True Collectors
I have shared with you over these many months how and where to find buyers. I believe that it may be more important than ever now to contact people directly who will buy the things you have to offer because that is the way you will receive the highest dollars for your treasures. When it seems only dealers are buying items on eBay and at auction, you should understand that they may not necessarily be the best places for us to find our buyers. The dealers are looking to sell their purchases at a profit so their bids will be low compared to what a collector would pay for the same item. But where are those collectors and how can I find them should be your logical question. I hope these five answers will help increase the profitability of your business.
First, I would suggest that Tony Hyman's book “Trash or Treasure” [ Guide to Buyers ] become part of your permanent library. You can buy this book on Amazon where I found a starting price at 54 cents. Of course that would be for an older one but if it is just a couple of years old that would serve you sufficiently. Dr. Hyman publishes this series once a year so there should be plenty of used books out there to buy. In the book you will find indexes that lead you to the items you want to sell and then you can go to the ads for the buyers.
The second best place to scout out your buyer is to contact the collector clubs for the items you wish to sell. These collector clubs can be found on the Internet merely by searching clubs [ Art Pottery, Art Glass, Tin Toys and etc. ]. Once you have an email or phone number you should contact the club and they will share with their members what you have for sale. They aren't dealers so your asking price will be more acceptable to them than it would be to a dealer.
Third, you may want to look in the trade papers such as The Antique Trader, Antique Week or The Maine Antique Digest under classifieds for people advertising to buy. Often these ads will be placed by collectors. You also know that only serious buyers would place ads in these publications because they don't come free.
Fourth and this may be my favorite, I watch at auctions to see who is buying items similar to what I have for sale, then I approach that person and ask if they are a collectors of, let's say, Tiffany. If the answer is yes then I inform them that I have some for sale or that I will be entering some in the next auction.
Last but not least, I run my own ads that state I am looking for collectors for items I have for sell. These gets the least results but they can work. Using these five ways of finding buyers will at least double the money that goes into your pockets from the sale of your treasures.
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