Antique Sales in 2008 -will prices freefall?

The traditional holiday season sales slowdown of antiques and collectibles is behind us once again, and for many dealers it couldn't come any sooner. Antique dealers reported the lowest sales in years during the last quarter of 2007, perhaps signaling an economy slowdown as collectors have less disposable income to invest in their favorite pastime.

Couple this with economy driven liquidations of antiques and collectibles now hitting the auctions market, 2008 could indeed be a dismal year for many dealers. Of course, for the collector, this is great news since prices will surely drop, as dealers compete for less "dollars". If you can remain a strong buyer during the slowdown you'll do extremely well, as motivated sellers will be willing to take any offer just to cash out.

What can dealers do to survive the slowdown until the economy rebounds? Increase market exposure -get your items in front of as many eyes as you can with increased advertising and marketing. This means more shows, more markets, more online selling, more personal service and attention to your customers wants, and most important of all, rock bottom competitive pricing.

So get busy, and plan your sales strategy for 2008. If you don't react now, you may not be around when the antique markets rebound.