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.