. Mint, the couple of occasions I dealt with him in discussing a possible deal he was very professional and polite. I think he also knew I wasn't going to put up with much crap.

At card shows, unless I am unbelieveably interested in a particular item, I usually pass right by tables with cards that are NOT priced.

I wear comfortable roller skates. If you hear something wizzing past all 6 of Bleams' tables you'll know I've been through.:D

yes
 

Most certainly YES

+1

LOL - you like discussing torque specs with the girls at car shows too? :D

Cheers,
Blair

Unless its a girl working upfront who midreads the price tag on a T206 Wagner and sells it for 100.00 instead of the 100k price tag that was on it. Think this happend in the 80s, and it stood up in court when the business owner tried to sue the customer who bought it.

So this one time at a party ..........we were watching the F1 race and a driver crashed because he hit a pocket of bad air causing loss of down force. my friend asked what bad air was and the hot chick across the room explained it. Somehow I found that incredibly attractive. Hot, yes. Knows race car aerodynamics yes. could I get her number? Even from the guy hosting the party ..........no. :(

Sort of close.

It was a 68 Ryan rookie for $18 instead of 1800, and part of the dealer losing was that it was a kid that bought it.

Steve B

I had never heard this story, so had to look it up. Here's an original article from it (assuming this is the one being discussed).

It was actually a $1200 Ryan RC which sold for $12

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1...y-rookie-cards

Regards
Rich

and this article has more detail about what happened with quotes, etc. Seems the woman at the front was a fill-in who worked at the guy's jewelry store.

That's what I get using my memory instead of Google :)

Steve B

In case anyone unfamiliar with that case is curious as to how it turned out:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...men-wrzesinski
Baseball Card In Dispute Will Be Put Up For Sale
April 23, 1991
WHEATON, ILL. — A baseball card that has been the focus of a court battle between a schoolboy and a dealer will be sold
and the proceeds will go to charity, the two sides said Monday. Brian Wrzesinski, 13, of Addison, and baseball card store
owner Joe Irmen announced their out-of-court settlement Monday minutes before a judge was to rule. Wrzesinski bought
the Nolan Ryan rookie card last year for $12. Irmen sued, saying the card marked ''1200'' was worth $1,200.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...00.html?pg=all
RYAN ROOKIE CARD SELLS FOR $5,000
Saturday, June 22 1991 12:00 a.m. MDT
Bidding for a controversial Nolan Ryan rookie baseball card started at $12 Friday, and within minutes the card sold for $5,000.

The auction was held following a settlement between 13-year-old Bryan Wrzesinski, Addison, Ill., and baseball card store
owner Joe Irmen. On April 24, 1990, Bryan bought the card for $12 when a clerk in Irmen's store did not realize the price tag
actually meant $1,200. During Friday's sale at Chicago Riverfront Antique Mart and Auction Co., Bryan Wrzesinski symbolically
began the bidding at $12, but the next bid was $1,200, by Joe Irmen, the other figure in the controversy.

The bidding rose steadily until the card was purchased for $5,000 by Tony Del Angel, 39, of Lisle, Ill. "I look at it
as an investment. Within a few years, I'm going to get my money back," Del Angel said.


Fascinating discussion of the legalistic implications of the case here:
http://tinyurl.com/qbeofsb
It'd be a hoot to argue this over beers with the contract lawyers on board...

Amen to that! Either put a price on it, or put in the auction section with your minimum bid. Otherwise, you are just running an auction with a hidden reserve, not selling.

Cheers,
Geno

This insanity has gone on entirely too long.

"their" is plural

"Is" is singular

ergo this thread should be titled correctly

"Are there people you wont buy from simply because of their attitude?"

Everyone knows that there is more than one person out there with an attitude.

Also an acceptable alternative

"Is there a person you wont buy from simply because of his/her attitude?"

This is for folks who don't recognize an attitude when they see one.;)

Frank, generous of you to overlook the missing apostrophe...

lol!!

Too funny. This was my childhood card shop. I haven't thought about that story in a long time. It consumed my best friend and my (11 at the time) thoughts entirely for quite a while. We weren't too fond of Joe, but that shop did provide plenty of great memories. Ball-mart recently closed it's doors.

Is
 

Frank, thank you for bringing that up! That "is" has been bothering me ever since I first saw this thread. :)

Rick

Trying to be politically correct I see haha.

We can see in retrospect that 1991 was the peak of the late '80s-early '90s card bubble, and this quote is a great illustration why. Unless that Ryan RC was in PSA 9 or 10 condition (which I highly doubt, given how much it was handled back then), it never got near $5000 in market value.

I'd love to talk to Tony del Angel now!