3 Ways to Find the Best Deal at Antiques

Whether you’re a collector, bargain hunter or mere browser, antique shopping can prove a treasure trove for quirky, unique and collectible items. Keep your eyes peeled and you could find a Georgian mahogany chest of drawers for the same price as a flat-pack equivalent from a certain Scandinavian megastore. Out with the new, in with the old, we say! Don’t know where to start?

Owning a piece of the past is appreciated universally because of the value, uniqueness, and beauty of older items that attracts us, along with their historical and cultural associations. For some, buying and selling a tangible piece of history is a business – for others, it is a calling.

While lots of people are familiar with antique collecting, many are unaware of the growing market for other collectibles, from cars, to toys, to comic books, to folk art.

Everyone, it seems, has a touch of nostalgia from time to time, a sentimental yearning to return to days of past happiness. Antiques and collectibles are tangible evidence of history, monuments of a slower, simpler age when the future was bright and obstacles seemed easy to overcome.

Unlike most retail experiences, acquiring pieces of the past requires diligent searching followed by old-time price negotiation between buyer and seller. Value is in the minds of the two parties, rather than any objective analysis, since many items are one-of-a kind. As a consequence, a successful acquisition requires a discerning eye and disciplined negotiation.

Follow these tips to get the best value:

1. Online Auctions

With the world doing business online, we must keep an eye on the internet to find the real deal and earn money for ourselves during the auctions. Every other antique dealer or collector likes to move their old item to make way for the new, and this is when you can earn more. So a close watch is helpful.

2. Reuse to Reward

Whether it is an individual collector or a business, they all buy products and antiques in an attempt to re-sell them and make money. In case, you are able to find the correct set of buyer, don’t hesitate from making a deal and selling off your product at the right price to gain more value for your item whether offline or online.

3. Antiques vs. Collectibles

Antiques are generally considered to be objects more than 100 years old. Collectibles are less than a century old, but can be just as valuable. This is the easiest yet effective way to help you understand the difference between the two, and if you are going for an auction or planning to buy something, keep a watch on the item, to pick the right thing at the right price.