How to start an antiques business. Is it possible to make money on antiques? Unexpected places of antique finds

In our time it's quite interesting time The question of how to make money on antiques is very relevant. The concept of “antiques” includes many completely different things. This is not only furniture, dishes, weapons and all kinds of archaeological values, but also various pre-war items, badges, buttons, stamps, produced in the 1930s-1940s.

If you are interested this direction, and you understand pre-revolutionary technology and postcards of the last century, then you should think about how to make money on antiques by organizing own business.

Global Market Prospects

It should be noted that the domestic market occupies a small part in this industry. And if you want to open your own antiques business and earn a lot, then you should focus on the markets of Europe, America and Asia.

In this case, truly endless prospects will open up before you. Of course, to work in the global market, you must have at least a little knowledge English language. Only after this you will receive an excellent opportunity and prospects, you will be able to make a profit not only as an intermediary and consultant, but also to work as a trusted representative, carrying out the client’s instructions to search for and purchase valuable antiques. In addition, through mediation and consultations you can earn start-up capital to open your own store.

Ways to create a business in antiques

There are several ways to make money on antiques. The first is investing in valuable items and their further resale. In this case, your profit will be approximately 25% per year of the invested amount. You can also get a specialty as an antiques appraiser and work in this direction.

The services of such a specialist are estimated at $100-150 per hour. Many people believe that only those who have an education in museums and art history can deal with antiques, but in reality everything is much simpler. You can complete special courses in antiques and become a professional in this field.

Treasure search

There is one more interesting option how to make money on antiques - treasure hunting. In this case, your profit is determined by the quality and quantity of treasures found. You can look for anything, from copper coins to rare gold jewelry. But it is necessary to understand that not all ancient coins will be valued at a decent amount.

Their value depends on how rare they are. But jewelry and jewelry can bring really good income, but there are nuances here too. The price of such jewelry is set taking into account their condition and the possibility of restoration.

Sales of antiques

Antique art experts recommend selling your finds through special antique auctions on the Internet. Here the cost of rare items can increase many times. In addition, there are forums where treasure hunters, collectors, or simply antique lovers communicate. With their help you can sell or buy antiques but, of course, you need good experience. It should be noted that truly valuable and rare finds are not found often, these are isolated cases.

One of the organizers of antique courses is the Gelos company. This auction house has an institute of the same name, where you can master the following specialties: “Business valuation in the field of antiques”, “Methodology for determining the value of antiques”. After successfully completing the program, students receive a diploma license to conduct appraisal activities in the field of antiques.

But before you retrain as an antiques specialist, you should take into account that appraiser courses are quite expensive. To take only the initial course, you need to pay $1,100, and more in-depth training in annual courses costs approximately two thousand dollars.

You can study to become an antique dealer immediately after graduating from school; you don’t have to take exams or tests. But mainly this activity is of interest to those who already have an education and want to change their field of activity. The leaders of the institute assure that the basic education of applicants for training does not matter at all. As a rule, courses are designed for people who have previously had nothing to do with their chosen specialty.

Training

For experienced students with diplomas in art history and cultural studies, the auction house offers a more in-depth training program for the specialty “antique appraiser.” In addition to Gelos, a specialty in the field of antiques can be obtained at training center"Knowledge - Prechistenka".

To take the four-month course and graduate with a degree in Arts and Crafts, you'll pay approximately $230. Also here you can take a two-month course on Soviet art of painting and the history of iconography. Such courses will cost you $600.

Sure, you can take an introductory course to antiques at the International School of Design and learn how to distinguish valuable items from fakes, but that won't make you good specialist in this domain. You can obtain a certificate of completion of courses in antiques at the Moscow Linguistic Center. By paying a thousand dollars, you can listen to a course of relevant lectures.

Features of the antique business

Of course, expect that after the course of study special programs you will immediately become a qualified antique dealer and start making really serious money, it’s not worth it. Professionalism in this area is acquired long years thanks to experience. But nevertheless, with such a specialty you will not be left without work.

You can open your own antique business for valuation, purchase or sale antiques or gain much-needed experience in this area in one of the many companies specializing in antiques. Even a beginner specialist can count on a salary of one to two thousand dollars a month, which will quickly recoup the funds spent on education.

And the profit of a professional and experienced antiques appraiser ranges from three hundred to one thousand dollars a week. You can earn approximately $100-$150 per hour for appraising antiques for sale. In addition to income from establishing the value of the goods, the appraiser is entitled to a certain percentage of the transaction concluded through his mediation.

Professionalism, experience and authority

In the antique market, except professional qualities and experience, authority is also of great importance, which is extremely important to acquire during activity. On initial stage To establish your business, you will have to work for a small fee, but over time, after you acquire a name and authority in antiquarian circles, you can count on a significant increase in income.

It is worth paying attention to the strict specialization that is observed among antique dealers. For example, a painting specialist will never undertake the assessment of antique furniture, and vice versa. This attitude makes it possible to study the chosen field in more depth and become a truly professional appraiser.

How can you make money on antiques? Most people have antique things at home that many people do not need and easily part with them; some of them are simply thrown away, although they have a high price.

Where can I get antiques?

Pianos and many other rarities have a high cost. Just before you try to sell them, you need to make sure that it really has great significance. Many instruments that existed in the 18th century are now in very poor condition, so they are of great value. Few people would realize that old junk is so expensive.

Everyone is trying to sell a beautiful, perfect piano that has no value, but something that is old and dilapidated is very often sent to the trash heap. But if you sell such a piano, you can earn several thousand dollars or more, the piano after restoration will be perfect, its value will increase significantly, but restoration can also take several years.

Many people have children's toys, dolls or Christmas tree decorations, as well as garlands, etc. from the last century at home. People usually don’t use them, they just lie somewhere in the corner and no one needs them, but they also have their value.

Very often people find paintings, mirrors, figurines at home and try to replace some part, for example, the frame of a mirror, but do not suspect, for example, that it is the frame or some other element that carries the value of this item.

In every house, if you look carefully, you can find something that has no significance for the owners, but by selling them you can make good money.

There are a lot of buyers, they travel all over the world in search of antique and unique things. Buyers especially love to travel to villages where young families live; they usually inherit the house from their parents, which means that it contains something that is of interest to them. Young people often do not suspect that this or that thing is expensive and can give it to someone so easily or inexpensively.

And then this thing can be sold for good money. The income of people who deal with antiques is high; they try in every possible way to obtain a valuable find, and then bring it to good condition, earn their living.

After grandparents there are many things left that carry value, these can be cabinets, scarves, coins, dishes, and various tools. Don’t throw everything away at once, it’s better to first find out which of them is unique; you won’t want to throw away such things, and if necessary, you can sell them and get a good income. In addition, after relatives there should be at least something left that will remind them of them.

Of course, paintings or orders won’t just appear out of nowhere at home. This is possible when relatives were not in history the last people, or belonged to a family that had money. If people were wealthy, then in any case, something remained in the house after them. Very often people leave some things to their future generation that are passed on from daughter to mother and so on, such things can carry something in themselves. But not everyone can sell what was dear to the whole family - this is the memory of everyone.

To start a career in antiques you need:

1). Take courses, they are paid, but after completing them, you will begin to distinguish fakes from valuable things. Get acquainted with the types of antiques, see it all with your own eyes, and learn a lot of useful and interesting things.

2). After training, get a job in galleries or antique stores, at this stage the earnings will be small, but you will gain experience and reputation. After your reputation is positive and people are interested in you as a master, you can start your own business and become a private appraiser.

3). If you have income, always save some money for the future. There will be no job stability at first, and money may always be needed, for example, to expand the business, or for living if the business develops poorly.

4). After you have bought valuable items, open your online store, in which you describe in detail all the purchased antiques, take unique high-quality photographs, indicate the price, and answer everyone’s questions in detail.

Conclusion

How can you make money on antiques - antiques are not only income, but also a hobby, antiques, in addition to their value, carry their own history, and if you look, you can find a lot of information that captures and gives a person emotions. That's all, see you later!

Purchasing antiques is considered one of the safest ways to invest money. Over time, antique items are guaranteed to rise in price, while currency and gold can sharply lose value. Therefore, the antiques market always remains quite active.

Owning things that decorate everyday life and at the same time can become a source of income is a great temptation both for connoisseurs of antiquities and simply for enterprising people. The demand for antiques provides an opportunity for all participants in such a market to benefit.

Where to begin? How to develop this business? He tells the readers of the magazine about all this Reconomica our guest from the city of Yaroslavl Anna Solntseva.

My name is Anna Solntseva, I am 35 years old, and I live in the city of Yaroslavl.

Several years ago, in 2015, I became interested in vintage and antiques, or more precisely, in the business of selling vintage and antique items.

Vintage items are considered to be between 30 and 50 years old. Things that are more than 50 years old are already antiques.

I am still engaged in this business - I like to find new interesting things, determine their value and sell these things to collectors. Of course, my business is small, not on the scale of an expensive antique store, but this business is quite scalable.

Why sell vintage and antiques?

How did you get the idea to start selling vintage items? The fact is that I inherited an apartment from my grandmother - an apartment literally filled with various Soviet things. Some of these things were just old clothes or useless boxes and household items. But the other part is more interesting:

• figurines,
• dishes,
• antique (and as it turned out, expensive!) chairs,
• Christmas decorations and decorations.

I kept some things for myself, as a keepsake of my grandmother, and decided to sell the rest. This is how my journey in antiques began.

At that time, I did not have a business plan, I did not yet consider this activity seriously. I just wanted to sell things at the market price, and not at the prices that antique stores could offer.

Badges of the early USSR. Such badges are called “heavy” (based on the weight of the metal), and they cost from 300 rubles. a piece.

How to determine the value of vintage and antiques

The very first task was to determine the value of the things I happened to be the owner of. Of course, there were blunders and mistakes, but fatal mistakes were avoided. For example, I almost sold Viennese chairs for 100 rubles per chair, and their price on the market starts from 1,500 rubles per chair!

Where did I determine the value of vintage and antique items? I didn’t have any confidence in antique shops in my city, and they weren’t such rarities that there would be a line of antique dealers lining up for them.

I decided to start identifying and selling vintage items online. On this moment, there are several specialized forums on antiques on the Internet, groups on social media. networks dedicated to vintage and antiques.

My assistant - Internet

I started by registering on the largest antique forum, “Antique Forum,” and putting my items up for attribution and evaluation. (Attribution is the determination of time and place, the factory where the item was made.) It was there that they determined the year and brand of the Thonet brothers’ Viennese chairs for me, and they also found expensive and rare ones among my Christmas tree decorations, and much more.

There are special groups for the evaluation of antiques and vintage on Facebook and VKontakte, and anyone can join them.

If you are interested, you can classify them as antiques, and then compare prices. It also happens that antique dealers are ready to buy your item at the price of the market and online resources, or even more. This happens when, for example, an antique dealer knows a collector who will really need your item.

How to put a vintage or antique item up for sale

Let's look at the example of the Antique Forum, which I wrote about above. In addition to attribution and evaluation, there is also sales on the forum. Putting a product up for sale is very simple: you write the minimum price for which you are willing to sell, attach a description of the product (without keeping silent about the shortcomings) and a photo of the product.

If you are selling something that is in demand, they will buy it very quickly and also organize an auction.

But if you set a high price or it is a fairly common item that many collectors already have, then your item can sell for months.

Interim results of my work

As a result, only through this forum, from March to October 2015, I sold things worth about 44,000 rubles, of which:

• 6 Viennese chairs for 11,000 rubles,
• three Christmas tree decorations Soviet era for 9,000 rubles,
• a rare Snow Maiden from the 60s for 6,500 rubles, and so on.

She sold dishes, Christmas tree decorations, figurines, children's toys, and so on.

This type of business took very little time - it was only necessary to put the goods up for attribution, and then for sale through an auction. And then, of course, send it by mail or by transport company.

I was fascinated by the world of antiques and vintage that I touched. I liked the polite and professional communication on the forum, and after reading various threads and discussions on the forum, I decided that I could get into selling more seriously.

Then there was a forced break in sales for a couple of years - I went to live in another country. Upon arrival, in 2017, I returned to selling vintage and antiques, and now I continue to do so.

Rare and expensive Christmas tree toy “Hut on Chicken Legs”. Sold for 6,000 rubles.

Business development now

What am I doing now? I search through the forums of my city, through groups on social media. networks of people selling cheap vintage items - most often this simple people, hurrying to get rid of grandma’s “trash.”

I don’t buy expensive antiques, I buy things that sometimes someone even just throws away:

• Soviet dolls,
• Christmas decorations,
• dishes,
• icons and so on.

If necessary, I put things in order (for example, toys), and then sell them on specialized forums and in sales groups, also on Avito and Yula: dolls in groups of USSR doll lovers, dishes on the Antique Forum, I just publish something in specialized groups on Facebook and VKontakte, or on message boards.

For example, I will indicate my costs and profits for August 2018. I’ll say right away that in the sale of antiques, August, like all summer months, is not considered the most profitable.

So, I bought things worth 4,200 rubles, and sold them in August for 12,100 rubles. And some of these things have not yet been sold (approximately in the amount of 5,500 rubles).

• Don't take on everything at once at first.

Choose 2-3 priority areas for yourself. For example, children's and Christmas tree toys. This will make it easier for you - you will quickly learn to distinguish between rare and expensive toys.

• Work with all sources of sales and purchases on the Internet.

Find groups on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and Facebook. Find thematic forums and auctions for the sale of antiques. Look for those who sell vintage items on Avito, on city forums and in in social networks.

• Build your reputation.

If this is a forum, then follow the sales rules, get a seller rating and never let customers down, even in small things. If you say that you will send the goods today, then ship today or do not promise exactly. Always communicate politely and correctly. If you sell through social networks, collect customer reviews, so you will be more trusted. For example, on my VKontakte page I made myself a separate album with reviews, and, believe me, these reviews are looked at.

• Work to the maximum with customers.

Find out that he/she still collects, maybe they need something else. And then, when you have this thing, you can offer it to someone who has already bought from you. Also look at requests from buyers - in groups on social networks these will be albums with the title “Looking, Buying” or similar names.

• Learn, remember, compare, look at the prices of items at auctions.

Here, literally, your knowledge = your money. Study the demand, find out which antique items are being sought after by collectors, and which ones are on sale and are worth selling.

• Separately, it is necessary to say about delivery, post office and its workers.

Since you will be sending items via Russian Post, be sure to include delivery in your payment immediately. On average, it is 150-300 rubles - it depends on the weight of the parcel and the distance to the destination region. The post office sells postal boxes, the price of the smallest is from 50 rubles. But you can save money and not buy postal boxes, but send them in any other boxes without inscriptions, or in boxes wrapped in paper without inscriptions or drawings. I send in boxes and packaging for various things - I just wrap the box in thick plain paper (I have old wallpaper with reverse side), I paste the address of the sender and recipient. The post office easily accepts such parcels. Well, another obvious but important piece of advice: support a good relationship with postal workers, they can tell you how to send cheaper or let you skip the line.

• Do not send items cash on delivery.

Why is that? When you send cash on delivery, the buyer may change his mind or spend the money on something else, or find something cheaper and closer. And then no one will pick up your product at the post office - you will end up with an unsold item, a waste of time and money (you will have to pay for the return).

• Don't expect quick results.

The antiques market, on the one hand, is very conservative and slow - you may not be able to sell something for six months or more. And something else, at a high price, will be sold like hotcakes. But in any case, you can always sell the item by reducing its price. Over time, you will develop a flair for those things that “look like hundreds of dollars, but cost tens of thousands.” You will simply have a very good understanding of what is considered an antique or vintage rarity.

Antique pre-revolutionary plate from the Kuznetsov factory. Sold for 1,800 rubles at auction.

Nuances of the antique business

I really don't recommend buying from people from other cities. Buy antiques for sale only in person - this way you will protect yourself from fraud and be able to assess the real condition of the item. It’s also important to be very careful when purchasing those products that are often counterfeited. These are coins and porcelain figurines, as well as some icons. Strive to learn as much as possible about the item and its history; if in doubt, ask a question to the antiques assessment group, attaching a photograph.

This business is suitable for those who are interested in vintage and antique items, and who are not looking for easy sales and simple goods. In my opinion, selling antiques is not always easy, but it is always interesting.

The big advantage of selling vintage and antiques is that this product will never become outdated or go out of fashion; on the contrary, such things only become more expensive over the years.

Having heard approximate prices for antiques, many are interested in how to make money on antiques. But few people understand that antiques are not only weapons, furniture, dishes and archaeological treasures. Buttons, hairpins, stamps, badges even from the 40s of the last century can be antique. At the same time, domestic items occupy a small market share. You can really make good money in foreign markets.

Antiques as a business is implemented in several ways. When investing in antiques, you can safely expect a profit of 25% per year. But you can also make money by appraising rare things. In this case, the antique dealer’s earnings reach up to $150 per hour.

How to become an appraiser

Theoretically, any school graduate can learn valuation. To do this, it is not necessary to have an art history education; it is enough to take special courses. But most often such training is given to people who already have experience communicating with antiques. Moreover, such training is too expensive pleasure, as for yesterday's schoolboy. An initial six-month appraiser course will cost $1,100, and an advanced annual appraiser course will cost $1,900. It is clear that training alone will not make you an expert. It takes years to accumulate experience that will be highly valued in the market.

One thing is for sure, after completing the courses you are unlikely to be left without a job. Appraisers are readily hired by antique stores and galleries. As a rule, after a few months of work you can already recoup the money spent on training. You don't have to get attached to specific place work and offer one-time services for the appraisal of antiques. In this case, earnings at first will start at $250 per week.

Don't be afraid of competition. Good appraisers are highly specialized in a particular field. Specialization comes down not to a certain century, but to a certain type of antique. Therefore, over time, it is worth taking additional appraiser courses that cover a specific narrow topic. In any case, the profession is in great demand, since the share of fakes on the market, according to some estimates, reaches 50%.

How to open an antique store

Another way to start an antiques business is to open your own store or antique shop. First of all, you need to decide on the direction of your business. The most profitable business is the sale of paintings. Antique books rise in price every year by 25-30%, coins - by 20%, cars - up to 17%. The value of stamps is growing worse and jewelry– up to 7% per year.

Having decided on the direction, start looking for a suitable room. It should be spacious enough to accommodate all items comfortably and harmoniously. The store must be located on the ground floor of a building with a separate entrance. The premises must be designed so that every item is available for viewing, and at the same time the store is spacious enough. Include the purchase of closed display cases and shelving in your business plan.

In addition to purchasing the actual items, a significant part of the budget will be spent on purchasing a license and insuring the goods. Set aside part of the funds for the salaries of two sellers, a purchasing manager, a restorer and an appraiser. Considering the proportion of fakes, there is no point in opening a store without the services of an appraiser, since the slightest mistake can cost you your entire business. The restorer will bring your items to marketable condition, because not always former owners store them carefully. An accountant can be hired part-time or outsourced.

The income portion will come from the actual sale of things. The markup on them is about 300%. If you take an item for sale, you can count on a profit of 10%. Additional income is generated from the evaluation of things - this is another 25% of the cost of each order. Things don't sell very quickly. For a year in best case scenario Only seven of the 10 antiques purchased can be sold. True, every year the cost of goods only increases. Therefore, it is important to carry out inventory in the store on time. The business will pay for itself in a couple of years.

It is worth advertising the store only in specialized publications, forums, and exhibitions, since not everyone is interested in antiques. The best advertisement will be your high reputation. An online store helps you sell and advertise well. IN in some cases business can be reduced entirely to online sales.

Where to look for antiques

Practice shows that truly valuable items can be found directly from the owners, or through art dealers. Purchasing through the latter is more expensive, but more reliable. It is more profitable to contact the owners directly, who often do not understand the value of the things they own, but dream of getting rid of the junk as quickly as possible. By buying unnecessary things from residents of Khrushchev and Stalin buildings, you can sometimes find amazing and rare antiques. Another option is trips to villages. There at local residents in attics and sheds, among other rubbish, there are also valuable and expensive things. A good source for finding “treasures” are flea markets. There, too, you come across rare things that are ready to sell for pennies.

Less reliable, but more interesting way get rare things - search for treasure. True, here you need to know what and where to look. But persistent adventurers still come across gold jewelry, rare coins, and many other valuable things. But there is no guarantee that you will come across a truly rare thing. Moreover, even if it is caught, the cost of restoration may exceed the possible income from its sale. Also, don't discount the Internet. There are many forums and communities of collectors, treasure hunters and other lovers of ancient things who are ready to sell or exchange some things.

But the antiques market is unstable and changes every year. Today the most popular are two main categories of things:

1. Expensive antiques: canvases famous artists, Jewelry.
2. Items from the flea market: artifacts, ancient curiosities.

Today everyone is more and more interested contemporary art, art modern. Interest in art deco style items continues. A business in antiques must be built taking into account these market trends.

Approximate cost of the case

The initial investment depends on many factors. If you decide to become an appraiser, all you need to do is invest just over a thousand dollars in your training. The store will require more serious investments, which also depend on the chosen field of activity: the price of antique coins and vintage cars is very different.

According to the most general estimates, by renting premises, purchasing equipment, literature, investing in training and purchasing goods, on average you will have to invest 50-80 thousand rubles. Although in some cases you can start with a thousand rubles. The return on business depends on the size of the investment and starts from three months. On average, the invested funds will be returned within a year.

Business idea: how to make money on antiques?
Where we do business from: office, rented premises (possibly in mall)
Main costs: rent, training, investments in buying antiques
Necessary equipment: assessment equipment, literature
Consumables: no
Starting capital: from 50,000 rubles. up to 80,000 rub.
Payback period: from 3 to 6 months
Possible profit: from 30,000 rub. up to 80,000 rub.

The antique business in our time is one of the most common and profitable types of income. By investing their material assets in antiquities, people receive a profit of 25% per annum. Such people need the opinion of an appraiser, which you can become and receive excellent money for your work - about $150 per hour.

In order to become an appraiser, you do not have to be an art historian; it is enough to take courses teaching antiques. But, it is worth saying: in order to experience all the fascination of the antique world, you will first have to shell out an immodest sum. Price initial course will be about $1,100, but an in-depth course will cost you $1,900. After completing such a fundamental course, which lasts a year, you can get into antiques.

Many people think that after graduation this course They will be able to earn money quickly, but you need to understand: becoming a professional is a result of hard work over several years. By the way, appraisers have no problems finding work. An antique store or some art gallery will gladly take you, and the money spent on training will return to you after several months of work, since wage appraiser is $1,000 - $1,500 per month.

But you don’t have to work for someone, you can easily become a “freelance artist” and work for yourself, creating a name for yourself. At the same time, with hard work, a small initial salary will increase significantly in the future. After all, as they say: “The first half of your life you work for your own name, the second - your name works for you."

Note: Never undertake to evaluate furniture from the period in which you are engaged. A self-respecting professional painting appraiser, for example, from the 16th-17th centuries, will not evaluate furniture from the same time.

Searching for antiques

In general, nowadays it is very difficult to find an interesting and worthwhile thing on an amateur basis. But we have a large dealer network, as well as the profession of antique dealer, whose responsibilities include:
1. Search for things according to your specialization
2. Distributing it among antique dealers.
This certainly makes it easier to find unique antiques.

Unexpected places of antique finds

During the search for antiques, which took place in the late 90s, we found an Austrian aquarium from the Art Nouveau era, the owners of which turned out to be residents of one of the Khrushchev-era apartment buildings in New Cheryomushki. Without the ability to restore such things, people simply wanted to short time get rid of them, not at all interested in the high uniqueness of the objects. Of course, the aquarium was in disgraceful condition, so we had to work hard to restore it.

Is a unique antique necessarily expensive or not?

Of course not. Once in St. Petersburg we bought a mirror from the Art Nouveau era. But its black plastic frame seemed poor to us, so we decided to replace it, but it turned out that the frame is the most expensive thing in the mirror, since it is the first of the celluloid things of the 20th century.
The magnificent chandeliers, characteristic of the beginning of the century, with beautiful ornaments and stained glass windows, seemed to have been spoiled by black sockets sticking out from above and below them. But chandelier bulbs were fashionable in the 20th century!

Fashion for antiques nowadays

Only a decade has passed, but the antiques market has changed significantly. There are two categories of antiques:
1. Expensive antiques (jewelry, paintings by famous artists)
2. Category "flea market" (antique curiosities, artifacts.)

As in the West, there is a shift towards art modernity. Art Deco style items also remain fashionable. A large shift in interest is felt towards contemporary art.