Antique and Collectable Pricing is an Issue

FINDING THE "SLEEPERS" IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT THESE DAYS - GRAVENHURST'S RUBBERSET

A SUNDAY TOUR WITH SOME FRINGE BENEFITS-

THIS MORNING WE HEADED OUT ON THE OPEN ROAD, AND HAD ANOTHER GREAT FAMILY ADVENTURE, HUNTING HIGH AND LOW FOR ELUSIVE ANTIQUES AND COLLETABLES. OF COURSE, NOW WHEN I SAY OR WRITE "ELUSIVE" I MEAN IT. WE TRAVEL TWICE AS FAR TO GET THE SAME AMOUNT AS WE DID FIVE YEARS AGO. SOMETIMES THIS ISN'T EVEN POSSIBLE. TODAY WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE. A WONDERFUL NO STRESS TRIP. GENERALLY CRAPPY OUTCOME AS FAR AS FINDS. BUT REGARDLESS OF PROFIT MARGINS, WHEN WE CURRIES CAN GET TOGETHER NOW, WHICH IS A LOT HARDER WITH OUR WORK AND BUSINESS SCHEDULES, IT'S ALWAYS NOSTALGIC GOOD FUN, WHETHER WE FIND ANYTHING OR JUST ENJOY A LUNCH OUT. WE NEVER LET BUSINESS SCREW UP AN OUTING LIKE THIS. LIFE'S TOO SHORT.

WHEN WE HEAD OUT ON AN ANTIQUE HUNT, THERE'S ONE THING WE KNOW IN ADVANCE. BY TODAY'S MARKET CONDITION, WE WILL CRINGE ABOUT THE ASKING PRICES. WHETHER IT IS IN A SECOND-HAND SHOP, THRIFT SHOP OR OTHER CHARITY SHOP, CHANCES ARE, WE WILL HAVE TO TRIM OUR EXPECTATIONS. IF WE GO TO ANTIQUE SHOPS, WELL, THERE ARE SOME CO-OPS WE CAN ONLY GO TO BROWSE, BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD ANYTHING. NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG. WE DON'T EXPECT ANY SHOP, OR CHARITY TO LOSE ITS PROFIT MARGIN, JUST TO PLEASE US. ON THE OTHER HAND, HOWEVER, THESE SHOPS ALSO DO PRETTY WELL IN THE PERCENTAGE GAME, WHICH ON DONATED ITEMS IS OFTEN HUGE. YOU'D BE SHOCKED TO KNOW THE ACTUAL PROFIT MARGINS, WITH STORE COSTS FACTORED IN OF COURSE. IF BREAD WAS PRICED AS SUCH, WITH THIS KIND OF STAGGERING PROFIT MARGIN, FEW WOULD BE EATING IT….EVER AGAIN. ESPECIALLY SO ON COLLECTIBLE ITEMS AND ANTIQUES, THAT ARE WAY OVER-PRICED. IN MANY CASES, PRICED THE SAME AS IF ON THE SHELF OF AN ANTIQUE SHOP. BUT THE PEOPLE STAFFING THESE THRIFT SHOPS ARE NOT TRAINED TO IDENTIFY OR PRICE ANTIQUES ACCURATELY. I'VE HAD A FEW OF THESE CLERKS POINT OUT THE PRICE GUIDES, THEY FUMBLE THROUGH FOR REFERENCE, STUFFED BEHIND THE COUNTER. I CRINGE FOR A SECOND AND THIRD TIME, BEFORE I FINALLY SHRUG AND LEAVE THE PREMISES.

MANY OF THESE SHOPS HAVE SOUGHT OUT PROPER APPRAISAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE ANTIQUE COMMUNITY, TO GET ASSESSMENTS ON SOME SIGNIFICANT PIECES. WE OFFER OUR KNOWLEDGE AND GENERAL APPRAISALS WHENEVER WE'RE ASKED. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS. MY ONLY COMPLAINT, IS THAT A LOT OF CHARITY SHOPS, AND QUITE A FEW SECOND HAND SHOPS, TAKE THE ANTIQUE THING TO EXCESS. MANY ITEMS ARE PRICED EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH, WELL OVER WHAT THE ACTUAL MARKET VALUE REPRESENTS. THIS ISN'T GOOD BUSINESS. SOME WOULD SAY, WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE ANTIQUE PIECES THAT ARE PRICED TOO LOW? ISN'T THAT BAD BUSINESS TOO? IT'S NO TOO MUCH OF AN ISSUE, FROM OUR INVESTIGATION, STORE TO STORE. RIGHT NOW, THE PRICES IN A MAJORITY OF THESE CHARITY SHOPS, ARE SO HIGH, THAT THEY ARE DISCOURAGING ALL WALKS OF CUSTOMERS….. EVERY INCOME AND PROFESSIONAL SECTOR. BEWARE WHEN EVEN THE FOLKS OF MODEST INCOME, ARE EQUALLY THWARTED, TRYING TO PURCHASE BASIC CLOTHING AND NECESSARY HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. GETTING GOOD PRICES? NOT SO MUCH ANY MORE….ANY WHERE!

THE PEOPLE WHO SHOP THERE REGULARLY, TO BUY ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, JUST LOOK FOR ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN PRICED TOO LOW, AND SETTLE FOR MODEST GAINS. WE HAVE NO CHOICE OR SIMPLY CLOSE UP OUR BUSINESSES.

IT'S LIKE THIS. AS STEWARDS OF THE DONATIONS, IT IS INCUMBENT ON THEM, TO GET THE BEST PRICE THEY CAN FOR AN ITEM. I DON'T QUESTION THIS AT ALL. ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN YOU START PRICING, BASED ON A COLLECTIBLE OR ANTIQUE VALUE, IT IS EQUALLY INCUMBENT, TO KNOW THE CORRECT (AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE) PRICE. YOU WILL FIND MANY OF THESE SHOP STAFFERS, RELYING FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES, ON THE ONLINE AUCTION SITES…..WHICH IS OKAY FOR REFERENCE, BUT CERTAINLY NOT ACCEPTING THE HIGHEST PRICE YOU SEE, AS THE BEST PLACE TO INK A SALE STICKER. JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A BUY-IT-NOW PRICE, DOESN'T MEAN WHAT THEY'RE OFFERING WILL SELL FOR THAT AMOUNT. THE SAME WITH STARTING AUCTION BIDS. THE BUYERS SET THE MARGINS. THE DEALERS GO "FISHING." THEY ULTIMATELY WITHDRAW THE PIECE OR DROP THE PRICE. NOT COMPLICATED BY ANY MEANS. DEALERS KNOW HOW TO PLAY-BALL IN THE PRICE-ANGLING SPORT OF SELLING ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE INVENTORY.

MANY OF THESE INEXPERIENCED STAFFERS, WILL LOOK AT A "BUY-IT-NOW" PRICE, AND BELIEVE THAT GOD ESTABLISHED THAT VALUATION. ON VINTAGE VINYL, FOR EXAMPLE. THE RANGE OF PRICES ON RE-SALE RECORDS IS ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND VARIES SO MUCH FROM STORE TO STORE……YOU KNOW POSITIVELY THERE IS NO LONGER "COMPARISON SHOPPING" BETWEEN VENDORS, OFFERING SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL PRODUCTS. THESE VENDOR WIND-UP LOOKING PARTICULARLY DAFT, WHEN YOU ASK WHY A PRICE FOR A GUY LOMBARDO RECORD, IS SET AT FOUR DOLLARS HIGHER THAN RECORDS FROM "AC/DC", "THE DOORS," OR EVEN "THE BEATLES." WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME. IT'S MADDENING, BECAUSE IN MANY CASES, WE WOULD HAVE PURCHASED DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE RECORDS, ON A BUYING TRIP, IF THERE WASN'T ABSURD PRICE DISCREPANCIES. IT'S A DISCONNECT WITH THE CUSTOMERS. PLAINLY, IT'S AN ONGOING SHORTFALL OF MANAGEMENT. IN THE OLD DAYS, YOU COULD BE PUT IN JAIL FOR OVER-PRICING MEAT OR BREAD, SUCH THAT THE CUSTOMER DIDN'T GET THE ACCURATE WEIGHT FOR THE PRICE PAID.

AS WE LIVE AND BREATH ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, IF WE APPEAR A LITTLE HARSH ABOUT THINGS LIKE PRICING, WELL, WE COULDN'T APOLOGIZE EVEN IF TORTURED. IT ISN'T AN ACROSS THE BOARD THING, BECAUSE THERE ARE MILLIONS OF ANTIQUE PIECES, JEWELLRY, FURNITURE, PAINTINGS, PRIMITIVES, THAT I HAVE NO DEFINITIVE PRICE IN MY MIND….WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I POP MY HEAD AROUND A CORNER, AND THERE IT IS…….A NICE PIECE OF SOMETHING OR OTHER THAT IS PRICED IN THE NOSE BLEED CATEGORY. I CAN'T SAY THAT THESE PIECES ARE OVER-PRICED, BECAUSE THEY ARE WAY OUT OF MY LEAGUE. BUT ON A LOT OF OTHER STUFF, WE ARE BANG-ON, AND FRANKLY, IT MAKES US CRINGE. WE LIKE THE VENUES, AND WE DO LIKE TO BUY, BUT MORE AND MORE THESE DAYS, WE COME OUT OF THESE SHOPS AND MALLS WITH A COUPLE OF LITTLE BAGS OF THIS AND THAT…..WHEN WE'D REALLY LIKE TO FILL OUR VAN. AS ANTIQUE DEALERS, WE RESEARCH CONSTANTLY. WE WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR INDUSTRY. WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE TRENDS, AND THE MOST POPULAR PIECES AT THE TIME. SO WHEN WE SUGGEST THAT ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES ARE STARTING TO BECOME OVER-PRICED, AS RELATED TO THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY GENERALLY, IT'S BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN IT BEFORE. IF AND WHEN THINGS GET A LITTLE TIGHTER IN OUR ECONOMY…..WHEN WE FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF CUT-BACKS WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT, FROM BOTH THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL BUDGETS, IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO……MAYBE WE WILL ALL NEED TO RE-EVALUATE PRICES WE ARE WILLING TO PAY, FOR THINGS WE DON'T REALLY NEED.

THESE VENDORS, INCLUDING SECOND HAND SHOPS AND THRIFT STORES, WILL HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR PRICE STRATEGY, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER RETAIL OPERATION. IT'S ECONOMICS 101. IF YOU OWN AN ANTIQUE PIECE, YOU CAN PUT A PRICE ON IT TO EITHER SELL, OR TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW VALUABLE YOU THINK IT IS……AND LET IT COLLECT DUST FOR EVER AND EVER. THERE ARE A LOT OF ANTIQUE ENTERPRISES WHERE THIS HAPPENS. I CAN GO IN ONE YEAR INTERVALS, AND FIND THE SAME ITEMS, OFTEN IN THE SAME FLOOR SPACE, PRICED EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE YEAR PREVIOUS. THIS ISN'T BUSINESS. AND IT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS.

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS, IS THAT MANY ANTIQUE MALL VENDORS TEND TO PRICE HIGH TO MAKE SURE THEY COVER THEIR RENT, PERCENTAGES IF APPLICABLE, AND GET THEIR PROFIT. BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, AS AN ANTIQUE DEALER MYSELF, MOST OF THE TIME WE DO GET OUR INVENTORY AT A FRACTION OF THE PRICE ON THE STICKER. WHY IS THE MARK-UP SO HIGH? IS IT BASED ON AN ACCURATE APPRAISAL OR BALL PARK ESTIMATION? HERE'S THE REAL PROBLEM. THESE SAME CO-OP SHOPKEEPS, AND SOME MALL PROPRIETORS, ARE NOT ASKING VENDORS TO JUSTIFY THEIR EXCESSIVE PRICING ON ITEMS. AND IF THEY WERE TO LOOK AROUND THEIR OWN MALLS, THEY WOULD FIND NUMEROUS IDENTICAL PIECES…..CONDITION WISE, WITH WIDELY DIFFERENT PRICES. THERE'S NOTHING THAT TURNS US OFF MORE, THAN FINDING THIS OUT FROM BOOTH TO BOOTH. IN THE OLDEN DAYS, YOU GOT TO MEET WITH SHOP OWNERS…..THE ONES WHO ACTUALLY SET THE PRICE OF INVENTORY, AND OWNED THE SHOP ITSELF. THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMEONE TO TALK WITH, AND DISCUSS A PARTICULAR PIECE. I KNOW THAT MALL STAFF TRY THEIR BEST, BUT IT DOESN'T WORK AS IT SHOULD. THERE IS A VITAL IMPORTANCE, IN ANTIQUES, TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT SUBJECT PIECES…..ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE PRICED VERY HIGH. WHAT ABOUT THE PROVENANCE? YOU AREN'T LIKELY TO FIND MUCH ON THE PRICE TAG. HOW CAN VENDORS EXPECT TO GET MAXIMUM PRICE FOR THEIR WARES, WITHOUT DETAILED EXPLANATIONS? IF THEY WERE TO SELL THESE SAME ITEMS, ON ONLINE AUCTIONS, THEY WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE TO DO BETTER WITH THEIR BUDGET OF INFORMATION. THERE ARE A LOT OF PIECES I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT, BUT DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO WAIT IN LINE, TO FIND A CLERK, WHO MOST LIKELY WON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT THE PIECE IS….OR WHERE IT MIGHT HAVE COME FROM, IN A VEDOR'S INADEQUATELY REFERENCED BOOTH.

THIS IS THE REALITY OF OUR MUTUAL COMPLAINTS. AS DEALERS WANTING TO STICK WITH THE BUSINESS, AND HAVING TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE PRICE TRAPS OUT THERE ON THE HUSTINGS, WE HAVE HAD TO EMPLOY EVERY RESOURCE OF EDUCATION IN THE FIELD, AND ON-THE-JOB TRAINING, TO FIND THE "SLEEPER" PIECES. SIMPLY STATED, THE UNRECOGNIZED GEMS THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, HAVE BEEN MISIDENTIFIED, MISUNDERSTOOD, AND GENERALLY UNDER-PRICED. WHILE WE WOULD LIKE TO BUY MANY MORE PIECES WE LIKE, WE JUST CAN'T ABANDON COMMON SENSE ECONOMICS….WHICH ALL BUSINESSES EVENTUALLY HAVE TO COMPLY, OR FAIL. SO WE LOOK HIGH AND LOW FOR UNDETECTED VALUES. IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN RUN OUR COMBINED MUSIC AND ANTIQUE BUSINESS. AS WE WILL NOT HAGGLE WITH ANY OF THE VENDORS WE DEAL WITH…..EVER, EVER, WE ONLY HAVE ONE OTHER OPTION IF WE WANT TO MAKE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST PROFIT….AND THAT'S FINDING THE "SLEEPER" PIECES THAT FOR HIGH QUALITY, AND COLLECTIBLE VALUE, ARE PRICED EITHER SENSIBLY, OR VERY LOW.

NOW IN CASE SHOP OWNERS ARE READING THIS, DON'T THINK THAT THIS HASN'T BEEN HAPPENING FOR AS LONG AS YOU'VE HAD THE SHOP. WE DIDN'T INVENT THE "SLEEPER" SCENARIO. IT'S BEEN AROUND, AS AN OPERATIONAL STRATEGY FOREVER. IT'S WHAT DRIVES DEALERS NUTS….THINKING ABOUT THE BIG ONE THEY SOLD FOR LESS THAN IT WAS WORTH. THE RIDICULOUS ASPECT OF THIS, SIMPLY STATED, IS THAT UNLESS IT WAS AN ORIGINAL GROUP OF SEVEN, SOLD FOR FIFTY BUCKS INSTEAD OF $50,000, MOST OF THE TIME THE AMOUNT WOULDN'T BE MUCH MORE THAN THE USUAL PERCENTAGE OF A TYPICAL DEPARTMENT STORE "LOSS LEADER."

WHAT'S LOST HERE, AND SO MANY VENDORS, AND SECOND HAND SHOP FOLKS, AND OF COURSE CHARITY SHOP STAFF, MISUNDERSTAND HOW MUCH CAPITAL IS SPENT BY ANTIQUE DEALERS AND COLLECTORS, EVERY YEAR IN THEIR SHOPS. WHEN THEY START BUMPING UP PRICES, JUST BECAUSE THEY FEAR WHAT ANTIQUE BUYERS MIGHT KNOW, THAT THEY DON'T, THE CYCLE OF ECONOMICS GETS JAMMED UP REAL GOOD. THEN THE VENDOR STARTS STACKING TROPHY PIECES THAT ARE PRICED TOO HIGH TO SELL. I'VE SEEN IT OVER AND OVER FOR THE PAST THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THIS TRADE. INSTEAD OF TREATING ALL CUSTOMERS EQUALLY, THERE IS THIS ATTRACTION TO GOOSE "THE PATRONS WITH DEEP POCKETS." WHO BY THE WAY, WILL ALWAYS COME THROUGH, FOUR SEASONS A YEAR, IF THEY SENSE FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY TO ONE AND ALL.

ADMITTEDLY, FIVE YEARS AGO, WE COULD GO ON AN ANTIQUE HUNT, ON A TYPICAL SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, AND FILL AT LEAST HALF OF OUR LARGE VAN. SOMETIMES WE'D HAVE FIVE OR SIX PIECES OF FURNITURE STUFFED IN THE BACK. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, WE MIGHT HAVE TEN GUITARS AND FOUR OR FIVE AMPLIFIERS. MAYBE EVEN A DRUM KIT OR TWO. TODAY WE CAME BACK WITH A COUPLE OF THIN PAPER BAGS, A HANDFUL OF RECORDS, A COUPLE OF INTERESTING SMALL-FORMAT, ORIGINAL PAINTINGS, AND A LOCAL SOUVENIR FROM THE FORMER GRAVENHURST RUBBERSET PLANT…..THAT USED TO MAKE SHAVING BRUSHES FOR THE MASSES, AND BRUSHES FOR PAINTERS. IT'S BEEN GONE FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS NOW. POINT IS, THE PRICES HAVE GONE UP SO MUCH, IN ALL OUR OLD HAUNTS, WE SIMPLY HAVE TO WALK AWAY. IF YOU KNEW WHAT OUR ANNUAL BUDGET FOR INVENTORY PURCHASES IS, YOU WOULD CERTAINLY FEEL LIKE WE DO…..SOME VENDORS ARE GETTING SILLY ASS, AND IT'S COSTING THEM. IF THEY USE THE ARGUMENT THAT THEIR STORE OPERATIONAL COSTS HAVE GONE UP, AND THEIR ACQUISITION COSTS HAVE ESCALATED, WELL, THEN RELATE THAT TO CUSTOMERS WALKING AWAY WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME……WHEN IN THE PAST, THEY WERE GOOD CUSTOMERS, WHO SELDOM LEFT WITHOUT MAKING PURCHASES. IT'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE, AND LIKE I WROTE ABOUT EARLIER, THE MARKET WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'VE PRICED TOO HIGH. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF GREAT SHOPS CLOSE, BECAUSE THEY JUST WOULDN'T BUDGE ON WHAT WAS SO OBVIOUSLY THE LOGGER-HEAD OF THE WHOLE SITUATION. IF WE LEAVE YOUR STORE WITH SEVERAL LITTLE PARCELS, WELL, YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED. WE CURRIES ARE KEEN BUYERS BUT WE WON'T PUT UP WITH NONSENSICAL PRICING….I DON'T CARE WHERE OR WHY. BUT WE WON'T OFFER A COMPLAINT. WE JUST WON'T COME BACK. IT'S YOUR CHOICE AS A VENDOR, TO EITHER CONNECT WITH THE REALITIES OF THE MARKET PLACE, OR OPEN A MUSEUM WHERE YOU CAN EXHIBIT ALL YOUR BEST PIECES…..AND CHARGE ADMISSION. BET YOU IT WON'T FLY.

WE FOUND A NUMBER OF SLEEPERS TODAY, BASED ON THE ASKING PRICE AND THE QUALITY OF THE ITEMS. THE FIRST GREAT FIND OF THE DAY, WAS WHEN SUZANNE FOUND A BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED SHAVING BRUSH, WITH ORIGINAL BOX AND PRINTED INSERT, FROM THE FORMER RUBBERSET COMPANY OF GRAVENHURST, WHERE FORMER PREMIER OF ONTARIO, FRANK MILLER, USED TO WORK IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS. THE INDUSTRY WAS TORN DOWN MANY YEARS AGO NOW, AND MY SONS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, ACTUALLY MADE A DAY OUT OF IT……WATCHING, AS THE CLAW USED BY THE DEMOLITION CREW, LEVELED ONE OF OUR HISTORIC INDUSTRIES…….TO MAKE WAY FOR A NEW GROCERY STORE. THE PRICE OF THE BRUSH… $20. THIS WAS ENORMOUSLY FAIR, AND WE WILL LIKELY HANG ONTO THIS WITH OUR OTHER MUSKOKA COLLECTIBLES. WE FOUND ANOTHER GEM OF ART, AN OIL ON CLOTH, DEPICTING A FLOWER, PROBABLY FROM THE EARLY 1940'S, JUDGING BY THE FRAME. IT IS A WELL EXECUTED ART PIECE. THE PRICE WAS $2.99 FROM A SECOND HAND SHOP, AND I'VE GOT NO ISSUE WITH PRICING. THEY SIMPLY DIDN'T STUDY IT WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS, TO DETECT WHETHER IT WAS A PRINT OR AN ORIGINAL. IT WILL RETAIL EVENTUAL FOR AROUND $25.00. A NICE ORIGINAL, SIGNED, CANADIAN WATER COLOR, WITHOUT THE FRAME, BUT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, COST US $35.00 BUT WITH THE $1.99 FRAME AND MATTING I BOUGHT YESTERDAY AT A THRIFT SHOP, I CAN NICELY MERGE THE TWO INTO A $75.00 ASKING PRICE. ADDITIONALLY TODAY, I WAS ABLE TO FIND A REALLY NICE SOOTHEBY'S AUCTION LISTING OF CANADIAN ART, THAT I COLLECT AND USE FOR REFERENCE, AND AN EXCELLENT GUIDE BOOK ON FIRST NATIONS' ART AND ARTIFACTS, WHICH I CONSULT CONSTANTLY TO RESEARCH FINDS….AND IN PREPARATION TO MAKE A FEW….AS WELL. THE BOYS GOT A FEW RECORDS BUT NARY A GUITAR, AMP OR DRUM. WE SAW THEM. JUST COULDN'T AFFORD THEM.

WHEN WE, AS A FAMILY, SELL OUR ARRAY OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, WHETHER IN THE FIELD OF VINTAGE MUSIC, OR CANADIANA, ART OR ARTIFACT, WE WILL EXPLAIN OUR PRICING, AND OFFER FULL DISCLOSURE OF CONDITION ISSUES AND PARAMETERS OF VALUATIONS…..COMPARISONS WITH OTHER AVAILABLE, PARALLEL, SIMILAR PIECES ON THE MARKET. AND WHILE WE WON'T HAGGLE OURSELVES, WE WILL NEVER CONDEMN ANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS FOR NEGOTIATING A FAIR PRICE.

WHILE IT MAY SEEM WE HAVE A HIGH AND MIGHTY ATTITUDE, A DEEPLY ROOTED ARROGANCE, AND PARTICULARLY CRITICAL OVERVIEW OF OUR CONTEMPORARIES IN THE BUSINESS OF BUYING AND SELLING OLD STUFF……IT COMES WITH EXPERIENCE. WE ARE NOT BRAGGARTS ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE THAT OTHERS DON'T. WE ARE JUST EAGER BUYERS WHO WANT TO SHOP IN THESE STORES, THE MALLS, THE ANTIQUE SHOPS, AND COME HOME WITH SOME INTERESTING PURCHASES…..JUST AS WE ALWAYS HAVE. I DO SUGGEST, MORE OF THESE VENDORS PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING, AND NOT JUST THOSE WHO VOICE PRAISE. THE CRITICAL APPROACH IS THE BETTER WAY, TO FIND OUT JUST HOW MANY PATRONS, ARE DOING THE SAME AS US, AND LEAVING LESS AND LESS MONEY BEHIND. THRIFT AND CHARITY SHOPS SHOULD TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE THEY ARE LOSING CUSTOMERS, BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE OVER-PRICING.