Where to find valuable antiques where owners are unaware of the value?

Besides yard sales, estate sales and probably the internet where else are sellers not likely to know the value and thus sell for cheap?

 

lol i mean If I buy from the thrift shop they already know most of the items worth, if I visit the fleamarket they have already used the internet and just sell you the trinkets, antiques shop just the same so it's "chance" the only option left to find a worthy valuable?

 

Best way I know of is to go to auctions at way out of the way places, but like you said, chance is the best approach.

 

Will you to be able to recognize the things those other people missed?

 

That’s a good point. The field and the variables are almost infinite, so it is very difficult to know enough about everything to find what we in the trade call “sleepers.” If u want to make money on used items, specialize in one area where there’s still a fair amount of that kind of stuff available. Go to antiques shows and talk to dealers. Watch a lot of “Antiques Roadshow” programs on PBS.org. Learn what makes a particular item valuable-that’s critical. Beginners always seem to think it is rarity, which is a factor but not nearly the most important one.

 

1st, ya gotta know what to look for and what you're looking at............
2nd...buy stuff where it's not supposed to be !
3rd...be ready to pay up ! , not one in a million folks find that Jessie James photo for peanuts.....but more often a $5000 painting turns out to be worth $150,000 !

 

I used to buy large bin lots of appliances from auctions held outside on the dock of the Salvation Army. I'd find a lot of good stuff and often purchased a 5x8' container FULL for $5-10. Call around to your thrift stores, each one may have an auction morning. Old appliances can hold good value and most every item worked fine. They auctioned ALL SORTS OF ITEMS, not just appliances.

I used to advertise to clear out attics and garages and haul away the contents. I had the customer sign an agreement that I could keep whatever they did not remove from the site to be cleared. Oh, and I got PAID for this!

If I would see anyone outside, I used to stop by garage sales advertised to be held in my own neighborhood early - like the day before. I would ask if they would be selling the things I most wanted to find.

These were some of the many things I did in my younger years to make enough money to get my own start.

Best of luck to your happy hunting!

 

Komokwa mentioned my secret rule......buy things that are where they aren’t supposed to be. For example, of a flea market vendor is selling mostly primatives or toys, but has a few pieces of glass out on the table......take a second look at the glass

 

i've gotten nice native baskets that way.......

 

Best bet would be to find a way to connect with disinterested heirs who want the stuff gone and don't care about the price. Estate cleanouts?

 

I bought some beautiful signed glass perfume bottles from a tool seller in an antique mall. His wife asked him to sell them for her and the price was great!

 

LOL!

 

You never know. Summer is coming, and I love the outdoor festivals, antique shows, and flea markets. In the winter, I browse antique malls for boo-boos. Everybody makes a mistake. I only focus on what I know best, and that is limited....if I have a hunch, I go outside or to the rest room (someplace inconspicuous) and look it up on ebay to see what it's selling for. You'd be surprised what dealers miss.

 

You can find such items everywhere. The trick is diligence and knowledge. Knowing more than the people selling is what will put you ahead.

 

Everybody can't know everything about everything, as they say. I go looking for mistakes. Reputable dealers of one item with other bits they want out of their hair sometimes sell good things for (relatively) cheap. Charity sales, rummage sales, etc. I'm headed to one on Friday that, bonus, doesn't start until 1PM. So I'll get there at noon of course.

 

As komo said, know your stuff.
And I'm with evelyb, I love mistakes. In spite of the internet people still make mistakes, just because they assume something is something else and don't check. Or they don't look closely when researching.
I live in a country where any kind of 'exotic' silver tends to be listed as Djokja (Javanese colonial silver). Of course Djokja collectors only buy real Djokja. I buy beautiful pieces that don't get sold because the attribution is wrong. I lie in wait until the term of the listing is almost finished, and pounce. And get it for a song of course.

 

There is an ethical dilemma here too; despite wanting the items for a favorable price I wouldn't want to rip the unknowledgeable seller off despite having the advantage. There is a difference between purchasing a $500 item for $200 (fair but healthy profit margin remaining) and $10 (unethical in my opinion) when the seller is relying on you to treat them fairly.

 

Don't worry, if they sell a $500 item for $10 (I have yet to see this), they will have paid much less than $10. Many of us have also sold items far below the value.
I prefer to buy cheaply and let our buyers (mostly collectors) share in the bargain by selling the $500 item for considerably less than $500. Win-win-win, for all concerned.
If I remember correctly someone mentioned the antiquer 'food chain' in another thread.

 

It is not my job to tell you what you are selling. My "job" is to find the stuff & sell it at a profit. Everyone has access to the same information I do, but some do not want to take the time or effort to research an item or worse if they do research the item they believe the wrong opinion.