Internet vs. Local Dealer

[SaginawIan]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and I wanted to share a story.

I have been detecting lightly for a few years, using a Garrett 350 and a Treasure Ace 250. I'm from Saginaw, MI, which is an old lumbering area dating to the mid 1800's. I grew up in a Victorian style house that was built in 1863. I usually hunt the yard and a few very old local parks. As for old coins, I had only found an 1882 dime at 3" in my yard. I figured that the detectors I was using were too weak to find the deep coins. So I went on a quest to find a more powerful detector.

I looked at this forum every day looking for input on which one was best. I decided on a White's DFX. I spent months looking all over for the best deal. I almost bought my DFX from an internet site - where I could save a few bucks and get some free things. Before I did that, I stopped at a local business that I had passed a hundred times but dismissed. It is basically was an old farm house with a homemade sign out front that said "metal detectors". I stopped in and this older man came out of the house like he was expecting me. He was about 80 years old and nearly blind. He told me to come on in to the "shop". In his garage he had lots of metal detectors hanging on hooks. Most were older models I had never seen. He had platt maps hanging up, shovels, rotating shelves with thousands of objects that he had found, books, hats - you name it. It was a regular treasure trove of information and cool finds. I talked with this guy for an hour about metal detecting before he even discussed selling me anything. Unbelievably, he had several DFX's new and in the box! He offerred to sell me one for 999.99. I asked if he could throw in any accessories. He told me that he would throw in free headphones (49.95 value), a shovel (9.95 value), a bag, a bullseye pinpointer (119.00 list), all for free! Plus, I sent in the White's $200 coupon for a free coil and books. I felt that I got a good deal a that point. Well, after I bought it, he gave me the best accessory of all. He told me about all his old secret hunting spots, old swimming areas, and an old fairground. He showed me platt maps and told me about childhood experiences and firsthand knowledge of where there would be old coins. Needless to say I wrote down the list of places. This guy was so happy to make the sale that he invited me in to meet his wife. I actually had to swipe my own Debit card in the card machine because they didn't know how to do it. The guy told me that If I break anything, bring it to him and he'll replace it. He told me to come back next week and he'll find some other places to hunt for me that he had written down. Needless to say I am very happy with my purchase and I have some places to hunt that probably very few people know about. Could I have saved $200 or something had I bought it online? Maybe. To me just making this guy's day and learning a lot about the hobby from a pro- old timer was well worth it. Thanks for reading my first post,
ian

I'll let you all know what I find. I'll be hitting an old swimming area from 1850 this weekend.

[midas777gold]

You made a good choice. Most people buying a detector are too hung up on saving a few dollars by mail order. To mail order dealers you're just a number and another dollar in the till. To local dealers, you are a customer. Local dealers that ACTUALLY metal detect are the best ones to buy from. As you stated, they can give advice on where to go and most importantly - give service after the sale. Be aware, though, that some local dealers with a store front, don't even know how to turn a machine on. It's just another piece of stock profit for their store.
The bittersweet savings on mail order sours once you have a question or problem and there's no one to turn to.

[backitup83]

I say you made a great deal. With the extras he put in and then the information he gave you sounds like he saved you many hours of research in the library and on line. Plus you have made a friend that would probably enjoy sitting and talking to you for hours. Seems you made out all the way around.
Mike

[Sandman]

You did extremely well with your purchase from a local dealer. The deal he gave you could not be matched by any mail order. The Internet is usually a rip off unless it's a site from a dealer that also has a store where he greets customers. Plus you didn't have to worry about it being dropped in shipment, or worse, sent one that was returned to them. If you have any problems learning the DFX, you can get help here of from your dealer.

When I worked in a detector shop, if a person came in asking help on using their detector, I was instructed not to help them since they didn't buy it from a local dealer. I could see their point, but thought it sucked.

HH,
Sandman

[JohnnyThunders]

good luck,,,,,I am sure you are happy.
I ratter save $100 or more if I can,because most of these stores around me don't know how
to turn on their machines......
One sales person called the Whites detectors a Whitties,,,,Yea know I ask him i ratter talk to someone that knows something..$1000 is a lot Plus tax.......I ratter pay $900 and no tax off of the net from a store...JT

[Jeffro]

The knowledge you get from old timers is as good as gold..... keep your ears open, you almost got the detector for free, LOL! Most people don't have the time to sit down and yak with anyone over 60 anymore, a real shame, so much to learn from experience.

[gollum]

I did the same thing. I shopped my Minelab Quattro to death online and locally. I could have saved a bunch of money, but the guy I bought mine from is a friend to this day. He is the only guy I showed my 50ft heart to (some of you know what I am talking about). He is a wealth of knowledge about prospecting and TH'ing. His dad started him MD'ing and Rockhounding when he was a kid in the early sixties!!

If you can find the right seller, go local!

Oh, and another thing about the big online stores, is that all those extras they throw in are usually crap they are having a hard time selling, and need to get rid of.

Mike

[SaginawIan]

Thanks for all of the replies. So far with the DFX I have found:

1865 IH @ 4 in
1893 IH @ 8.5 in
1884 V Nickel @ 4 in
1899 V Nickel @ 3 in

The 1899 V Nickel is quite worn but very clean. Do coins wear down in the ground, or should I assume that it was in circulation for a long time before it was lost.

I will post pictures when I learn how to do it.

ian

[MalteseFalcon]

The original post in this thread says it all.

The Internet allows you to connect with many people, without really connecting with anyone, if ya catch my drift.
Being a personal customer (in person) on a local level would be preferrable to me anyway. You buy enough through a local merchant, they will sometimes give you a great deal, and as posted above, you will receive the most valuable things of all:
Advice, friendship, and helping someone in your community.

[kd8hf]

Way to go Ian and I suppose you are going to be done MD'ing until summer. I know it's getting frosty up there.

I lived near Duluth, MN and Marquette, MI for a number of years, and too am a DFX owner.

[hollowpointred]

great story. good luck with the new machine!

[wolfmanjoe3]

Great story indeed. I would much rather have some personal connection when I'm spending that kind of money - and the advice and tips he got are priceless. However, ...

When I went to find my local White's dealer (based on the dealer list provided by the White's website), I located the address in a pretty rough part of town in a residential neighborhood. There was no sign of any sort indicating there was a business in the house (and I double/triple-checked the address). So I called the phone number and someone answered "Hello?" Not identifying the business (if it was a business) or their name or anything. I asked if they carried metal detectors and the guy said, 'yeah, but I only have one left in stock and won't have any more coming in until the Spring."

I will say that he did spend a few minutes talking to me about model selection. He said I should only consider the top 3-4 White's models if I was serious about the purchase. I had already decided on the DFX based on my own research, but I didn't know if he was pushing the top of the line for a bigger sale or for valid reasons.

Bottom line: I didn't want to wait until the Spring so I ordered it directly from the White's website and paid full price. I did order a good carrying case, their best headphones, and a couple of books and White's gave me the $200 "Holiday shopper" offer as a discount rather than having to go through the receipt and rebate process.

HH.
Joe

[kd8hf]

Joe,

Too bad that local fella did not order one for you through White's and have it shipped. I think you could have still
gotten the 200 dollars certificate.

That's most likely why White's has started doing more direct sales on line. I guess that not all dealers are alike are they.

HH

Gary

[allanw23]

As a local dealer in Oklahoma City for 25 years I am happy to see your story. The large internet wholesalers makes it hard for your local dealers to stay in business sometimes. I wish more people thought the same way as you. Allan

[MissyW72]

I wish I could have found a local dealer!!! I ordered a detector from Kellyco and got it today. I am SOOOO unhappy with it!! It would have been wonderful to be able to go somewhere to actually see for myself what I was getting into.
I looked on the web and called a few numbers (the very few that came up) but could not get an answer at any of them. I wish I could have found a local dealer!!

[Ammietuar]

yea id consider myself very lucky if my story was the same as yours....put it this way.. i taught my local dealer how to use the mxt...... all i did was read the manual online before i went to test drive it, and knew 10 times as much as they did about it.....lol...also found a quarter in their parking lot....not much of a discount though...lol

[Gen. Breckinridge]

I have bought on line before but for my MXT I went to my local dealer and am very satisfied. As a matter of fact he and I are now hunting buddies and the price was very competitive. I didn't get the free headphones ($59.95 value they say) but the stuff you really get is junk. The headphones from Kellyco are junk as is the digger which was a made in China garden trowel on my last detector. It would work in sand but would not dig in dirt since it is so weak. Due to buying at my local dealer I have a new hunting buddy and we hunt often together. Besides one of his customers has invited us to hunt his land with him, he bought an MXT also, so that we could teach him a few things about the MXT. He lives on the site of a Civil War battle!! We will be going there next week.

Now I hang out at the dealership and meet other MD users. We swap stories and it is all good. Try you local dealer first! Oh, the MXT had a problem during my first hunt, the headphone jack failed and he replaced it that day! You can't get that from an on line store.

[John (Ma)]

Dealer for sure. If you have a decent dealer around, it pays to use them as they will be around to help you with your detector and the hobby.

[Keppy]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and I wanted to share a story.

I have been detecting lightly for a few years, using a Garrett 350 and a Treasure Ace 250. I'm from Saginaw, MI, which is an old lumbering area dating to the mid 1800's. I grew up in a Victorian style house that was built in 1863. I usually hunt the yard and a few very old local parks. As for old coins, I had only found an 1882 dime at 3" in my yard. I figured that the detectors I was using were too weak to find the deep coins. So I went on a quest to find a more powerful detector.

I looked at this forum every day looking for input on which one was best. I decided on a White's DFX. I spent months looking all over for the best deal. I almost bought my DFX from an internet site - where I could save a few bucks and get some free things. Before I did that, I stopped at a local business that I had passed a hundred times but dismissed. It is basically was an old farm house with a homemade sign out front that said "metal detectors". I stopped in and this older man came out of the house like he was expecting me. He was about 80 years old and nearly blind. He told me to come on in to the "shop". In his garage he had lots of metal detectors hanging on hooks. Most were older models I had never seen. He had platt maps hanging up, shovels, rotating shelves with thousands of objects that he had found, books, hats - you name it. It was a regular treasure trove of information and cool finds. I talked with this guy for an hour about metal detecting before he even discussed selling me anything. Unbelievably, he had several DFX's new and in the box! He offerred to sell me one for 999.99. I asked if he could throw in any accessories. He told me that he would throw in free headphones (49.95 value), a shovel (9.95 value), a bag, a bullseye pinpointer (119.00 list), all for free! Plus, I sent in the White's $200 coupon for a free coil and books. I felt that I got a good deal a that point. Well, after I bought it, he gave me the best accessory of all. He told me about all his old secret hunting spots, old swimming areas, and an old fairground. He showed me platt maps and told me about childhood experiences and firsthand knowledge of where there would be old coins. Needless to say I wrote down the list of places. This guy was so happy to make the sale that he invited me in to meet his wife. I actually had to swipe my own Debit card in the card machine because they didn't know how to do it. The guy told me that If I break anything, bring it to him and he'll replace it. He told me to come back next week and he'll find some other places to hunt for me that he had written down. Needless to say I am very happy with my purchase and I have some places to hunt that probably very few people know about. Could I have saved $200 or something had I bought it online? Maybe. To me just making this guy's day and learning a lot about the hobby from a pro- old timer was well worth it. Thanks for reading my first post,
ian

I'll let you all know what I find. I'll be hitting an old swimming area from 1850 this weekend.

[Keppy]

HI, YES I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM SOME OTHER BUYERS HAVE I AM FROM NORTHEAST OHIO.I ASK A DEALER ABOUT HIS DETECTORS AND I KNOW MORE THAN HE DOES.I HAVE HAD ONE DEALER THAT WOULD NOT EVEN TAKE THE DETECTOR OUT OF THE BOX HE SAID IT WAS NEW AND WORKED I DID NOT HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT. ANOTHER DEALER WILL NOT LET ANY ONE TRY HIS DETECTORS OUT HE HOLDS THEM AND USES IT AND THEN TELLS YOU THAT IS HOW IT WORKS.IF I TRAVEL OVER TO PA. OR SOUTH IN OHIO THE DEALERS LET YOU CHECK THEM OUT TRY THEM OUT. IT IS A 1 1/2 HOUR DRIVE TO THOSE DEALERS BUT I WILL MAKE THE DRIVE OR GO MAIL ORDER THOSE OTHER 2 DEALERS WILL NOT GET ANY SALES FROM ME...JIM FROM N.E. OH.