Month: August 2017

What are some things to consider when you attend an auction?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Auctions, Beginning to collectLeave a comment

When you are attending an auction, you need to be aware of what’s going on—especially when you go to pay for the items you bid on.  There are some things to consider, and it could potentially add quite a bit to your bill.

The first thing to consider is that there could be sales tax added to the bill.  The amount of tax really depends on the state that the item was bought in.

Another thing to consider is that the auction house might have added fees when you buy there.  I’ve seen these fees range from 10% all the way up to 30% of the final auction price.

I have seen auction houses have an auction in a certain location and allow bidders overseas to bid on an item.  If you buy an item that’s overseas (especially in Europe and India), there could be restrictions and laws that prohibit you from shipping the item to the United States.

If it’s possible to ship an item from overseas, not only will you have to pay to ship the item, you could also need a special license to ship it here.  One country that I know of that states you have this license is Spain (and it could take a couple of months to get your item).

Another thing to consider are Paypal or credit card transaction fees, which can quickly be racked up on how much you buy.

So, when buying at an auction, it always pays to do a little homework on what is going on.  If you still have questions about something, it also pays to ask questions.

What kind of taxes and fees have you run across when you went to buy an item?

You can relive the 1980’s with this great outfit!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Every once in a while, you can find an outfit that screams of a certain era.  Poodle skirts from the 1950’s and bell bottom jeans from the 1960’s are just two examples when you think of this.

Another item that screams of an era is this great top and skirt from the 1980’s.

kiss pattern dress

KR of NY produced this wonderful two piece outfit with a peplum top and a matching skirt.  What I like about it is the kiss (or even lip) pattern that is on both pieces.

kr of ny

The good thing is that the outfit can be worn to just about any occasion–a party, a night out on the town, or even to a wedding.  Just get yourself a great 1980’s purse and you are set!

You can see this great outfit in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check it out!

Terms to help new collectors of pottery

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Pottery, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

When I started to buy and sell pottery, there were some terms that I picked up pretty fast that I use quite often.  These terms are pretty common and help describe the manufacturing process of the piece.  Here’s some of the terms:

Pinholes—these are faults in the surface of a ceramic body (or even the glaze) that resemble pin pricks.  These are not very big at all, and there is usually no other damage around them.  Air bubbles are the most common culprit that causes these.

Bloating—this is the permanent swelling of a ceramic piece during the firing in a kiln.  It’s caused by the expansion of gases like air not being able to escape out of the piece.

Iron oxide—this is a common oxide in glazes and some clays that generally gives the item a reddish color.

Biscuit pottery—this is also called Bisque pottery.  This is pottery that has been fired, but no glaze has been applied to the piece.

This is only a few of the terms out there.  What have you heard?

The auction that you attended is over. Now what?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Auctions, Beginning to collect, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

The auction that you attended is now over, and you have everything that you bid on and won during the auction packed up.  What exactly do you do now?

The first thing that needs to be done is to pay for what you bought.  More often than not, you will pay for everything at the same place that you got your bidder’s number.  The person that assigns you your bidder’s number gets a sheet from the auctioneer that states what was sold and for how much it went for.

This sheet will be separated out by the bidder’s number written down on it so they can have all the buyers pay for the right items.

After you pay, you now get to take everything home and make any repairs if there are any to be made.  Once that’s done, you now get to take the items to your booth, list them online for sale, or even add them to your collection.

You can see what to do when you first arrive at an auction here.  What kinds of great finds have you run across at an auction?