As the number of people who are collecting antiques is increasing rapidly, the number of antique dealers who buy and sell the antiques to collectors is also increasing very fast.
Antique collectors invest lot of money to get the antique which attracts them a lot. This is been encased by the bad dealers if the collector is ignorant. The excitement and readiness to spend money gives the bad dealer a chance to cheat the collector with the fake antiques.
There are many dealers in the market, some are really good and are into the market because of their love and passion towards antiques, while some are greedy dealers who just wait for the chance to make profits. Bad dealer produce fake antiques, modify and make them look old and used like genuine antiques. So, a collector while trying to buy an antique must be very careful and choose a good dealer.
For an experienced collector or an expert, it is easy to spot the fake antiques and it is not really a big problem for them if a dealer is good or bad. But for an immature collector who is buying an antique for the first time, they can get the genuine antique only if he identify that the dealer is good. This article tries to give some simple tips to a first time collector, which may be helpful for him/her to differentiate between a good and bad dealer.
Firstly, remember all dealers are not bad. When you decide to buy an antique and opt to buy it from a dealer, research well on the antique you chosen and about the various outlets that are present in the town that sell the antique you are looking for. Visit their website and check the reviews and the opinions of the previous customers. When you find that the reviews and the feedback of the previous customers are good and considerable, choose the outlets that you are going to visit.
It is not enough just to check their website and trust the dealer. So, more verifications has to be done. Visit the place of the dealer and observe all the antiques that are present in his garage/ outlet. From his collection you can understand whether he has passion towards the antiques or is it just a business for him. Ask him and find out various antiques that are present and check the answers he is giving. Check if he has knowledge about all the antiques and gives genuine answers about them (you know the answers from the research you made. So, compare the answers). If you understand that he is a good dealer then proceed with your purchase.
Choose antique that you are trying to buy and again ask the dealer many questions about them. Ask him about the year it is manufactured, materials used in it, any changes made to it, its restoration process, who are the previous users etc. From the answers he is giving, it is easy to identify whether he is a good or a bad dealer.
If it is difficult for you as it your first antique purchase, then take an experienced collector’s or an expert’s advice about choosing the antique, some outlets they know, dealing with the dealer etc.
You may be thinking whether it is really necessary to do so many checks to identify the dealer. Yes, there is nothing wrong in spending extra time in choosing the good dealer for the first time, because you can buy the next antiques from the same dealer without much hesitation and it saves lot of time and get a genuine antique for yourself.