Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do these drive anyone else crazy? Every single time I go to an estate sale in my area Im blown away by the asking price of items. Ok I get it that the company is brought in to try to get the most money for the deceased persons estate but seriously, its not a store. I don't take 1,000 bucks with me when I go garage sale'ing on Sat mornings.
Our most recent adventure we stopped by one of these and I found a nice antique coffee table that I could tell was hand carved. I asked the lady how much and she told me $550. I was like what??? Then they were selling plate silver for $20 a pop.
Drives me crazy because theres usually so much nice stuff at these sales...
I'm a bargain shopper and always try to negotiate a price I'm willing to pay for an item.
If the seller and I can't come to an agreement on price, it's still all theirs.
If the items are actually selling at the asked prices which you think are too high, then it's time to move on to other venues. I've had more than a few auctions/sales where the crowd was paying what I though was way too much for stuff. So be it, value is in the eye of the buyer.
Right, I don't know if its the same handful of estate sale companies in my town or what. But these guys are NOT willing to budge on price. Im also a bargain shopper.
LOL, yeah Jack and Diane trying to get as much for their dead Mom and Dad's junk as they can.
I dont get mad I just lowball 10-20 items I don't want. I make sure all the other bargain hunters hear me as well and chuckle as put the item down. After about 10-15min of public humiliation prices usually start to fall. Then I go in for the kill on items I really want.
Sometimes it works other times it doesn't. I have literally had these estate sale pros roll their eyes when they recognize me walking thru the door.
Often times you find some good deals at Estate Sales. If the price is too high, you might try and go back later when they often reduce the prices on everything. Of course you're taking a chance that the item might be gone, so it's a gamble just like an auction.
My wife got a good deal on a Royal Doulton (tuppence a bag) when she had a couple of other cheaper items.
I noticed antique shows are also too expensive now, the asking price is always set triple or more than what it's actually worth, I would have bought it if they would sell for a reasonable price
something thats actually worth $20 retail or less, the antique shows want $75 & up
a guy had something thats worth maybe $50 - $60 max, but he wanted $200 , so even if they bring the price down it's still too high
last show I attended, all I spent was one dollar on a canteen cap that I needed
I noticed antique shows are also too expensive now, the asking price is always set triple or more than what it's actually worth, I would have bought it if they would sell for a reasonable price
something thats actually worth $20 retail or less, the antique shows want $75 & up
a guy had something thats worth maybe $50 - $60 max, but he wanted $200 , so even if they bring the price down it's still too high
last show I attended, all I spent was one dollar on a canteen cap that I needed
Who are you to decide what these items are worth? Are you going by eBay prices? Maybe the dealer has purchased that $75 tagged item for $25. And paid more for than $60 for that $200 marked item.
And if you are so savvy about what the retail price should be, then find that antique elsewhere (eBay) and go buy it there. eBay prices tend to be cheaper because there is less trust in buying things without seeing them in person first, plus the added shipping fees...
Plus consider the location of these antique shows. If you are at the fancy Hillsborough Antique Show, the booth rental fees are high plus perhaps they've rented their tables and showcases. And if the dealer doesn't live close to the show, especially if they are from out of town, then they are staying in hotels, maybe not a really expensive one, but certainly not staying at a cheap motel. Antique shows cost a lot of money to do.
When I used to sell antique full time, there was an annoying local man that would go to shows and follow shopping dealers like me around, spying to see what I was picking up and what I was paying for my inventory.
At the time, I traveled to many states like GA, FL, TX and even CA to do my shows. In my head, I remembered my customers who were serious collectors. And these customers were willing to pay a stronger price for special items that they couldn't find in their area.
There is no right or wrong price on any item. No price is fixed. And some people are just more inclined to pay more for things that tickle their fancy.
When I was a dealer, I would give a better deal to a nice customer than any hard*ss coming off as some know-it-all making lowball offers or insulting the condition of my inventory. To those types, I wished them good day and sent them packing.
BTW antique dealers do know that it's faster to sell the cheaper it is. But many dealers travel a show circuit and know where the stronger buyers are. So if they don't take your $20 offer (and thus taking a loss), they have plans to make their profit in some other city.
Dealers spend countless hours shopping, setting up and breaking down at shows, hours driving, transportation costs (gas and truck), so they imo they deserve to make a profit on their wares. And it's really not a lot of profit considering their costs. An antique dealer at a show is providing a service, a convenience to their antique collecting customers. One stop shopping. And a good antique dealer will have cleaned their wares, vetted them and will guarantee their goods to their customers (such as being the real thing, also guaranteeing their condition too.).
So to people like mr bolo, stop going to antique shows and instead go out and find your antiques for less elsewhere.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
