We are all familiar with the value of antiques. The historic value of the over-hundred year-old pieces and their mystic beauty are the main reasons why growing number of Australians decide to invest in antiques.
If you are one of the newbies in shopping for antiques, you may think that everything that is old is antique and must be very expensive. The truth is, “not everything that shines is gold”, meaning not everything that is old is automatically regarded as an antique. Thus buying antiques has it pitfalls, especially for those who do not have enough experience and expertise in the field. Here’s how you can avoid spending a fortune.
- Find A Reliable Antique Shop
First and foremost, find a reliable antique shop you can trust. In the recent years the number of antique shops has noted a significant growth and so did the number of available antique items. Unfortunately, this has made shopping for antiques more difficult and confusing because not everyone who claims to be an antique dealer is a good one. Thus, if you are not careful, you may end up spending a lot of money on an item that is nothing more but a very good copy of the original.
The best way to save on antiques is to find an antique shop which has the reputation for selling authentic and valuable antique items only. This way you can be sure your money is well spent. Moreover, a genuine piece will increase in value with the time, meaning you will profit from the sale if you decide to sell the item in the future.
- Get To Know The Antique Terms
Before you even begin your search for a good antique shop, you need to get familiar with the most general antique terms. Knowing everything there is to know regarding particular style, design and the historic period of certain antique item is essential for making the right choice.
Moreover, you should know the differences between the style and the designs of the antique pieces which origin from different periods. If you know the general characteristics of the antiques you will be able to determine whether the antique piece is worth the money. This way you will avoid spending more money on something that can be purchased for much less.
- Buy Single Items Instead Of Collections
Complete antique collections can be very expensive. For example, if you buy a collection of six chairs, you are very likely to pay one to two times higher price. For this reason it’s a better option to buy single chairs, even if from different historical period, style or design.
Who says that to have a unique collection of antique chairs, pieces have to be alike. You can make your own unique collection of chairs. This way you will not only have something unique, but will save money as well.
- Avoid Buying Antiques On Auctions
It is very easy to get into a bidding war at auctions, especially if there is more than one person interested in a particular antique item. But this may greatly affect your planned budget as the excitement may ‘force’ you to keep bidding on a piece beyond your financial power and you may end up spending a lot of money. It is a fact that in such case, an item is usually sold at a price higher than it’s real value. Therefore choose a good antique shop over any so-inviting auction.
