Selling Antiques Guide

The Selling Antiques Guide - How you can profit by selling antiques

Buying antiques to re-sell can be very profitable but it does come with a large element of risk.

By doing some careful planning, reading and studying of our guide you will minimise that risk and you might find yourself on a path to making a living by doing what you love.

Sourcing Antiques

The beginning of every business starts with ensuring that you have a product that is worthy of a profit margin which will make you money at the end when all expenses are factored in.

Antique Fairs are a great way to find some treasures, however it will be difficult to make a profit if you don't bargain on the price.

• Most sellers expect you will bargain for the antique you like and that is included in the price tag. You should be able to knock off a 10% from the total price. However a discretion and politeness is recommended, surely if something is already reasonably priced there is no need to push your luck. Also some sellers are more shy than others and you could make them feel uncomfortable with bargaining, that isn't to say you shouldn't try if you think the price can be better, but be diplomatic about it.
• Make sure you look for invitations to future antique fairs laying around the tables. This way you will save yourself the ticket entry that each antique fair asks for. To ensure there will be enough people on such fairs and that regulars will keep coming the Antique dealers on the fairs distribute free invitations to future antique fairs.
• Look for Antique Fair calendars and try your luck on a few.

Visiting Antique Shops in small villages around England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium and other countries with rich cultural heritage is guaranteed to be a beneficial trip, let alone always a nice memory.

•  Many locals would go to their nearby Antique Shops and leave their antiques on concession and such items are not always spotted for the treasures they are by the Shopkeepers or by the owners themselves. However do aim for smaller towns and villages, in big cities like London for example experience shows that it's harder to come by something which is not already top price.
• Go to Yard & Boot Sales

Selling your Antiques

Selling and Math

There are few things to consider if you're hoping to make a dime out of selling antiques. Here are some expenses which you must factor in on pay day or price tagging:

• Time - what are you earning as an hourly rate. All that time spent at garage sales, in thrift shops and at auctions.
• Fuel and Travel Expenses - not just fuel but car costs, trips to mail parcels and buy packaging.
• Post and Packing Costs - boxes, tape, stamps, labels, bubble wrap, ink and paper.
• eBay/online auction fees - the many and varied costs of owning and operating an eBay shop or participating in an online auction and the real cost of listing multiple items and final sales fees.
• Unsold Inventory - that's right all that stuff in the garage, or the loft or the spare room. The stuff that looked like a good earner last month, which didn't even make the minimum bid.
• Storage - It won't be long before all the nice things you've amassed won't fit in your place.

[message type="success|error|info|notice"]This guide is a work in progress, we will soon be renovating this article with plenty of more accurate and useful information.[/message]