Chester Antique Mall
Chester Antique Mall

We Buy Antique and Estates

 

Selling your antiques or liquidating an estate can seem like a daunting almost imposable task. There are some important steps you should consider.

Don't just throw it out -- Original boxes particularly for toys and trains may represent 20% to 40% of their value regardless of condition.

When liquidating and estate save the photos and documents.-- if you sell aunt Edna's rocker it can be replaced but if you dispose of her picture it will be gone for good.

Depending on your timeframe researching your items may result in greater value. Good sources are the internet and auction record site. Remember that an asking price on a site is not the same as market value -- anyone can ask anything. Always be sure that you view actual selling prices. It is also a good idea to find more than one sale since a single sale may not be representative of the market. It is also important to view current pricing as a price as little as two years old may be considerably above or below market.

So how are things sold or purchased in the antique marketplace?

The internet method is dominated by EBay and Craig's list. While Craig's list is without charge EBay charges a number of fees for selling an item. In both cases it takes both time and effort to sell an item. If you have the time selling online can be both fun and rewarding.

Auctions are similar to internet sale and most auction houses list their auctions live on the internet as well. Most charge 20% to the seller an 15% to 20% to the buyer. Auctions tend to be wholesale events as many antique dealers buy at auction for later resale. There are times when the interest is high on an item and the price realized can be spectacular. The only problem with auctions is that you just never know when or if it will happen.

Antique dealers purchase antiques for between 20% and 30% of market value and sell at 75% of market value. There is between a 12 and 24 month sell cycle so an items size/marketability is always a concern. This can be the quickest way to sell an item a a fixed price

The Chester Antique Mall is happy to provide a free consultation on any item or an entire estate you may wish to sell. We no longer offer written estimates due to IRS rule changes but will be glad to assist you in purchasing your item or pointing you in the right direction. Please call us for an appointment 908-879-5121 or email us at bill@cantiquemall.com

 

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