After reading the posts on growth of the club. I offer the following as food for thought.

First, I really enjoy this hobby and as a collector, not a so called dealer or investor, there is nothing that will dilute my passion for chip collection.

I stated in previous posts that I could see the problem of "to many chiefs and not ehough indians" becoming detrimental to the club. My supposition is there have become to many "dealers" to support the demand. The Palms show was an example of what I am saying. Many dealers but not enough buyers. Now I have no argument with anyone that sees an opportunity and wants to scratch the entrepreneurial itch but think it through, it can become a rocky road. Some dealers like C.T. Coins are true dealers offering good product at reasonable prices. Others are offering same product at inflated prices just to make a buck. One example, When I wanted to buy a black light, I did my homework and found the OEM for the product and purchased it for under $10. Some dealers were offering the same product for $20 (a normal markup) while other "dealers offered it at $30 (inflated markup). One can only conclude that, some dealers offer product at inflated prices to take advantage of chip collectors that buy the first thing they see. Try looking at chip cleaner prices and you will see what I mean. I could provide many other examples but the reader should get my point.

IMHO to attract and keep new members the dealer sources of supplies and chips should be maintained within good business practices and ethics as promoted by the club. Because this is not presently done, it only fans the fires of disillusionment by new and old members alike.

Yes, we expect dealers to make money, we just don't want to be ripped off. This post will not win me friends amongst the offending dealers but like they say the truth hurts.