Can You Make Money Selling Antiques in 2023 (Complete Guide)
Is your ambition to sell antiques as a side income and do you want to learn if this side hustle is something for you? Can you make money selling antiques in 2022? Most people aren’t aware about the huge possibilities there are in selling antiques because most people don’t have the knowledge. But the thing is that it is not hard to learn, it is like everything else that you have to have an eye for a good opportunity.
I like flipping products on Facebook marketplace and for me it took some hours before I got a good sense on what was selling and what was not selling. When I started to be familiar with the market I started to track a record on the prices on the products that were selling.
After a while I used my gained knowledge and headed over to ebay and started to track different products there and noticed that antiques are very unique and that there is a lot of money to be made.
So let me guide you and answer your question: can you make money selling antiques?
How Do You Know If Something Is Antique?
Antiques are items which must be at least 100 years old to be classified as an antique. But the age that people see as antique differs a lot between antique. Some stores will say that items that are 50 years or older are considered antique, while other antique dealers might define items 150 years or older to be antique.
How To Start Selling Antiques
First you need to decide if you own any antiques worth money that you want to sell, or what kind of antiques you want to buy and sell for profit. Here is the process from start to finish.
- Decide what antiques you want to sell.
- Get an appraisal on your antiques so you know how much it’s worth.
- Decide if you want to sell it for that price or if you want to wait (some items get more value over time)
- Find the best place to sell your antique.
- Reinvest some money and repeat.
Can You Make Money Selling Antiques
Short answer: Yes, you can make a lot of money if you approach this as a side hustle! A typical antiques dealer earns around $47,750 a year.
Long answer: Buying and selling items are common for most people nowadays. We have Facebook marketplace, garage sales and flea markets where you can find antiques for a cheap price. Because of the popularity in selling old things there is also a huge audience who want to buy your used antiques.
This is where you come in, buying low and selling expensive. But you need to have knowledge in the areas of what’s popular, what price to buy for and what the product sell for.
How Much Money Can You Make Selling Antiques
Between $500 to $1000 in cash a month depending on your knowledge and what products you can find. It is not hard to sell antiques when you have them, but it’s hard to find antiques to sell. You need to be persistent and don’t give up, to know when there is a good opportunity.
Best Places To Buy Your Antiques
Buying and selling antiques can be quite hard, so when you are searching for your next antique to buy and sell for profit you need to know where to look. Here are 8 different locations to start your journey on making money with antiques.
- Flea markets
- Antique dealer
- Antique shows
- Garage sales
- Antiques online
- Consignment shop
- Facebook marketplace
- eBay
Best Places To Sell Your Antiques
Once you found your antique and bought it, got it appraised, you want to sell it right. You want that sweet cash so you can move on to your next object to earn even more!
Here is a list where you can sell your antiques.
- ArtFire
- Auction Houses
- Bonanza
- Consignment Stores
- Craigslist
- eBay
- eBid
- Etsy
- Flea Markets
- Local Antique Shops
- OfferUp
- Pawn Shops
- Ruby Lane
- Yard Sales
But if you come across a really expensive item you want to look into selling it at an auction. You might be surprised how much money some people will pay for a really nice and rare item.
How Much Is My Antiques Worth?
So how do you know how much your antiques are worth? You need help with appraisal!
At first it’s really hard when you are just starting out in the business so you will need help. But after a while you will learn what to look for.
Here are the best places to do appraisal online.
Free Online Resources for Antique Appraisals
- AntiqForum
The AntiqForum provides free price guides and appraisals for different kinds of antiques. They specialize in Meissen, Royal Vienna, Royal Worcester and some other decorative antiques. You can email them for a free appraisal but you need to keep in mind that this website also buys antiques. But this site also buys antiques which could be a conflict of interest.
So the assessment can be based on a wholesale value and not the accurate market value.
- Christie’s
If you think your antique is worth a lot of money. You should look into the possibility of getting a high-end auction estimate with Christie’s online valuation. If you choose to sell your antique at a auction, the item could sell for much higher or lower than the estimate.
- Gannon’s Antiques and Art
This large antique gallery is located in Florida, and they will provide you with free appraisals on antique furniture, jewelry, different antiques, and different kinds of estates. The appraisal service is free but they are limited with their information because they also buy antiques.
- InstAppraisal
This is a forum with a great online community that helps their users to find the value of the antiques for free. You can post an image or question regarding your piece and get a valuation from them. This is a great way to get valuable information from people in the niche.
- Mr. Expert
Mister Expert is a site that offers a free appraisal of the value of all items of artistic value, furniture and collectibles. They have experience in 28 different categories and promise an answer within 48 hours.
- WorthPoint
One of the best places to start is to check out WorthPoint. They have a huge database with over 540 million antique prices and a blog with thousands of articles. They have a free trial so it is totally worth a try. If you are serious about learning about antiques this is the best place.
I love Etsy and it is a great place to search for items and get a good indication how much my items are worth this time. Going online to find answers quickly is one of the best things about this type of business. So you could say that this is a free appraisal site!
Conclusion
So can you make money selling antiques in 2022, and the answer is a huge Yes!
There is easy knowledge to be gained, a lot of antiques on the market for a cheap price and people willing to pay. You just have to get in there and start making money today.
I hope you gained the knowledge you needed for you to start buying and selling antiques. If you have any good tips or experience leave a comment and help everyone who is reading this.
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