Top 10 Mistakes in Antique Shopping

For those who are interested on shopping for the right antique to spice up their homes, the article gives the top 10 mistakes in antique shopping that should be avoided.

Mei Rose Galang

Antique furnitures can easily give a character on a simple room or even to the space where it is placed. For those who are interested on shopping for the right antique to spice up their homes, below are the top 10 mistakes in antique shopping that could be avoided.

1. Going out of town for antique shopping and being clueless about the “in” places. You will need to do a research the best antique shopping places on the town that you would like to go. Certainly it will save time, money and you can exert all that effort on deciding what to buy rather than looking for antique stores to shop. Having connections won't hurt, you can ask those who have experience on buying antiques where they had great deals and where you shouldn't bother to go.

2. Preferring antique malls over single-owner shops. Well, this not a major mistake but shopping on a hard to find single owner shops can give a lot of perks like more personal service, price negotiation, wide selection of antiques and even the proprietor's story that goes with each furniture.

3. Again, preferring antique malls over single-owner shops. Another hassle on shopping at a mall is when the owner is not present, you will need to negotiate with an attendant who can only give you limited discount.

4. Forgetting to bring handy items like flashlight and measuring tape. You will need to fully examine if your purchase is worth your money.

5. Paying by credit card. Dealers would often prefer and offer best price for those who can pay cash or through check.

6. Asking for a lower price by belittling the piece's quality. Sellers would surely appreciate a polite price negotiation, emphasis on the adjective politely, rather than pointing out the piece's limitations and bargaining for a lower price.

7. Splurge on shopping without doing a research. These days, the Internet is likely accessible to anyone and it can surely provide valuable antique informations about hot items, price range, history and more.

8. Being giddy about a flawless antique piece that you bought. Basically antiques should have small blemishes because of the time and history that it has endured. If the item looks flawless its probably a reproduction.

9. Being giddy about a flawless antique piece that you bought on a high price. Rare antiques generally comes at higher prices but be careful because you might end up buying a replica. In the case on shopping for antiques, its not bad to buy an expensive item with slight defect because the preservation of this item along with its minor defects makes it precious.

 10. Not asking for the antiques proper care and maintenance procedures. Investing on antiques does not stop on buying one. You should gather information on how to take care of it and at the same time increase it's value. Each item have its own requirement in terms of temperature, storage, cleaning, etc.

Mei Galang recommends the [Classifieds] (link: http://classifieds.ozfreeonline.com) section of Oz Free Online for anything you would like to buy sell or trade online.