Dealer Wouldn't Counter? A Story About How Not to Act at a Card Show

Welcome to extra innings on the Sports Card Clubhouse with the hit list that is Matt from Providence. Allegedly. And Allegedly. And I'm. I am Jake o' Donnell of. Jake T. O' Donnell of Waxback Wisdom. Timothy. Yes. Now everyone knows my full name. Just hand out my address next time. 5050 meg. What's that about? Anyways? What's the tea about? Why do you do that? The tea, I think it was when I first created my Twitter handle in like, 2009 or whatever. I just was like, Jake O' Donnell was taken. So I just went, Jake T. O'. Donnell. I'm thinking about going. I think about going Matt F. Providence. Matt F. Providence. Like, F. Scott Fitzgerald. What do you got against Scott Fitzgerald? Well, you know, what movie is that from? I don't remember, but I remember hearing from Ted. It's from Ted. Oh, is it? Yeah, from Rhode Island. My favorite part of that movie is the Lynn middle name. My wife's. My wife's middle name is Lynn. Do I torture her about that once in a while? Yeah. Jamie Lynn. Jesse Lynn. Jessica Lynn. There it is. All right, so let's talk about. Over this past weekend. And this was a big topic on the hit list this week was about the. The Northeast Sports Card Expo. That big, big show. Marlboro. Great show, Great show, Great show. By the way, shout out to Sports Card Clubhouse's own Adam Splendid Sports, who we got to hang out with. Instagram. Yeah, we need that picture, Adam. Send it to us. Oh, I thought you had it. I don't have it. I think that. I think Adam. Somebody took it with Adam's phone. There were guys at the table. He took the video. Yeah, we need the picture. So I'll. I'll. I'll. Well, I gotta send this to him later, so I'll make sure I get the picture from him. Email address, please learn. More mistakes. No more mistakes. Okay. Okay, so shout out to Adam. But anyway, Northeast Sports Card Expo, big show. Thousand tables, tons of dealers, vendors, three days, whatever. We told a few show stories from the show, but Matt has a story about a. I think it's a dealer interaction that I. I think it happened on Sunday. I wasn't there. I have not heard the story. So you go ahead, Matt. All right. I don't know that this story is good enough for. For this, but I'm gonna give it a shot. Okay, so Sunday comes, you know, I'm gonna go walk around a little bit. I walked around a lot, just, you know, stretch my legs. It's a long three days, so I stumble On a bobby or rookie card. PSA 4. Nice card. I've had that card twice and I've sold it twice. And I mean, I regret selling that card. I mean, I, I. Next time I get one of those cards, I'm keeping it. It's just. You just don't see it enough. Yeah. For instance, there's a thousand tables at the show. There was one. Okay. Unless Alex had one. I, I didn't make it over to his table. But anyways. So anyways, guys, got a PSA4. He's got 65 on it. You know, nothing wrong. It's not a crazy sticker or anything. I'd love to buy it at like 55. It's kind of right near market something. We'll take a shot. We'll make an offer for sure. Right. So he's busy. Clearly, the owner is busy. He's on the laptop, and he's still controlling the customer. And there's a big muscular guy who's clear, like he's helping him. But this guy was. His muscles have muscles. He was a big boy. And so he came over, he said, can I help you? And I said, I just, I just want to make a cold offer on the card, and I'll get out of your way. You know what I mean? Like, basically, like, I'm here for one card. You know, I'm like, I'm not going to be a bother. You know, I'll just get out of your way if it doesn't work. Not looking for. Not basically, I'm not looking for a long conversation, but if this works, great. So. And it's interesting that you did. I say this because I try to extend the conversation later, but. So I make cold offer of 5k on the 6500 sticker, which is low, but I'm, you know, I'm expecting a counter, you know, so he brings it over to the guy on the laptop, and I kind of just move around to another showcase, give them a little space in case they got to talk about how they're going to counter me. And, you know, you know, you can counter here, but when we can take this, whatever they're going to do with their business, you know, little conversation I'm sure they're gonna have. I'll give them a little space. Respect that. It's tough in those close quarters. So I want to give them the space. Yeah. So I do that and I go look at a couple other cards, and he comes back towards me, and I can see that he doesn't really see me. Because I've moved. But he puts the card, like, right back in the showcase and, like, just shuts the showcase. And I'm like, hey, man. And he's like, oh, there you are. He goes, yeah, no, he couldn't get there. And I'm like, I hear you. I was making a cold offer. But, like, yeah, I was shake. I was expecting a counteroffer simply because you always counter offer unless you accept. You either accept or you counter, right? You don't just say no because that's why. So I just blank stared at him, which is one of the uncomfortable things I like to do when. When dealers don't counter offer. Just, you know, just stare for an eternity. And then laptop fella, he, like, now looks at me and I just. Now I give him the blank stare and I'm. Blank stare. Muscles, blank stare. Laptop blank, muscles, blanks there. Laptop. Finally, laptop blinks first and is like, oh, what's up? I can't get there. Oh, no, man, it's no problem. I was just. I was waiting for counter offer. Do you guys not counter offer at this table? That's literally what I said to him. Yeah, literally what I said was, I'm sorry, I was waiting for a counter offer. Do you guys not counter offer this table? And he said, well, when we're too far apart, I just, you know, it's. I just don't, you know, I just don't think there's a point to it. And so my first thought was, this is just what I thought. I didn't say it, but I thought, like, well, I'll just keep offering until you counter offer. And, like, what's the point of that? I'm going to keep counter offering until you counteroffer, and then I'll have an idea of where you want to be. Or you can just say where you want to be. Because we all know sticker price is just a conversation starter. So everybody counter offers because if you don't, you know, you're. Oh, no, we can't slay on this show. Anyways, it's true. It's true. They're bleeping bleeps. But yeah, it's just so. Just. Yeah. So anyways, he says, if we're too far apart, you know, I don't do that. So I said, okay, how about 5,500? Because now, like, that's either the number or it's six, right? Like, oh, you're gonna counter it. You're counter, I guess, right? So I said 55. And then he said, you know, there was A guy trying to trade me a card. He was gonna package it up and try to get this card, and I wouldn't feel. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Can I interrupt you? I'm sorry. I don't need the story. Is 55 good here or no? And then he, like, put the card in the showcase, slammed the chat, and said no, and I walked away. But, like, I don't understand that interaction. Why was it that way? Why not? Why not counter offer? I'm not saying I was the friendliest guy in the whole wide world. I'm not saying that. I kind of went into it just flat, but, like, because I couldn't talk to the owner. So I'm just gonna go into a flat and no counteroffer. No counteroffer. I don't get it. It was priced pretty good. Like, not, like, overpriced. So he's not trying to hold it. Look, why not counter now? I mean, I got to be close to the sticker. I can do, like, 63. Five. I can do 62. Five. Say something, buddy. Say something. Say a number. Just say something. Shoot. Just shoot. I appreciate it was stickered. I appreciate it wasn't crazy price. I do appreciate that. That's great. But why aren't we counter offering or accepting, by the way? I'm a full believer. Like, if you get near my number, I accept. You get near the number. That. That. My accepting number. I don't need to counter. I don't need an extra $10. I just don't need it. I'd rather you come back and see me again. But anyways, yeah, this guy, like, no counteroffer. I don it. I don't get it. And I'm done being friendly to people that aren't friendly. I'm done being friendly to people that don't know how to do business. You're an insult to the business. You're an insult to me. You're bad for the industry. Bad. Just bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. I don't understand the no counter. And by the way, the muscles guy, when I said that. When I said I don't need your story, his eyes came out of his. He couldn't believe I said that. What do I. I don't. I don't need the story. Imagine me telling that story to somebody at my table. Like, oh, well, no, I can't get to that number, buddy. Stick that. Take that story and bleep it and bleep it. I don't need it. I don't need it. Does this number Work or not? Does it work or not? And, like, it's just. I don't. I just. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. Appreciate you sticking it. Appreciate your price gouging. Please counter offer or accept my offer, but please counter offer. Always counteroffer. Oh, yeah. I'm never too far apart from somebody to counter offer. Yeah, look, there's. So there's different levels to this, right? Like sometimes. Yeah. Like, it wasn't. It wasn't what you'd say. A. You know, an insulting offer. You know, 5k on 65, 55. 65 is not insulting. Off. I understand the idea that sometimes you're too far apart for there to be more of a conversation, but usually that's the case when you ask somebody if a card's not priced. If you ask somebody, and we talked about this on the hit list this week, if car is not priced, you ask them what their price is, and you find that the price is astronomical. There you go. So you. You haven't made an offer. That's the thing. You. You just want to know what the number is, and if the number is too high, you're like, okay, well, this isn't worth having a conversation, so I'm gonna walk away. There you go. That's different. That's way different. Wait, you haven't made an offer, but yeah. Yep, yep. Yeah. For the record, like, Jake and I walked up to a table, guy had a cool card we wanted to buy. It was worth about a thousand dollars. We asked the guy how much. He didn't have a sticker on it. He wanted 2500. There's no need to counter. Thank you very much. See you later. Have a great day. We're not countering. We don't make an offer. But anyways, no need to make an offer because. Right, but it's. It's very different case when someone has a sticker and you say a number, and then their response is, no, we're not gonna. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna have a conversation with you like it's. Or like it's not worth it. It's just. It's ridiculous. Like, just. You're weird again. I went into a flat. I wasn't. Not for. I was friendly enough. Hey, how are you? Trying to make cold offer. That's all. Either have a number or say that your sticker stay. That your stickers are firm. Like, as. I. I think that, like, that is not something you see very often. Occasionally. I remember Seeing this at the National, a couple guys had signs at their table saying that stickers were firm, which is just. I just think that's. I think that's stupid. Like, what are you doing in this business if, if your stickers are firm? I don't get that. So it's. This is not, you know, this isn't. This isn't Walmart. This isn't Target. We're not, you know, you don't have suppliers that you have to pay. You know, like, it's ridiculous. So, yeah, just be, Be, be like, it's. Part of it is like the, the sort of the, the. The. I guess what. I know you'd call it, like, collegial manner of trying to be in this business, which is just like, we're trading money for, like, our friend jt. This is what he always says. We're trading money for cardboard. And it's not that serious. Like, just like, why is it, like, yes, it's business and you're trying to make money, but, like, just have a little bit of, like, courtesy, like, when you say this, tell me this story. What I think about the dealer is. I think that he's rude. That's what I get out of it. It has nothing to do with, like, it's not even necessarily about, like, he's wrong for being firm on a sticker or, or wants to be close to sticker. It's just somebody makes. We don't know where he want. We don't even know the counter. He never even told you what number he wanted. So I don't. 6, 3, 5, 6, 4 or he's willing to play at 6. I have no idea. I have never said it. I have no idea. It's. It's just a terrible way to conduct yourself. And by the way, because I didn't let him finish, no offense, like, I'm not. I have no, no regrets. No regrets whatsoever. When I don't let him finish his little diatribe about why he can't get to 55. And I don't. I don't. I guess I don't let him counter. I got. Maybe he would have said, I can be a 57. I don't know. It's clean. Like, no, he needs some BS story. The reason why you can't get to the number. We're not getting to a fair number. We're not getting to a good number. But, you know, yes or no, buddy? Yes or no? Yeah, yeah, I think encounter. Yes and counter or. Yeah. And I don't need a story of why you can't. That's the worst part of it, too. That's one of the worst parts of it to me, too, is the story of, like, oh, this guy was gonna do this to anybody, by the way. But I'm a dealer, so I get to say this, and I don't do it to anybody. Here's why I can't. Now, do you remember the person doesn't care why you can't. Do you remember at. At Shriners, I. There was a big card I wanted to buy. There was a number from that I got from the dealer of the card I wanted to buy. And you said, well, let me go over and talk to the guy. Yeah. See if I can get it. Because. Because he was committed to selling it at that number to you. Did you have a problem with that? Hell, no. Okay. Because I thought that. Because that's kind of a little. That's a little bit of a story with some principle. Well, it's a guy with some principle in theory, or it's a guy that wasn't going below that number. Well, that's the point. Listen. Listen to everybody. These guys, at the end of the day, you know, it's always a story. Who knows what's true? But, you know, maybe, you know, the card might have been 25. You were at 24. I'm trying to get it for 23. 5. He said, I can't do it because I was going to tell this other guy for 24. So I came to 23 5. I don't think he was ever gonna go to 25. I don't care if it was you. Me, Jesus. So. Yeah. Yeah. I just think he used that to seem like he's an all right guy, because I know that guy, and he ain't an all right guy. He ain't. He's not. You've been in the business for 35 years. He tells you every time you talk to him. Yeah, well. And either way, I'm just saying, like, that is something where a guy wouldn't sell a card at a number because he already either had. He had an offer or somebody was going to do something, whatever. But that's a. That's a little bit different. That's different than what you're talking about, where the guy's like, oh, I. This guy was gonna offer it, trade and stuff. Like. Yeah. It's ridiculous. Yeah. You know, going over a guy like, that's table. Because you see, like, oh, man, this guy's. He'll have it forever. I'll never get that code. How did this jerk end up with this card? He'll never sell it. He'll never. And you'll never sell it at a legit number is what I mean. Right. You know, he might gouge somebody, but. So the moral of the story here is always counter offer. Always counter. Nice. Don't tell me a BS story of why you can't accept the offer. Just counteroffer. I really. Yeah, I really don't like when I see that. I see it online too. Like if you see people selling stuff on Facebook or. Or Twitter or. Yeah, you see that or you just see somebody. You see someone make an offer and then they just say, no thanks. Like, no thanks. Well, that's that dealer no deal thing, which is. Just drives me. Don't get me started. Oh, that's what that no thank you. No deal. Nd. Nd. And they take your. ND BLEEP it out. Okay. Bleep it out. Because I'm just. Boy, I'm in a mood by the end of this one. You got this. Dealers stink. They just. They stink. They're just jerks. I said, what show are we on? The pre war battle there. We're gonna direct people on this show to that channel, too, if you can, because you know the channel, JT's. I said this. They just. These dealers, I mean, 75 of them at least, they just jerks. And that's the problem. I talked about this with a nice guy over the weekend. That's probably the unregulated industry. It calls for jerks. It calls people that don't know what they're doing. And there we are. Anyways. All right, that's it. We. We got. We. We got 16 minutes out of this. I think we did pretty well. So. Yeah, I mean, I could talk all day about dealers thinking. I mean, I really could. We'll save it for. We'll save it for another. For another time. I'm so happy I didn't bring anybody down. Listen, there are good dealers out there. There are not so good dealers out there. You go to enough shows, you do enough deals, you know who you can go to to get. Make deals with, you know, ones that. That you. And maybe you just. You see them. And I've said this a bunch of times, that if I go. I go to big shows, the National Strongsville, Philly Show, Shriners, wherever there are dealers that I know I can go up to and I can get a deal with them, with them. And there's other dealers that I just. I don't care I don't give a crap what's in their showcase. I will walk right by them and I will not even give them the time of day because this is. It is at the end of the day, a lot of this business is, is relationship based. It's, I like this guy. I don't like this guy. Or maybe I don't like him, but I know I can at least get a deal done with him. You know, there's, there's, that's part of it too, you know. So at the end of the day, it's, this is. We're like, I'm just going to steal this shamelessly again from jt. We're trading money for cardboard or we're trading cardboard for money and like, let's just try to just be nice and enjoy it and just before we wrap up. Yeah. Did you have a good time Friday, Saturday? I did. Great time. Did you? Did you think I had a good time? I thought you did. Imagine look like these cars. It's a good time. It's a good time. I refuse to talk to anybody that makes it a bad time. That's exactly. All right. Thank you for listening to happy 4th to everybody. Thanks for listening. Be safe out there. Thanks for listening to us on the sports card clubhouse. Like, comment. Subscribe, Collect. Team USA World Cup's going on. Let's go. Yes. I don't know.