This Business Is Terribly Simple!
This Business Is Terribly Simple!
“This business is terribly simple. You buy nice things and put a little bit on top.”
That was a quote from one of our good customers, and you know what? There's an awful lot of truth in it.
At Top Banana, we like to think that antiques dealing doesn't need to be complicated. Find nice things, buy them at the right price, add a sensible margin and sell them on.
Simple!
Of course, there's a little more to it than that. You need a good eye, a knowledge of the market, an understanding of your customers and, above all, the discipline to know when to buy and when to walk away.
But the principle remains the same.
You don't necessarily need to make a fortune on every item. A sensible profit, repeated regularly, can be far more rewarding than holding out for a huge margin that may never arrive.
And there's another important point: the money is made when you buy, but the profit is realised when you sell.
Buy something because you like it, without considering whether anybody else will want it, and you could end up with an expensive ornament of your own. Buy with your customers in mind, and you're already halfway there.
The same applies to pricing. Put too much on top and you might frighten away the very customer you want. Price sensibly, leave a little room for the next person to make a profit, and you can build relationships that keep business moving.
That's how a healthy antiques trade works. Dealers buy from dealers, collectors buy from dealers, and good stock finds its way to the people who appreciate it.
At Top Banana, we've always believed in keeping things straightforward. We have experienced dealers, a wonderful variety of stock and five floors of antiques to explore. You don't have to make business complicated to make it work.
So perhaps our customer summed it up better than we ever could.
Buy nice things. Put a little bit on top. Sell them. Then do it all again.
Terribly simple, really!
Come and see us at Top Banana Antiques in Tetbury. You might just find something nice — and at a sensible price, too.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
