Top Tips For sourcing Antiques and Vintage Online

Are you a lover of real design, or the type who desires home items that no one finds just anywhere? Perhaps you love to own vintage pieces of furniture, art collections, and not some common or trendy pieces everyone beautifies their spaces with. Buying antiques is a wonderful way to collect peculiar items. But do you find it distressing to attend antique auctions or visit auction rooms? Feel free, you are not alone! 

I will guide you through the processes involved in sourcing antiques online rather than visiting auction shops.

Let’s dive in!

Shopping Antiques Online

Even though the best deals are released at auctions, a typical auction room can be quite an alarming area filled with noises. As if that’s not enough, the hassle of getting there before the crowd, struggling to acquire what you want, the whole stress and timing might not be hurdles you are willing to cross. 

However, the story is different when you are shopping online, be it top-notch antiques or flea-market finds. There are several sites selling these items at auction and/or fixed prices. The most tantalizing aspect of this is that you would get to shop for items you love at your convenience. 

I have put together the following tips to help you do this effectively, with no hitch whatsoever. 

Read on to find out what we have in stock for you.

How To Source Antiques Online Effectively – Tips!

1. Know the worth of items

This isn’t so difficult for designers and others in the industry—it’s their job to recognize the value of certain items based on their age, condition, and scarcity.

Unlike, most of us who have to peruse various sites to improve our knowledge on these items. Surf the internet all you can but in the events that you have some free time on your hands, you can check out antique fairs, shops, or auctions. At these places, there is a high likelihood of meeting collectors with whom you can exchange information on prices and ways to differentiate original items from effigy.

1. Prepare for Negotiation

Usually, driving a hard bargain can earn you a substantial reduction in prices. You can do as much as you can at a physical sale, or even more. Since you do not get to make eye contact with the seller, haggling becomes easier and more homely. This you can do when you make an inquiry or reach out to them personally.

1. Try Out eBay Search Tricks

Several regular eBay purchasers claim they get good discounts by intentionally misspelling an item’s or designer’s name in their searches. 

If the seller made a mistake, fewer people will find the item, thus you’ll have less competition when bidding. 

If there is a predetermined price, though, act quickly. Sometimes it’s just a matter of luck when it comes to internet purchasing.

1. Shop Around

On rare occasions, a dealer will offer an item on 1st Dibs as well as their own website. You’ll probably spend less for the identical item on the dealer’s site, where you may be able to haggle the price one-on-one, because 1st Dibs levies a high commission to dealers. However, don’t expect to locate dealer names easily on 1st Dibs, as the firm doesn’t want its potential buyers to cut out the middlemen. While we advocate adhering to the regulations, there are other sites that allow buyers to contact vendors at their leisure.

Sometimes, but not usually, the same item is sold at the same price on several websites.

1. Avoid the dreaded buyer’s regret

Here, too, the adage holds true: buy only what you adore. Don’t squander money on items that don’t match your decor or your preferences.