Worst Dealer You Ever Dealt With

Before the internet, there was this dealer who probably did the best in terms of sales than all of the other dealers that I knew about locally.

This dealer was expensive and actually very rude and impatient with his customers, but his success was more due to the location that he had his store in combined with the wide range of material and knowledge that he had.

To me, he was the last resort to go to if all of the other dealers did not have what I was looking for. The problem was that he also knew this and called it out to me every time because he figured it out.

One time, I was looking for the book "Fundamentals of Philately" by Williams. No one else had a copy in town available for sale except him. I dreadfully went to his store and inquired about it. He went to the back and got them out in 5 separate volumes.

Then, he made the point of saying to me that I only came to him when ever I couldn't find stuff from anyone else. It was the truth, but this is not something one should throw at one's customer's face no matter what. I nodded, paid for the books and left in a hurry.

No one needs to hear such speeches from a dealer as a customer since it felt like he was doing his customers favors. I guess that since he knew very well what was going on stamp wise around town that he could take advantage somehow being the only available source for some things.

Also, it wasn't only the dealer who was rude but also his staff since it appears that they just copied him to fit in there. He was always one step ahead of everyone else and he knew it and threw it in your face to rub it in.

"When ever I couldn't find stuff from anyone else" ----That was a big problem around Chicago before the internet started . I would go to a different bourse or stamp show each month for years and most dealers carried the same inventory around from show to show . Sometimes it was so bad that their inventory went from storage room to the show back to the storage until the next show . Very little new material, they were convinced they needed to sell the old stuff before they refreshed their stock .

I remember one loud and boisterous dealer, who one day, while I was at his booth, was bragging loudly to anyone within 100 yards, that he had just sold a certain (very expensive) item to a gentleman, who had just come and quietly paid full price with no argument. The dealer was quite proud of this, and even 'humbled' himself to point out that he might have been willing to cut the guy a deal if he had just asked.

Of course, his normal form was to be highly confrontational if you asked or questioned him about anything. So it would take someone like him to buy from him no doubt.

I rarely visited his table, but that day, he had a fabulous #10 on cover that I had to have (paid full price for that too).

I am a professional used book and media seller on Amazon and am delighted if we can maintain 97% positive feedback. We get all kinds of ridiculous, unwarranted negative feedback (including if the buyer didn't like the writer or the content of the book!). It takes work.

Some of my competitors have 93 or 94% positive feedback and are selling 5 or 10 times what I sell. Buyers are conditioned differently on Amazon and don't worry too much about feedback ratings as they know Amazon is extremely aggressive about protecting consumers. As a seller on Amazon, we cannot leave feedback for buyers nor can we block them.

What really irritates me about ebay is that you can spend thousands of dollars with a seller, but if he has an emotional reaction to something he can just block you. The only reason for a seller to block a very good, high-spending customer is because the seller is indulging their emotions and/or lack suitable communications skills and motivation to deal with simple problems. My one example for this is Matthijs Philatelie.

He blocked my first account when I raised a question about quality issues, then later a second account for the same reason. So he not only has lost hundreds of dollars a month of my business, but also all the underbids I inevitably placed. At some point, he will close things in on himself and only have casual buyers who don't spend a lot. And ebay could not care less. Blocking so many buyers reduces sales (from both wins and underbids). Is THIS a good system and good for ebay??

Oddly enough, until recently Matthijs always had 30,000 or more items for sale on ebay yet lately they are consistently well below 10,000. Is this a summer lull, or are they experiencing lower revenues and thus forced to buy less?

The companies who grow and prosper the most are agile and adept at solving problems that arise. I never allow emotions to guide any decisions I make in business. ebay does not encourage or empower sellers in this regard.

I'm guessing he is a lot less prosperous than he once was.

I was surfing and ran across this older thread from last year and noted shermae's comment about how you can spend big bucks over years with a dealer and then have him diss you over some emotional thing.

I am personally aware of a situation like that. A fellow had spent on a regular basis with a local dealer in his store and at shows he sponsored. A minor incident came up one day at a show, the collector was unaware he'd committed an infraction; but this guy went ballistic on him. Threatened ejection from the show. He did it I think just to show off to the other dealers and impress them with what a tight ship he was running. He just assumed the guy had nowhere else to go for his stamp needs. He probably never saw what was coming.

The collector immediately stopped patronizing him. That was a loss of thousands of bucks annually. Better yet, he changed his plans to donate his philatelic library to the club this guy was heading up. And, the collector changed his plans about this dealer handling disposal of his collection in the future.

These things have consequences. A lot of dealers at shows seem not to realize that.

Interesting stories about bad dealers. My examples have less to do with stamp dealings than with the obnoxious personality of a few dealers. I've had dealers "suspicious" of me for reasons I can't figure out. Maybe I look like someone they once got into an argument with? These guys just seem rude and combative about everything. I stay away. I figure it's old age and senility. I've seen dealers yell at customers because they were holding a stock book the wrong way or leaning on an album. Fair enough if these are valuable items, but they weren't. They were old junk. And why not use some manners and just ask the customer to be more careful? Why get angry?

But the worst case I ever saw was a dealer at a major show in California whose tables I had sat down at, preparing to spend hundreds of dollars (his stock was good). As I browsed, comparing my want lists to his stock, I couldn't help hearing his loud voice denouncing feminists, liberals, and other types of people he obviously disagreed with. Had he been denouncing conservatives or the NRA I'd have felt the same way -- I don't want your political opinions at a stamp show any more than I want to talk about religion or my gender identify. It's crude and rude. I got up and left and didn't spend a dime. I should have called him out, of course, but not picking fights is my inclination. Some people can't keep their mouths shut.

A somewhat funnier incident has to do with a very famous national stamp dealer and auctioneer who I bought material from by mail for years. He was a nice guy and a very good dealer. One time I saw he had a booth at a major APS show, so I sat down to buy a lot of material. But I quickly realized that apparently he hadn't bathed in awhile. Maybe it was unusually hot that day? Maybe he'd just forgotten the little amenities that make life more pleasant for all of us? Whatever it was, it was a bit hard to breathe in that location. I gagged but kept looking. I bought some things, but not as many as I'd planned and without much enthusiasm. Suggestion to dealers: Bring some air freshener. I still like the dealer, though, just more when he's less fragrant.

My VERY first purchase of stamps (Cinderellas) from an Australian dealer,
(Still in business) 12-14 years ago.
Alway remember, he took the order on a mobile phone.

After 3 contacts, a different excuse was forwarded each time, until I gave up.

The next dealer I used, I have been with for 12 years.

My response to the original dealer............

No,

We won't be renewing our subscription.

We are still awaiting a $50 order that was not sent.
You have thieved $50 from us.

We have had three replies from Mr. xxxxxx
1. The secretary was away that day.
2. "dont know what happened, sorry but we are human"
3. Australia post lost the order, not our problem.

In light of those (in writing) responses we conclude Mr. xxxxxx
is a cheat, a charlatan, and a liar.
We shall continue to promote him as such within our sphere of influence.

Good day.

Drew, I have had much the same thing happen at stamp club meetings. When I go to one, I go because I want to talk about stamps, not what someone heard on Talk Radio or hear bad jokes about Feminists. I actually heard the 'N' word at a meeting years ago. Never went back there. Some of these groups are like a night out for naughty boys.

I think I may know of the dealer you spoke of. He was at the Minnesota Stamp Expo a few years back and was ranting about immigrants. I cut my time off with him.

I also encountered a noted Philatelic author and APS official at a show who had a large yellow mustard stain on his shirt, apparently he was oblivious to it. Next day I went back and there he was wearing the same shirt with the same stain.

FWIW, if anyone encounters a dealer at a show behaving like the guy Drew mentioned, do the hobby a favor- report him to the show chair. If not then and there at least after the show. If Drew and I are thinking of the same guy, he is a pox on the hobby and needs to get a smacking down or be given a time out on shows. Maybe that will control him running his mouth.

Many years ago I went to this dealer with my dad because I wanted a set of stamps that he had. Since I was young, the dealer did not treat me very well in that he seemed rather impatient with me in trying to make the sale as quick as possible as if he was trying to get rid of me as soon as possible. When my dad paid for the stamps, somehow in the process, he got back the same amount in change that he had paid. The dealer's impatience really did pay off but this time more for us than for him.

This is not really about dealers but it seems to fit- sort of. I was surfing recently and looking at the website of a stamp club; they had pictures of their meeting and shows. On more than one, members were shown wearing those red baseball caps that have come to be associated with a certain political figure. They have a right to do that, of course but it just seems if we're trying to attract new members maybe clubs ought to adopt a policy of requiring attendees to not wear anything reflecting a specific point of view. I'd feel the same way if they were wearing something from the other side of the spectrum.

I'll never forget an insufferable "wing nut" dealer from Columbus, Ohio. However, his Danzig material was so good that it was worth the effort to tune him out.

For me, I don't go to stamp club meetings for the fashions, I go assuming those there have the same common interest as me; stamps and philately.
Folks could be wearing kilts, burqas, uniforms, jeans, suits or t-shirts things printed on them. My concern is 'what do you collect' not 'what are your social opinions'.
Don

Don, nor do I. I wouldn't care what fellow attendees wear either. I just dislike the attitude that seems to go with the cap. I put myself in the mind of a young person or someone of color going to a meeting with this stuff being worn. I doubt I'd go back. I also doubt the guys wearing these possibly get it at all.

Bob I think I know the dealer you spoke of. He has a great stock of Hitler period specialties. Sort of fits.