Featured Cold-selling at the Antique mall?

So I'm going on a Spring Break road trip from my home in the Pac NW down to the desert SW. Ill be hitting some antique malls along the way.

I was thinking of taking a bin of Pueblo pottery with me in the car, and asking when I walk into places if they buy things. If so, I'll go get the bin.

Has anyone had any experience doing this kind of thing? Is this a dumb idea?

(I don't want to take them if there's not a good chance of finding people interested, since there's a limit on space in my car.)

Thanks for all opinions.

 

You're taking things back to the market they came from.

1. the market is there, and it's spring, ...so a good time to increase stock.
That means , you should find buyers.

2. the market is there, so they should have no problem getting local stock , which means your items may not be in great demand.

Also......the folks who stock antique malls......are like the folks here....they search out stock at rock bottom prices.....and sell as close to retail as possible.

3. Some of your items , of higher quality....with good names.....or unique...or older ...will garner more interest ...and get higher prices , than say , your average fair.

So taking several of your better items......that you know should be of interest, that you're willing to let go of in an effort score cash that you can put towards new finds, and better quality items , is a sound idea.

4. If, on the other hand you don't wish to part with some of your good stock , taking a bunch of items you are actively looking to ..... part with...., is not a bad idea either, but they'll be harder to sell & get way less money.

5 . A mix of the two upper & lower quality items , is yet another way to go , leaving it up to you as to who gets shown the gems......and who gets shown the also-rans.

Are you going on the trip as a buyer or seller..???

Trick question......... as you always have to be ready to purchase, given the opportunity when spotting quality merchandise that you can get at a very good price.

As basically a seller...... pack the damn car to the hilt , cuz you don't know who you'll run into or what they may be looking for !!!!!!!

Remember......you'll be selling to dealers in the marketplace....so only take the items you know about !

Hi there : I have this pottery I found online. What do you think of it ?

will not cut the mustard..........

Hello there : I have this Pueblo Blackware bowl , signed by Martinez , made around 1960. Just look at the quality, it's in great shape !!

That....is a great opening !!

Good luck......& keep the stuff out of sight and the car alarm on !!!

 

there's a limit on space in my car

What ?
u driving a smart car.....or a Vette ????

 

I would place a few craigslist ads (with photos) in the areas you plan to be and plan plan meets with potential buyers. Also, search for businesses (in advance) and contact them to find out what items they may be interested in. That would be a bit better use of time.

 

And, of course, we're expecting pictures of the trip.

 

The problem at the malls is that they vendors are usually not there unless restocking. The people manning the malls are often vendors that have to "do their" turn behind the counter. They might be willing to contact a vendor. I am with roaring on the idea of contact the malls in advance and asking to meet with pottery vendors ahead of time.

 

Most places will buy from cold calls. You may not find people with your specialized interest so few will pay even 1/2 of retail. You might do better trying to sell to people who deal specifically in NA goods. Given your planned route, I would think you should be able to identify several specific targets before heading out. Phone calls to general malls might get you the phone numbers of specific dealers interested as well. That way, you might be able to give them a heads-up to meet you at the mall when you get in to town.

 

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback everyone!

...which is why I'm gonna keep it!


I'm feeling like I should have done some legwork a lot earlier... contacting places beforehand is a really good idea.

Maybe I'll take a smaller number of pieces, of the better ones, and see what happens.

 

That's a good point. The upside to being a collector of SW stuff in the NW, is that many people don't know what's what. But for the exact same reason, it's hard to be a seller of those same things once I've moved on from them.

 

You'll find good interest...but probably get painfully scalped unless you have a pretty good idea of what they're "worth"...an' are aware the dealer has to double or triple his purchase price to stay in business.
Not at all a bad idea if you just want to be rid of 'em without considering what you may have in them.
Good luck, Pottery!

 

Thank you!

 

all good advice........... we're rooting for you !!!

 

Thank you! I appreciate that.

 

They probably wouldn't want to buy unless they wholesale prices and good pieces.

 

Well, I'm back from my road trip, and I still have the 20 pieces of pottery I took with me.

I asked a half-dozen antique / collectible mall people if they also bought items, and responses were 'only turquoise' or, 'other dealers might be interested, but they're not here now, but if you want to leave your name, number etc'. So that all was a fail. No biggie.

In Las Vegas, the "antique mall" had stuff like this:



No thanks.

@moreotherstuff asked for pictures, so here's a couple from Death Valley National Park, biggest U.S. park outside of Alaska, and surprisingly not hot this time of year.

 

glad yer back safe and sound........
nice shots !!!

no sales.........their loss !!

you find any goodies ????

 

I found one thing: an Inuit print that I think is a good one. I'll post a pic when I'm back home.

 

I hope it's this one !!!!!!

 

It's this one:

 

I can't tell the size.....but it looks small enuf to be an art card..

@Mark London , would know !