If you're a vintage seller with a collection of antiques that are gathering dust in your brick-and-mortar antique shops, why not convert them into cash? The growing online market for antique collectibles is great news if you're a vintage collector.
Today, the online antique business industry is worth over $2.8bn in the US alone! This number is expected to grow by 5.3% in the year 2023.
To leverage this, we now see many antique dealers trying to sell antique items online.
But you might wonder where to sell antiques online.
Believe it or not, you have lots of options when it comes to selling antiques online. So the next time you need a good place to sell antiques, don't panic — instead, check out some of these useful tips on how to find places that help you sell antiques.
Outline
Where to sell antiques online - 5 great options when starting your online antique shop
The Internet is a great place to sell antiques because it offers a global audience and takes away some of the hassles of selling. For example, you don't need to worry about driving around town looking for interested buyers or packing up items for shipping to distant locations.
Online platforms are an excellent option for selling antiques, but there are several different sites and apps available and it can be overwhelming to know which one is right for you.
Here's a guide to some of the best places when you think about where to sell antiques online, including some of the pros and cons of each.
1. Shopify
If you're looking for the best e-commerce platform to sell antiques online, Shopify is a great choice.
Shopify stats you should look into when selling antiques online
- Over 1.7M merchants sell online using Shopify.
- The Shopify App Store boasts over 8,000 apps contributing to its vast eCommerce ecosystem.
- Between March 2020 to January 2022, the number of active Shopify stores grew by a whopping 201%.
Pros of using Shopify
- A beautiful storefront where customers can browse your products and make purchases.
- Integration with PayPal, Stripe, and other popular payment gateways so you can accept credit cards and other forms of payment easily.
- An easy-to-use inventory system that allows you to quickly add or remove items from your store with just a few clicks.
- The platform also provides powerful analytics so that you can understand how well your business is doing at any given time and make changes as necessary.
- Figure out the solution to any problem you encounter by connecting with Shopify’s customer support team.
- You also get free learning materials through Shopify Learn.
Also read: Make your Shopify Product page SEO Friendly
The best part about Shopify is how much control you have over your store. You can completely customize it so that it looks exactly like you want it to look!
Cons of using Shopify
- You'll need to pay a monthly fee to use the service. This means if your business doesn't take off right away, you might end up spending money on a store that isn't getting any sales. That can be a risky proposition.
- Can require a bit of a learning curve.
Shopify reviews
Shopify is loved by users for its ease and flexibility. Take a look at some of the user reviews posted online -
Shopify users rate the platform -
- 8.9/10.0 for ease of use
- 8.8/10.0 for ease of setup
- 8.4/10.0 for quality of support
Shopify pricing
Shopify offers 4 plans -
Starter
The Lite plan costs $5/month. It offers features like -
- 1 staff login
- Unlimited product catalog
- Free SSL certificate
- Abandoned cart recovery options, etc.
Basic
The Basic plan costs $39/month. It includes everything in the Lite plan. In addition, you get access to -
- 2 staff logins
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- 4 inventory locations, etc.
Standard
The Standard plan costs $105/month. It includes everything in the Basic plan. In addition, you get access to -
- 5 staff logins
- 5 inventory locations
- Analytical reports, etc.
Advanced
The Advanced plan costs $399/month. It includes everything in the Standard plan. In addition, you get access to -
- 15 staff logins
- 8 inventory locations
- A duties and Import Taxes option
- eCommerce automations
- Advanced analytical reports, etc.
Shopify also comes with a 3-day free trial. So you can test the waters before you invest your money in it. Check it outhere.
2. Wix
If you're looking for a place to sell antiques online, Wix is the place for you. Wix makes it easy to create a website for your business and gives you the tools you need to make an impact. It's perfect for small businesses.
Wix stats you should look into when selling antiques online
- Over 650,000 stores are set up using Wix.
- Wix is the 3rd most popular on the entire internet in the hosted solution category.
- 43.7% of Wix stores are in the US.
Pros of using Wix
Wix is a great way to get started selling your antiques online -
- It's easy to use, even if you are inexperienced with websites and/or computers.
- You can easily customize your website however you want, so it will look unique from all of the other sites in your industry or niche.
Cons of using Wix
- With Wix, you can't customize your site as much as with other platforms.
- The eCommerce tools are pretty basic compared to what you can get elsewhere.
- Wix has limited support compared to other services.
- You'll need to pay a monthly fee to use the service. This means if your business doesn't take off right away, you might end up spending money on a store that isn't getting any sales. That can be a risky proposition.
Wix reviews
Wix users rate the platform -
- 8.9/10.0 for ease of use
- 8.9/10.0 for ease of setup
- 8.0/10.0 for quality of support
Wix pricing
Wix offers multiple plans. Of these, 3 plans have been optimized for businesses. These include -
Business Basic
The Business Basic plan costs $27/month. This includes features like -
- Custom domain
- No ads
- $600 ad vouchers
- 50GB storage
- Abandoned cart recovery options, etc.
Business Unlimited
The Business Unlimited plan costs $32/month. It includes everything in the Business Basic plan. In addition, you get access to -
- 100GB storage
- Automated sales tax on 100 transactions per month, etc.
Business VIP
The Business VIP plan costs $59/month. It includes everything in the Business Unlimited plan. In addition, you get access to -
- Unlimited storage
- Automated sales tax on 500 transactions per month, etc.
- Priority customer support, etc.
Check out the entire details of the plans offered by Wix here.
3. Social media
If you're looking for a way to sell antiques online, the first thing you should do is find out what your local market looks like.
The best way to do that is to get involved in social media. Don't just post pictures of your antiques—list them for sale, and ask people what they think. You'll be able to see who's looking at your stuff and how much they're willing to pay, so you can make sure it's priced appropriately.
You don't always need a custom shop to sell antiques online. Sometimes, all you need is a social media account! That's right!
In recent years, social commerce has been booming. Here's how you can leverage it to sell your high-end antiques online -
Social commerce stats you should look into when selling antiques online
- There were almost 80 million social buyers in the US in 2020, a 30% increase from 2019.
- In the US, nearly 36% of internet users are social buyers, which is approximately 90.2 million people.
- 27% of global Internet users rely on social media to find products to purchase.
- Social commerce revenues are estimated to exceed $3.4 billion in 2028.
- With 56.1 million buyers, Facebook ranks as the top social commerce platform in the US.
Pros of using social media for selling online
- It's free! You don't have to pay anything to get started, so you can try out your business idea without putting too much money into it at first.
- You can reach a wider audience than you could on your own website or blog by using social media as an extension of your brand identity.
- It allows you to connect with potential clients on a personal level.
- You can interact with customers directly on social media, which helps build trust and rapport between you and them. This makes it more likely that they'll buy from you again in the future!
- More and more social media platforms are making room for social commerce - like Instagram Shop.
Cons of using social media for selling online
- Because of the many ways that social media platforms work, they're not really designed for selling. So you don’t have an evolved ecosystem for eCommerce on social media yet.
- You will need to learn how to use social media effectively, which can take a lot of time and effort.
- Another drawback is that social media is time-consuming. You have to spend time posting pictures of your items, engaging with followers and potential buyers, responding to comments, etc., which can be difficult.
Social media examples to sell antiques online
- Snapchat.
- TikTok.
- Verint
- Taggbox Commerce
4. Online marketplaces (like Etsy)
What is an online marketplace?
An online marketplace is a place where people can buy or sell goods and services.
Consider it like a shopping mall on the internet!
Many of the most popular online marketplaces—like eBay —are open to anyone who wants to join, though some have requirements for sellers (like an application process).
Online marketplace examples
- Amazon
- Etsy
- eBay
- Bonanza
- OfferUp
- Ruby Lane
Online marketplaces stats you should look into
- By 2024, B2C marketplaces are estimated to reach a whopping $3.5 trillion in sales.
- 14% of online shoppers would prefer to shop at an online marketplace for a first-time purchase.
- 37% would prefer to make a repeat purchase at an online marketplace.
Pros of using online marketplaces
- They're accessible to a wide range of customers. You can find buyers all over the world, so you don't have to limit your sales to your local antique shops.
- They have built-in audiences. People who are already looking for antiques online can find your products easily and buy them quickly and efficiently. This helps boost chances of making a sale as antique dealers.
- The platforms that let you sell your goods online have made it simple, so you don't need any specialised knowledge or skills in order to make money from your collection of antiques.
- You can alleviate yourself from customer service duties.
Cons of using online marketplaces
- Some sites charge fees for listing your antique item, making them more expensive than other options. They also take a percentage of what you make from each sale which can add up fast and doesn't give you complete authority over the final selling price.
- Online marketplaces also mean that you're working with buyers who may not be as familiar with antique values as you are. This can make it difficult to find a buyer who will pay what your items are worth.
Which platform/channel will you leverage to sell antiques online?
When you start to do a little research, you'll be surprised to see just how many options there are on where to sell antiques online. As antique dealers, you no longer have to limit yourself to local antique shops, flea markets, auction houses, garage sales, etc.
There are quite a few great options to sell antiques online, from well-known auction sites like eBay and Etsy to newer, independent platforms that offer antique sellers more control over price and method of sale.
We hope we've made things a little easier for you today. We hope this guide helps you figure out the best way to get your antique store up and running.
Furthermore, by using multiple selling platforms, you can increase your odds of finding a good buyer for whatever you happen to be selling. For instance, you can have your own storefront up and running along with also being listed on marketplaces like Amazon.
Ultimately, the decision will likely depend on where you are located, how much you value efficiency in your selling strategies, and the resources your business has. In other words, the best way to determine which site is best for you to sell antiques is to test out a few different options.
