Top Things to Learn Before Buying Antique Furniture
If you love interior design, you might have thought about getting into antique furniture as a hobby. You can stick to buying things for yourself or even start trading items, either to make some money or just for fun. But getting interested in antiques could take up a lot of your time with research, visiting auctions and antique fairs. And many antique enthusiasts love it and want to dedicate even more of their lives to their hobby. If it’s something that you want to take up, you need to know how to get the best deals and bag some quality pieces.
Learn About Different Styles
Before you go out and start buying anything, you need to know what you’re looking for. If sellers can see that you don’t know what you’re talking about, you could be taken for a ride. A lot of antique enthusiasts choose to become an expert is a particular area. You can learn about an individual style or period to help you narrow down your knowledge base. It’s possible to try and learn a little about lots of subjects, but many people decide it’s better to focus on a narrower frame. Choose a style or era of design that you enjoy and try to learn as much as you can about your chosen subject.
Explore Places to Buy
There are several different avenues for buying antiques. Some of them will help you save money and are better if you want to sell anything you buy. One of the places you can go to for a bargain is auctions, especially when they’re general and not specialized. You might find that there are lots of experts at a specialist auction, who know how much everything is worth. At a more general auction, you run the risk of not finding anything you want, but if you do spot something you could have less competition. You can also buy antiques online, either in auctions or stores like LoveAntiques.com. When you buy online, it’s essential to pay attention to the photos and description because you can’t examine the item in person. Other places to pick up antique furniture include markets, antique stores, and even yard sales.
Examine Before Buying
One of the skills you’ll need to learn if you want to get furniture that’s a good price, and excellent quality is examining before you buy. Don’t be shy to have a look at anything you like from every angle, even picking it up to turn it over. Of course, make sure you’re allowed to touch first. It’s important that you know what you’re looking for with each piece, and that you’re not just aimlessly looking at it.
Get a Head for Values
Knowing how much something could be worth is another essential skill. Of course, some experts take years to be able to put a value on something accurately. You won’t always get it right, but you can compare items to similar ones you’ve seen. Thinking about how much other items you’ve taken notice of have sold for will help you learn to put a price on something before you buy.
Antiquing can be an incredibly fun hobby whether you do it for fun, profit or both. Once you get started, you’ll find it hard to stop.