Placesetting with antique dishes

I’m always asked, “Where do I sell my antiques?” or “How much should I ask?”, but most never ask when is the best time to sell their antiques and collectibles. My antiques appraisal reports can provide a guide to the first two questions, but as they say timing is everything. Follow these three tips as to the best time to sell your antique or collectible for the most money.

1. Don’t Rush

In today’s world, we want instant results and answers, but sometimes a little patience is worth the wait. Your buyer might take some time to find or just not be ready at the moment you are selling your valuable Steiff teddy bear, so keep trying. For example, I’ll share the story of a large piece of furniture I appraised for 22,000 dollars. Unlike wicker furniture and its markets, it was difficult to move the piece, plus the seller needed money fast. Many offers came, but all were below my appraised value where I have seen others pay that much for a similar piece of furniture. The seller didn’t give up and he continued to market the piece asking for the appraised value. It took him two years, but he found his buyer and got his money. Only you can decide if you want to rush and sell for 500 dollars today or be patience and get 22,000 dollars in two years.

2. Sell it Now

Armoire

Don’t rush, sell now? Which is it? If it’s November or December and you are trying to sell this highly sought after holiday Spode platter with the popular Christmas tree pattern, sell it during those months before December 25. Wait until after the holidays and you lose up to 50 percent. My point–timing is everything. If you have a pile of stuff you are trying to sell, selling it all at the same time is not the best way to approach it. For example, wait until the Super Bowl to sell your Leroy Neimen print of Joe Namath. If you wait too long, you might not have a second chance. For example, the current popularity of flat screen TVs hurt the resale market for armoires, but like red hot vinyl records and turntables, that market may return.

3. Use the Hype and #hashtag

Is your antique or collectible in the news? Remember the news of a beanie baby being worth 90,000 dollars? If you have beanie babies, wait for the hype of those news stories to help sell your beanie babies. When the hype of Bruce Jenner changing to Caitlyn Jenner was all in the news, you should have sold your old Wheaties cereal boxes with Bruce Jenner on them and any other Olympic collectibles relating to Jenner. If your antique or collectible is trending in the press and on social media, sell it then for top dollar before it becomes old news.

Remember, you didn’t buy all of your antiques and collectibles at once, so selling them all at once is not the best way to get the most money. Follow these guidelines and read my other blog posts with tips about selling your antiques and collectibles.