How to Liquidate Antiques in Your Home
- 1). Determine the current value of your antiques according to their individual prices. Do this objectively. Intentionally inflating prices based on the item's perceived condition or what you think it's worth will cost you a sale.
- 2). Determine the popularity of the items in your collection by looking online at auction sites such as Ebay. Items that have a history of selling quickly online for good prices should be listed with the auction site. Furniture and larger collectibles that would be difficult to ship should not be listed on Ebay, however.
- 3). Contract with a local live auction house to sell furniture or other large items. Determine your reserve price, if you want to have one. To sell the items quicker, set your reserve price at 25 percent less than the value of the items. Collectors or dealers will pay attention when they can get a small discount off possible purchases, and your antiques will sell much more quickly.
- 4). Sell any remaining antiques that cannot be sold in any other way to an antique shop. While the manager will offer you a price for all of the leftovers based on the value of the lot, he will try to buy everything for the lowest price possible. Set a price that is reasonable, and then allow the dealer to negotiate up from his starting point, but down from yours. Even if you don't make much on the sale, you will still liquidate the less-popular antiques that you couldn't sell online or at an auction house.
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