Online Antique Appraisals – What you need to know
Online antique appraisals are becoming very popular. These days it seems as if everything can done online. The internet is becoming a tool used to save you the time and effort of having to leave your home in order to accomplish tasks. WebMd can save you a trip to the doctor. Fresh Direct can save you a trip to the supermarket. The antique and art world is also changing as a result of the increased use of the internet. A great example is the antique auction world. Back in the day, in order to bid at auction you had to physically be in the auction room. Now you can be eating dinner while bidding on a $100,000 antique oil painting from your phone. The same is said about buying antiques at the store. You no longer have to go to the local antique store to pick out a rare antique or collectible. Now you have access to eBay. You can purchase millions of items located all around the world. In addition, selling antique items has become very easy. You may use eBay, Etsy, Tias or hundreds of other websites to sell your antiques and jewelry. Finally, now you can also have your antiques appraised online. It is great to have the option to do an online antique appraisal. However, you need to know all details about the process.
In the past in order to get an antique appraisal you would have to either take the antique item to a reputable auction or hire a certified appraiser. This can be time consuming and very expensive. If you have tried to get in touch with a major auction house to do an appraisal for you lately, then you know how hard it can be. Many times you have to email photos to the auction house. If your piece isn’t worth a million dollars you could wait months before getting a response (if any at all). If you hire an appraiser to examine your antique items it can be very pricey. Often times they charge $100-$300 an hour and might have a minimum requirement of 5 hours. This can add up very quickly. Doing an online antique appraisal can be very inexpensive, and can also be done quickly. Some antique appraisal sites offer appraisals for as little as $15 per antique item. These online antique appraisals can be done in 48 hours or as quick as 24 hours.
Of course when doing an online antique appraisal you need to remember that the appraiser is not physically examining the antique item. He is simply going by the photos you send and the measurements you give. To get the proper evaluation your pictures need to be very clear. You also have to be thorough with photos and include any blemishes, cracks, chips or repairs. Your measurements need to be accurate as well. Be sure you use the appropriate weights and measurements.
A reputable site we have used in the past is Value My Stuff. They have many appraisers that have major auction experience from places like Sothebys and Christies.