What would be the best way to promote my online antiques, collectibles and vintages eCommerce site?
There are many ways to promote your site. As previously noted, one great way is to join an existing online marketplace such as The HighBoy or 1st Dibs. This offers exposure to buyers that you couldn’t get on your own. It also depends on your price point. Good marketplaces cater to price points above $1,000 per item. If your price point is below that, on average, there are other sites to consider. You must first consider your goals, what you would be willing to pay to achieve them, and then committing to that track for a reasonable amount of time. Too often small businesses expect immediate results and change their minds too quickly.
Where is the best way to get appraisals on antiques that you want to sell?
My primary recommendations are:Find someone with a history of independent appraisals in the field. Don’t take a clock to someone who appraises porcelain.Contact the appraiser ahead of time to discuss your expectations and learn the appraiser’s approach and fee structure.Be clear to the appraiser about why you want/need an appraisal. Insurance purposes? Curiosity? Preparing to sell?Get the appraisal in person if possible.Be on the alert for “danger” signs, like an appraiser declining to appraise your item but instead offering to buy it. (Very rare among professional appraisers but has happened.)Compare the appraisal to prices online on dealer’s web sites, eBay, Craigs List and online auction sites. Look primarily at selling prices. Asking prices are interesting but often meaningless.Unless you are getting the appraisal merely out of curiosity, ask the appraiser for a written, signed appraisal on company letterhead.I recently got an appraisal on an Asian antiquity that was outside of my expertise. Most appraisers are also dealers. In this case I found a dealer/appraiser online who had the same item as the one I wanted appraised. I did not contact this dealer because I felt this situation presented a possible conflict of interest. I contacted a dealer with similar items and emailed pictures of my item with the following request:“I am interested in getting a written appraisal on this item. Would it be possible for you to let me know if this item is at all valuable, and if it is, could we then proceed with a formal, written, paid appraisal?” They agreed, and gave me a preliminary appraisal (informal and not signed) that the item was not valuable. I chose not to proceed with the formal appraisal.
Do antiques sell for their market value? As in, how liquid are antiques?
There are all kinds of ways to go about it. To answear your first question about market value. When dealing with antiques there are a few price ranges you need to keep in mind: 1 - Auction estimate - This will probably be the lowest starting point... since auction houses want to sell everything they will usually try to get you to give them the items for the lowest amount they can (with the hopes that it gets more dealers / customers / collectors excited so that the price will go higher). 2 - Wholesale value - this is the price that a dealer would buy it from you with the idea of resale. 3 - Retail value - What price range should you expect to pay if you saw the same item at a store. 4 - Insurance Value - This will be the highest since it is so hard to find an exact piece to replace the one that was lost you might have to endup paying a little more for something similar (that is why the price is a bit higher than the retail value). As far as selling... First of all I have no idea what type of appraisal you got so I would take that 1.1m number with a grain of salt. The best way to sell as much as you can and fast would be through an auction house - they will go through every item with you and set reserves for each one you agree upon (the reserve price is your insurance that the item wont sell unless it reaches that minimum price). You can try selling one by one but that will take time and effort - if you are willing to do that.
What is the scope of antiques in online selling?
Like any business it simply comes down to how hard you want to work! The antique trade is a multi billion dollar annual business worldwide, so there is more than enough money changing hands.It continues to grow with the help of numerous TV shows around now. All the different versions of Pickers, Pawn Shops, Roadshows, Auction Shows etc are helping to interest more and more people. It clearly has increased the number of items being sold online, as the casual person at home realises some of their possessions are valuable and can be sold.As far as becoming an antique seller online as a professional, the true scope comes down to your knowledge. The key difference with almost every other retail business is that you need to go out and find stock. You can’t just place a wholesale order! This often means competing with other traders at auctions and markets. You need to know how much you can sell an item for to know how much you can buy it for. Many older dealers still believe that you need to make 100–200% profit on an item to justify buying it, which I think is ridiculous! If you can sell it quickly then a small profit margin is fine.If your question is trying to find out exactly how much money you could make selling antiques, there is no answer for that. It is very much a non-essential product, so you can’t rely on a consistent sales flow that you would selling food or services. With a sound knowledge base you can make a comfortable living. Keep in mind there is a lot of rather mundane work involved online, spending time taking photos, writing descriptions and packing parcels.Or you could get incredibly lucky and stumble on a Picasso at a garage sale and make all your money in one go! This is the dream of all traders, just don’t count on it happening!I’m not sure if this addresses what your question was looking for, as the question is quite open ended. I think the important thing is that if you’re thinking about selling antiques as a primary business, there is plenty of potential to make money with hard work, and it doesn’t have to be a business with a low ceiling for growth and profit.
How do you sell antique furniture?
Hello,We may be biased but have seen some high ticket items come in and out of our pawn shops and constantly hear from customers they have the best experience doing so.Benefits of Pawning AntiquesBy selling antiques at a pawn shop, you will receive money for the item immediately, without the hassles of an auction or paying fees to sell online. You will also avoid the headache of transactions from buyers, collecting credit card payments, packing the object, and shipping your delicate items, so they do not suffer damage in transit.In fact, selling antiques at a pawn shop has become such a popular enterprise that almost every city has a certified pawn shop that actively curates vintage objects. Your best bet to locate somewhere nearby is simply to conduct an internet search for a “local pawn shop.”Many of these businesses are family-owned and date back many generations, which makes antique collecting a natural and passionate part of their regular business. As a result, your entire sales experience will be much more personalized and friendly than dealing with online negotiations.Hope this helps!
What happened to the antiques market?
I inherited a 2500 sq ft house filled with Victorian style antiques, art, vintage glassware and china, knickknacks and much misc. I have not had much luck selling on eBay, Craig's List, Facebook or other online selling venues. Then I tried having garage sales and if three cars stop all weekend, that is GOOD. I was talking to other people about this and they said that antiques and tchotchke are out. People are going "minimalist" and don't want their homes filled with "old used furniture" (what was once known as antiques) and other "clutter". Even estate sellers and auctioneers won't help me - it seems they want exceptionally high-end items. What happened to make antiques a dead market? What can I do? (And don't say "Donate it to charity" - I need the money!)
I need to sell antiques worth millions online. Where do I find the marketing experts?
Personally, I would reach out to an auction house in order to sell them - unless you purchased them as inventory. If that’s the case you would first need to ask the following questions -How much money are you willing to spend hiring someone, promoting the products, shipping, etc.? The antiques may very well be worth millions, but you need to figure out how much wiggle room you have in terms of pricing.What type of marketing are you looking for? Marketing isn’t all one discipline. There are people who specialize in any number of different practices ranging from SEO to classic print.How long is the project going to last? If you’re adding new inventory you may want to hire an experienced full time marketing/sales employee to manage that side of the business. If the project is a short term thing - as in not adding any more inventory - you may want to hire a renowned consulting firm that really puts their money where the mouth is. You’ll get better quality talent than hiring someone for a full-time position that all parties know is only temporary.There are also a number of people here on Quora that are extremely qualified for the task, and may very well reach out for a job. Do your research on each of them and the marketing firms they represent and you may be able to find the star consultant there.