Piggybank

Further to my "rant" on another topic😉
https://www.thesilverforum.com/topic/71932-how-many-forum-members-as-percentage-have-been-scammed-by-new-sellers/page/8/#comment-791386
Members who possibly have too much time on their hands or just don't value the time other members have to spend researching current prices and photographing the coins in question. Couple this with being cheapskate and wanting to buy coins on here for knockdown prices.
This usually manifests as a wanted ad for xxxxx "at a reasonable price".
I've started ignoring these now as by the time I take pictures and work out what I would consider a fair and reasonable price, they've either changed their mind or really wanted a firesale price. If that is the case, whay not just say so up front?
If someone wants to sell a coin, they will be listing it. If a buyer puts up a wanted ad they are trying to entice someone who is not actively looking to sell, to sell. They are asking for a favour and consequently should treat the seller with a little respect.
Regarding haggling, I hate low-ball offers. I think it shows disrespect, certainly for a seller who obviously knows the value of things. It is also timewasting.
If a seller is desperate to sell and might consider a low offer, it is generally obvious from the listing.
I know often the seller might make an allowance for offers in their original price, but this will be minor.

I did find it strange after the Truss and Kwasi fiasco That the Americans were saying " golds dropping, come on guys, back your trucks up, fill your boots" Whilst for us here in the UK it was overall level but had a few small increases. I suppose it's instances such as these that remind us of the impact the currency exchange has on things.

I could have screwed people down on a Sov that is priced close to spot, but I suspect I wouldn’t then have the same people coming to sell unusual Sovs, rare Kooks etc.
Reputation and the goodwill it buys is worth immeasurably more than saving a couple of quid here and there.

As anyone I have dealt with knows, I don’t ask for offers, discounts, mates rates.
I buy what is attractively and sensibly priced, and leave items that are attractive but priced to highly.
I am aware that some members have been pee’d off with silly offers in the past.  I probably would be too.

You offered approximately £21 an oz for government minted coins, not to mention you had very undesirable coins to begin with ( to the masses at least) That's akin to me putting up a wanted post for a one oz gold britannia with an asking price of £1480 ( I won't get as much as a post card)
1oz coins are selling on average for £26 each currently, so when someone tries to reinvent the going rate,they tend to be ignored. Nothing personal, just simple economics,.

We are talking about you, you started the conversation therefore you are front and centre. Your question would not have arose if your sales past smoothly.
The forum has a very low percentage of "scams" because between the active moderation team ( you won't see them but there watching 😂) and the integrity and effort of its members, stranger danger is often caught quickly and effectively!! It's nothing personal but we all had some hoops to jump through. It's what makes the place so successful and if you follow the sound advice already given, you will be the one handing out similar advice in the near future 😊

this is a good little example of how you can begin to grow rep and forum presence. myself and others have explained in detail and provided proof to answer your questions to reassure. 
Not a reply of "thanks"
or a "like or thanks" click reaction to the time they've taken. 
it is these small things that folk will remember and build yours and other forum rep

As a new member on the forum, it can be intimidating to engage in discussions and transactions with more established members who may have a higher reputation or a longer history on the forum.
It is important to remember that trust is a two-way street, and both parties should be willing to make an effort to build trust in any relationship, whether it be on a forum or in real life.
One of the ways that you can build trust with other members on the forum is by being transparent and honest in your interactions.
This means being open and upfront about your intentions, and being willing to share information about yourself and your experiences on the forum.
It is also important to remember that a member's reputation and contributions on the forum are not the only factors to consider when building trust. While it can be helpful to see an established feedback history or to see how long someone has been a member, it is important to keep an open mind and not make assumptions about someone based solely on these factors.
Ultimately, building trust on a forum or in any relationship takes time and effort from both parties.
By being open, honest, and willing to communicate, you can work towards building a strong foundation of trust with other members on the forum.
Personally ive had no bad dealing at all 

Being an active member in the forum without buying or selling would be a great start. For eg there are long standing members here with very few feedback but they have been here a while and regularly contribute in threads, whilst they have no sales feedback many would buy from them without hesitation.
Some members have started with smaller items and built up from there.
Others have done the pay on receipt option. 
Some have used intermediary services or met in person
 Not a conclusive list but some ideas to start. 


 

It's just wrong!! I'm sorry but imagine you/your business was on the flip side of this?
Last comment I will make on it,as it's not my circus, but the purpose of this thread was to help those being messed around with royal mail.. not highlight wrongdoing from Tsf members.
It's morally wrong on so many levels.

Slower progress now after a busy first month

Little slice of how I'm getting on 😁
2022-10-22-163824027.mp4

Hi one and all. a few things have been bothering me recently so thought I'd air them 🙂 
This is in noway an attack on any specific member, but simply an expression that hopefully unites and improves the workings of the trade section in the forum. Obviously I'm opening myself up to an outcry of backstabbing from those who find offence in my geniune attempt to improve things for both myself and every single member who makes transactions, either incoming or outgoing 😆 
Can I please make a few simple suggestions to sellers firstly.
1) describe items carefully and considerately but most importantly honestly, so buyers can make an informed decision whether to purchase or not. Stop hiding behind the "bullion bollocks" if an item is marked/toned/scratched then say so. It will save our feelings of joy being swapped for anger when we open your parcel. I can assure you and so can other fine members who list this way ( your items will still sell if priced accordingly)
2) whilst it's each individuals perogative to price how they see fit, take a second to look round the forum and gauge a realistic average? Otherwise the only thing you will be selling is "Bumps" 
3) packaging, take a second to think about the item's journey, will your coin/bar or whatever the contents survive a 5 a side at the local sorting office? I can't fathom some of the careless decisions made by sellers I've purchased from on here. Thankfully its a small number but it has cost you a repeat buyer! Can we all agree not to stick item's directly to cardboard with brown ****ing tape?? Wrap in bubble wrap or even a clean sock first, the amount of capsules I've had to replace is uncalled for.
4) feedback!! Ohh the elephant in the room has awoke, see the feedback option? Yeah maybe try using it then 🤔 the amount of people recently complaining about not receiving is quite substantial, yes we can all forget now and again, but it's what keeps us all safe at the end of the day. Also newcomers need it to get any kind of standing on the forum. ( if I owe anyone feedback that has left some for me,then just shoot a message please)
5) messages, you know the words in a box type thing, that I know you read? Respond to them out of decency if nothing else, even if it's to tell me to f#ck off.
6) have you got what your selling? Sounds obvious but apparently not. I'm not overly keen on buying items you think/hope you may be getting in. Makes you look both incompetent and risky.
7) keep buyers in the loop, do not take my/their money and ignore for days, I understand fully that postage isn't an exact science and life can kick us in the proverbial, but at least tell me if its been posted and upload tracking if ive/we've paid for it. I'm not keen on guesswork or trying to read between the lines. Most importantly tell me if my payment has been received, think how nervous a newcomer is sending money to "Jack the ripper" on the Internet?
Now I will try and see it from a sellers perspective 😆 
1) buyers ( of which I am) hopefully I've treated you with decency and respect, kept you updated with tracking/payment received etc and dispatched as fast as my timeline allows on any given day, advised in a "honest" manner whether buying from me or not. Although please realise just because you have money, you don't own me. Treat me with the same decency i afford you.
2) Be clear and concise when messaging a seller, your tying up their time ( again referring to no1) all you see is an item for sale. Well try and remember there's a human being selling it. Be polite ( thankfully 95% of buyers/seller's are) and you will find the seller might just go that extra mile 😉
3) Be a man/woman of your word?? Yes this goes without saying in life in general, but here I am feeling the need to remind people "do/mean what you say"!! Please don't tell me you will do something and then ghost me, at the very least put me out of my misery!!
4) research what you are buying and " ask yourself "can you afford it? Don't get caught up in what other people are buying, do not feel obliged to buy today out of FOMO and then have to sell tomorrow at a loss. Please for the benefit of yourself and your family have a semi coherent plan ( I know this is rich coming from someone, with the attention span of a goldfish) but I've heard/witnessed a fair few newcomers get caught out by this. Do what's right for you and you only. Otherwise you will end up bitter/in trouble financially. 
5) feedback, ohh here he goes again lol. If a seller has taken the time to ( hopefully from now on) carefully package and efficiently deliver your item safely and satisfactory, then "Yes you guessed it" then please leave feedback 😊 for me personally, it's an indication of deal complete and I can now dispose of your postage receipt, that otherwise I have to safely keep for up to a month, in fear you may tell me in a week or two you haven't received yet. 
6) be realistic/sincere with offers, I love £10/£20 off for buying in bulk as much as anyone, but being offered £350 on a item that could be scrapped for £400 minimum is an insult, yep it actually happens. 
7) pay on time or at the very least give a rough time frame for payment. Do not drag out payment for hours and hours ( unless agreed with seller in advance) then expect the seller to run to the post office as soon as the money hits their bank.
( THIS PART IS FOR THE NOISY BANTER BRIGADE ) Which I hold my hands up to being a part of 😆 
Its come to my attention that a few members have stopped/or at least thought twice about continuing to sell on the forum. I as much as anyone likes light hearted fun,  but sometimes this spills over onto sales posts, random comments can cause unfair bumping of posts and can especially lead to prospective buyers walking away. This is especially true during auctions, usually 6 pages of noise and only 2 bids, people could be excused for not knowing the current high bid or find it too exhausting to find. If we can help a sale which many of us has done ( and I will continue to do) then by all means work away, but if there's no intention to buy or cannot add value to the post, we should take our juvenile noise to the aptly named NAUGHTY BOY STEP 😉 
Anyway enough negativity, there's some amazing sellers and buyers on here, people whom I'm proud to transact with on a regular basis, people who I trust unequivocally, and whilst I've yet to experience an issue with those people/members, if I did, I just know deep down I'd be looked after. Let's all strive to be like them? 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I'd say all of the UK's current issues can be laid at the doorstep of three eras.
1) The Atlee government came to power after WWII. The country was broken and close to bankruptcy (but then so was Germany - who took a different path to us).
A bold vision was taken by the new Labour Government - wholesale nationalisation. Their ideals were genuine and sincere, to improve the lot of the working classes (and everyone else too - trickle up if you like). The NHS etc. 
But as good as it might have started out, it had an unintended consequence.
The complete nationalisation of all those industries left them in a position where they could rely on Government funding and assistance to survive rather that having to innovate and stay competitive.
Megoliths like British Leyland became zombie companies relying on state aid.
The other consequence was that bringing politicians into running companies brought in opportunities for them to either make a mint on the side or call in the bean counters and cut, cut, cut. See Dr Beeching, Ernest Marples or the fact that Harold Macmillan became known as Mack the knife.
2) The 1970s saw loss after loss, so then came Thatcher in the 1980s and decided to sell off all our industries and utilities to foreign investors. It was cheaper, quicker and easier to cut the dead wood and just buy it from abroad. Rather than actually identify areas for growth, support and invest in those and build new industries.
Unfortunately, closing down or selling off all these companies, also meant that we became a service sector economy - a nation of bankers, shopkeepers and middlemen - buy from abroad, whack on a profit and sell on. You can't run an economy long term like that. Any issues in the country you're buying from and you are directly affected with little control to stop it. See Germany's current problems with buying all their gas from Russia.
3) 2007-2008 saw the banking crisis and the creation of quantitative easing and vast currency creation. Turning the UK into a zombie economy.
The other day on the TV there was a politician saying, "we need to make credit easier for people to get, so they can pay the bills". Now if you can't see what's wrong with that, then there's no hope really is there?
So everything these days is based on debt and obtaining credit - so no real growth or assets then? No actual wealth creation?
This is before we get to uncontrolled immigration and housing/NHS pressures (another unintended consequence of the Atlee government making the welfare state and NHS so appealing).
I don't really see any answers to these problems and the politicians are the greatest instrument in all of this.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to me! Nice to see it all together again (if only for a brief photo op)
Added just over 4.2oz of bullions to last years 7.5oz plus a proof 1/2 2022 Sov so happy with that.
Still need to work on getting my first 1oz coin thou!! 
Onward and upwards!! 

Having the bulk of my wee stack in one place is rare so I took the opportunity to take a few pics before they went on their merry way again.

Proof half sovereigns are under-rated in my opinion. Some of the mintages are way lower than the proof sovereigns. Great collection!

I think it is the Pound in free-fall after this morning's give-away mini budget.

This is huge. The chance of a serious war is higher than it has been for decades - both sides are talking nuclear. This is when gold comes into its own. Except the paper price in dollars is falling - China doesn't believe this nonsense. Gold will be arbitraged West to East. 

One of the photos I keep seeing on the news is this one, which makes me see this set in a different way now.

I'm also proud to have bought the piedfort sovereign two weeks ago rather than slating it and piling on last night only because of what has happened.

I may divide opinion posting this, but I think I feel as many others do on this forum, despite the news as of late, that today’s news has been a shock.
This is a huge shock, albeit expected, given HM The Queens ageing years. She’s the only monarch that those under 70 years old has known.
I’ve read some not so many dislikable and distasteful comments on the forum today.
But, I think, no matter what one’s own option is that HM The Queen has given so much to all of us. A duty to the end.
But above all she was a mother, grandmother and a great-grandmother mother.
I’ve looked in and out of the forum this afternoon and this evening. But no matter wether you’re a modern stacker, an old stacker, a collector of Gillick sovereigns or modern releases, be that the Tudor Beast’s or The Monarchs collection with Edward VII resale imminent.
Many people, like myself of this country and also most people of the forum, feel a ‘shift’, a change, has happened today. Within a day a changing of the guard as it were.
HM The Queen’s passing is a great loss to our country of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
I wasn’t sure wether to share this with the the wider forum but I will, as I feel I’m mostly amongst friends, but HM The Queen awarded my grandfather with his MBE some 20 years ago.
It was the happiest day of my grandfathers life.
He said to me “She was gracious, warm, kind and showed an interest in my achievement at the same time.”
We are at the end of an era. Regardless of what we collect or stack, we are at the end of a remarkable era.
I watched the news today, as many others did, the announcement of HM The Queen’s passing and I’m not ashamed to say, I shed a tear when the news was announced.
But, albeit a fictional character, Padding Bear had the right words for HM The Queen’s reign at her Platinum Jubilee in one sentence “Thank you Ma’am, for everything”.
Lastly, I’ll leave this photograph of HM The Queen.
How beautiful she looked. How beautiful she’ll remain.
This is very odd to write on the forum, but here goes.
GOD SAVE THE KING.
 

Both spam and corned beef are incredibly cheap. I used to work in the food industry and, in the 80s, they did open tins of corned beef from World War 1 and it was perfectly edible. Similarly, they are supposed to have found edible honey in Egyptian pyramids.
However, for those of you who are adventurous, these are delicacies. First take a thick slice of spam or corned beef, coat it in batter and deep fry. When cooked, drain on tissue and put in a well fired roll. Add ketchup or brown sauce to taste and voila - a dish fit for hungry kids and far better than a Big Mac. 

We're already there... it's a matter of how bad it gets now.  Glad I bought a couple more Sovs last month.

FT: Bank of England increases interest rates by 0.5 percentage points
Britain faces a protracted recession and the worst squeeze on living standards in more than 60 years, the Bank of England warned on Thursday, as it raised interest rates to their highest level since the global financial crisis.