Before the meltdown just about every financial advisor would have said flat out that the tangibles market is dead. Today that sentiment is changing rapidly as the wounded seek financial shelter of any kind, including a resurgent interest in tangibles (fine arts, antiques, collectibles, and precious metals). This is creating a very favorable niche market environment for savvy eBay auction sellers. This series of eight articles will focus on the silver goods segment of this growing market.
In 2008 the average silver price remained high at $14.99 even with the economic chaos of the fall months. This has made silver very attractive to large and small investors alike. While many will invest solely in speculative bullion, coin, or futures, a growing number of investors are buying up antique, vintage and collectible silver goods as a conservative safe haven against further cash losses.
Hoping to sell into this demand, eBay sellers are now flocking to estate sales, yard sales, flea markets, antique fairs, and raiding the family attic in search of salable silver items. Not unlike the hopefuls appearing on The Antiques Roadshow, these eBayers often plop some item into an eBay auction with big money hopes yet without a clue as to its origin, use or intrinsic silver value. The resulting sale, if any, is usually for little or no profit. Why? Because these sellers don’t know how to research and properly describe silver goods. The result is weak or no bidding action. How ridiculous is it to expect anyone to bid on your item when you can’t tell them anything about it? By the way, these same sellers are often burned when they buy things to resell on eBay since they don’t know what they’re buying and they usually overpay. Ethically challenged auctioneers, estate consignors and antique dealers call these folks “Homers”, ala Homer Simpson, and they love selling junk to them.
There are many kinds of antique, vintage and collectible silver items that will sell profitably on eBay. Everything from antique French snuff boxes to silverware sets to lavishly ornate tea services. Some items sell extremely well in the thousands of dollars and others will only sell for a few dollars, if at all. There’s no secret to knowing what sells best. It is just a matter of knowing what has value to buyers, what doesn’t and how to clearly impart your item’s value to prospective bidders. Before getting into that discussion though we’re going to start with the basics. As a seller of silver goods you need to know how to research and decipher silver marks, understand what the different kinds of silver are, and how to properly, accurately and legally describe the silver in your auction.
Now, if you are someone whose only interest is in unloading Grandma’s tea set because you hate polishing silver, then here’s my advice to you. List it, hope it sells, and move on. This article series isn’t for you, so goodbye and good luck. On the other hand if you are serious about successfully selling silver items on eBay, you are willing to learn new things and you will put considerable effort into your auctions, then research is all important. You will need to learn the fundamentals about silver marks, silver purity standards, silver makers, rareness, antique value, melt value, what sells, what doesn’t, and how to successfully market your silver items on eBay.
Wayne Morrison is a professional antique collector, entrepreneur, and freelance writer. He can be reached for comments or questions about this article at wmorrison.sterlingservices@gmail.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Morrison
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