How To Sell Antiques

Are you wanting to get your feet wet in the Antiques Industry? Are you a little hesitant in starting this endeavor? Perhaps I can be of some assistance as I am not only a specialist in the Antiques field but I also manage a local Antique Mall. I can share some tips on what has worked well for my own business and what I see working for the dealers that have booth space at our mall.

Selling in a brick and mortar shop is different than trying to sell your inventory online. This article will address how to be successful in selling in a mall environment.

My most successful dealers have well thought out displays of their inventory. I am not saying that you have to have a degree in interior design to be successful but how you display your things does make a huge difference in your success.

Your space should look inviting. It should look fresh. Potential buyers need to be able to move around easily. Dusty shelves are an indication that you have not been in your space for a while.

Theming your space for different times of the year adds interest. Some types of antiques and collectibles lend better to this idea than others; however, even furniture can have a theme with little added touches of decoration. Put items of the same color together. Make little vignettes.

Regular customers can tell when a space has not been touched in a while. They comment on it to the staff. Those untouched booths are usually the ones that customers decide to ask for deep discounts on.

This is sometimes the hardest part of selling antiques and collectibles. How do you price them? When you are first starting in the industry, you haven't gained the knowledge and experience on knowing the value of what you have.

Research is key to success in selling your inventory. When you are first starting out you will need to spend most of your time researching. It isn't time wasted because you learn more about what you are selling as you do this.

In the Antique Industry there is a difference as to what a book says the value is and the price that it will actually sell for. In today's economic times that margin can have quite a gap. I suggest that you look in price guides for a starting point of value. Then look at your piece and ask yourself: "If I were to walk into a shop and see this, what would I be willing to pay?" Your asking price should be closer to what you would be willing to pay.

Customers want a good deal. If they are a collector, they already know book value. Pricing items about 20% less than book generally works well to make a sale.

Try to stock your space with the three point plan:

• Low priced items (about 25% of your space)
• Medium priced items (about 50% of your space)
• High priced items (about 25% of your space)

You want to have something for everyone's budget. The items priced in the medium price range will typically pay your rent and make you the most money in the long run.

Have at least one "rent buster" in your booth at all times. This is a piece that when it sells the price covers your rent for the month. These items do not sell every day but when they do you can do the happy dance. If you can sell one "rent buster" a month, then the rest is gravy!