Stand at an antique centre

he was in the right place at the right time and knew his market very well indeed. That’s the trick to making a profit

I know a lot of people in the antiques trade and of course they lost money when the pandemic hit and lockdowns closed up all the antique markets and fairs. Those who were already online did well and many wished they already had a web presence. Auction houses also switched to online and now about 60% or purchases are to online buyers.

The antique fairs are beginning to open up again. I went to one on sunday where there is usually a long queue of the public waiting to go in when the trade are leaving. It seemed very quiet and most of the European dealers and buyers did not show up. Many people are still too scared to travel and the news of chaos at airposts does not help.

I would not want to go back to stalling out at fairs etc. Its too much hard physical work. Whereas with a few online shops you can make money while you sleep. I sell mainly to the US market now.

When my (hard-working) brother-in-law started selling antique furniture thirty years ago I wished him luck, but I wondered if the market was big enough for him to make a living out of it.

He did. He now sells huge antique pieces to high end London shops, famous footballers, film and TV companies and to American buyers for big department stores. His phone pinged when we were at a wedding recently and he smiled as he said that a piece costing £37k had just been sold via his website.

Msdaisy I think when he started up he was in the right place at the right time and knew his market very well indeed. That’s the trick to making a profit - along with a healthy dose of hard work and a little bit of luck.

I never tell people what I deal in except in a very general sense. I dont want people on forums looking me up because they dont happen to like what I said in a posting.

I was once on an Ebay forum where someone not using a posting ID admitted to running a debt collection company. His auctions were sabotaged for months! (Nothing to do with me!)

I only wish those who have tried this had put a photo on here of what they deal in.
I love vintage items, probably because I am an antique myself.

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Its not that old. Presumably the poster was still interested in the subject. No none said you had to read it.

Nannatuesday2 why start this old thread? Second one today.

Hi Biglouis, Funnily enough I did this , as I also am a big vintage collector . I started by doing a few fairs the type in village halls etc. A year or so prior to our 1st Lockdown I rented a space in a Vintage /Gift Shop. while I sold almost everything I placed there & at more than a 100%profit on them ( I always brought cheaply & had some items for a long while) I never actually made £££'s ! Due to my stupidity really , The place was some miles away from my home & the cost of the Unit plus fuel did not equal the amount made.
so while I enjoyed it , sold a lot my lesson was /is sell for more £££'s & closer to home.
Saying that I have also sold many other Vintage & Retro items via that social media platform selling site .

I started out in antiques back in the 1970s when I used to take an occasional saturday stall in my area, with a cousin as a helper. It taught me a lot about the trade and about selling. I gave it up in the mid 80s when I left my home city and still had a large collection Id built up.

I began selling again in the early 2000s when I discovered Ebay and opened a shop. I also sold on Etsy but do not recommend that company at all. I still have my Ebay shop but also sell on Ruby Lane (a US based antiques mall), my own website and a site in Spain.

Im now retired and in my 70s but being in business gives me a useful income and an interest. Its a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

You could start out with some casual selling on one of the main sites and there are also many Facebook groups which buy and sell vintage. Mostly use Paypal as a payment method. If you sell through a private FB group there will be a lot less in bureaucracy than selling somewhere like Ebay or Etsy.

My advice would be to specialise in some niche area such as a particular period, medium or type of antiques and vintage. You can then become an expert on that subject anjd make your shop the "go to" place for those items.

I currently have a booth that I sell antiques and hand made things in. One way I discourage theft is to limit small stock. Anything that can be tucked away in a pocket or purse I try to mount on something bigger (like jewelry). It's hard to tell what people are looking for, but I go to estate sales and get a lot of old kitchen things that don't cost a lot so I can still make a profit without charging a lot.

There’s no money in it. People won’t pay the prices asked. I worked in 2 antiques centres and never really thought anyone was making money. Once you’ve sold a few things you have to replace them. This requires time and petrol money. It’s fun but you’ll never make any money. Ebay has high fees but is a better bet. Small household items sell well on Facebook Marketplace and there are no fees.

I have been a full time antique dealer at fairs and antique centres for 35yrs, no other income was coming into our home. To succeed my husband and I worked 7 days a week.Its not as easy as is made out with the TV programmes.They are mainly fixed for entertainment.You may be lucky and make some pin money,but unless you put the work in ,study ,observe,learn as much as you can about the type of things you want to sell otherwise you will loose more than you make.
We started very slowly,doing house cleaning and gardening to bring in income,learning as we went along but believe me this is not an easy income game.

Car booting or antique markets stall on an 'as and when' basis sounds more suited and may sate your thirst for curios adventure!?

Wow I've always fancied being a guide at national trust house/property! You've given me an idea, if only part time it does sound a bit different and interesting!

I used to be based on a huge so called antiques centre in my last job,( I was in offices not connected to this side of business) and I quickly learned that it's not a good idea for the tenants! Footfall random rents high and things go missing......... Also rents are quite restrictive and the tie in on the agreement can be crippling if times are lean! A case very much of 'buyer beware' for the stallholder! Think carefully before committing x

I think 'Spabbygirl' has the right idea - room guiding at her local National Trust house. I do this myself and really enjoy it. It will satisfy your need to get out of the house and meet people and you can learn about the items/antiques /furniture/pictures etc. in the house and talk to visitors about them. I love my one day a week at a NT property, but you can always do more days if you want to. No payment though, but you do get travelling expenses. A lovely by-product is you make new like-minded friends.

We rented a small cabinet and the cost outweighed what we sold. We also had clocks and sadly people used to move the hands and one was overwound. We found doing the fairs much better.

one other point that might be useful. I was moving and wanted to sell various things and was speaking to another person who was just wanting to get rid of some stuff. It is hard work if you do it all alone, pricing, checking etc. So I suggested that she come and help me with my stall on one occasion and I would do the same for her . It worked well. You dont have any confusion selling stuff from both of you. You put the price you want to , there is no need for the other person to agree with you or whatever. So it was just great that you had another pair of hands to help, and were able to nip off to the loo or go for a drink when it was quiet. So definitely worth while having a go at a flea market etc. Ok you are paying for two stalls rather than sharing one but it allows you to have a go. You could share a stall if you sold totally different things , such as you sell porcelain, the other sells glass and have two separate cash boxes as there is a clear distinction , that wont cause problems and of course then only pay half the rent each. Do perhaps one a month for 6 months and you will hav a better idea of longer term , and whether it suits you.

I was an antiques dealer for many years. I had a stall in an old mill where I sold low value collectables and sold the higher value ones elsewhere. The stall was great for the first couple of months but in the end I had to go every week and do a stock take due to thefts. Every week I would lose at least 5 items to theft. The Mill took 10% on every item that was sold as well as a rental charge for the space. It soon adds up when there are quiet periods and you are not selling enough to cover the rental. I stuck it out until my rental agreement was up, all the other stall holders felt the same as I did. However the worst thing is when people watch experts on TV and see them getting a vase worth £100 for £5 and then make a massive profit at auction. Then you get calls from the people running the centre saying a lady wants to know if you will take £5 for your Moorcroft vase that you are selling for £250. It has absolutely killed the industry.

I’ve occasionally had a front yard sale! That’s great fun and you can get rid of lots of things too (just advertise well by putting up fliers before AND taking them down afterwards)… if you’re on a busy street or get a half descent footfall you should do well…. At the end I box up left overs and take it to the charity shop ? Always good fun x

You would probably make more money having a tea and cake stall at an antiques market! As people have said before, there will always be people looking but few buying. Alternatively you could offer your services to mind other people’s stalls for an hour or two for a small fee!

I think the TV program "The Antiques Roadshow " is very interesting. The professional dealers go to antique shops in
various towns. Those shops are stacked with items. I wonder how they can keep open, especially as you never see anyone else buying there. The dealers always offer the owners a much reduced price and then try to sell them at auction. Sometimes they make a profit but often a loss. I don't think anyone will make a fortune in this trade.

Msdaisy

Thank you all so much for your helpful comments it’s given me a lot to think about. I’m not liking the sound of a fixed term contract as said if you don’t sell anything you’ll never be in profit. It seems this may be more of a hobby than a business. I do sell on eBay but to be honest I was looking forward to having interaction with the staff at the centre getting out of the house etc. as with most businesses there’s not always much money to be made. The centre needs to pay for its costs so charging large rentals is their way of balancing the books!

Have you thought about maybe opening up an eBay shop. If it’s interaction you’re after, you could enlist the help of a friend or friends to invest in the enterprise and handle different aspects of the sales. Start small and see where it goes.

I was thinking of doing the same for exactly the same reasons Msdaisy, but I think I'm going to be a room guide at local Kelmscott manor when it re-opens, or a national trust house and stick to selling on eBay. I don't fancy a contract either

It might be worth going in and talking with the people in your local centre, Msdaisy, as you may not have to sign up for a fixed time - and so could give it a go for 3 months? My daughter just has to give a month’s notice.