Antiques Dealer
Start-up cost: $1,000–$40,000 (depending on how large you would like
your inventory to be)
Potential earnings: $35,000–$150,000
Typical fees: Varied; your pieces will sell anywhere from $10–$10,000
Advertising: Yellow Pages, community newspapers, direct mail, show
participation, a Web site of your own, possibly listing on
sites like Antiques.com, a large sign to advertise on outside
of home
Qualifications: Should be knowledgeable about antiques and pricing
Equipment needed: Credit card processing equipment, computer with high quality
digital camera and Internet access, printer, fax
Staff required: No
Hidden costs: Insurance, warehousing, packaging and shipping
What You Do to become a Antiques Dealer
Th e lure of the old and priceless draws many a sentimental customer into an
antique store, and you could start such a business with a dozen or so nice pieces
of furniture, some antique china, and lots of old books and toys. All of these
items tend to sell well, as they are collectible and worth increasingly more with
each passing year. You’ll need to develop a sizable stock or inventory of pieces to
sell, which can best be accomplished by combing thrift shops, fl ea markets, estate
sales, and Internet auctions on eBay, Yahoo!, and Antiques.com for the best and
most interesting old items you can find. Watch the newspaper for garage sales,
too. Sometimes people will unknowingly unload a fabulous antique at a steal of
a price.
Basically, you should keep in mind that your business will need to be run
just like any other retail establishment, which means you’ll need to price yourself
well enough to cover your operating expenses in addition to building a profit.
Folks will want to barter with you on price, so you’ll need to hold firm with your
price or raise your price enough to compensate for allowing customers to talk you
down the typical 10–15 percent. You can also choose to conduct online auctions
to automatically generate competitive bidding.
What You Need
It all depends on how you plan on growing your business. You can start off with
just a few pieces for under $2,000, and then add more accordingly. To really turn a
profit, you’ll want to start with significant inventory that will run you upwards of
$20,000. Look to earn $35,000–$150,000, depending on three things: location,
quality of product line, and price. Obviously, if you’re in a quaint New England
town, you might fare better than an antique shop in the middle of Kentucky. But
if you have antique items in high demand around the country, location won’t even
be an issue—and the sky’s the limit.
Keys to Success
It’s a competitive market, and too many well-intended entrepreneurs make the
mistake of thinking this will be an easy ride. If you are focused on high-end
antiques and have sufficient working capital to buy the kinds of pieces that will
build your reputation for the finer things, then you’ll have little problem making
a living. If, on the other hand, you choose to specialize in less-expensive antiques
and collectibles, you’ll need to round up lots of inventory because you’ll likely be
turning it around very quickly.
antique dealer, antique dealers, antique gun dealers, antique book dealers, antique car dealers, antiques dealers, antique dealers nj, antique map dealers, antique clock dealers, antique furniture dealers
No comments:
Post a Comment