Antiques And Technology

The art of finding and appraising antiques has been both greatly aided and hindered by technologies such as the internet and new smart phones in a variety of ways. These technologies, along with many others, are completely changing the way that antiquing is done as well as the way that many run their antique businesses, find and sell antiques, do their research, have pieces appraised, and much more. It’s important to be aware of not only the benefits these technologies can provide but also of the downfalls that are attached to them.

One common bonus to the integration of technology with the antique industry is the ability to research a piece before you buy it. With such a vast amount of resources available on the internet there really is no excuse for a person to go into a antique store looking for a certain piece without having at least a cursory knowledge of the item and it’s pricing. It’s also a great tool because you can research dealers and certain antique stores and discover their reputation as well as any complaints past clients have had along with their reliability and authenticity. This is also a great way to find high quality appraisers within your area and take a look at what their fees may be.

Another bonus to having these kinds of technology available to those dealing and seeking antiques is the greater access to the public they have. Larger sites like PriceMiner.com, Artfact, and of course Ebay have given people much wider sources for finding their antiques as well as selling them. A person can only cover so much of their area at any given time and antique stores are likely to only get the traffic of locals around them which can limit the number of pieces they can sell to specialty collectors. However if an antique store takes advantage of being able to sell their pieces online they can access a much broader demographic and will be much better off in finding just the right pieces for certain clients. When it comes to seeking out specific pieces being able to research and look online can make the difference between finding the piece or not especially if you’re collecting from a certain are or a region that you may not have access to.

The problem however with some of these technologies are that they also open up the market for a variety of scams and fraudulent activities that unaware clients or dealers may fall pray to. The internet can make it difficult to see and get as much information from a seller about a piece as you may want and it can also pressure you to purchase a piece before someone else does. It can also be much easier for dishonest dealers to portray certain pieces as being of much greater value than they are and of keeping their true identities hidden from wary buyers. This alone can make it extremely difficult to get proper documentation on a piece, let alone return a fake.

It can also be quite a struggle to purchase pieces over the internet when you aren’t able to see them in person prior to buying. That vase may look wonderful in a photographers studio when it’s beautifully lit and artfully posed but it may look miserable sitting in your front hall - something you might not realize if you’re examining it from a computer screen. It’s also a lot more difficult to spot fakes or damage that has been done from cleaning or repairs and to be certain of a pieces authenticity when you can’t see it and get in really close to examine it yourself. This can make it quite frustrating to a collector or a dealer that may think they’ve spotted a treasure but can’t be sure if they’re getting the real deal or not.

Overall it’s important to use these kinds of technologies to your best abilities but to be wary when you do so and take them with a grain of salt. Always being certain to have the most information you can when ordering from a dealer online and be sure about any research or information you’ve collected from various sources. Take what you can from the internet that will benefit your antiquing but when it comes down to really important or pricey work always develop a relationship with your antique dealer prior to making any deals or spending any money. If you follow these tips and be smart about what you do online with your antiquing you’ll be much better off any you’ll avoid having any major pitfalls or bad deals.