Choosing A Reputable Antique Dealer

There are many important things to consider when it comes to choosing a good antique dealer. You want to be aware of their background, their prior experience, methods that they use, any specialties they might have and a great deal more. The most important thing is that you really want to feel confident and secure with your antique dealer just like you would want to with any other specialty trade worker. It’s important that you take the time to talk with and get to know your antique dealer and that you feel confident with them and their knowledge before you purchase any items or ask them to do any restorative work simply because you don’t want to waste any time or money working with someone who isn’t of the highest quality.  

When searching out a antiques dealer it’s a good idea to reference the Art and Antiques earls League of America and to be sure that whatever dealer you choose is a reputable one. When seeking an antiques dealer ask your family or trusted friends if they have anyone they would recommend and if not always look and see who is doing very well in your area. If a person is very successful there is usually a good reason for it so as long as you check them out first you can find a good dealer based on reviews and recommendations.

You also want to take a good look at any testimonials a good dealer may have when i comes to their sources or restoration work and it’s especially helpful to talk to previous clients of that dealer. When you do this however it’s important to remember a couple of things. First of all testimonials are the very best most raving reviews of that dealer so take them with a grain of salt. Second you want to remember that the experiences of other clients are entirely their own and can sometimes have more to do with that particular client than with the actual dealer and their methods so just take what information you can use and discard the opinions of people who seem overly zealous.

You will also want to ask your potential antiques dealer some important questions. Ask them things like how long they have been in practice and how long they have been at their location. Ask about their experience, their background, their level of education as well as what types of sources they use (you never want to get involved with someone who has less than honorable methods of acquiring antiques) and how they came about their knowledge. Ask if they are members of an association of antiquing or restoration and if they have the contact information for that association. Ask what their success rate is when it comes to finding certain pieces for clients and if they specialize in a certain area. It’s also a good idea to ask for any clients you can call to reference as well as what their cost is and what working with them will be like. Also be certain to get a good idea of their confidentiality policy as well as any other details like the requirements of purchasing they might have and what their availability is.

As you’re asking these questions it’s most important for you to be aware of your antique dealers receptiveness to you. If they seem annoyed or disinterested in dealing with you then you can be certain they’ll approach your antiquing or restoration project with the same lack of enthusiasm. You don’t want to have to constantly be following up with your dealer trying to get information or updates on your project. A responsible, focused, dealer will be calling you to be certain you know where you stand.

The most important thing to remember when selecting a dealer is that you feel comfortable working with them and trust that they have the necessary skills and experience to get the job done at a reasonable cost of time and money on your end. If you feel good about that and your dealer is easy to communicate with, trustworthy, and friendly then you should have no problems working with them.