FINDING NEW HOMES FOR YOUR PET ANTIQUES

Antiques. They are in a league all their own. Most of the time it is a love/hate relationship; you either can’t get enough of them or you want nothing to do with them.

Sometimes you mention the word “antique” and folks think you have the greatest treasure in the world. Maybe I am of a different breed, but I have always gone with the theory that if I like something, I like it. It makes no difference if it is 100 years old or if it was made yesterday. Let’s face it, we have all seen antiques that would never win a beauty prize.

There is also the issue of how relevant an antique is. It has been said that future generations will not appreciate them so much because they won’t remember the older items being used during their lifetime. Thus, their value may be going down.

I guess my generation has the best of both worlds. I am old enough (just barely) to know what most antiques are and have even used some of them. Even if I didn’t use them, I can remember my parents and grandparents talking about using them. By the same token, I am also young enough to realize that sometimes it is pointless to hang onto all of them for future generations who will only regard them as “stuff.”

So, on that note, how do you find new homes for some antiques that have outlived their usefulness or maybe you have never really cared for them but were expected to keep them because they were your great, great, great grandfather’s whatever?

Going through this lately, I have found that there are a few different ways. If you do it right, it will take some time to find the right home for yesterday’s treasures. The first thing is to know what you have. This is no simple task. A dish isn’t just a dish, a milk can isn’t just a milk can and this is true with just about any item.

Go over your item with a fine-tooth comb. Jot down any names, dates or other markings that will help to identify it. Make note of the condition. Then go to the great marketplace, Ebay, and use as many descriptive words as you can to find an item as close to yours as you can. You will be amazed at how many variations there are for all items.

Prices will also be all over the board. The best way I have found is to find the highest and lowest and, unless mine is in mint condition, go for an average of the high and low prices.  Also, look for the price of the sold items rather than just the items that are for sale. Finding out what you have and how much it is worth is half the battle.

I have had a lot of luck selling antiques on Marketplace on Facebook. It’s a great way to connect buyers and sellers without putting too much personal information out there. You can communicate with potential buyers through Messenger and you are in control of how much personal info you give them. This is a great way to exchange photos and info about the item.

For the most part, when I sell an item on Marketplace, I choose to meet in town by my local fire station. It is safer for the buyer and for myself. If, by chance, I know the buyer I let them come to my place to pick up the item.

I also like the specialized groups that you can join through Marketplace. You can choose certain areas where you would like to sell and there are specialized groups such as Antique Farm Machinery for Sale if your item falls in that category. You know that folks on that site are looking for particular items rather than sorting through general stuff.

There are also other forums that are designed specifically to move antiques such as Antique Weekly and other publications. Believe it or not, in this digital age, people still read classifieds. There is just something about grabbing the paper and a cup of coffee and sitting down to browse. On this note, don’t discount your local shopper that usually is printed weekly. Some people still read these religiously.

Online forums are also great ways to get the word out. Google online sites to place classifieds that specialize such as antique toys, china and other specialty items. Be sure and think outside the box. I used to think that AgTalk was just for farmers. I have discovered there are a lot of things for us gals on there too, including a classified section that anyone can post in for free.

Auctions have spread their wings too. There are still auction houses scattered around but many now offer online bidding. Here, you are at the mercy of lady luck. It just depends who is bidding against who and you may not always get the real value for your item unless you can put a reserve amount on it, meaning that you can put a reserve price on it and if bidding doesn’t reach that, it won’t sell. The downside to this is that you may still have to pay the auctioneer’s commission.

Of course, there is always E-bay. The upside here is that it reaches folks all over the world. However, the downside is that there are so many charges associated with it that you have to inflate the price of your item to get the amount you initially wanted. There are E-bay and Paypal charges and you also have to deal with shipping costs and packaging.

Craig’s List is another option that offers posts for free. However, it has gotten some bad reviews lately as  scammers are a part of any online site.

I recently had it happen to me. The usual drift is that someone will message you and offer to send a check and pick up the item later. They send the check, pick up the item and then stop payment on the check. That’s one way. The other is that they bait you on, with no intention of buying, only to gain your personal info….sad, but true.

The biggest thing about selling antiques is to make sure you know their real value before listing them and also deciding what your absolute bottom line is in reference to price and stick to it. Remember, an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Secondly, once you have decided to part with an item, don’t let guilt creep in. If you are sentimentally attached to an item, then don’t even entertain the idea of selling it. However, if it has no sentimental value, you are better off selling and using the money to put toward something that you will treasure, perhaps a family portrait that you have been putting off.

Antiques are in a class all by themselves. Either you love ‘em or you don’t! Each of your antique “pets” have a life and a history of their own. If you have a fondness for them, that is great but if you don’t, just like fur babies, they have a right to a good home.