Debit Cards at Coin Shows

[MunkyMan95]

Thanks Bobby!

 

I'm going with an open mind as far as the Saint goes. I've seen MS63's online that I can't tell the difference from a 64, so it seems stupid to me that 64's warrant anywhere from $150-$350 more. With the extra money, I hope to get a Feuchtwanger cent, or some classic commems. Or both!!

[bsshog40]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya!!

[gedis3]

Just got back from the show if you haven't made it yet. After a random sampling of the dealers (I looked for credit card equipment as I walked around) looks like maybe 10-20% of them take plastic. Seems like the people that specialize in the higher end coins had a greater proportion of that percentage. Most transactions seemed to be going in cash, and the smaller dealers and lower-end stuff seemed to be straight cash. Most of the book and supplies sellers seemed to be taking plastic, so there will be places to use the debit cards if you desire, but like most people said, the odds are against you.

 

Just some Recon for ya...

 

Have fun at the show... I'll be going back tomorrow.

[jgrinz]

.

 

Good luck Bud ..

[MunkyMan95]

10-20% out of roughly 250 dealers is not bad. We talked to an ANA representative on the floor, and she said that most everybody had them, but I'm more willing to believe your estimate.

[DaveG]

Do look/ask around at the show. I'd be interested to hear what you find out.

 

I'm surprised the "ANA rep" said that most dealers take plastic, but maybe things have changed a lot at the biggest shows.

 

Or, perhaps the Charlotte convention center is wireless-enabled. I've heard that the Baltimore convention center isn't, which may be one reason why few dealers there take plastic.

[gedis3]

They may take CC's at most of them, but I'm guessing it's only as a last resort, and they sure don't advertise it... I don't remember seeing one single placard that said "WE TAKE VISA" except at the books and supplies booths.

 

Anyone with internet access can take a CC or Debit nowadays, I'm sure there is WiFi in the Bourse... there's NetCafe just off to the one side. If not, those AirCard dealies will usually work about anywhere you can get a Cell Signal, which was a bit spotty down on the floor. I saw a lot of dealers surfing the Net while I was walking around.

 

I wouldn't blame them for taking a little more or negotiating a bit less on the price if they knew you were paying with plastic -- even a high volume dealer with a good CC processing company is going to lose at least 1%... and it just goes up from there, topping out with PayPal's processing fees for taking a Card via their system, which falls just short of a piece of your kidney.

[DC Dawg]

Just as an aside... there are ATMs almost everywhere and certainly everywhere a coin show would be held. Why not make an ATM withdrawal before going to the show? This is what I did in Charlotte!

 

Scott

[MunkyMan95]

We're talking about the Prepaid cards with no PIN number, that won't let you get cash out of an ATM.

[EZ_E]

Sooooo....Chad, what's the scoop? Did you take cash? Did it pan out doing so? Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[MunkyMan95]

Didja read my coin show report?

 

I'll give you the condensed version...

 

You guys were right - I should have taken cash. I walked around for an hour or more looking for someone to take Visa, but the dealers were weary about credit card scams and the like. I did find one dealer that was willing to work with me, but he wasn't set up for taking Visa. I selected a coin, we walked to another table, and his friend called in the cards. Deal was done.

 

All of this was in my show report

[cpm9ball]

Whenever I go to a show, I always take a lot of cash, but I try whenever possible to use my credit card. If I am negotiating to buy a particular coin and I don't feel that I am faring too well on the deal, I will sometimes pull out my wallet and "accidentally" flash a stack of C-notes. This can be a great encouragement for the seller to drop the price a little more. If the seller does reduce the price to accommodate me, then I will simply pull out my credit card and hand it to the seller.

 

I guess it's just my flea market mentality.

 

Chris

[EZ_E]

Didja read my coin show report?

 

 

No, I did not.

 

How in the world did you post it considering you wrote it in crayons?

[MunkyMan95]

Didja read my coin show report?

 

 

No, I did not.

 

How in the world did you post it considering you wrote it in crayons?

 

Magic.