Cultivating Tirekickers - Towards better Junk Box Management.

[Houston Investor]

While tirekickers have been the butt of a lot of jokes and resentment, I sorta like the critters if there is some money to be made from them but you need a good strategy to corral them in:

 

1. A junk box (usually plastic tub) should not be in the same area as your nicer coins if you can help it - slabs in cases. Ranchers don't mix sheep and cattle do they? So you don't necessarily wnat junk and your best slabs in the same case.

2. Never allow customers looking at junk box material to block your cases where your nice material (slabbed coins) resides.

3. All of these coins should be priced in dollar increments from $1 up. That way,iIts easy to add them up. I use Coin World Trends with the intent of discounting them 10 - 20% or more once the customers purchase is totaled. Sometimes they pick out a coin and just hand me the money per the price sticker. Can't argue with that!

4. A good cutoff for JB is coins priced at less than $10 for the most part. Raw coins above that I have in binders in vinyl pages for the 2x2's.

5. Send away JB customers who take an inordinate amount of time looking and still don't seem close to buying anything. A good question for them "Well are you about ready to check out?" If not, It may be time to send him on his away. This may seem harsh, but there are others who may want to look.

6. When leaving your table cover your JB with a sheet, etc or if possible set it on your backup table. Be careful of other dealers nearby who might want to rip some.

7. Don't allow them to take coins away for a 2nd opinion. They might not come back! "Tell them: Your kidding - need another opinion on $2 coin? Get outta here."

8. Send them away if they try to look at coins below your line of sight. This a ploy (shoplifting trick) coin theives use to simply scoop coins into a book or mag and then walk off.

9. Get rid of JB customers who are rough with the coins - throwing them, etc. I hate these insufficiently_thoughtful_persons and don't mind telling them to leave.

10 A guy picks out $24 of JB coins and asks you how much. I would let him have them for $20.

11. A really bad show is when nothing from the JB sells. If its Sat nite (and lousy show sales so far) you may want to pack up and leave as all your going to have Sunday is lookey looks who won;t spend any money.

12. Since you may be given counter offers be sure and markup you JB coins at least 100%. or more. Nothing wrong with a keystone markup - used by businesses all the time.

13. I don't put numerical grades on JB coins for customers. I use grades like BU (60-62), Choice BU (63-64), and Gem BU (65 and higher). However, I will put my numerical grade in code on the back of the 2x2 and price simply price accordingly (based on Trends). This is for my info to avoid duplicate grading effort and in the event it becomes worthy of slabbing.

14. One guy just rented a separate table and put a huge pile of JB coins on it. Sort of like a Treasure pile. The most fascinating coin display I have ever seen. People went crazy digging thru it. One guy filled up his baseball cap with the coins he was going to buy. After the cap was full, the guy asked the dealer - "how much for these?" When the dealer added them up the total came to $288.75. He let the guy have them for $250.

15. When the guy has picked out his stuff, I quickly total it taking a mental note of the cost codes. I will tell him how much they add up to and do the best I can to fudge it down to a deal we are both happy with. One guys total added to $29.50 and I saw him take a twenty out of his wallet (the only bill in there). I then asked him "well how does $20 sound?" He took the deal.

 

[bsshog40]

The last coin show I went to, there were dealers with JB's and from what I seen, set up basically the way you are describing. I was going thru some JB's that set at the end of the dealers table (he was lucky to have an end row table), he had a couple nice stools set in front of them, prices were marked on all 2x2's, and he really just let ya sit there and enjoy your search. Granted, this was not a extremely large coin show where hundreds of people had to be watched, but it was nice.

[World Colonial]

I have bought a few cheap coins at shows in 2X2 holders and maybe they were JB material. All of them were uncirculated or close to it.

[DC Dawg]

Jake:

 

Considering the previous discussion on "tire kickers," I find your note refreshing. It is practical for both the buyer and dealer. It also sounds like my experiences.

 

For the last two yeas, there has been a dealer who rents a corner table at the Baltimore show and has 3-4 large green bins for junk box divers. I've found some nice 1976 bicentennial medals in these boxes. It's a lot of fun!!

 

Scott

[Coin]

Very useful post . Well thought out and makes sense , to me anyhow.

 

I will add some of the suggestions to my mental check-list when I search out a JB or two.

 

Agree with the Post'r (Arizona) and Scott B , it is better to get helpful info than to be the butt of a joke .

[Dcoin]

I always thought a table of just junk boxes would do well. 1,3,5,10,15,25 dollar boxes. Maybe even junk boxes with just slabs in it? No cases just boxes.

 

I think its the mystery factor... “If I dig deep enough, I'll find a you suck award in one of the corners.”

 

[Houston Investor]

I sometimes will engage those going thru my junk boxe to get a feel for what they may be searching for or their take on the show. Sometimes this info has lead me to purchases or good deals ("dealer A has lots of Commems below Bid" or "that dealers blonde wife is marking 64 libs at 64 saint money and vice versa.").

 

It is always fascinating to see what they will actually buy. I have seen them pick out coins I felt I would never be able to sell in my lifetime.

 

I don't believe slabs belong in junk boxes as they can get badly mauled / scratched up. Even though a gal may be a fallen woman, I always believe in treating her like a queen.

 

I am not too good to make lemonade out of lemons.

[dorancoins]

Very good advice. I sell junk coins (foreign) and they are, if nothing else, what either makes my table or not. I sell mine at 20 cents each or 6 for $1. From what I see with the other dealers, I am the cheapest. I usually bring 25lbs in a Glad container and kids and adults alike go crazy.

[Houston Investor]

Yes the cheaper and more bulkier the junk the more they like it. I like seeing them sift thru mine - a great way to introduce them to the hobby.