Selling Antiques Successfully

Antiques

Are you looking for a new way to make money? Do you like old heirlooms? Do you like shopping at yard sells, flea markets or estate sells? Do you think you could actually enjoy selling antiques? Would like to learn some easy to tips on how to sell antiques successfully?

Step one:

Decide just what type of seller you what to become?

Do you wish to become a full time seller? Do you think you would enjoy opening your own antique shop? Could you handle all the responsibilities that go along with owning a whole shop or store? You would have to consider such things as:

Money. This endeavor would cost a lot. You would have to pay for a building (rent, lease or buy), fixtures, utilities, insurance, accounting, and possibly a worker or two.

A full inventory.

Taxes would be much more complicated.

Insurances matters would be more complicated.

Time. Most business owners actually put in more than the average 40 hour working week.

Do you wish to sell your antiques as a vendor? You could work at local fairs, flea markets, antique shows, etc? This would require a little less responsibility as owning your own store. Yet, you should make sure you have:

Plenty of available merchandise on hand

Tables to show your products

A way to move your products

Possibly help to set up your products

A pleasing to the eye display plan

You could make selling your antiques a lot less complicated by selling them on line, placing ads in your local newspapers, etc.

If you wish to venture on line, you could start by making your own web page. On this page, be sure to add well taken photographs of each antique you wish to sell along with the vital facts of that piece, such as estimated age, value, place of origin, etc. You should also include shipping costs, handling costs, an email address and/or phone number for potential customers to reach you concerning questions or issues.

Once you set up your web page, you need to draw some traffic to it. You can advertise locally, place fliers throughout your neighborhood, place messages on online message boards concerning antiques, etc.

You could even consider selling some of your antiques at auction sites like EBay. If you decide to go this route, be sure you understand all the rule and regulations that go along with the site. Also make sure you understand the percentages that the site will take from any sales you make.

Now that you have an idea where you want to sell the antiques, where can you find them? If you want to find them at cheap prices, be sure to check out:

Estate sells.

Yard sells

Flea Markets

From friends and family members

Thrift stores

Once you have a nice inventory on hand, it is time for you to start advertising your business.

No matter what the size of your business is, you need to advertise.

If you own an antique store, try your best to advertise in your local newspaper, past our fliers, put your ad on school bulletins, and do what you can and what you can afford.

If you are setting up at flea markets and the, at least have some business cards made up to give your customers. Then they have a way to get in touch with you in the future when they want another certain antique or wish to sell one.

If you are selling your antiques online, make sure you're URL or ads are added to message boards and the like.

If you find that your antique business isn't making you as much money as quickly as you would like, you may want to expand a little and add such services as:

Consignment sales

This is where you take in an antique from a potential seller. You make a deal with the seller that you will sell the piece for X amount. If it sells, by a certain deadline, you agree to take an agreed upon percentage and the seller gets the rest of the money.

These kinds of sales allow you to add to your merchandise, without any risk of you losing money. Plus, this helps to draw people into your store.

Refinishing or repairing antiques

Are you talented at actually refinishing and repairing? If you are, then you may consider adding these skills to your resume to make more money.

Appraising antiques

Are you good at appraising (finding out the value) of an antique? Then why not charge people for this talent?

Selling antiques can be a very profitable business. It can also be a rewarding one.

Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers information articles on a wide variety of subjects including Antiques at http://www.jam727.com/antiques/index.php

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