1. Do you buy antiques?
Yes, we are constantly buying and selling antiques, but we sell
far more than we buy.
We sell
antiques on our sister website
www.Patented-Antiques.com. We sell antiques that are
consigned to us from private individuals, antique collectors,
their relatives or spouses, other antique dealers, various museums, both private and public, estate attorneys, estate liquidators,
and a number of other sources.
If you have antiques or vintage collectibles you want to sell please contact us
by email,
AND / OR phone at 530 620 7019.
2. How
do you sell antiques?
Most of our antique sales take place from our website
www.Patented-Antiques.com.
The antiques listed for sale there are primarily on consignment from several
antique collections and
various collectors or other individuals seeking to sell antiques. Please take a look.
We also offer a eBay listing service for select /
certain antiques
if that is the proper route to go. I sell there using the ID
TheAntiqueMerchant.
Feel free to check out my record there.
3. How
much do you charge to sell antiques on consignment?
We charge a sliding scale depending on the value of the
individual antique, or the size of the antique collection. That can range
from as low as 10% for certain pieces and situations, to 20%-30% for
most consignments, and up to a 50-50 split for items that sell for under
$100.
4. I want to sell my antique but do not know
what it is worth. What do I do?
You can do some research yourself. Pay for an appraisal. Look at eBay
sales results.
Or have me help you sell it on a consignment basis, where we
are working together to achieve maximum value. We can then discuss the value as part of the service
we provide in a win -win scenario for both of us.
5.
I want to sell my antique now! Will you make me an offer?
It is very difficult to make offers on antiques that I have not seen or that are
not in front of me in a face to face negotiation. There are too
many variables involved.
If you want me to make an offer, and we have determined
I have an interest, we can arrange for your antique to be sent
to me. I will study its condition and research its value, and then
make you a reasonable offer. If you are not happy with my offer I will send it back,
or we can arrange for me to sell it for you on consignment.
The only cost to you is time and shipping one way.
6. Do you do Appraisals / Give Free Online
Valuations?
1. Consultations about values and pricing of
your antiques to be listed on our sales pages at
www.Patented-Antiques.com are
free and included in the
consignment package.
2. Appraisals and any info for individual antiques not
to be offered for sale that I can perform
off the top of my head are $9.95.
3. Detailed Appraisals in writing that entail further research are
a minimum $19.95 and up depending on the volume, time spent
researching, and level of information you are looking for. We
can discuss that.
7. I
contacted you and never heard back? What gives.
If you call me about selling your antique or antiques
and get my answering machine, and expect a response, you have to leave
enough information for me to determine I am interested.
In many cases I cannot respond to phone calls or emails that simply say
"I
have a ??? Are you interested", with no other information.
Please Note: To
get a sense of why, take a look at a few examples of the numerous
requests for free information / appraisals we receive on a daily basis.
Please see
this page.
8. I do not want an appraisal, I just need help or
more information about what I have. Can you help?
I
get 50+ of these requests a day, mixed in with the 400 or so spams
wanting me to buy their products, and although we would like to, we simply do not have the time to respond
individually to each of these requests or those wonderful offers.
9. How much
do you pay for Antiques, or how much can I get for my Antique?
This really depends on the individual piece but in
general, depending on the condition, rarity, and desirability of the
given piece, we have been known to pay and are oftentimes able to sell
great antiques for 100% or more of current retail. That is the
nature of great stuff. It sells well, and quickly.
At the other end if what you have is not desirable,
popular, in great condition or in demand, you will receive much less. In other words great pieces
that are in great condition bring great money, while lesser stuff
that is tough to sell, sells for much less if at all.
10.
But why should I
consign my antiques to you for sale instead of doing it myself, or
sending it to auction, or listing them on eBay myself? Can't I do
better there?
There are a number of reasons I can think of! In
no particular order:
1. My two websites get close to 1000 unique
visitors each day. That is 1000 focused and interested potential buyers a
day walking through "my store".
2. My ranking with the different major search
engines is very good. You found it, and you can find it over and
over again with relevant keyword searches in the search engines for
the types of antiques we deal in. So does everyone else who is
looking for those types of antiques.
3. I charge a reasonable sliding scale fee for
the services I provide.
4. I know what I am doing, I do it well, and I
work diligently and tirelessly for my consignors to the best of my abilities.
5. I sell a lot of antiques.
6. I sell many antiques for more
than you can get from other venues including eBay or most auctions.
I know how much what I sell is worth, and I get full value for it. I can prove that or tell you
"antiquing war stories" about record sales all day long.
That is not to say that for certain things eBay is not a better venue.
For most it is not, but again that is part of the service I provide,
helping with or
making that decision.
7. We can & will guide and
counsel you, and help you pick the best way to sell your specific
antiques for the best price. For a detailed explanation and specific examples of
how we operate please see the
Pressing Iron Page or
Woodworking Planes Page
as well as other pages through the links in the left column.
6. Within Reason the consignor / owner controls the final price he receives for given pieces.
In most instances I try to tack my sales commission onto the sellers
asking price thus netting him exactly what he want. In the past I have
sold pieces for far more than the consignor was
expecting or hoping for.
At auction on the other hand you take what you get
minus the commission and fees and hope the right buyers were watching
or attending that day for most pieces.
7. To date I have
only had to return a couple of pieces to consignors because of a
lack of a sale due to time.
8. Ebay Try it.
Try listing a broad range of your stuff on eBay Do not list the
6 best things first. Mix it up list 20 or 30 things across the
board value wise and then get back to me with the results and your
sense of how that went.
Note: I recently had someone report back
about how well they had done selling a certain pressing iron on eBay
for $1200.00. They were real proud until I showed them where the last
one sold had brought $4000.
Another short eBay story. The last
electric iron I listed on eBay that had brought 900 in a different
venue sold for a whopping 33.00 on eBay. And mine was in
nicer condition.
There is a reason it is called the wholesale market of the
world!!
11.
OK. How do I
consign my antiques to you to sell?
Simple!! Just contact us
by email,
or phone 530 620 7019. If you use the phone
and get the message machine tell me slowly and clearly what it is you
have.
** Please have the antique object in front of you, and be
ready to discuss it. ***
12. How do I receive payment for antiques that I sell you
or you sell for me?
Your choice. We can pay by check, MO, wire transfer, or Paypal
if you prefer. Cash is an option as well if we meet.
13. How long does it take?
We will pay you promptly upon receipt or sale of the item by the method of
your choice.
14. Do you have a shop?
Brick & Mortar? No, we do not. We do some antique shows, but in
general our business is now primarily internet based through our two
websites. We have over 1000 unique visitors to those sites per day.
That is real traffic through the "store". Much more than any brick or
mortar store or any typical auction can claim.
15. Do you make a lot of money doing this?
No, but my consignors have. I paid out close to
$200,000 in checks to them in the last couple of years with no
complaints. I do enjoy it and it keeps me very busy.
Thank You!
Larry & Carole
Contact Us
www.Antiqbuyer.com
