Why Choose Auctions in Melbourne over Collectors Fairs for Selling

There are a number of different venues for selling antiques today, from traditional auction houses to the internet to collectors’ fairs. While each venue has their own separate set of pros and cons, traditional antique auctions in Melbourne at an auction house tend to work better for sellers than a collectors fair. Here’s why:

Low-Balling Buyers

Though everyone’s out to get a good deal (and understandably so), at collectors fairs you’ll have just that; many more buyers trying to “low-ball” you and offer far lower prices for your antiques than you would receive at a traditional antique auction. While these buyers are usually at least somewhat serious about making a purchase (most of these fairs do charge a fee), they haven’t invested the weeks of preparation that most serious auction goers put in before attending a traditional auction so they really have no idea how much your item is really worth, and how much they should ask to purchase it for.

Disorganised Set Up

At an auction house, items are set up to be sold in a particular order; an order which they think will garner the best prices on items. At a collectors fair, however, items and venders are placed where ever they’re placed and usually without any thought or consideration as to what items those vendors are selling, at what prices, and other important details that traditional auction houses take strongly into consideration.

Competing With Other Venders

At an auction house, you likely won’t have a number of similar items sold at one auction. When you go to a collectors fair, however, you can have venders selling very similar items to yours, and at lower price points. Though your antique may be worth more, many of the buyers attending are so focused on getting a good deal that they will choose to purchase items from your competition that’s undercutting your prices, leaving you with zero sales at the end of the day.

Wasting Your Time

Your time is valuable, and sellers can rest assure that when they place their items up for sale at antique auctions in Melbourne they’re going to get the most out of their time. As the points above prove, attending a collector fair, though perhaps less expensive and more laid back can be a big time waster. Not only should sellers invest time beforehand checking out collectors fairs to see how they work and how items should be presented, but these fairs can easily leave you with no sales or tempt you into letting go of a precious and incredibly valuable antique for a fraction of its worth.

Established in 1919, Leonard Joel has been a leading provider of private, public and commercial auctions throughout all of Australia for nearly a century. The company provides clients with a complete set of auction management services and provides the largest auction market for both the dispersal and the purchase of art, antiques, jewellery, furniture, and collectables.