When done right, getting into the antique business can make you a lot of money. Every day, items on Ebay and other third party websites are selling antiques for thousands of dollars. In order to make a thousand dollars from one sale, you have to first find rare and popular items that people are searching for, flip them and make them look nicer, and then sell for a decent profit. The Merchandiser has some tips for how your business can make revenue off of antiques:
Finding The Right Antiques
Flea markets and yard sales are some of the best ways to find rare and valuable antiques. Half the time, people are trying to get rid of their junk and don’t even realize the valuables that they have. This is where you come in: do plenty of research before heading to all the yard sales in town and see which items are being sold for decent prices online.
What Sells Best’s website, www.whatsellsbest.com, offers a ton of information on all the trending antiques in the industry at any given moment. Baseball cards, tiny paintings, pottery and furniture are just some of the merchandise that are being appraised at thousands and even millions of dollars. One woman bought a small bronze Buddha statue at a garage sale for $100, and the statue is estimated to be worth up to $125,000.
Flipping Antiques
Flipping is basically a term for when people buy something for a low price and then turn around and sell it for a higher price. Sometimes, this entails refurbishing the piece to make it look better to sell for an even better price. A little effort can go a long way in the world of antiques.
Old furniture can be buffed and shined to look as good as new, making it even more valuable since it will look like when it originally came out. Make sure the piece is made out of real wood and in solid shape before you start working on it, as you need a solid foundation and fake wood can’t be stained. Statues and anything silver can also be wiped down and polished to give it a nice shine. Collectors are always willing to pay more for a nice looking product.
Selling Flipped Antiques
After you’ve found a rare item, buffed it and made it look good as new, now it’s time to sell your pride and joy. Selling these flipped antiques at a booth in a flea market isn’t going to get you much money, since most people visiting flea markets are looking for bargains and cheap goods.
One way to sell your refurbished antiques is to create a Facebook business page. Facebook is still a popular place for businesses, and they even have a marketplace where you can sell your products for a good profit. Other places to sell your antiques include Ebay and Catawiki (www.catawiki.com), an online auction marketplace where people can buy and sell valuable items. They even have in-house experts who will appraise and curate your auction.
Whatever your antique interests are, there are always ways to make a profit. There are some that are more popular than others and that will make you more money, but as long as you love what you do, making money is all that matters. Simply do your research, make the pieces look good as new, and sell them to collectors who are willing to pay the big bucks.