Chards Blackpool review

Hi,
Have used chards a number of times and most recently in April.

I like chards for the following reasons -
* decent prices
* professional and good customer service
* good reputation
* ability to order online and collect in person at the Blackpool branch with free parking outside.

I would not hesitate to recommend chards, sometimes they struggle for stock availability but provided you act quickly you can normally get what you desire.

I also enjoy the regular email updates and the YouTube channel

SanMarino wrote:Hi,
Have used chards a number of times and most recently in April.

I like chards for the following reasons -
* decent prices
* professional and good customer service
* good reputation
* ability to order online and collect in person at the Blackpool branch with free parking outside.

I would not hesitate to recommend chards, sometimes they struggle for stock availability but provided you act quickly you can normally get what you desire.

I also enjoy the regular email updates and the YouTube channel

Again another great review. 
I actually did not know about the parking outside. That is excellent. Perhaps one day I might make a day trip over as it is not far from me.

Great review, thanks!

I've never used them but they do have a very good reputation, and Lawrence Chard is one of the more experienced dealers in the UK. I think he's semi-retired (?) but takes every opportunity to pop in and 'lend a hand'

They take coin verification pretty seriously and I'd be more inclined to buy historical Sovs from them (as I know little about them personally) rather than certain other dealers (even big ones) who are very much quick turnaround bullion in, bullion out and may miss something very small but which gives the game away. Even for bullion Sovs, I want an original coin rather than a copy with the right gold content (not saying these are very common, but they are about!).

I also like that they compare their prices on many product pages with other dealers, and are often the cheapest. Unlike others, the postage is extra though, so for one coin it is often a bit more expensive overall, but when buying a few can usually be cheaper.

I also like their 'Minty' and other Sovereign selections.

I don't like that they've followed the recent trend of dealers selling very popular issues at higher than the Mint's selling price as soon as they've sold out their initial allocation (which they don't get direct from the Mint anyway). However this can be seen both ways. They do (I believe, as they say) pay more for extra stock from a variety of sources, and then obviously make profit on that, so why charge less than the flippers for bought coins cheaper from the Mint or other sources at release price? I suppose it's the market rather than them specifically I have a problem with there.

My only criticism then is that they don't make clear what release price was (just a day or even sometimes a few hours earlier) so you have to look at that yourself.

Overall a very trusted source I wouldn't hesitate to use

Admin wrote:

SanMarino wrote:Hi,
Have used chards a number of times and most recently in April.

I like chards for the following reasons -
* decent prices
* professional and good customer service
* good reputation
* ability to order online and collect in person at the Blackpool branch with free parking outside.

I would not hesitate to recommend chards, sometimes they struggle for stock availability but provided you act quickly you can normally get what you desire.

I also enjoy the regular email updates and the YouTube channel

Again another great review. 
I actually did not know about the parking outside. That is excellent. Perhaps one day I might make a day trip over as it is not far from me.

Hi @Admin , you have an odd idea about what isn't far from you. Blackpool is all the way across the country from you. I suppose it comes from being from the US, where anything less than a week away by wagon train is considered a short hop.

The Cat's Mother wrote:

Admin wrote:

SanMarino wrote:Hi,
Have used chards a number of times and most recently in April.

I like chards for the following reasons -
* decent prices
* professional and good customer service
* good reputation
* ability to order online and collect in person at the Blackpool branch with free parking outside.

I would not hesitate to recommend chards, sometimes they struggle for stock availability but provided you act quickly you can normally get what you desire.

I also enjoy the regular email updates and the YouTube channel

Again another great review. 
I actually did not know about the parking outside. That is excellent. Perhaps one day I might make a day trip over as it is not far from me.

Hi  @Admin , you have an odd idea about what isn't far from you. Blackpool is all the way across the country from you. I suppose it comes from being from the US, where anything less than a week away by wagon train is considered a short hop.  

It only takes me a couple of hours to drive there, and on a motorcycle ( Which I know I don't own one atm... and probably ever again.... a lot shorter!!! 

I used to rider over there on day trips all the time.

It's not that far from us either, if you look at a map we're around a third of the distance from Blackpool as you are.

For anyone planning to collect it’s worth noting Chards premises are not in the town centre, it’s near to the pleasure beach.
If you going via train the Blackpool South line takes you nearby if you arrive at Pleasure Beach station. This train line isn’t the most punctual, with a single line track and 1 train per hour; change from the Blackpool North mainline at Kirkham & Wesham station.

On the row of shops adjacent to chards there used to be a Armenian kebab shop ran by an old Armenian couple. It was very popular a few years ago, not sure if it’s still going.