Should I sell my antiques collection at 1stdibs, liveuactioneers or any other auction site?

I feel unfamiliar selling with these routes so I have been wondering which would be a better avenue to sell my antiques collection including antique furniture, jewelry, porcelain, ect? Prices ranges from 200 to 6k and trust me I will not be trying ebay ever again or etsy or any of the sort, I want to get rid of these and make some money quickly because I'm broke but im scared of my items going undervalued at the auction or that it's going to take to long sell at shops such as 1stdibs. I also wonder if I estate sale might be another option but are people going to haggle over my prices? Very confused,please tell me the best option for someone who needs cash soon without lowering my prices too low?

 

When you need to sell quick, you're going to get bottom end prices for most things. Liveauctioneers isn't a site you sell at, it's a group of auctioneers that advertise their auctions and allow you to bid live online instead of having to attend their on site sale. It would be good to look at auctioneers on there that are in your area, and see what kind of prices they are getting for things similar to what you have.

You could just dump it all into some mid range auction house that doesn't mind a hodge-podge of items, or try to split things into groups and find specialist auctioneers for certain items. All depends on what you have and how much effort and time you are willing to devote to the task.

No one can give you a real idea of what to do without knowing what you have, and the area you live in.

 

Welcome to the real world where items are worth a lot in theory but hard to sell and nearly impossible to get top dollar for. 1st Dibs is a site of vetted dealers that not just anyone can get in to. It does get good prices from sophisticated buyers but you can bet end prices are negotiated down from asking prices. Every option for selling has fees involved and you need to take that in to consideration in choosing how you sell. I am not sure why you say you will not try ebay, etsy, or other on-line venues. They have some of the lowest fees in the business and offer a degree of control over the sale that you probably won't get elsewhere. Auctions are a gamble unless you can get guaranteed reserves for your items. Auctioneers are reluctant to offer such guarantees and reserves are often lower than what an item could theoretically sell for. Wanting to sell quickly adds another obstacle to getting top dollar. You may have to take significantly less that you expect if this is an overriding criteria.

 

just for kicks , show us a 6K item.

Then sit back and let us research the item.....and see if you're even in the ballpark......or maybe have undervalued it ?

 

I sell some things at local auction here in UK, I find that dealers want to at least double if not triple their money spent. I'll put a reserve on the item to reflect that. The Auction house commission needs to be factored in too, but I don't have to post things, I get the money very quickly too.

 

I can't be of much help but if you have signed up for Liveauctioneers you can check the sold prices for items similar to yours. Look at auctions there that are within a reasonable distance from you for transporting your items and look for the most recent sales. Then check their fees and expect that your take will be significantly less than the sales price, 25-35% less I'd guess.

If there are local auctions you can attend, try that to see the market and again, know that the sales price it not what you'll receive as a seller.

Sadly many antique items are out of fashion at the moment and bringing far less than they did a few years ago.

 

IMHO ebay is the best place to sell anything that can be posted and even items that can't be posted should be placed on ebay but with a close to what you want for it start price.

 

I understand the reluctance to use Ebay though. I, and most here promoting it, have probably been doing it for years but for a seller with a new account we all know there are buyers who will gravitate towards them with the intention of scamming them. I read OP's comment as meaning they have possibly had a bad experience there.

I know of no quick solution but personally I have been getting very comfortable in some large Facebook antique groups and have been getting established with the intention of selling larger ticket items in the future there. I am starting small and building a reputation though and that takes a lot of time. I like the fact there is no overhead though and I am in control of everything. Sorry I have no answers for you. Good luck and best wishes.

 

Post pictures of some of the items here so that members can give you more specific advice. Are there any good antique shows or flea markets in your area to set up at as a vendor? These venues will get a lot more traffic than an estate sale and you may be able to price your items a bit higher too since you would be getting closer to the end user/collectors and not the dealers/resellers that typically are the big spenders at estate sales.