Whats happening in the antique marketplace?
JMF: Internet sales have increased dramatically. Antiques and decorative arts businesses have grown their markets through their websites, offering first time buyers and collectors an opportunity to compare, learn and purchase pieces outside of their traditional local market. Leading antiques dealers across the nation have created a vast source of information on the internet, thereby making antique “goods” more accessible to the common buyer. The buyer’s creativity, fueled by a much larger inventory from which to choose, a chance to educate oneself and discover all sorts of possibilities for their own décor, can now be expressed outside of the traditional modes and guidelines imposed by their local social environment. THL: What should a buyer on the internet be wary of? JMF: As we’ve learned, the net is an uncontrollable and wild distribution machine, but it can be an efficient one. The most serious dealers want to develop their web sales (the exposure is fantastic, rent and advertising
