Grabbing - The process of buying up as many pieces of a particular chip issue as possible. Generally, fueled by GREED & the desire to deprive "collectors" of adding a particular chip to their collection.Also is applied to chip finds.

The process of grabbing is VERY bad for our hobby. Unlike Ebay where the value of a chip is easily and possibly artifically debased. Grabbing easily and artifically increases or inflates the value of a chip. This in my opinion is equally as bad for the hobby. The practice of grabbing is generally carried out by those who could care less about the future of chip collecting. The "grabbers" only care about how much money they can make. They will hide behind the false front created by such public statements as "I love this hobby". "Has anyone done as much for this hobby as I?" "Look what I'm doing for chip collecting?" They will try to keep their name before the public eye. All the while ripping off their fellow collector for as much as they can get away with. When the profit is gone out of the hobby - so will the grabber be gone.

Grabbing is not limited entirely to limited edition chips. I have seen well respected individuals within the collecting community let GREED dictate how a particular chip find be handled. They will charge an outrageous price for a chip while the ENTIRE issue sits in their vault or bank deposit box. They will constantly discuss finds made by others but not utter one word about what they have just found.As time goes by they will drop the price of their "find" inorder to sell more pieces not caring about those who purchased at the higher price. They will use well respected confederates to sell their chips knowing their secret is safe because of the GREED factor.

In the end,after as much profit as possible is obtained; the entire "find" will be sold under the blanket of secrecy to another respected individual at a fairly cheap price. This respected individual will place the chip on Ebay day after day, week after week, month after month. Until the last of the profit can be milked from the collector. Those who purchased at the high price who cares about them? After all let the market dictate what the chip sells for. Let's not worry about them - after all the vast majority of collectors will get the chip at a lower price. Isn't this what the market is all about? Since I didn't buy at the higher price why should I care?
You should care.

I know many collectors who have left the hobby because of what I just wrote. No worry, new ones will be taking their place. Ebay will bring them into the hobby; grabbing fueled by GREED will drive them out. How do we stop it? Education and information. If you have information share it. Expose the grabbers for who and what they are. Don't buy from them. Don't believe their lies.Drive them from our hobby by not buying from them. Who knows, it might even work!!!!

Don't accept at face value the chips you see on Ebay. Talk to your fellow collectors. Find out about those same chips you see auctioned time after time. Don't be afraid to ask questions, share information. Who knows you might even learn something and become a knowledgable collector.