Finding Bargains While Shopping for Antiques
Many have the misconception that antiques are very expensive than they can afford. Searching for antiques is a great way to spend the afternoon and you may be blown away with the amount of good discounts you find. The hardest thing is that people don’t understand the real value of an object they are looking at in an antique shop.
It may have caught their attention due to its design or it brings back old memories. You cannot certainly know if the store owner increased the price or if you are getting a good deal. As you cannot visit another store and compare the price, you have to decide the maximum amount you are willing to pay. You may have to leave the store if the negotiations don’t work in your favor.
It’s a good practice to do a little research about the trustworthiness of an antique dealer before you start buying. You will discover that you will be able to get good deals on antiques once you get to know the owner of the shop. You can build a good relationship, if you are a frequent buyer. Bringing in other customers to the shop is another thing that will get noticed. Owner of the shop will want to do business with you, so that you keep generating more business for them.
It will be possible to negotiate the price if the antique shop is managed by the owner and not staff members. You won’t be able to negotiate the prices as much as you think in antique malls even though you find a good selection. Little shops can offer you a brief history on the item you are interested in.
For many antique store owners, money talks, so carry a lot of money when you are shopping for antiques. If you do this, they don’t have to deal with credit card transactions that cost them money. Many of the older antique stores are reluctant to take personal cheques, especially if you are not from the city. Showing that you do not have money in an unnoticeable way is also helpful. For example, you can count it and then say will you take $100 because this is all I have with me today.
It is important to keep in mind that you will buy antiques in the condition they are in. Make sure you spend time examining everything before buying. You don’t want to go home and find out what you thought was a good deal was actually rubbish. Many dealers take pride in offering quality products but you still have to examine. You’re going to be dissatisfied if you think you can take an antique home in perfect condition for a very good price though.
If you are searching for antiques, take a look around online to get a good idea of the selling price for them. Don’t be afraid to ask the antique shop owner to decrease the price. If you say something like “would you take $100 for this” rather than saying something along the lines “can you lower the price?”, it can surely help you to get what you want if you’re assertive but not going overboard.