Why it’s Important to Keep Your Appointment If Buying Coins or Bullion

These days, more and more coin dealers are transitioning to an appointment only basis. While we’ve seen customers by appointment since our inception in 2010, many coin dealers moved to this business model out of necessity following Covid. While Covid restrictions were lifted a while back, coin dealers recognized that they could operate more efficiently when seeing customers by appointment and many have chosen to stick with this business model.

We realize that this may not be as convenient for potential customers, who would like to come in and browse when their schedule permits, but on a positive note, seeing customers by appointment allows coin dealers to give a customer their undivided attention rather than trying to juggle a shop full of customers. This undivided attention allows coin dealers to

• Better serve their customers without distraction
• Provide custom recommendations that are consistent with the individual’s goals, risk tolerance and time horizon
• Build better relationships with their customers.

At Atlanta Gold and Coin Buyers, we set aside 30 minutes per appointment, and in some cases more, to make sure that we’re able to properly serve our customers. We also stay busy throughout the day in appointments and oftentimes must turn customers away or attempt to schedule them for later in the week when our schedule is full. As such, we are counting on our customers to show up for their appointments (hopefully on time), and when this doesn’t happen, we tend to miss out on other business that we could have had. In other words, missed appointments translate into missed business.

While it’s always important to keep appointments whenever possible, and to have the courtesy to call if you can’t make it  or are running late (we understand, sometimes things happen), it is especially important when you reserve an appointment during the highest demand hours between

10:00 am – 2:00 pm. In other words, we receive more requests for appointments during this time than we have appointment slots available.

Unfortunately, we’ve had instances where we’ve had to stop doing business with customers that have regularly failed to show up for their appointments, as it has cost us too much in potential lost business.

Not only is it common courtesy to keep your appointments, but failing to do so can result in missing out on your desired coins or bullion. In a recent example, a customer failed to show up for her appointment at the end of the day and called us 30 minutes after her scheduled appointment time to let us know that she was unable to make it. She rescheduled it for 10:00 am the next morning. Unfortunately, she also failed to show for this appointment and didn’t call us until a couple of hours after her scheduled appointment time. In that time, the price of gold dropped, and we received numerous phone calls from individuals looking to purchase the gold bars she was interested in, which we ended up selling, as we assumed that she was no longer interested.

While we regularly deal in gold bars, and acquire them weekly, there’s no set timetable for this to occur and the price of gold may be much higher when we do. Additionally, when we acquire gold bars, we give priority to regular customers who consistently keep their appointments. In fact, on occasion, when we acquire new product, and have been asked to do so, we’ll contact customers who we have a relationship with to give them first dibs before updating our inventory page.

We’ll likely no longer schedule an appointment for the individual that missed her two appointments during one of the prime appointment times. While we’ll still be happy to do business with her, she won’t receive preferential treatment until or unless she proves that she can be reliable.

Lastly, keep in mind that gold and silver coins and bullion are in high demand. If you’re interested in buying coins or bullion that are more obscure or of less interest, there’s a better chance that they’ll be still be available if you miss your appointment. However, if you’re interested in purchasing some of the most popular and recognized coins and bullion in the industry, keep in mind that there are plenty of other folks who interested in the same items and there’s only a finite supply available. 

Considering the current economic and geopolitical environment, we expect that demand will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. Obvious issues, such as record level debts and deficits, high inflation rates, a slowing economy, increased de-dollarization (BRICS, as an example) and a costly and prolonged war in Ukraine, that could escalate into WWIII are all reasons why individuals have been gravitating toward precious metals.

Bottom line: do your best to keep your appointment.

As we’ve highlighted in a previous article, it’s important to use a certain degree of etiquette when working with a coin dealer. If you’re unable to make it to your appointment or are running late, be courteous and let your coin dealer know as soon as an issue arises. We understand that things come up. Try not to be habitually late or regularly cancel. A good customer is as good as gold, and you’ll be treated as such if you view your relationship with a coin dealer as a partnership. If you are costing your coin dealer time and money, you won’t be a high priority for them and may miss out on the coins and bullion that you desire.