Buying Antique Furniture

[yousef]

I'm in the middle of doing up our bedroom at home. I've come across a few lovely pieces of antique furniture that I really fancy buying. I've decided my money might me better in a good quality piece of furniture, that I will enjoy, than in the bank at the moment.

I like one particular piece. On their website it is listed, since December 2019, for £895. I emailed about something different, to which he brought my attention to this piece (amongst others) instead.
In this email, he said his "best price" is £750.

Now, here is where I am looking for advice. When he says that, is it permissible to come back and say for example, £680?
Or such as £700 including delivery?

Trust me to have fallen in love with the most expensive piece I've looked at! If anyone is wondering, it's a beautiful piece of 18th century country furniture.

The piece is no more expensive than other shops. The antique shop seems quite a well to do one, in a posh market town nearby. They are LAPADA approved dealers.

Any tips to charm him into not ripping me off? . As it happens, my husband thinks he was at boarding school with this chap...

I might be tempted to say ok but can he do free delivery please if that is something you would need to pay for. As a dealer he could probably organise it more cheaply than you could.

I'd try another 50 off but they usually dtop only about 10percent IME from the giest price. If it's less likely to sell or theyve had it a while they might try to get rid of it a bit less but normally they eont drop further.

What is it? Picture?

It says sold because the dealer knows I'm interested.

www.timbowenantiques.co.uk/antique-archive/sold-furniture/cardiganshire-oak-side-table

Yousef, I am an antiques dealer and know the dealer you have referenced. He is hugely overpriced on much of his stock. Period brown furniture is a good investment at the moment because it has fallen so much in value over the past 10 years.
You could get a good quality similar 18th century side table for half that price. Try looking at LoveAntiques or Antiquesatlas or even Ebay. Honestly, do not rush into buying the first thing that you like. Visit a few auctions to get a feel for quality pieces and observe the prices.
By the way, he does not trade from a posh market town. It is a little seaside village which is empty most of the year. But it's all smoke and mirrors on the internet and dealers do love to create mystique around their stock .

I agree with @PandoraRocks that it’s very expensive for that type of piece and that you should shop around and preferably see things in person if possible.

That seems really expensive.
Have you been looking at auctions etc? I've waited a while to find furniture I live and all at auctions, not wildly expensive but very impressive take your time and look around. Think that's too expensive for what it us.

Thank you for the replies ladies.

Don't worry, I'm not rushing into it. I've contacted a few different dealers for more pics of pieces etc. I agree the table is expensive for what it is, but Welsh furniture seems to fetch a premium.

I was expecting something a bit larger for £895 when I clinked the link

I love welsh furniture too, I have a beautiful welsh cupboard which has been in my family a few generations.

I second the poster about eBay.(especially something easy/cheap to transport) you can use companies like Anyvan when buying pieces from private sellers.

I have bought some amazing pieces from eBay, at much lower prices.
You can usually see whether a piece of furniture is decent just from photos.

Roger Jones auctioneers has bases in Cardiff and also somewhere else in Wales (I forget whether it’s West or North, I think North) and host the auctions online too. Bidding can be done online and you can arrange courier collection if you’re far away. I’ve been to a few of theirs and they’re decent. Every few months they host one exclusively for Welsh items so definitely worth looking at.

On a seperate note, having been an avid auction watcher, that table is not worth that money. You can get better for that money. Saleroom.com is good too, you will pay more commission bidding through them but there’s so many houses on there to browse.

After Covid you should go to an Arthur Swallow Antique Fair. The Lincoln one has been good for me, but I hear Newark is bigger now. Also Kempton Park/Sunbury Fair just outside London. Slightly more expensive but lots of choice and dealers.

I agree with PP in that this doesn't seem to be a good price for that piece (and I have a love of antique furniture, mainly Edwardian, my house is full of it)!

Don't bother wait and go to an auction and buy one for next to nothing.. brown furniture can't be given away at present.

Try looking at www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb it has a large number of auction houses on the platform and you can browse and bid to your heart's content.

Thanks all! I am specifically looking at Welsh Country Furniture, which is at a premium over 'normal' Brown Furniture. I've had a look at some of those sale rooms, and past prices. I think once you take taxes and buyers premium into account, there isn't much to be saved compared to asking a dealer to lower a price on something.

What's the 'normal' % drop in price after a dealer asks?
I've collected other antiques, and usually 15-20% was about right for a drop in price before a sale was agreed. Naturally, some dealers start higher in the hope that someone will pay more.

Don't worry, still not bought anything! Sitting tight until I am completely certain, and bought some books on the topic so I know what I'm looking at ...

I sell antiques on a number of online venues and upto 20% is a reasonable discount to ask for, depending upon whether the dealer can ship of not. Big heavy pieces can be horrendously expensive to ship so bear that in mind. Some punters ask for 30-50% discounts and they are immediately promoted to my blocked list.

Thank you. Think I'll go for around 20%ish discount when I make an offer. That's not too cheeky is it?

Right advice needed in the art of negotiating please ladies.

Seller has listed an item online for £1200. When I contacted her about the item for more information on its origins, she said her best price is £1000 without even being asked. Delivery is £30 (local).

I want to make an offer.
What if I said, £950? Because then going off the website price, 950 is more than 20% off (too cheeky?) or should I go off her "best price" as the asking price and take a percentage off that sum?

I agree with pp. That price is far too high for that piece. Try to shop around a bit OP.