Buying and Selling Antiques: A Home Business

For someone getting involved in the business of antiques, it is usually a passion as much as a profession. This is not to say capital is not a veritable reason to enter this market. The art of antiques can be a very lucrative and productive business, demonstrated highly by the rising number of auction houses, dealers and websites dedicated to the subject.

Creating a home business around antiques can be both rewarding and challenging. It gives you the opportunity to work from the comforts of your own home while also allowing you the mobility to travel, collect and investigate possible buyers and sellers. It can be a transportable business, as the universal accessibility of the Internet now allows you to remain in touch while on the go. If desired you can work primarily from you're computer using your home as a storage space and allowing the web to be your online showroom. This immediately gives your business publicity. Along with a website, you cannot ignore the growing popularity of social networks as a media and advertising tool. These sites can help you're business gain recognition and reach a wider audience.

Antiquing your own home to the style of your business can be a smart but subtle advertisement, as the visual impact for a prospective customer can be very effective. Furthermore, selecting a specific room for your collection allows you to deal with business matters in a designated space of your home, creating an important separation between your home and business affairs.

As a buyer or seller you want to be aware of your market and the people in it. It is important to be accessible to the broad spectrum of customers and personalities who may walk in your door; old, young; veteran, novice. The easier it is for your customer to navigate and browse your collection the more likely it is they will return, whether this be through your website or showroom.

It is important to form a level of transparency between yourself and your customer with regard to information. Be willing to discuss an item and share your knowledge on the subject as well as taking on board what information they may have to offer. The story behind an antique can be as influential a selling point as the actual piece itself. After all the subject of antiquing is as much a business of sharing knowledge as a moneymaking one.