Antiques have been around for many generations, most were inherited. It can be difficult selling if you’re new to it. However, buying or selling antiques is usually straight forward. Let’s say you want to sell your antiques. Where would you even start? There are several options available that we’ll cover below.
What You Will Need To Do First
One of the things you need to do before selling is to check your antiques condition. Is it damaged? Does it need repair? Luckily I’ve made a post on how you can naturally restore your antique furniture.
How To Value Your Antiques
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Valuing your antiques isn’t the most straight forward process. It takes a good amount of time and research to find a good price point. Your typical negotiation is between the seller (you) and the buyer. However there are ways to check your antiques value.
The pros value antiques on a daily basis. These appraisers look for the recorded sales of the item you are selling. However finding these records can be tricky because the item can be in a varied condition.
Another way is online research. There is a plethora of websites, dedicated or not to antique goods. Why online? There’s a good chance that your item or the closest thing to it exist on one of the sites. You have Etsy, Ebay, Bonanza and many more.
Offline research is another way you can value your antiques. There are many books on antique topics you can get a hold of. Be aware that values can vary between your location. For example what you can get in Illinois will be different in another part of the country.
Ways To Sell Your Antique Furniture
There are a number of ways we can sell our antiques. Below you will find a helpful list of offline and online methods to getting your goods sold.
Sell Offline
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Probably the better method as it involves face to face interaction. The offline method is our definite method of choice. For decades maybe even centuries this is the go to approach. Here are a few methods you can sell your antiques without any internet.
Sell Them At An Auction
Auctions and antiques are like peanut butter and jelly. This method remains to be the most classic and popular approach to selling your goods. With selling your antiques at an auction it’s best to have a price in mind before you start making any moves. There are plenty of books and other methods to valuing what you want to sell.
If you have one or many items to sell, an auction is where it’s at. Typically and auction will handle all of the selling process. When selling the auctioneer would lot list for the price. However bidding your self can be risky business.
Try A Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is also an old method to sell your pieces. For this method it’s best to already know the value before approaching a dealer. You can photograph the goods or depending how large it is, bring it to them directly for a valuation. Be sure to note that the dealer needs to make a profit so take any hidden costs into consideration.
Avoid any unsolicited enquiries. If a “dealer” finds out you want to sell you pieces and they turn up on your door step, chances are you will have a bad time.
Peer To Peer
If you want to cut out the middle man and go direct to a buyer, this is the best way to go. You can bring your goods straight to the other collector for your own valuation. Ideally you will both know the market value of your item before you make the sale.
This option can go several ways. Either one of you can be antique savvy or either one of you may not have any experience. It would be best if you both have some prior research under your belt before you sell any pieces.
You Can Always Start A Business
This option, although a great idea, requires a great deal of experience, time, research and more to do it properly. You may love antiques however if you are new to the field, starting your own business may seem like a distant dream.
You can have your actual store front with all of your goods ready to sell. However it’s better to have an online presence as this will kick start your business to new heights. In the next section we’ll cover online methods to sell your antique items.
Sell Online
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Although we covered the better method to sell your goods, online will soon dominate the antiquing business. There are a number of sites where your precious pieces can be sold. Follow this guide below and you will be on your way to quality sales in no time.
Etsy.com
Etsy is a power house for hand crafted goods. It’s also a marketplace that sells antiques so it’s not wonder that you will find some one who will buy your pieces. Etsy falls into three main categories; crafting, handmade and vintage.
A large shop such as this does not come without it’s fees. To list your item to sell, it costs 20 cents with a 5% transaction fee. Quality antiques are usually sold here so it’s best to brush up on your knowledge about your item before you start listing.
Bonanza.com
Bonanza is a US based flea market catering to antique entrepreneurs. This is the Ebay alternative that values it self on it’s customer service. What differentiates Ebay from Bonanza is that listings are at a fixed prices. This skips any bidding price, so if you see a prices you like, you pay that exactly.
It’s only a 3.5 percent fee for each transaction sale. This is cheaper than Ebay’s fees.
Rubylane.com
What online antique list be without the mention of Ruby Lane? This site is designed with antiques in mind as well as fine art and collectables. A long player that’s been around since 1998.
Be advised that Ruby Lane has fairly high restrictions on what can be sold on their site. This also include some strict requirements from their sellers.
Ebay.com
Ebay is the largest marketplace on the internet. The earliest player in the game that’s been around since 1995. This power house boasts 1.2 billion in item listings so there is no doubt you’ll run into antiques for sale. And what place where you can sell antiques good be without an auctioning system?
Like with most online shops, you need think “how will I ship this?” So if you’re doing furniture, your best bet is to go small. It’s best to check out other listings to see what they’re selling for to get your rough price.
Your Own Website
Having your own site to sell antiques is another good option. This can go well with having your own local shop. You can set your rates, design and process any way you’d like.
Keep in mind that there are fees for building and running your site. You have to look at how much to pay the developer, how much your domain and server up keep would cost.
Conclusion
Hopefully you are now in the right direction to sell your antique furniture. it’s always good to remember, to stay ahead of the curve and to save you from being ripped off, always do your own thorough research before attempting a sale.
