Featured Finding and pricing antique/vintage items

Hey all,

I wanted to create this thread to discuss questions on finding and pricing antiques/vintages for resale. I am interested in doing so on the side, but wanted a few advice from others who have had the experience.. (before my attic becomes crowded )

Finding: I do most of my searching in thrift stores such as Goodwill,Salvation Army etc. I admit it's very fun but also overwhelming since I am still learning about such items. First thing I do is look for something that appears to be antique/vintage and look for creator's mark and signs.

Lately, I've picked a handful of things only to find out the same thing is already being sold by many on Ebay or similar sites, sometimes even at a better condition and at a lower price. Should I just go directly to an antique location, there's a huge warehouse I know with many vendors.. just wouldn't know where to start there either.

I really can't distinguish if something is worth more or less. I know you can get lucky at thrift stores, but it's starting to feel like a hit and miss, or maybe it's just me.

Pricing: The rare things I've found such as a kutani sake set and a Japanese porcelain bowl marked by T.F.F. I have no idea how much to price them for. Is there a guideline people follow? Or does it mainly depend on the item's condition and who created it?

 

The best place to start is with what you collect. As that is what you will have the most knowledge of.

Visit antique stores and look at what others are selling and prices. Then compare to what is being sold on Ebay and prices realized.
Start with what you like, then broaden your scope.

This is not an overnight process. This is going to be years of learning with mistakes to make you smarter.

 

What Cluttered said times 10. Heres the thing,Ive been at it for close to 40 years,and every day I learn something I didnt know! Though I loathe the idea since it takes a lot of the fun out of the hunt,an I-phone is essential if you dont want to keep buying things that arent worth buying. I swore Id never,but Im going to break down and do so.I love the hunt but its really a matter of wether I want to be featured on "Hoarders" at this point. I stroll through antique stores,and occasionally find a vastly underpriced treasure,but most of those folks know what they have now,thanks to the internet,so its rare.Checking ebay completed sales is essential,thats what everyone does now. So if you have a Meissen porcelain figurine that SHOULD be worth $100,but 2 sold on ebay for $20,forget the $100,it aint gonna happen.Personally,I stick to thrifts and "junk" stores,even though they too are researching more and more you can still find things that slipped through.Its a wonderful (and very addictive) hobby,so most of all,dont try to get rich off it and have fun.

 

Thank you! That is great advice and perfect timing because I realized that I have to start narrowing what it is that I want to start collecting first. My mind was starting to become scattered with all ideas of things, and I had to put a stop to it. When I was going to these thrift stores, I was looking at everything from toys, furniture, glass .. and then not knowing much about neither, you can imagine how 'overwhelming' that felt.

I like to learn along the way, so it would be great to stick to a few things so I can get a better understanding. I do notice I keep buying porcelain/ceramic ware. Especially Japanese, it's beautiful, interesting and I especially love those with decorated art work. That could be a start!

 

Most successful antiques/collectables dealers get their start as collectors since they have to have extensive knowledge of their wares in order to be able to buy and sell at enough of a profit margin to make things work economically. Many dealers know their particular niches very well and only buy when they know they are going to make their required profit margin. They take time to study reference materials on their niche and often look at completed sales when making offers to buy. Experienced antique dealers have many connections within the community that they have built up over time so that they can locate and purchase inventory at wholesale prices. With anything it takes research, salesmanship, and above all perseverance to do well in the industry. Remember that many people are doing this as a retirement hobby or second job so it may be difficult to make a profit since they may not need the money, aka are independently wealthy, and are willing to undercut your margins.

 

As others have said above, eBay completed sales is your new best friend. I'm just a collector currently but I do keyword searches all the time to see recent sales in the niche areas I collect.

Also you may want to expand the scope of your sourcing. Many thrift stores don't let quality items onto the sales floor these days, they cherry-pick and then sell them to dealers or on other venues.

 

great information given by cluttered, johnny and Joe
You should check out the two threads below, lots of information in them on stuff we might never look twice at
the great finishes thread is fun as it is usually stuff that was a complete surprise it would sell for so much.

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/finds-thread.137/
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/g...ur-successes-discoveries-w-others.307/page-36

 

Thank you!
That's funny I was just telling myself this yesterday.. I felt at some point I could easily fall into the show Hoarders. I find beauty in everything, but I think it's time for me to start narrowing things down. It'd be must easier for me to say "I'll collect Japanese ceramics" research and learn about that, then to think I can do it all at once.

When I go to thrift stores, I usually have the Iphone in hand and would literally Google everything I found before purchasing but that does take a lot of time and I was starting to look a little crazy. Like you mentioned, technology has really taken a toll on things, I suppose it has it's pros and cons. And those at thrift stores are starting to catch up, I noticed five Cabbage Patch Dolls in box at my local thrift store.. years ago I'd would pass one by and not think twice, but after seeing how much some are being sold for on Ebay, I can see why they had them placed behind the cash register.

It's amazing because if you search completed sales, you'll find things you'd never imagine being sold for a great price.. like a license plate for over $150. But with that mentality, I am going to end up buying everything lol.

I'm going to stick to things I like and collect, that way if they don't sell it wouldn't necessarily be a lost. You made a great point, and it's to have fun and not except to get rich. Even if the thought of someday having a successful resell business would be a dream.

 

Thank you!
Ebay completed sales is a wonderful tool. I can truly spend hours just looking around there. That's one thing I wasn't keeping in mind, thrift stores are becoming more advanced at what they place for sale, thanks to technology.

 

Thank you so much for sharing those threads, going to add those to my watch list right away! I love reading about other's finds and discoveries !

 

What everyone said!

When I see something that looks interesting, but I am not familiar with, these are the things I have to consider before buying it:
1- Is it something I like, will I be happy keeping it if it doesn't sell
2- Is it something I want to buy as a research project, just to find out what it is

After a while you will gain more and more knowledge about what you like to collect and sometimes that knowledge can cross over to help broaden your searches.

I check the local thrifts, antique shops and pawn shops (for jewelry), yard and estate sales can be very good. The best things I have found have been at house calls, including friends and neighbors who have "old family stuff" to get rid of.

I bought my first smart phone (an iPhone) 6 years ago and I never looked back. Not only is it a great on-the-spot reference tool, but I sell at the flea market and using it to take credit cards has been a game changer. I don't know about anywhere else, but here in the USA on Cape Cod young people do not carry cash or checks, credit cards, debit cards yes.

 

Thank you for your great tips! Buying something that I would be fine to keep is a good idea. I should of thought of that before buying that one doll I got recently,lol. Smart phones are indeed a great tool to have! I'm one of those 'young people' who rarely carries cash (I know, terrible habit). I was also so amazed to see one of those phone device apps that allows credit cards at the farmer's market, I'm going to consider that if I decide to sell at the flea market. Technology has gone wild

 

Wonderful advice from everyone above.

Another vote for phone here. Don't feel bad about the time it takes to use your phone. Whenever you look up something that you don't know about, that is (or is not) going to be a good purchase, you have learned something for the future.

Re: Cabbage patch dolls. 99.9% of them are worthless. This is why a phone is ESSENTIAL. There are 14,000 Cabbage Patch unsold under Ebay Completed.

Actually, hanging out HERE, reading other people's posts, that has been a tool for me over the years.

Good luck.

 

All of the above, and..... ask here.

 

Thank you!
I will stick to the using the phone and taking my time, had I done that yesterday I probably wouldn't have bought that one hmco figurine that's already being sold on Ebay by over 20 different sellers..but on a good note, I actually really like it so will add it to my collection . I also can agree that joining this community has been extremely helpful, you don't get too much help sometimes when asking others in person so it's been great to find an online forum where you can share interests with others (I was already driving my mom dizzy speaking about these things.. but like someone mentioned, it's addicting once you start collecting and learning it's hard to stop )

 

Ditto what everyone else said.

 

There should be one more question you ask yourself.
Can I at least double my money?
Usually you do a lot better than double if buying at thrift stores.

I do not have a smart phone and don't regret it.
The gamble is half the fun of the hunt.

Do I make mistakes? Yes. That's how you learn.

 

I'm with you cluttered, I don't have a smart phone either and agree the gamble is half the fun

 

I have a smart phone but really don't use it. I just try to go with my gut and what I know at this point. Some of my friends at estate sales use theirs all the time.
And yes, I make mistakes too but the gamble sometimes pays off.

 

For most things don't use my phone, things I already know the approximate value of from years of selling. Or something that has a high quality or desirable look, will positively gamble. If an item is unsigned, or signature hard to read, the phone doesn't really help you anyway.

But there are many things out there with value that isn't obvious, the latest pop culture items for example, decades in the antique business won't help you evaluate, that kind of thing I find it incredibly handy to have a phone for.

Also something can be beautiful... a floral china teapot, yes that might do well in a store. But if your main venue is online, that particular brand teapot might be better to take a pass for online since with a quick look on your phone, here are 10 unsold at $14.99 on Ebay.

Frankly I use it more to pass on items than to get them. And it has been a learning tool for me.

Lots of ways to go about this business, though. To each his/her own, and interesting to hear people's thoughts and habits.

Best of luck!