Buying Antiques

Unfortunately, most people end up paying too much for antiques because they don’t know how to buy them. They don’t know how to buy antiques because they buy into some popular myths about these items.

The first and biggest antique myth out there is: if it is old it must be rare and expensive. This often is not true, many old items, including quite a few of the heirlooms sold in the antique stores are neither rare nor valuable. The problem is that most antique buyers don’t know this, so storeowners take advantage of it by marking items up.

The truth is that many antique prices have come down in recent years become of the internet and the lousy economy. Items like bicycle lamps that used to sell for hundreds of dollars now routinely sell for less than $50 online.

If you see something old that you really want selling for a fairly high price at an antique store, auction, garage sale, estate sale, etc. Don’t immediately shell out the big bucks for it. Write down it is, then go and find a computer and see if you can find what it is selling for at sites like e-bay.

There is a big possibility that the expensive antique is selling for a much lower price online. You might be able to pick up an identical item for a fraction of the price the antique merchant is peddling it for.

Another tip is to print out a copy of the internet auction page on the item and show it to the merchant. There is a good possibility that the price will come down for you if you do that.

The other big mistake most people make when searching for antiques is to concentrate on the so-called antique stores. These places often charge a high markup on items that you can get elsewhere at lower prices. Look elsewhere before going to the antique stores.

A final suggestion is to be flexible when you are shopping. Don’t be afraid to make a store owner an offer of a lower price. The economy is bad these days and buyers are scarce so many people will be able to pick up bargains if they are willing to haggle.

Where to Find Antique Bargains

You don’t have to give up on antiquing just because the economy is bad and money is tight. There are still many places where you can find antique bargains if you know where to look.

The main secret to finding bargain antiques is to avoid antique stores and other traditional outlets. There are a number of places to search for lower priced antiques.

They include:

• Online outlets like e-bay and Amazon. You no longer need to leave your home to find some of the best bargains. There are lots of online venues where you can buy antiques. E-bay is one of the best but so is Amazon. If you’re looking for smaller items, there are many antique stores that ship across the country.

• Thrift Shops. Almost every town in America has a thrift shop and some big cities have dozens of these. People give all sorts of things to thrift shops including antiques. Many people give antiques away to thrift shops without realizing what they are. Some charities like the Salvation Army even have thrift shops that specialize in antiques. Check into higher end thrift shops. Another way to spot bargains is to volunteer at a thrift shop that way you can spot items when they get donated.

• Garage and estate sales. These are held almost every weekend and some will have antiques. Estate sales and auctions often have some good bargains at them. Garage sales can have some bargains but you will have to take time going through them. You will also need to bring cash.

• Craigslist and other want ads. Sometimes people do advertise antiques for sale in such venues. You will have to act fast to get bargains but it can be done.

• Going out of business sales. The economy has hit the antique business pretty hard so some antique stores are going under. These may be selling off their inventories. Look for inventory reduction and other sales at antique stores. Also do not be afraid to bring cash and make lowball offers.

Antique Selling Tips

The huge popularity of television programs like “The Antiques Road Show” and the bad economy have gotten many people wondering if they can sell their old stuff for money. It is possible to sell heirlooms for money but it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

The first thing you need to do is find out what something is really worth. Don’t rely upon guidebooks and what your friends say for this do some real research. A good method of doing this is to check out E-bay and find out what the item is really selling for. Another is to take it to a pawnshop or antique buyer and see what it is worth.

Something to remember is that just because something is old, does not mean that it is valuable. A lot of old items are not worth that money. Nor does everything automatically increase in value as it gets older. In the past twenty years, a lot of antiques have actually fallen in value.

A good way to see how much your item is worth to put it up for sale on E-bay. Check and see what offers you actually get upon it. Another method is to advertise it through Craigslist.

You should also be patient, many professional antique buyers will come at you right away with a lowball offer. They know most people will not know what items are worth so they will try to make a low offer.

Something else to remember is that the only force that determines an item’s real value is the market. If there is no market or a limited market for something you may not get a price for. Only a small percentage of the antiques out there are worth big money.

Finally, don’t be afraid to sell items as something other than an antique. The metal that old jewelry, coins, medallions and similar items are made of is often worth more than the items themselves. You might actually get more money by sending old jewelry or watches to a gold buyer than by selling them as collector’s items. Some old pieces of jewelry are often worth more for the gemstones in them than as jewelry.

Antique Silverwares Should be Used Not Displayed Only

There are a lot of antique silverwares that people keep and oftentimes you'll get a glimpse of them inside display cabinets. The sad part is that the only people who will really get the chance to enjoy them are the jewelry cleaners who take them out of the shelf from time to time to restore their lost glitter. In reality, silverware's natural glitter doesn’t disappear.

Antique silverwares were often times used to serve delicious desserts immediately after meals. The Aristocrats in the olden times ask their food servers to make sure that the cold that they serve are on their collectible silverwares. The desserts aren't the only ones that are given words of gratitude but the silverware that was used to serve them is also given compliments as well.

Desserts found on silverwares also make the food appear tastier. It enhances the taste value of food and makes them elegant enough to eat. That's also one of the main reasons why silverwares are used to serve food when a very important guest arrives at your home. Likewise, the food isn't the only one that receives warm applauses. The wares where they are served also get the attention.

Putting your antique silverwares away for people to see is not the best way to keep this type of antique. From time to time, you have to bring them out of their display cabinet for use. The more you use them, the better their shine becomes. Not only that, you are sure that they people you invited over for dinner will not only enjoy the food or dessert you will serve but will also treasure the golden moment you gave them when you served the food on your antique silverware in your small party.

What are Antiques really worth?

It can actually be very hard to find out what an antique or something that you think is an antique is really worth. Many people find this out the hard way when they try to sell one.

A big mistake many people make when selling something off is to go to an antique store. This is not a good move because antique stores will usually only pay you a fraction of what items are really worth. Unscrupulous antique store owners may even lie about something’s value in order to get you to cut the price. Another problem is that these businesses routinely mark up the price.

Another common mistake people make is to rely upon guidebooks. These books often list prices that are several times what buyers will actually pay for an item. To make matters worse, they may only list prices for items in the best or mint condition.

A good way to find out what items are really worth is to take them to a reputable pawnshop or gold buyer. If you have something like jewelry or coins pawnbrokers will tell you the real value. They can often give you a better price than antique shops. Definitely send any item made of precious metals to a precious metals buyer. Organizations that buy precious metals often pay higher prices than antique buyers do.

Something to remember is that these buying organizations will often look at any valuable for free. That means you can learn if something is really made of a metal like gold or platinum or not. They may even cover the cost of shipping if you can’t take the items to them. Many such outfits even pay to ship items back if you don’t like the price they offer.

If you have the time, you can often get a much better price by selling items yourself. Online services like e-bay and Amazon let you sell to buyers all over the country. Such sales can take time and you will have to pay shipping but you can make a profit at them.

Another fun way to determine what antiques are worth is to hold a sale or auction. The offers you receive can show you what things are worth. Even if you don’t get the prices you want, you can still make extra cash through such a sale.

Antique Buying Tips

The sad truth is that most people end up paying too much when they try to buy antiques. Most people simply don’t know what items are worth, so antique sellers take advantage of them. Fortunately there are some simple ways to avoid paying too much for antiques.

Here are a few good tips that can help you avoid paying too much:

• Find out what the item is really worth. If you are looking for something find out the price it should be going for. Try to avoid so called guide books, instead check auction sites like E-bay to see what people are really paying. This can be a real eye opener because it shows you what people in the business are paying.

• Bring cash when you go antiquing. In many cases offering a lower price in cash will get you a deal. If you are visiting venues like flea markets or garage sales you will definitely need to bring cash.

• Don’t be afraid to haggle or make a lower offer. Even when you see an item for sale in an antique store, make a lower offer. Do the same at garage sales and flea markets. In many cases, the price could be lowered for you.

• Come back later. If you see something you want at a garage sale but think it is lower priced, go away and come back later in the day towards the end of the sale. Many people will lower prices at the end of the day. Also don’t be afraid to return to antique stores in the future and make offers on items.

• Seriously consider trades or swaps. If you have other antiques you don’t want, ask antique store owners and others what they will take in trade. You could be able to work out some sort of deal.

• Let those selling antiques that you might be willing to buy in the future. Leave a card with your name and phone number or e-mail on it so they can contact you later on. They might change their mind later.

• Try antiquing when business is slow. This includes the fall, spring and winter in many parts of the year. It also includes weekdays and evenings. In many cases you’ll have an easier time bargaining at these times.

Antique Chinese Pocket Watches to be Auctioned this Spring

Swiss watch designers in the past design their amazing timepieces to appeal to the distinctive tastes of Chinese buyers. They use this as their gauge to determine if a specific time piece will appeal to the western markets. The Asian buyers of this time pieces are being presented new designs of time pieces before that once it appeals to them, they will be sold in large numbers in European markets.

The enameled pocket watches that were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries were initially sold to Chinese buyers. The models with musical mechanisms were a preferred choice. These wonderful time pieces are currently available in auction houses.

The price of these old pocket watches went up by one hundred percent in the last few years. The old watches that were sold in Chinese markets have a distinguishing feature. They are set with seed pearls on their bezels. The jump or center seconds are not found at the bottom where the six is but rather on the center. You’ll also see some enameled decorations on the back with lively colors.

The rise in prices of old Chinese pocket watches happen because people are looking for alternative investments to match the price ofgold and partly on the current market’s interest on old Chinese art of enameling. These types of antique time pieces have strong decorative values. Their pricing are considered reasonable based on current market conditions.

The type of antique Chinese pocket watches that people are looking for are those that are part of the Quianlong Emperor’s collection. The emperor is an admirer of western-styled clocks, automata and pocket watches. An auction in 2008 garnered $375,000 from the Imperial Pomegranates. This is a rare pair of gold, enamel and pearl-set of pocket watches that was created in 1820 by Piguet & Meylan. It was a gift of the British Royal family to Emperor Qianlong.

For collectors of old pocket watches, there will be a renewed stir in the antique market because they are going to be sold in auction houses this coming months. There are 40 to 50 pocket watches dating back to 1860 with enamel pearl decorations and center second that will be made available. Don’t miss this chance to own one for yourself.