I started writing my blog last year on antiques and collectables and have had a modicum of success (in my head at least) but these things are not really tangible. You can’t say the blog I wrote on such and such a date actually provided me with any sales from either my facebook page, Etsy Account or even Ebay. My blog is not written for any other reason than to communicate. There are a number of reasons for writing a blog, probably because you like writing and the novel inside you just won’t come out, to make people aware of your existence but principally to communicate. So this year I have decided I need to do more on my blog. So here goes!
Any writer whether writing a blog, newsletter or book, needs to obtain feedback from the reading public otherwise there is no point to the writing. Something in the words has to say, I knew that, well I never, in terms of antiques and collectables it generally comes down to memories, such as mother or Granny had one of those, or when we went to Sunday tea, it was always on Granny’s sideboard and when she died she left it to me and now it is on my sideboard.
So let me ask just one thing, if you feel you can’t or are unlikely to leave feedback on this blog post, stop right now and save yourself some time. If you are willing and I hope you are because you have continued reading, I look forward to receiving your comments on this or any of my other blog posts.
My interest in antiques and collectables started with bone china, really it started with my wife collecting bone china and us running out of space which then started me into selling the pieces she no longer wanted. This then led to visiting antique markets to see what prices could be attained, to then going to auction to look at the other side of the coin. The rest as they say is history.
If you are interested in antiques and this is your first venture in to this fascinating area, then I urge you to visit the charity book shops and buy your books there. There are two reasons (and obviously you still have to buy with care) The first is you can always find something useful, just stay away from the millers antiques guides from days gone buy and I will tell you why in a minute. The second is that the majority of charity shops do remarkable work in generating revenue for the respective charities and are staffed mainly by volunteers. So as I said earlier buy with care, if you go to a mainstream second hand book shop and see a hardback tome at say £15 when the retail price new is £20 you wouldn’t necessarily buy it, so don’t do it at the charity shop. Also the Miller antique guides from days gone by, I have seen dealers wheel out one of these guides to demonstrate the price he was asking was reasonable, the book was dated ten years earlier. As we all know fads go up and down all the time and the prices were probably correct at the time of printing but that is all. If you are happy to use them to check what the item is and refer to the supporting narrative, that’s fine but please do not use it as a bible for pricing.
Another aspect of antique collecting is that everyday is a school day, I use this almost as a mantra. The reason I say this is because typically you will buy because you like the look of it, not necessarily because you can make money out of it. Not every antique/collectable seller will bother to find out about something they are selling. So this is where your research comes in and again we are back to the books and more over today, the internet and plethora of antique oriented Facebook groups.
If you are prepared to ask (politely) there will always be someone willing to share their knowledge. What grates on me are the people who join the Facebook groups and constantly show a photo and all they ask is “How Much?” Moving on however, if you collect more than you sell, then it is likely that you will be more interested and in some respects more selective.
I have been known to buy a box of what my daughter lovingly refers to as “tat” only because there was one or maybe two items that have caught my eye. Then you get them home, I take out what I bought it for and my wife has washed something she has seen only to say “ooh! That’s nice and it ends up in the cabinet.
If you do decide to sell items there are a variety of outlets for these ranging from Car boot sales (UK), Flea markets (USA) to owning your antique shop and that takes capital. A lot of people have made successful businesses out Ebay, Etsy, Vintage markets , stalls or space in an antiques mall and Facebook pages. The easier outlets are those where you actually interact with customers, the more difficult are the internet based outlets. The difference is that with the on line outlets, it does take time to photograph, crop and watermark your images. Then to measure, weigh and write the descriptions ready for listing.
When you have sold your item you have to ensure the item is safely and securely packaged for transit to the customer. Once it leaves you, it is out of your control, so time spent in packing is well spent. If you decide to sell at vintage fairs you will find that each has rules, typically that your table must be covered down to the floor such that any boxes are hidden from view. Some will detail how much display space you can have and what is expected. The best way to look at your table is “would I stop and look at this table”. Don’t make it too cluttered or with too many spaces either. Also be careful about how you lay it out because visitors to the vintage fair may not treat your items as you would treat them and may be careless around your table. Make sure that nothing could get knocked over easily.
Whatever your interest in antiques, collecting or selling, you are doing it because you want to. When it stops being a pleasure it is time to stop.
In the next blog I will be looking at auction houses. Provincial ones that is, not the Christies and Sotheby’s of this world. The local and provincial ones are typically where we will all spend our time.
Thanks for reading!
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