There are many different ways in which people are able to sell antique furniture. This means that it is important that if you find yourself in this position to weigh up the pros and cons of each so you can get the best deal. If you are in a rush and are hasty you could find that you could have made so much more money if you had been patient.

One method of selling antique furniture is through a dealer. There are many advantages of this method including the fact that you can be assured that the person knows what they are talking about. These people are experts and will be able to help you get the best price for your piece. Once you have sold to a dealer you can be guaranteed that you have the money regardless of whether they can sell it on or not. Other methods such as auctions can be risky as there is no guarantee that your antique furniture will sell.

A disadvantage of selling through a dealer is that they are going to sell your piece on for more than they bought it for. Although this is common practice and most people understand that this is the dealer' way of making money, it can be disheartening and frustrating if they get a lot more than what they paid you for it.

You may choose to sell your antique furniture at an auction which has many different advantages. You don't run the risk of selling to a dealer and them then getting a lot more for it, you are in control of where and when you sell it and if a bidding war starts for your item then you can make a fortune.

However, you do run the risk that your item won't sell and even if this happens you still have to pay a fee. There are also quite a lot of charges involved with selling at an auction. Typically 15 percent of your selling price will be taken as commission, there will be insurance charges, catalogue photograph and a handling charge. This means that the final amount you receive may be a lot less than you expected.

In order to avoid all the charges many people choose to sell privately. Many people like this option because it means they get the full asking price without any deductions being taken. However, there are disadvantages of selling your antique furniture this way.

Unless you are an expert it is unlikely that you will know how much your piece is really worth. You could be asking for a lot more than people will pay in which case it won't sell. Alternatively you may be asking for a lot less in which case you could have lost out on a lot of money. It is also important to be careful where you put your address and telephone number as anyone will be able to see it.