Posts tagged "furniture"
Posted by Chris under Furniture Resources on March 19, 2011
This is a question that we get fairly often. Selling furniture—and especially antiques—can be a very simple process, provided that you know what you're doing and you have the resources to do it. If not, then what is often a pleasant learning experience can turn into a frustrating push to dump unwanted furniture. To help, we've put together a few useful tips that should help avoid this problem.
1. Know the value of your piece. Luckily, we've already written an article on just this subject: How to Determine the Value of Your Antique Furniture.
2. Be patient. We have 15,000 square feet and it's absolutely full of furniture: we can afford to wait if it means getting a fair price on our antiques. Individuals, however, usually don't have the luxury of constantly moving furniture in and out, so it can sometimes feel like an eternity. Depending on the uniqueness, beauty, and price of your piece, it could take several months to sell it...which brings me to my next point.
3. Value and price are never the same thing. For one thing, value is relative: before the recent market crash, antiques were selling at slightly higher prices than they do now, because people expect a deal when times are tough. So even if you do all of the right things and get your antique(s) appraised, you probably won't sell them at the maximum possible value. This is why market research is so important to the selling process: if your piece is just a few hundred dollars lower than the average, you are substantially increasing your odds of selling the piece in a reasonable period of time. But since you determine what is "reasonable," that means striking a balance between how long you want to wait and how much money you want for your piece.
4. Take great pictures and write a great description. In our experience, pictures make a huge impact on whether someone decides to buy or not—especially over the Internet, where a picture is often the only thing the customer has to go on. Likewise, a detailed description of the piece—including, if applicable, history, wear, special features, etc.—can go a long way towards telling the customer that you care about the sale and you know what you're talking about. This is another reason why research is so important, and it's also another of countless examples of the old adage, "Practice makes perfect."
5. Diversify! This is a lot like saying, "Location, location, location." List your piece in as many places as possible: Ebay, Craigslist, GoAntiques, whatever it takes. Of course, dealers have a much wider range of venues to sell their furniture, but that shouldn't keep you from occupying enough marketplaces to make the sale happen. Many of these venues and platforms require listing fees, so this is another example of balance: if you expect to get a lot of money for your antique(s), then you might not mind at all whether you're paying $10/month to maintain your listings. If your piece is cheap, though, you may want to consider minimizing where possible so that you don't wind up selling at a loss.
6. Think about shipping: this is always a big plus, as it opens up new markets. You may not be able to ship yourself, but you can always call blanket wrap delivery companies—which, although expensive, still provide essential services. Ever see a gorgeous antique on Ebay that sells for $150 and doesn't have shipping? That's why. Again, this is one of those issues of balance, but on average, you will fetch a higher price for your piece if you can make it available to the most people possible.
7. Enjoy yourself! Selling furniture is definitely a learning process, but the world of antiques—especially online—is constantly evolving and there is always more to do and more to sell. Good luck out there!
Tags: selling, tips, online furniture
1 comment.
Posted by Chris under Furniture Commentary on March 01, 2011
Every morning that I come into the office, I sit down and read through our emails with a cup of hot, black coffee. This morning, I opened an email containing what looked like a photograph of avant-garde artwork. When you work in or run an online business, this is the sort of non sequitor that you come to expect when you look through your inbox. Business as usual. But what looked like an impressionist masterpiece was really just an exceptionally blurry secretary in a dim room.
Now, there are all kinds of photography tutorials out there that could amend this problem. However, there are a few additional things that you need to know before sending pictures to a dealer.
1. Ask yourself: what do I want the dealer to see? Is what I want them to see evident in the photograph? Honesty and clarity should be your rule of thumb.
2. Many people send emails containing pictures of items that they'd like to sell. However, even if you send detailed pictures, it is very unlikely that a dealer will be able to assess the value of your piece(s) without seeing them in person. They may be interested in purchasing your item(s) (if they're the type of dealer that buys from unsolicited offers), but they won't really know the value of your furniture until they see it in person. There are all kinds of details that you simply can't assess without physically inspecting every inch of the piece (what types of screws it has, whether it has dovetails, what the insides of the drawers look like, whether there is a maker's mark, etc.).
3. Be courteous. Practice the golden rule by being upfront about your intentions, and don't send what may be an unwanted email. Save yourself potentially wasted time and effort by checking to see if the dealer actually buys from customers, or if they provide appraisal services (which should cost hundreds of dollars in most cases). If they don't have any information on their website, try giving them a call, or send an email asking if they would be interested in helping you out before you send pictures. Also, consider that viruses frequently spread through emails and attachments, so many dealers simply won't read your email or look at your attachment out of security concerns; businesses are pretty big targets for malicious jerks, so help dealers and yourself by giving them a head's up! This level of courtesy may actually trigger a more sympathetic response in the dealer, prompting them to help you more than they otherwise would.
We hope that we've answered some of your potential concerns, but as always, feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below!
Tags: tips, online furniture
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Posted by Chris under Furniture Commentary on February 22, 2011
When buying furniture online, there are many aspects of the research and buying process to take into account. We've decided to put together a list of the 5 most important things to look for when buying your furniture from an online dealer.
1. Primarily, the quality of the furniture. Depending on how serious you are about this, you may want to do some research (i.e. the difference between solid wood and veneers, how significant dovetails are, different types of finishes and wood types, different furniture traditions like American vs. English). If you could find a retailer who gets their supply from the U.S. or England, I would recommend doing that.
2. The quality of the website. If it is an out-dated or poorly designed site, then chances are, the business isn't very serious about selling online. They probably don't have an updated online inventory and in all likelihood lack property security measures in the code that runs their site.
3. The quality of the photos. If they're beautiful and plentiful, you can probably ask the retailer to take more pictures for you, which can be very helpful when you're trying to make the right decision.
4. The responsiveness of the dealer. If they're polite and have good etiquette and passable grammar, chances are they're a professional who knows what they're doing. Ask them plenty of questions about the piece(s) that you are interested in. If applicable, ask about the wood type, the finish, the manufacturing process, the period (Victorian, Georgian, etc.), the origin (England, China, etc.), and anything else you can think of. The more you know about furniture, the more productive these questions will be, because you may be able to catch a dishonest or ignorant dealer before they get your money. However, I would add that most serious dealers are for the most part honest about their product, because it is difficult to run a successful business by treating your customers badly.
5. Their online reputation. If you found the website at the top of a search engine results page, then they have probably devoted an incredible amount of time and resources to getting there, which means they are serious. Also, check if the dealer is on Ebay, Amazon, GoAntiques, or any other furniture outlet. Sometimes you can even get a better price this way. You may even want to see if they have a Facebook or Twitter account, just to see how involved they are in the business. Taking that extra step towards social media can mean the difference between a lazy dealer and a zealous merchant who is dedicated to their business.
Tags: tips, online furniture
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Posted by Peter under Furniture Resources on December 31, 2010
Recently, we have started carrying a large variety of beautiful leather sofas, chesterfields, and chairs. Both the vintage and replica English leather pieces we are carrying have a great look. As with any new line, we have been asked several questions about how to care for the leather, so I have compiled this list of suggestions for keeping your leather purchase in tip top shape.
-First and foremost leather is very susceptible to fading in direct sunlight. Leather pieces should not be keep in direct sunlight.
-Also, dry heat will cause leather to crack and dry out prematurely.
-All leather crackles over time. This is part of the natural aging process and can really add character to your piece. The key to keeping the crackle from becoming splits or worse is to keep your leather conditioned. Leather conditioner can be found in a variety of places including the hardware store and most automotive stores. Use a quality leather conditioner twice a year to ensure the leather stays pliable.
-Leather can be dusted or vaccumed regularly, however, use only a soft cloth, slightly damp if need be. Avoid dousing the leather in water, as it will leave spots.
-Light scratches can sometimes be buffed out with a clean finger. Small nicks can be colored in with some leather dyes (see your local automotive store). Larger or deeper scratches are almost impossible to repair and you will need to have a professional take a look at them.
As with any piece of furniture, prevention is much easier than repair. The above tips should help you keep your new sofa or chair in wonderful condition, so it can be enjoyed for years to come.
Tags: leather, chesterfields, furniture care
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Posted by Chris under Industry News on May 26, 2010
When I was perusing my RSS headlines today, I noticed one from Furniture Today about Red House Furniture and their (in)famous viral marketing YouTube video (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!). I was curious about what the writer had to say on the subject.
According to the article, Red House "ranks highly" in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), presumably because of the video, but a quick look at any common search terms shows that they don't. Still, I'm sure they've gotten a great deal of attention as a result of the video, especially locally, and there is nothing quite like saturating your local market, particularly in the furniture industry, since many people want to see the item(s) in person before buying. Given our customer base, I'm not convinced that a viral YouTube video would be the right move for English Classics, but it certainly is funny to think about what we could cook up.
What I found most interesting in the article lay in the comments section. I was frankly surprised to see that anyone was apparently disgusted by the video. One person remarks, "Our forefathers must have been insane when they brought North Carolina into the Union," while another points to the video as "a prime example of what is wrong with the furniture industry." Now, every marketing strategy has its place, but Red House Furniture certainly doesn't seem to be selling top-dollar items, so I don't see the harm in appealing to their customers: people who have a sense of humor and who like to be entertained. If only every furniture store could find a way to turn a customer base into a happy, entertained audience, perhaps our ailing industry would find more success in the 21st century.
Tags: red house furniture, youtube, viral marketing
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Posted by Chris under Furniture Commentary on October 16, 2009
So you may be in the market for antique furniture, but there are often good reasons for buying a reproduction. My last post on reproductions prompted a conversation with a friend of mine about whether buying reproductions at all is a good idea when you can just go for antiques, especially since good, handmade reproductions can sometimes be more expensive than the real thing. So I decided to put together a list of the top three reasons for buying a reproduction instead of an antique:
1. You may want something flawless that looks new but is in an antique style. If it is an actual antique, you're probably looking at forking over a lot of dough. If you wanted an actual Georgian version of this walnut linen press, for instance, I would guess you would need at least $15-20k. A reproduction might set you back only $5k.
2. You may need something that is rare or practically impossible to find. Some dealers, like us for instance, can make anything you can dream up.
3. You may need a suite of matching or similar furniture; depending on what it is you need, this can be quite difficult. Most of the time when someone needs a group of items, they're looking to outfit an office. So you can get your desk, credenza, bookcase and filing cabinet in one place, with the same leather and wood types if you want—and have them all look antique.
Tags: reproduction furniture
1 comment.
Posted by Chris under Furniture Commentary on October 09, 2009
This is a prime example of a quality reproduction.
A host of fears and misconceptions haunt the idea of reproduction furniture—and in some cases, with good reason. Chinese junk, for instance, has long inundated the U.S. market, and some dealers aren't as honest as English Classics about where their items come from (and of course not all dealers get their stuff from England). But if you know what to look for in a good reproduction, then you don't need to worry too much about where it comes from because, I imagine, quality can come from the most surprising places. (In fact, I predict that as Chinese incomes rise, the burgeoning upper-class will want the same level of quality that wealthy Westerners have come to expect, and there will be a demand for quality right in their own backyards. This will make cheap, quality Chinese furniture a reality.)
For starters, the best way to find out about a piece is to simply ask the dealer. Ask where and when it is made, what it is made of (veneers, underlying materials, hardware metal). If it is finished, ask what kind of finish it is, and how to clean it. Ask what style it is in, whether it is handmade, and where and how the dealer acquired the piece. The answers to these questions will usually serve as good indicators of quality, and they might even get the dealer to lower the asking price.
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Tags: reproduction furniture, serpentine chest, dovetails
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Posted by under Furniture Commentary on August 28, 2009
Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the last in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Victorian furniture.
The Edwardian period represents in many ways the last period of English furniture craftsmanship in which bench-made furniture pieces played a central role, with later styles of furniture more or less abandoning traditional precedents in favor of cheap materials and machine production. Today, only a handful of English furniture manufacturers continue the tradition preserved by Edwardian craftsmen, among them the third-generation cabinetmaker who supplies our own line of furniture.
So named for King Edward VII’s reign from 1901-1910, the Edwardian period continued the Victorian tradition of reviving and blending older styles. Georgian furniture inspirations occupied the forefront of Edwardian furniture-making, however, and thus the period produced a kind of neo-Georgian style, with key differences. Among these, for instance, was the revived prominence of Queen Anne style furniture, which tended to employ cabriole legs, serpentine curvatures in chests, and chair backs curved to fit the body, with walnut as a favourite wood type. The Art Nouveau style was also a contemporary of the Edwardian period.
Typically, Edwardian furniture makers used mahogany, often in butterfly or quarter-veneer styles. Square tapered legs and spade feet were common. Satinwood was the favoured wood type for inlays, usually in combination with ebony. Satinwood inlay patterns included fan, swag, festoon, and string inlays. In fact, very often Edwardian furniture would include a combination of all of these inlays, producing a richly ornamented appearance, even in the absence of heavily worked carvings, and in this respect Edwardian craftsmen favoured the simple yet elegant Georgian approach to ornamentation.
Tags: furniture, history, edwardian
4 comments.
Posted by Chris under Furniture Commentary on August 13, 2009
I have to confess that when I began writing this post, it opened with grandiose assertions of our industry's incomparable singularity and linguistic wealth. I wanted to stake a claim, to mark out a small, fertile patch of our tongue as a special semiotic niche just for the business and subculture of English antique furniture. But every specialist can (justly) insist on his or her similarly unique verbiage, so I had to abandon that approach. Instead, what I found striking about the diction of English antiques lies in the relationship between the infrastructure (and superstructure) of our industry and the language that it employs.
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Tags: furniture, terms
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Posted by Chris under Furniture Commentary on August 06, 2009
Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 6th in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Regency furniture.
The same period that produced both an infamous Puritanical moralism as well as On the Origin of Species, the Victorian period is often seen as a time of contradictions, which any look at literature and art from the period can discern. The same can be said of Victorian furniture, where the stately propriety of the day clashed with a clamor of human passions to produce some of the finest, well-crafted furniture pieces of all time. Today, Victorian furniture is often considered the epitomized combination of orderliness and rich ornamentation. Indeed, furniture-makers at the time were so successful that succeeding styles took inspiration from the Victorian period, and even today many of the finest furniture styles (including our own collection) owe their design and construction techniques to the master craftsmen of Victorian period furniture.
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Tags: furniture, history, victorian
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