The operative word in the title of this post is SELLING. What that means is that absolutely positively everything in your booth or space should be for sale – even that cool vintage display case and your antique French mannequin.
It’s not unusual for antique dealers – especially new dealers – to want to horde the good stuff. Obviously, if you’re in, or thinking of getting into, the vintique business means you probably love the stuff. That is not a crime. Neither is keeping things you really love. But, for Pete’s sake, if you don’t want to sell an item, don’t put it in your booth. It’s just that simple.
As dealers get more experience, see just how much stuff is out there in the world to buy and resell, and the stuff piles up in storage units and garages, they’re usually more willing to sell their inventory. Selling the good stuff is also the point where a dealer’s business can really take off. I hope it isn’t news to you, but customers like the good stuff, too.
Make NFS (not for sale) tags and FDO (for display only) no-nos in your booth for a number of reasons: 1) Customers get a little pissed off when they can’t buy something they just fell in love with. They’ll leave and not buy anything from you. 2) You’re paying rent on the entire space. Make sure that the entire space can earn its keep. Wasting room on stuff that is NFS or FDO is just stupid business. I’m sorry if the truth hurts. Click here for a little primer on sales per square foot. Lamps, display cases, shelves, even dollar store decor you put up to dress your space for the holidays should all be for sale.
Will you regret selling some items? Oh yes you will. Even after years in the business, there are certain things that you will wish you never sold. It happens to the best of dealers. Sometimes the cash in your bank account makes up for it, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s just part of the business.
Want more tips like this? Consider buying our ebook Selling in an Antique Mall: A Beginner’s Guide.
I’ve been reading your wonderful e-book, which I downloaded yesterday. I can see both sides of this issue. I’m leaning toward following your advice and making EVERYTHING for sale. I totally “get” not wanting to part with those special pieces that are so useful for display, but as a customer, I’ve also felt the irritation of looking at the tag on a very cool piece and seeing “NFS”. It does have a psychological effect of making you not want to buy anything from that person!
I agree. I’ve been asking the dealers at my mall to try to make *everything* for sale…if it’s a piece that is hard to replace, then it’s certainly OK to price it accordingly. In the past I had dealers who would make all the larger items in their booth NFS, and I would watch the customers look at the tag and get ticked. Much better to keep the customers happy, and when those pieces sell, the sure make the check great!!
Ouch. This came up just last weekend in my booth. Since I have no shelving, I needed a large piece with shelves. About 6 months ago, I found a perfect chippy hutch at a reasonable price, so put it in the booth with a pricetag on it: “Not For Sale or $800.” My logic was that if a buyer wants it that badly, they’ll need to pay. The price for me losing a valuable fixture and having to find another dirt-cheap replacement is, yes, 16X what I paid for it. A decorator came in last weekend saying I should change it to “NFS”, but I stuck with the price. In general, I totally agree with you, however; it irks me when a cute but expendable/easily replaceable item isn’t for sale. Another exception I’d make would be a signature piece that makes your booth memorable.