How do you prepare?

[Archive]

Posted By: scott brockelman

assuming that the original post was directed towards the national or another mega large show.

the number 1 rule is if you see something of interest and don;t purchase it. WRITE DOWN THE TABLE NUMBER. do not assume you will remember where it was, i have been to many large shows and have a memory like a rat and believe me you will not remember the aisle or the dealer or the showcase or ever see that card again. further if it is a card of scarcity and you have been seeking it for some time and it finally appears in front of you for sale, DO NOT tell the dealer you are going to walk around and think about it or look for another. AGAIN, you may not find another, you may not find the previous one and if you are lucky enough to find your way back to the orignal table where your holy grail was, IT PROBABLY WON"T BE THERE!
i have had so many people ask about a moderate to rare card, explaining they have spent half there adult life searching for it, i magically produce it, they ooh and ahh, ask how much, and tell me they are going to walk around and think about, baffles me(and we may be talking a $50 item, not $5,000), if i have been looking for something that long and hard, i am gonna pull the trigger and ask questions later. you already know in your own mind how difficult it is to find, just negotiate a price and buy the damn thing! i often have had "thinkers" come back only to tell them the next guy that came along bought their item of interest and was taking 4 foot strides when he left the table.

oh well, enough for show buyers 101, stop by and see me at table #333 in chicago for a plethora of old cards, even if just to chit chat, OK so this thread may belong in the BST section, but Leon will be at my table with his stuff so it's in his best interest as well

scott