How to Be a Picker for an Antique Dealer
Thanks to the success of TV shows like "American Pickers," people are becoming more aware of what antique dealer picking involves. However, becoming a picker takes more than just a desire to drive around the country and go poking in people’s barns. Antique dealers run a business, and they need profits and customer demand to survive. Antique picking requires the ability to know the dealer’s business, customer preferences, the correct pricing for various items and how to bargain. If a worker can successfully master these qualities, she can produce some amazing picks for a dealer to sell to customers.
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Instructions
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Apply for and accept employment with an antique dealer specializing in items you enjoy evaluating. Choose a dealer with an inventory of which you are knowledgeable and have an understanding of item histories. For example, if you enjoy discussing and admiring early colonial furniture, focus on antique dealers trading in those items.
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Learn the dealer’s business, customer desires, pricing structure and business practices. Understand what the dealer seeks, how much profit he wants to make on items and what he’s willing to pay for wholesale purchases.
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Become familiar with the dealer’s references. Learn the experts relied upon for item grading, inspection, appraisal and possible sales. Build a network of these individuals and businesses so you can call on them for questions when picking.
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Encourage the dealer to allow you to go on picking trips. Watch and learn how the dealer or his experts choose items, why they go after particular antiques and how they bargain with wholesale sellers. Develop an understanding of supply regions and locales from which items come.
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Gain the dealer’s trust in your ability to spot items for purchase. Bargain for good, wholesale prices. Work within the dealer’s budget for purchases. Do not abuse your purchasing liberties when they are provided. Develop and perform on a consistent level over time, producing good picks that turn around and sell for profits. Follow up on your picks and keep records to be able to show how your performance has benefited the dealer.
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Use a personal vehicle if necessary and get your mileage reimbursed for business expenses. Bring a phone along so you can speak with your network of experts when referencing the background of more exotic items you discover while picking.
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Drive to various suppliers on your own or with a partner when the dealer begins to trust your performance enough to let you pick. Use the shop’s reference system for call-ins or sellers who have property to unload. Remain consistent in your performance, relying on all the lessons you have learned.
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Tips & Warnings
Using a smart phone will allow you to remotely and quickly reference Internet prices on auction sites to get an idea what customers are willing to pay for items and what’s in demand. You can then show this information to a seller to drive down his wholesale price in bargaining if it’s not reasonable.
Always remember, as an employed picker, you work for the antique dealer. Do not abuse his purchasing budget for your personal interests. If you see something while picking you want personally, buy it with your own money rather than the dealer’s funds.
References
Resources
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