Two baseballs with signature

As a kid, my Mom taught me that it is just as important to speak up as it is to stay silent. People tell me that they want to sell their stuff, but forget that listening and focusing on the potential buyer’s needs may help you close the sale and get top dollar. Here are my dos and don’ts for selling your stuff –keeping the buyer, not only the antique in mind.

1. Reveal the Details

Tobacco tin

Do tell the buyer about any condition issues, damage, or pertinent history of the object. Make it easy for them to have all the information about the item. Don’t make them do research. If they have to guess, you’ll get less money. And research is not using eBay. Read how a woman got 58,000 dollars less by not doing research before she sold and learned how to date her glass bottle. Watch as I provide tips on how to set your prices when selling.

2. Don’t Lie

Don’t make up some far-fetched story about your object unless you can prove it (i.e., Napoleon used it, it was found next to a beer bottle in King Tut’s tomb, it was discovered under the Charter Oak tree, etc.). You won’t get as much money with an untrue story. Plus, when they bring the item to me for an appraisal and I reveal the truth that the piece was made in 1950 well after Napoleon’s death, you might have more problems after the fact. Watch me explain how to not get ripped off when selling your antiques.

3. Give them Space

Don’t hover over the person, give them space. Give them time to look over the object and appreciate it on their own terms. Sometimes too much chatter or hovering over a buyer just encourages them to leave the object behind and get out of the store. I am like that. If a sales person is bothering me with information and I just want to look around, I am compelled to leave right away. I feel they are more interested in the sale than in making sure I buy what I like and need.

Look for more selling tips in future blog posts. Read more articles now where I discuss how to sell tips.

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