John Markis' Favorite Collection . . .
His mom and dad, Mr & Mrs Aristotle Maragoudakis, and John's daughter, Rachael.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Banknote Man Talks Customer Service
A few ideas by John Markis about what the field had become . . .
We are all aware of the mushrooming growth of the collectibles’ segment. Both the number of collectors and the respective sizes of their collections are growing exponentially. As novice collectors enter the marketplace, we face new challenges to find and sell appropriate items that satisfy their needs; as well as provide the additional customer service that has rapidly become the rule rather than the exception. These new collectors typically use the internet to determine the value of their collections; and many will never visit a show or our offices. In reality, a new type of collector exists using the EBay auctions exclusively.
Most of us learned to evaluate our field, and its collectibles as an essential aspect of business as have the sophisticated, long-term collectors. We can accurately judge the value of any collectible item with a quick inspection. Today many collectors specify independent third party appraisals and are specific about the particular service they prefer. Every purchase of an item for resale brings with it the possibility of a negative appraisal and therefore we can be stuck with an unsalable item.
We are all aware of the mushrooming growth of the collectibles’ segment. Both the number of collectors and the respective sizes of their collections are growing exponentially. As novice collectors enter the marketplace, we face new challenges to find and sell appropriate items that satisfy their needs; as well as provide the additional customer service that has rapidly become the rule rather than the exception. These new collectors typically use the internet to determine the value of their collections; and many will never visit a show or our offices. In reality, a new type of collector exists using the EBay auctions exclusively.
Most of us learned to evaluate our field, and its collectibles as an essential aspect of business as have the sophisticated, long-term collectors. We can accurately judge the value of any collectible item with a quick inspection. Today many collectors specify independent third party appraisals and are specific about the particular service they prefer. Every purchase of an item for resale brings with it the possibility of a negative appraisal and therefore we can be stuck with an unsalable item.
How John Markis Found His True Calling
I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey, graduating High School in 1974 - John Aristotle Maragoudakis is my legal last name, and I am very proud of my Greek Heritage. I learned two things early in Life: People love Greek food, and our Greek culture; but cannot pronounce my last name no matter how hard they may try.
Early on in Florida, the world of Diamonds became my first passion, and for years buying and selling colored stones was very enjoyable. The timing was bad as DeBeers, the world’s diamond supplier, soon flooded the world supply and the market for gemstones collapsed.
Coins quickly took the place of Diamonds, my interests grew, and for years I learned, studied, and profited by each daily experience. Then in the late 1980's the coin market also followed suit of the Diamond industry and went caput.
From that point, The Baseball card industry was exploding and an opportunity was presented to become a Dealer and Master Distributor for Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, Don Russ, and Pinnacle. I prospered, bought my building, and sold 1000's of cases of Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Hockey trading cards. However, with most things, what goes up must come down. The greed of these manufactures and their over production, killed the goose that laid the golden egg, soon after trading cards became only as valuable as the cardboard they were printed on.
Shortly after, I got a call from my dear friend Steve Bromfield, he told me his wife, a local banker had gotten a $1000 bill redeemed over the counter for face value and asked if I knew of its numismatic value. Having no clue, I took the bill, scanned it, and was first to post a $1000 bill on a nonexistent venue called Rare Paper Money on EBay. In 1996, very few people had scanners, or understood e-commerce on the internet. It was that sale of that note for $1500 that triggered a success story that I embrace every day since.
On EBay, we have amassed over 25,000 satisfied clients; and have procured the Hobby's rarest and finest notes for our clients. We help our clients build their collections and portfolios to reflect the pride of each owner. Our references are endless, and our credibility is unquestioned; with a work ethic, reputation, and trust that is embraced by all our peers.
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