The title I put on this thread is a sentence in the Salon essay. The subject has hardly been touched. Yon's definition of a good dealer, which includes that the dealer is one who calls Yon first when he has something neat for sale, is unlikely to form the basis of a recommendation to someone else. Indeed, the logical course of action for Yon would be to keep the guy's name secret lest someone else be given the position of first to know.

So, on what basis do we recommend dealers to novices who seek advice?

To me, the two most significant factors are these:
1. I know that the dealer is honest. Not that I don't know any reason to think otherwise, not that I've heard no complaints about him/her. It's that I have a high level of confidence in the dealer's personal integrity.
2. I believe that the dealer is knowledgable.

With these two characteristics, the novice can get educated and perhaps make some purchases with reasonable confidence that he isn't getting sold a recently woven rug that's represented as an antique or being otherwise misled. A dealer with integrity will, of course, not overcharge the novice jus because he knows he can get away with it.

Notice that I didn't mention that the dealer has to be someone who sells very cheap in order for me to recommend him. Expertise and integrity have a cost, and the novice must expect to pay for them. Those who don't recognize this and enter the rug marketplace thinking taht if they're clever enough they will get good stuff for way under market value are the lawful prey of the sharks in the rug waters.

Regards,

Steve Price

As one who has spent the last 15 years being a matchmaker of sorts, I firmly believe that, in order to refer someone, you must have at least some knowledge of that person's wants, needs and means as well as the referee's capacity to satisfy them.

Of course, knowledge and honesty are important. Who among us would refer someone to a dealer whom we know to be dishonest and stupid? And even the most knowledgeable and honest dealer is capable or either overpricing or misattributing goods.

In the end, however, the transaction will take place between the buyer and the dealer for reasons and on terms that the referrer may not understand. There are experienced participants on this board with whom I have exchanged, sometimes for years, information about the availability of pieces. Even knowing them as well as I do, neither they nor I can always predict whether something will come of it.

No experienced collector can assume that a novice can, will or maybe even should follow suggestions since, ultimately, there is so much subjectivity in our activities.

Best,

Wendel

Never recommend a dealer to your best friend.
Your best friend will drive your loved dealer crazy. The higher you spoke of the dealer, the more your friend will expect. Your friend shall do anything to outsmart you."Hi Steve, I went to the dealer you recommended. How much did you say he charged you for the piece up against your fireplace? Woh, mine is better and a lot cheaper, and by the way, don't think the dealer wants me back in his shop, so next time you meet him, give him my regards. Bye"

In short: The basis for my recommendation will be the personality, or lack of, from that someone. And if that someone is a stranger to me, I will not recommend any dealer.

Think we all know what a good dealer should be like. Dealers are human to.......
Graauuuuw.........Grrrrr.........

Best regards,
Vincent

I am rather frequently now asked to recommend dealers.

Watching my own responses, I notice that although I do try to send folks to dealers who are noticeably honest and in my view knowledgeable, that my own responses depend importantly on something Steve has mentioned in another thread here, namely, the "context" of their request.

If folks are collectors, I have one set of responses. If they are decorating I have a broader list although they admittedly overlap.

I had such a request two days ago. The person said that he was living alone, had just taken up wall to wall carpet and refinished all his wood floors and now needed perhaps seven rugs, mostly scatter sizes but two might be as big as 5 X 7. He also said that he was not interested in spending much money.

I have given him three names but my recommendations were sharply shaped by his last indication. No use wasting his time or theirs.

Regards,

R. John Howe

Here's the question: a dealer who is extremely competitive in terms of price and the dealer has a fantastic way of entertaining the crowd.
But is the person honest? At times...the person swears that all the rugs and carpets are natural dyes and each are dated 1980, 1965 and so on... it's the person's word and you will have to take it as truth until proven otherwise. The dealer tries to sell and certain points help to sell stuff, so does this make the person dishonest? And if the prices are attractive, would you buy from the person even when you know he/she does not tell you the the truth, the whole truth,and nothing but the truth? Are they permitted a bit of slack?
And one more thing, what if the dealer has many bad things to tell you about all the other competitors and they are largely true? Is bad-mouthing a guide of character for you?

I really didn't frame the title to this thread very well. What I had in mind was the situation in which a novice asks me to recommend a dealer. What is the basis on which I make that recommendation?

For a novice, the dealer I recommend must be absolutely honest, and I must have good reason for believing this - not just that nobody has ever complained to me about him, not even that a few people have told me that they had good experiences with him. I understand the the dealer has to sell in order to make a living, but the novice needs his guidance and help, and my responsibility to the novice who asks me is to give that novice good advice. Otherwise, I simply set him up to be cheated. So, the dealer must be someone whose integrity I would bet on.

As for dealers with whom I would deal myself, there's a bit more slack. I don't like dishonest people, so I tend not to deal with people that I know are dishonest. On the other hand, for most dealers, I really don't know anything about their character, but will buy from them anyway if I think the piece they are offering me is something I want to own and that the price is fair. I have a reasonable level of confidence in my own judgment. It's far from perfect, but much better than what I think most novices have at their disposal.

As for dealers who make bad comments about other dealers, I don't think I've run into this very often. It isn't the sort of thing that would make me think highly of the person who said it, but my reactions would depend on the circumstances, the exact nature of the comments, and whatever other information I had.

Regards,

Steve Price

"He has the best selection of pistachio-colored Pakistani Bokharas I've ever seen."

"His repair department does wonderful work if you're not in any special hurry."

"His selection is perfect for that 'shabby chic' look."

These guys live in a world where there are no final victories...just an endless series of brief skirmishes with competitors...some of which they will win and others of which they will lose. They may even cooperate to make a sale or pursue a political objective. Aggressive bad-mouthing raises the posturing of hostility to a counter-productive level.

-Jerry-