TikTok generation read on
From TikTok to Treasure: Why Antiques Dealing is the Coolest Career You’ve Never Considered
Scroll TikTok long enough and you’ll see endless videos about “side hustles”, flipping clothes, or reselling tech. But here’s the secret nobody’s telling you: the original side hustle was antiques dealing.
I left school at 16 in 1979, with three O-levels, all C grades. My handwriting was so bad teachers couldn’t even read my work. University wasn’t an option. Most of my mates got jobs earning £35 a week. I made £200 a week dealing antiques. By 18 I’d bought my first flat. By 30, I had 76 rental properties and four antique shops.
That’s the power of antiques.
Antiques Dealers: The Real Misfits Who Make It
Here’s the thing nobody talks about: most antiques dealers don’t fit the standard mould. Some are dyslexic. Some struggled at school. Some can’t add up or spell to save their lives. And yet they thrive in antiques. Why? Because this trade isn’t about ticking academic boxes. It’s about vision. It’s about having an instinct for what has value — and the guts to back yourself.
Why Antiques Belong to the TikTok Generation
The TikTok generation already gets it. You love thrifting, flipping vintage, curating an aesthetic, and telling stories. Antiques dealing is all of that — just on a bigger stage. Every object is content. Every deal is a flex. And every successful buy is the kind of dopamine hit no algorithm can match.
Unlike most careers, antiques don’t care where you come from. They care about what you see. If you’ve ever felt like school, corporate life, or the “normal” route wasn’t made for you — this is where you’ll shine.
Confidence is the Key
The biggest barrier for new dealers isn’t knowledge, money, or even contacts. It’s confidence. People think antiques are for experts with white gloves and posh accents. Rubbish. Antiques are for anyone with the hunger to spot a bargain, tell a story, and make a profit. That’s it.
Why Now?
The antiques world is changing. TikTok and Instagram are turning quirky objects into viral stars overnight. A chair that sat in a dusty corner for decades is suddenly iconic when framed right online. The next generation of dealers won’t just sell in shops — they’ll build audiences, brands, and lifestyles around what they find.
So, if you’re tired of the ordinary, if you’ve ever wanted a career that rewards originality, misfit energy, and sheer determination, antiques might just be your calling.
Because let’s be honest: being different has always been the real advantage.
Three things you need, work ethic, common sense , and a liking for antiques and vintage. Very little money SPQR small profits quick returns. Belive me, items like the one pictured can be found and brought and sold at a profit, and whilst npot antique its 40 years old.
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