www.AntiqBuyer.com Larry & Carole Meeker FAQ

1. Do you buy antiques?

Yes we buy antiques, but our main focus & goal is to help owners sell antiques through our consignment sales program. We sell many rare & unusual antiques and collectibles for people from our sister website www.Patented-Antiques.com. Please visit that website.

We sell antiques consigned from private individuals, antique collectors, their relatives or spouses, other antique dealers, various museums, both private and public, estate attorneys, estate liquidators, and a number of other sources. We welcome your inquiries.

If you have antiques or vintage collectibles you want sold please contact us by email or phone at 530 620 7019. If you call please have the piece in front of you so we can discuss the specific details.

2. How do you sell antiques?

Most of our antique sales take place from our sister website www.Patented-Antiques.com. The antiques listed for sale there are primarily on consignment from several antique collections and various collectors or other individuals seeking to sell antiques.

We also offer a eBay listing service for select / certain antiques if that is the proper route to go. I sell there using the ID TheAntiqueMerchant Feel free to check out my record there.

We also do a few antique shows a year in different parts of the country, including Brimfield in MA., Round Top TX, Madison Bouckville NY, Portland OR and others.

3. How much do you charge to sell antiques on consignment?

We charge a sliding scale depending on the value of the individual antique, or the size of the antique collection. That can range from as low as 10% for certain pieces and situations, to 20%-30% for most consignments, and up to a 50-50 split for items that sell for under $100.

4. I want to sell my antique but do not know what it is worth. What do I do?

You can do some research yourself using the sales archives found on the right, or see what i am selling similar things for at www.Patented-Antiques.com. You can pay for an appraisal, or look at eBay sales results for free.

Or you can have me help you sell it on a consignment basis, where we are working together to achieve maximum value. We can then discuss the values of what you have as part of the service we provide in a win -win scenario for both of us.

5. I want to sell my antique now but have no idea what it is worth! Will you make me an offer?

I prefer not to. It is very difficult to make offers on antiques that I have not seen or that are not in front of me in a face to face negotiation. There are too many variables involved.

If you really want me to make an offer, and we have determined I have an interest, we can arrange for your antique to be sent to me. I will study its condition and research its value, and then make you a reasonable offer. If you are not happy with my offer, indicating you did know what you wanted, I will send it back at my cost, or we can arrange for me to sell it for you on consignment if the price you wanted is reasonable. The only cost to you is time and shipping one way.

6. Do you do Appraisals / Give Free Online Valuations?

1. Consultations about values and pricing of your antiques to be listed on our sales pages at www.Patented-Antiques.com are free and included in the consignment sales package.

2. Appraisals and any info for individual antiques not to be offered for sale that I can perform off the top of my head are $9.95. Simply ask for me to send you a Paypal invoice in your email request.

3. Detailed Appraisals in writing that entail further research and effort are a minimum $19.95 and up depending on the volume, time spent researching, and level of information you are looking for. We can discuss that.

4. In general I do not respond to telephone messages requesting valuations for antiques I have not seen.

7. I contacted you and never heard back? What gives.

If you call me about selling your antique or antiques and get my answering machine, and expect a response, you have to leave enough information for me to determine I am interested. It is the same with emails..

In most cases I do not respond to phone calls or emails that simply say "I have a ??? Are you interested", with no other information.

8. I do not want an appraisal, I just need help or more information about what I have. Can you help?

I get 50+ of these requests a day, mixed in with the 400 or so spams wanting me to buy their products, and although we would like to, we simply do not have the time to respond individually to each of these requests or those wonderful offers.

9 . How much do you pay for Antiques, or how much can I get for my Antique?

This really depends on the individual piece but in general, depending on the condition, rarity, and desirability of the given piece, we have been known to pay and are oftentimes able to sell great antiques for 100% or more of current retail value. That is the nature of great stuff. It sells well, for retail prices, and quickly.

At the other end, if what you have is not desirable, popular, in great condition, in demand, you will receive much less and it will take longer. In other words great pieces that are in great condition bring great money, while lesser stuff that is tough to sell, sells for much less if at all.

10. But why should I consign my antiques to you for sale instead of doing it myself, or sending it to auction, or listing them on eBay myself? Can't I do better there?

There are a number of reasons I can think of! In no particular order:

1. My two websites get close to 1000 unique visitors each day. That is 1000 focused and interested potential buyers a day walking through "my store". If what i have to offer is priced right it sells.

2. My ranking with the different major search engines is very good. You found it, and you can find it over and over again with relevant keyword searches in the search engines for the types of antiques we deal in. So does everyone else who is looking for those types of antiques.

3. I charge a reasonable sliding scale fee for the services I provide and you get your asking price.

4. I know what I am doing, I do it well, and I work diligently and tirelessly for my consignors to the best of my abilities.

5. I sell a lot of antiques.

6. I sell many antiques for more than you can get from other venues, including eBay or most auctions. I know how much what I sell is worth, and I get full value for it. I can prove that or tell you "antiquing war stories" about record sales all day long. That is not to say that for certain things eBay is not a better venue. For most it is not, but again that is part of the service I provide, helping with or making that decision.

7. We can & will guide and counsel you, and help you pick the best way to sell your specific antiques for the best price. For a detailed explanation and specific examples of how we operate please see the Pressing Iron Page or Woodworking Planes Page as well as other pages through the links in the left column.

8. Within Reason the consignor / owner controls the final price he receives for given pieces. In most instances I try to tack my sales commission onto the sellers asking price thus netting him exactly what he wants. In the past I have sold many pieces for far more than the consignor was expecting or hoping for.

At auction on the other hand you take what you get minus the commission and fees and hope the right buyers were watching or attending that day for most pieces.

9. To date I have only had to return a couple of pieces to consignors because of a lack of a sale due to time. This is usually due to unreasonable expectations or the piece being priced too high, because it would have sold at a lower price.

10. Ebay Try it. Try listing a broad range of your stuff on eBay Do not list the 6 best things first. Mix it up, list 20 or 30 things across the board value wise and then get back to me with the results and your sense of how that went.

Note: I recently had someone report back about how well they had done selling a certain pressing iron on eBay for $1200.00. They were real proud until I showed them where the last one I sold had brought $4000.

Another short eBay story. I recently listed an electric iron on eBay that had previously brought 900.00 in a different venue. It sold for a whopping 33.00 on eBay, and my listing was in nicer condition.

There is a reason eBay is called the wholesale market of the world!!

11. OK. How do I consign my antiques to you to sell?

Simple!! Just contact us by email, or phone 530 620 7019. If you use the phone and get the message machine tell me slowly and clearly what it is you have.

** Please have the antique object in front of you, and be ready to discuss it. ***

12. How do I receive payment for antiques that I sell you or you sell for me?

Your choice. We can pay by check, MO, wire transfer, or Paypal if you prefer. Cash is an option as well if we meet.

13. How long does it take?

We will pay you promptly upon receipt or sale of the item by the method of your choice.

14. Do you have a shop?

Brick & Mortar? No, we do not. We do some antique shows, but in general our business is now primarily internet based through our two websites. We have over 1000 unique visitors to those sites per day. That is real traffic through the "store". Much more than any brick or mortar store or any typical auction can claim.

15. Do you make a lot of money doing this?

No, but my consignors have. I paid out close to $200,000 in checks to them in the last couple of years with no complaints. I do enjoy it and it keeps me very busy.

Thank You!

Larry & Carole

Larry & Carole Meeker * * * * * * * Internet Antique Dealers & Brokers	www.AntiqBuyer.com Contact Us LCM@AntiqBuyer.com 530-620-7019
Purveyors and Dealers of Americana / Patented & Mechanical Antiques