How to Deal with an Antique Buyer and Get the Most for Your Collections
- Posted on 30th August 2022
- in Antique Collection, antique dealer, antique dealers and buyers
- by Alan
If you plan to sell your antique collection at an estate sale, antique shop, or other private sale, you may have to deal with the antique buyer directly. This can be a difficult exchange, as you’ll want to maximize the sale price while the buyer aims to lower it. Fortunately, if you follow a few tips, you can successfully deal with an antique buyer while you get the most for your collection.
Know What You’re Selling
When an antique buyer is interested in one of your pieces, you need to have all the information they require to make a purchasing decision. For this reason, it is important that you know the history of the object. Don’t make a potential buyer do research on their own. Instead, have all of the information that they might need available for them.
Be Honest
To build credibility with an antique buyer, it is important that you are honest and upfront about your product. Don’t fabricate a far-fetched story about your antiques to make them sound more interesting. There’s a good chance that the buyer has already done some research about the item and will catch you in your lie, and the sale will likely be off. You are much more likely to have success in moving your items if you stick to the truth.
Give the Buyer Some Space
Whether the buyer is in your home during an estate sale or you communicated over the phone about an antique you wish to sell, it is important to give him space. Give him a chance to inspect the item, learn more about it, and appreciate on his own. Hovering, too much chatter, and excessive sales pitches can push away a potential customer.
Don’t Feel Compelled to Take the First Offer
Sure, it is exciting to finally get an offer for your antiques. However, if it is a low offer and well below the value, you don’t have to take it. There are plenty of buyers and avenues to sell your antique collection, so don’t be scared into selling if your first offer is low.
Research the Value
As the seller, it is important that you know the value of your items before your first meeting with a potential customer. You don’t want a savvy buyer to talk you into a deal worth much less than the actual value of your item. Do your research ahead of time so that you know what a good offer is when it comes time to negotiate.
One of the best ways to determine how to price your antiques is to bring them in to us at Sarasota Antique Buyers. We specialize in providing customers with a value analysis of antiques, telling you what the item would likely sell for at an auction. If you want to sell and skip the headache of finding another buyer, we’ll place a bid just under that value. Contact us today to learn more about what we have to offer.