Why I don't do wantlists

[Archive]

Posted By: warshawlaw

I have my cards (yes, in the thousands) indexed into Excel. If someone wants to know if I have something, or if I want to know whether to lay down the shekels for another item, its at my fingertips.

Simply telling a potential contact "sorry, I don't do want lists" is off-putting and isn't a real sharp business building strategy. Remember, you never know who or what someone who contacts you for one thing might know. The person you blow off today might come into contact with a mega-collection tomorrow. If you piss on them, they won't consider you later on. I've gotten some really great stuff simply by being nice, polite and helpful to people who asked questions. One of them handed me a stack of old signed movie contracts he found in an old house while doing a remodel.