Have you ever wondered what to do with that untouched vintage clothing collection in your basement? Are you interested in turning a typical antique hobby into a new business endeavor? Well, lucky for you, anyone can sell antiques! With the right combination of passion, grit, and a little insider information, you’ll be a part of the vintage world in no time.
3 Reasons You Should Sell Antiques
No matter who you are or what you collect, there are endless reasons to want to sell vintage items, including:
1. Join a Like-Minded Community
Whether selling online or setting up shop in an antique mall, there are countless opportunities to connect with the vendors around you. Although you’ll be your own boss, running your vintage shop, you get the chance to network with people who are passionate about the same hobby as you.
2. Sell Vintage Items to Make Supplementary Income
A large motivator of learning to sell antiques is the money—and with good reason. Whether you’re discovering a vintage doll collection for a few bucks at the thrift store or picking up a free mid-century modern table on the Facebook marketplace, most people getting rid of their belongings have no idea how valuable they can be! With your knowledge and business skills, you’ll get to find undervalued items and then sell vintage items for their real worth to your customers!
3. Selling Your Wares is Fun!
Above all other reasons, people sell antiques because it’s fun and they enjoy investing time and energy in it. This career can be completely personalized, allowing you to collect and sell whatever type of items bring you joy. From fixing up old furniture to selling a beginner’s coin collection to another avid collector, learning how to sell vintage items is exhilarating.
What Qualifies as Vintage vs. Antique?
As you get to know the market, it’s important to understand the differences between vintage items and antique pieces. It’s largely accepted across the board that something vintage is at least 20 years old, while antiques are more than 100 years old. Both can be extremely valuable in their ways, depending on the item you find—it’s just a matter of learning the difference as you build your collection.
Do You Need to Get Items Authenticated to Sell Antiques?
To come off as a trustworthy and transparent antique business, you should have your antique items authenticated. Clients appreciate trusting that the seller has authenticated an item and priced it accurately and fairly, so learning the methods for appraisal and certification can be helpful to successfully sell antiques and create a good client-seller relationship.
How to Get Antiques Authenticated
Many antique sellers use online services such as ValueMyStuff or WorthPoint. When you send your items away or upload pictures to their database, professionals will look at them to determine when it was made and by what company. They will then give you an accurate value to use as your price so you can sell vintage items.
In some cases, you may be able to research an item to find its potential value on your own using price guides or online auction sites such as eBay. Sell antique items by discovering the projected value in this day and age, as well as researching what customers are willing to pay for similar items.
5 Insider Tips for Creating Your Antique Business
Even with a basis of knowledge, making the leap to sell antiques can feel daunting. Consider these five tips as you get your business up and running:
Tip 1: Choose a Niche to Appeal to a Target Audience
Don’t spread yourself too thin—try growing your target audience by picking a niche. Focus on collecting vintage furniture from a certain era or vintage Christmas collectibles. When you become an expert on one or two types of antiques, you can price, market, and sell vintage items easily.
Common Types of Antiques to Collect:
Vintage clothing
Vintage toys
Furniture
Coins
Collectible figurines
Home decor
Tip 2: Invest in Growing Your Antique Collection
Invest time and energy into collecting before you start to sell vintage items. You can begin your search from the comfort of your home and browse for antiques online. When you have free time, take action and visit your local thrift stores, flea markets, and our antique mall locations to make contacts with the other vendors and enjoy an in-person search for the items you know you can resell on your own.
Tip 3: Don’t Undervalue Your Antiques
Once your items are authenticated, you need to come up with a reasonable and worthwhile price before putting them on the market. It may seem like an instinct to undervalue your collection, but you must take all the time, energy, and money you’ve put into collecting and maintaining each item. Use the appraisal value as a starting point and determine what price you’re comfortable giving the public.
Tip 4: Find a Method to Sell Antiques That Works For You
Setting up a website shop or putting
individual pieces online works wonderfully for some. For others, half the fun of the job is setting up an antique booth and getting to sell vintage items in a brick-and-mortar store with new and returning customers. When selling at an America’s Antique Mall, you can focus on procuring items and displaying them and letting the staff handle the rest. Whether you work best remotely handling all the details yourself or crave the support of an established Antique Mall, deciding what method works best with your schedule and skills is the key to a successful business.
Tip 5: Determine Branding and Marketing to Sell Vintage Items
Every business needs a marketing strategy, and selling antiques is no different! Get your name out there, whether that means starting an Instagram page or printing business cards to hand out to customers when you attend local vintage markets looking for merchandise for your booth or showcase. Every detail of your business matters, from the signs you make for your booth to the way you arrange your display in the store. Think carefully about what tone you want your shop to relay and make it happen! If you are selling in a vintage shop or antique mall, take a look at the marketing they do to determine how their efforts will increase your sales and complement your marketing style.
5 Ways to Advertise Your Antique Business:
Social media
Postcards
Attending local markets and other vintage events
Connecting with other collectors online or in person
Creative signs
Bonus Tip: Keep Valuable Items in
Locked Showcases
From vintage jewelry to rare books, your wares will be best protected if you invest in renting locked showcases. Customers who are interested in finding those rare and valuable items will find many grouped together as they peruse the locked showcase area. At America’s
Antique Mall, when a shopper finds something they would like to take a closer look at, they can press a buzzer, and our team will unlock the showcase and help them make their selection. Keeping these high-value collectibles behind locked glass but accessible to customers creates a great balance of showing value and giving a great customer service experience.
Anyone can sell antiques, whether you’ve been practicing this hobby for years or were inspired out of the blue. With our simple insider tips, a passion for collecting, and a little business savvy, you can set up shop and sell vintage items with us at our Algonquin, Melbourne, or Highland locations when you’re ready!
