Are My Parent's Old Things Valuable? Selling Antiques And Collecitbles On-Line

Cleaning Out My Parent's House: Is It Junk Or Valuable?

When the time comes to gather up your parent's collections, how do you know what is "JUNK" and
what belongs in the category of "antique" or "collectible"? To answer that question, I would like to get you to wonder about two key terms, "junk" and "valuable".

Junk Shop Versus Antique Shop: It's Just A Name

Why is it that some shops call themselves "Junk shops" and sell really neat stuff and other stores call themselves "Antique shops" and sell JUNK?

What makes a place a true JUNK shop? Can you be both....part JUNK and part ANTIQUE? Think about some of the shops you like to visit......would you buy a really expensive lamp or table in a place called "JUNK Shop"? Or do you expect only bargains and throwaways in a "JUNK Shop"? The answer is you can find all sorts of things everywhere!

Do You Know What Is Valuable In The Basement?
When you look at your parent's stuff, are you really sure that you know what the "junk" really is? Perhaps you think the "junk" is in the garage or in the basement? And you assume the "good stuff" is in the living room? Hold on...you may be assuming too much.

Reality T.V. Show On Antiques Love Finding Treasures

For starters, an entire industry of Reality T.V. shows are
based on the idea of finding hidden treasures in all the "wrong places". These made for T.V. pickers prefer junkyards, storage bins, garbage piles for the "good stuff". The premise of these popular shows is the thrill of discovering something "valuable" buried in a pile of "junk".

Is Mom Or Dad's Old Things Valuable?

But what exactly do we mean by "valuable"? As The American Pickers have shown us, there is a good deal of "value" in rusty old bicycle frames. But how many of you want an old bicycle frame? Would the lovely "Antique Shop" in the center of your town want pop's old bicycle frame? Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean there isn't an eager buyer somewhere else. So value really comes down to what is important to an individual buyer and you will discover that there are unique markets everywhere for everything.

Good Bye Antique Price Guide, Hello Internet

Before the internet, many folks relied on books such as Antique Price Guides to help them determine "value". Now, going on-line has replaced looking in books and is a very easy way to learn about the "value" of objects in the market place. And what the internet has done is create a global buying field.

Internet Is A Global Marketplace For Antiques And Collectibles

Many antique dealers have learned that they can get much more for a collectible on-line than in their shops, because they have the entire world competing to buy a particular "collectible". And size doesn't matter. Anything can be shipped and the right buyer will pay for shipping if you have what they really want.

Selling Your Parent's Antiques And Collectibles On-Line

So if you are getting ready to sell off antiques and collectibles that you have acquired , you might want to consider using some of the many on-line selling venues. To learn more about selling on-line, visit http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/ and go to the many group forums which focus on the growing number of online selling sites . Here is a partial list below (featured on I Antique Online.com.)

If you want someone to come into the house and take over the sale of the contents of the entire house visit my information website: http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/group/estatemavenshelpwithestateliquidation for more resources.

Selling Your Antiques And Collectibles On-Line : Visit These Information Groups

These are group forums where you will hear about the experiences of others who are selling antiques and collectibles on these popular selling venues. You can joion these discussion for FREE
eBay Connection
Etsy Connection
Bonanza Collection
Ruby Lane
Ruby Plaza Connection
eCRATER Connection
Go Antiques.com
Tias.com Connection

The photos featured in this article are from The Junk Shop Of Canton, Canton CT. Eric, the owner is always buying, so if you are looking to sell the contents of a house, contact Eric.860-693-6039.

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.comVisit my website, CDianneZweig.comDianne is a member of:The American Society of Journalists and AuthorsThe Society of Professional Journalists