Times are tough, money is tight, prices are going up, but not our income. We all want a deal. I’m both a buyer and seller at the annual Tucson Fossil Alley show. I buy raw art materials, so gems, minerals, findings, and books are just a few of the items that get visited at nearly every show. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and always do well.
The buyer wants the best deal, but the vendor has to stay in business. As a buyer, be honest and let the vendor know what you need, including your budget and the quality you seek. Keep in mind that the two biggest factors in a good deal are the quality and the volume you buy. The best product will sell high and be harder to get deals on because most vendors supplying one-of-a-kind items make 75% of their profit off the top 10% of the inventory. As a seller, I commonly sell out of the best before the show ever opens! I have no reason to offer hefty discounts on this. However, I offer deals on grade two materials, and the hard-to-move can be half price or as much as 90% off. I need to get rid of it. I’ve already made my money on ‘the good stuff.’
As a buyer, why would you ask for a grade two or low grade? Maybe it’s all you can afford. I buy grade two all the time. As an artist, and one who can restore, I can fill cracks and cover a blemish with wire wrap or artful creativity. I may display an artifact with the crack in the back, not showing if the item is half price. I can create a cheap display stand from the artifact. You may be like me, and if you resell, you have a tourist kind of market with an ‘under $50’ price range. You may need gifts for all the relatives and you have that budget to meet. If you want the lowest price, you have to decide what you are willing to sacrifice so the vendor can help. Sacrificing quality is a good solution. As a buyer, I saved the vendor a lot of time by coming out and asking, “I need a deal, I have $200, looking for seconds.” Often, the vendor has a tray under the table that you didn’t know he had. I can get a better deal by not wasting the vendor’s time. As the vendor, I must make $300 a day just to break even. That is not going to happen when discussing discounts on $10 deals.
Catch the vendor when he first sets up or is sorting a new shipment he just received. Spot that vendor and suggest buying ungraded by the pound. As the seller, I go for this because it takes time to sort and grade, and I have other things I can be doing. The guy next door has a killer deal on say ‘meteorites,’ but I need to jump on it! I do not have the cash yet, a very common situation…