1. Do you buy antiques?
Yes, we are constantly buying antiques. We buy
antiques for resale on this
and our other website
www.Patented-Antiques.com. We buy & sell antiques that are
offered to us from private individuals, antique collectors,
antique dealers, various museums both private and public, estate attorneys, estate liquidators,
and a number of other sources. If you have antiques or vintage
collectibles you want to sell, that would be of interest to us,
and at least have
an idea of what it is worth, or what you want for it, please contact us
by email,
or phone at 530 620 7019.
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. That includes what it is you have, and a sense of
what you want for it. In most cases I will not respond to calls or emails that simply say
"I
have a ??? Are you interested", with no other information.
Please review the rest of this page and the other pages
of this site to determine if your antiques or collection would be of interest to us prior
to contacting us. There is a lot of general info on the pages in the left column that you should acquaint yourself with
before contacting us.
2. Do you sell antiques?
Yes,
at the bottom of most pages on this site a few select pieces
that we have sold in the past are listed, highlighting the caliber and quality of
antiques we typically sell. Our main antique sales take place at
www.Patented-Antiques.com. and
those antiques are primarily on consignment from several collections and
various collectors or other individuals.
At that site we have many individual items
listed for sale with
set prices. We also have a sales archive section there
with many past sales results highlighting the type and quality of
antiques we typically buy and sell. Please take a look.
We sell antiques on a
consignment basis, and are currently selling pieces from several large
collections and individual pieces for several other consigners. If interested please inquire.
We also offer a eBay listing service for select antiques
if that is the route you want to go.
3. Do you do Appraisals / Give Free Online
Valuations?
Sure. It is a paid service, and if you contact me with a request for
a value or further info on your antique I will send you a Paypal invoice
to fill out and pay through. I offer a two tier payment system for
antique appraisals.
1. Appraisals and any info for individual antiques I can perform
off the top of my head are $9.95.
2. Detailed Appraisals in writing that entail further research are
a minimum 19.95 and up depending on the volume, time spent
researching, and level of information you are looking for.
Please Note: I do not respond to some appraisal requests. To
get a sense of why and to take a look at a few examples of the numerous
requests for free information / appraisals we receive on a daily basis
please see
this page.
4. I do not want an appraisal, I just need help or
more information. 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 offers.
Yes I
have a website, and it is visible, and it seems like I should know about your antique or collectible, but truth is sell antiques,
that is my job and
I do that
job pretty much full time. If I answered every request for
general or additional information that we received for antiques that are not for sale we would never have time for anything else.
Please understand. Thanks.
5. I want to sell my antique but do not know
what it is worth. What do I do?
Pay for an appraisal. Look at eBay. Do
further research. Read the general info pages at the top of both
this site and my sales website and after you do research at
eBay or utilizing other sources, and you have found information contact me.
Or arrange to have me help you sell it on a consignment basis, where we
are working together and not as adversaries.
6. Will you make me an offer for my antique?
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 want me to make an offer, and we have determined
I have an interest, we will 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 I will send it back,
or we can arrange for me to sell it for you on consignment.
The only cost to you is time and shipping.
7. Where do you buy your antiques?
The simple truth is that over the last few years we have
obtained most
of our better antiques over the internet and from house calls developed
from individuals visiting our antiques webpages.
We used to have a network of people and dealers that we
visited across the country that routinely sold us some great stuff, but
for various reasons, almost all related to the internet and rising fuel
prices, those days are pretty much over. Shipping is a
cost factor, but nothing in comparison to the fuel bills I use to run up
driving back and forth across the country looking to buy & sell stuff.
Occasionally we still buy at auction, but that approach has many
drawbacks, especially when absentee bidding.
We still go to local or regional antique shows as often as possible, and
buy a lot of stuff from other dealers both at shows and privately, but
not like we use to be able to.
Finally, we come back to this approach, the
internet, and you the reader.
If you have something great to sell, or a houseful ,or collection of
quality antiques or collectible pieces to sell, please contact us---we would
love to hear from you!
8. 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 be able to sell great antiques for 100% or more of current retail. Sounds unlikely but is true. At the other end we buy and sell common
pieces and slow moving or so-so condition pieces
that we are only mildly interested in for much less. In other words
great pieces that
are in great condition bring great money, while lesser stuff is tough to
sell for any amount to most most collectors.
9. How do I sell you antiques?
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 and how much it is if you are looking for me to return your call.
** Please have the antique object in front of you, and be
ready to discuss it. **
10. 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.
11. How long does it take?
We will pay you promptly upon receipt or sale of the item by the method of
your choice.
12. I still (JUST) need general info about my antique. Can
you help?
Other than the info I have already provided on this site
and our sister site, including the
Patent Date Reference Chart and
Past Sales Archives on our other site, I am simply not going to be able to help you with this
on an individual basis. If you have
found something similar on my page, in all likelihood the information
there is all I have.
13. Do you have a shop?
No, we do not. We do some antique shows, but in
general our business is now primarily internet based.
14. Do you make a lot of money doing this?
No, but I do enjoy it and it keeps me very busy.
15. How / Why do you do it?
The last time I described our schedule and the methods of
buying / shopping we
employ and style we use, that person (who was also an antique dealer,
but of a different sort) looked at us incredulously, and when I was
finished simply said, "I think I would get a job."
Different Strokes for Different Folks!
