Remember, you don't want to get their opinion on whether or not the like the furniture, you just want to know if they think the price is reasonable. Therefore, it could impact how the cabinet functions. I was drafted to help with an estate sale 5 days before the sale, and I had no idea how to, "I need to sell most things from my home, the largest of which is an 11-piece Hendredon Campaign solid oak bedroom, "Very helpful to know how much I should pay for used furniture. Brush or roll a thin coat of primer onto the piece's interior, exterior and doors; … Whether you have a love or distaste for antiques, one thing’s for certain — some old furniture can be worth a lot of money. Hopes of a recovery in the value of antique furniture have been dealt a blow after the Antiques Collectors’ Club’s Annual Furniture Index (AFI) saw prices fall by seven per cent during 2009. The current selling price is what gives antique furniture its value, so in order to appraise antique furniture you simply need to research what similar items in the same condition are currently selling for. How do I price used furniture when it's in good condition? After you have used print and other searches to figure out the age, style and make of a piece, use that information to create search terms for any of the following websites. How a piece is constructed is a common measure of age. Remember that you may have to reupholster or restain the piece if it is faded or in need of repair. In my area, at a general auction this would probably go for around $40. The more research you're willing to do, the better price you're going to get. If you bought a beautiful bookshelf for $1,000, and it is in prime condition, you can likely sell it for $800. Selling antique furniture at auction is probably the most popular way of doing it but make sure you know what’s involved. Practical Bathroom Organization Ideas for Real Life... How to Pack Dishes for Moving and Shipping, How to Keep Your House Organized Easily All Week Long. Anything more than a 100 years old qualifies as antique. Multiply $500 by 80%, or .8. Determining the age of antique furniture is not an exact science, but there are certain indicators of age evident in furniture. We sold our Lazy Boy recliners for $100 and $125. Auctions are risky business, though. When looking up antique furniture values, it’s easy to think one price fits every scenario. Cheap furniture, like IKEA-brand wares, will often sell far below it's buying price, often for no more than $20-100 bucks. Here are some tips to help you find a competent appraiser: Since appraisals can be costly, you might want to do a bit of research using the methods above before you decide to invest in a professional appraisal. Blue Book Furniture Estimate the value of your used furniture Calculate the value of your used furniture: Original Price: Years Old: Purchase Condition: Current Condition: Category: Brand: City: What would you pay? All 1,000,000+ prices are verified by our experts, so you know you can trust the information you get. Thank you very much! Selling most of our used furniture, and needed your detailed steps for pricing. Choose from 20,000+ items of Antique Furniture, prices from £100 to £195,000. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Since it's older than 1970, that helped me verify it, "Trying to determine the value of a 13 year old sofa. You can keep and enjoy it, fully aware of its worth (or lack thereof). Look for a self storage facility that offers climate controlled storage. Antique Joinery. According to the "Furniture Gazette" (1884), the thickness of original finishing may help to date antique furniture. )", suite, but I'm disabled. This article has been viewed 489,281 times. Uncover the true value of your antique or collectible. Prime and Paint. Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2010-2011 by Judith Miller covers all kinds of antiques, but it includes plenty of helpful information about assigning value to antique furniture. "Yes, it helped. Firstly, the fees associated with selling antique furniture (listings, commissions, photography etc) can be … Wood has its moisture content and is very sensitive to changes in relative humidity. This is the cost they would be willing to pay for an item, which can be anywhere from 30%-50% less than the retail value. This value is most commonly used by the trade and for insurance appraisals. Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2016, Kovel’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2018, Victorian & Edwardian Furniture: Price Guide and Reasons for Value. You can't exactly sell at market value, and you don't want to walk away knowing that you could have made more money. The first step is to make a lengthy assessment of the furniture in question. If the bookshelf is faded, older, missing shelves, or has marks and chips, you may want to price it closer to $6-700. I have a sectional sofa from 1965 that is in near perfect condition. Before you get too excited, it’s important to note that the most expensive antique furniture is rare, and the majority of antique furniture on the market is not Antiques Roadshow worthy. One day, while looking at Depression Glass at a lovely little shop, the proprietor and I checked out a price guide to Depression Glass values. This article has been viewed 489,281 times. The video above provides a great introduction to dating antique furniture and what areas should be examined. Did it come over on a ship during WWII? Sudden changes can cause wood to crack or split. (I gave you 5 stars, but the computer didn't show it. The appraisal must address the furniture's condition and authenticity, along with an estimate of its value. If no one in your zip code has one, it might be worth even more. It will disproportionately lower the sale price if you expect the buyer to make fixes. This can usually be found via a combination of reference books and the Internet. Good luck and happy thrifting! Antique furniture comes in all different styles and pieces. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Test any old electronics to ensure that they still work. Do you have any old photographs of the furniture that might help date it? If the dining set came with a buffet or sideboard, pull out the drawers to see how they are joined. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Get the best deals on Antique Furniture Price Guides & Publications when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Determining the age of antiques is half the fun! A professional will need to see the actual item to value it the most accurately. To qualify as real vintage furniture, it should be at least 30 to 40 years old. A competent appraiser or antique dealer should be able to tell you whether or not repairs and restorations would increase the overall cost of a piece. It also depends on how it looks; if it looks new, you might want to sell at a higher price. Hire someone who specializes in what you need to be appraised. This helped me price it. Antique furnishings can tell a story one that may only exist in the imagination of the lucky person acquiring the piece. If you're still stuck, there are several websites, like Splitwise Furniture Calculator and Blue Book Furniture, that that will calculate potential prices for you. The true value of an antique is negotiated between a buyer and seller at any given time. Antique Furniture. For quite some time Victorian furniture was perennially popular with decorators and collectors alike, especially accent pieces such as tables, side chairs, and decorative accessories.Interest has cooled some as decorating interests have turned to midcentury modern and other styles. The statement, "Used furniture is notoriously hard to value" also gives me some comfort. Visiting local consignment stores and looking at newspaper and internet ads for similar objects can also give you an idea of how much your furniture is worth. You should look at the screws, nails, wood, joining and hardware. We hope this guide helped you figure out the value of any antique furniture in your possession. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. If their is competition, the price could be based competitively. Until you know what you’re dealing with, any attempted repairs or cleaning could lower the value of your piece. According to the publisher, this is the most popular antique guide on the market. Consider this part of the buying price, and let the seller know. Should I buy a cabinet if it was dropped during delivery? Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. The piece might be too large, too loud, or too ugly. By using our site, you agree to our. ", "I learned how to figure out reasonable prices and the average guidelines. Or you may decide to donate it. You don’t want a furniture specialist assessing a coin collection. You can sell it via an online auction service, a consignment store or an auction house. You can also check your local newspaper for similar furniture items and price it accordingly. For instance, dishes similar to yours may sell for one dollar at an antique store, but you offer yours at five dollars because you believe the clarity of the pattern in your set is superb. You can always stay open to negotiation if you think you may have priced too high. Make a note of any damage, including scratches, dents, chips, cracks, etc. To create this article, 15 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Whether you visit the library, a bookshop, or purchase … If they can't tell you, or if it was made after 1970, it is not an antique. "We're in transition to Florida. A reputable appraiser will typically charge by the hour, with rates ranging from $100 to $300 per hour, depending on where you live. Be prepared to spend. Look to see if any previous repairs have been made to the piece (like a new screw replacing an old one). Reputable auction houses and professional associations such as the American Society of Appraisers are useful resources. We can look at antique books and price guides that document various types of antiques and their values with a grain of salt. Your best option is to look for an identical or comparable set on eBay or another classified sites or search the price on Google. Check the cost of similar items on sites like craigslist or eBay. Whether you have a 17th-century English chair or an ormolu-mounted kingwood bureau plat from late 19th-century France, our specialists can help identify, value and sell your special piece or an entire collection. We have a 25-year-old French provincial couch and chair set that we would like to find out the value for. Books will offer more of an overview and can’t get into too much detail about particular items, which is why they are an excellent starting place if you are just learning about antiques. Is there marble? Sometimes it’s best to leave antique furniture valuation up to the professionals. Understanding how to assess the quality of antique furniture and how to care for … All this information is going to be useful once you start your search or once you start working with an appraiser. Only Genuine items of Antique Furniture Approved. Unless the construction is incredible, or the furniture is an antique (older than 1970 and in good condition), you're going to take a hit for every year you've had it. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Price-Used-Furniture-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Price-Used-Furniture-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Price-Used-Furniture-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1381639-v4-728px-Price-Used-Furniture-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"