Antique Items that Sell Like Hotcakes on eBay

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It’s no secret that antiques sell well on eBay and other online marketplaces. Buying antiques online means that collector’s and hobbyists can now go beyond their local antique store, and open themselves up to a global market and a far greater chance of finding the items they want.

This gives us online retailers a fabulous opportunity to sell to a very targeted and enthusiastic market. To give you some inspiration, I've hunted-out some steaming hot antique niche categories. Check them out below:

Hot Category: Silverware and Cutlery Sets

I have to admit, eating off a 100 year old fork doesn’t exactly get me excited, but apparently there are plenty of people out there who would jump at the chance, because these are very popular among antique collectors on eBay!

What to get your hands on:

  • Full, undamaged sets with no pieces missing will fetch the highest bids
  • Hot brands including Roger Bros and Oneida
  • Sterling silver and silver plated items

Where to source them:

Local flea markets, yard sales and antique stores are great places to pick these up and you can often fetch them at super low prices and re-sell them for big profits!

If you plan on having a look around at various yard sales or markets, make sure you have a good look on eBay before you go and note down any trends you see: For example, you might see an influx of teaspoon sets or cake slicers being sold, or you see that 1930’s flatware is selling well. Note these trends down and take them with you to the yard sales.

Check SaleHoo suppliers offering antique silver and flatware regularly because in the antique trade, there is no such thing as a steady supply - items come and go often!

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Hot Category: Asian Statues

These have long been popular among collector’s but have gained more attention from the mainstream market when they became a trend item for interior decorating. Since then, buyers are looking for something more than a cheap replica garnish their homes. Thus, a fantastic new opportunity has arisen for sellers wanting to offer antique items!

What to get your hands on:

  • South-East Asian buddhas
  • 18th -19th century items (a popular era for collectors)
  • Mythical “lyons” and ancestors

Where to source these items:

SaleHoo suppliers: See here for a list of SaleHoo suppliers who offer Asian-style home wares and collectibles. As I mentioned above, supply of antiques is fluid, so it’s best to get in touch with suppliers and build a rapport with them so that when they stock items you want, they will get in touch with you.

Have you sold antique items before? What was your experience like? We would love to hear from you!

The information published here is strictly for informational purposes. All above product items are only suggestions for possible products which will sell favorably, and should be used as a guide only. At the time of writing, all above products were researched using methods recommend by SaleHoo and found to be potentially profitable for sellers. All sellers are encouraged to conduct their own market and product research.

 

About the author
Simon Slade
CEO of SaleHoo Group Limited

Simon Slade is CEO and co-founder of SaleHoo, a platform for eCommerce entrepreneurs that offers 8,000+ dropship and wholesale suppliers, 1.6 million high-quality, branded products at low prices, an industry-leading market research tool and 24-hour support.

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6 Comments
  • Jay Adams 15th of April
    Greetings from middle Georgia! Great info! I'm new and in the perpetual learning mode and really appreciate this kind of information that you publish. Keep it coming....
  • lahcen amzoug 18th of April
    I never sold any item on eBay but its always great to spend time on SaleHoo, gives me hopes :D love.
  • savymicheal 20th of April
    I have sold lots & lots of discontinued cosmetics on Ebay! But sales have been slow as of late. I have been thinking of adding or trying another category. This looks promising. Salehoo is a wealth of knowledge, keep it up....
  • Ithamar 11th of May
    Now, THIS is an article near and dear to my heart. This particular niche is what got me started in eBay and is still my biggest money-maker to date. About three days a week I scour the local thrift stores, yard sales, and garage sales looking for antique and vintage items to post on eBay. Rule number one is NEVER throw anything out! You would be surprised at what people buy! Items I have sold for great profit include vintage chandeliers, cutlery, clothing, televisions, clock radios, calculators (the older the better), desks, trunks, dishes, lamps, and my biggest surprises....vintage costume jewelry and TUPPERWARE! I even found a 6-inch Buck Knife on a grocery store parking lot that I was able to sell for 50 bucks! Of course it pays to become knowledgeable in why these items are collectible, because 90% of your marketing on eBay is in your description. While it can get pretty intricate (for example, while there are millions of kitchen utensils with plastic handles, only Bakelite plastic is valuable to collectors), you can gain a sense of an items potential eBay value. There is a site called collectorsweekly.com that is awesome for beginners. This site only lists items that have actual bids on them and everything is collectible in every category imaginable from lighters to postcards. This site is invaluable in teaching you the proper way to list, photograph, and describe your potential hidden gems.
    • Jason 19th of May
      Hi Ithamar,
      Thanks for your advice mate I am really interested in what you said. So I will check out the collectersweekly site and start scouting around some garage sales and flea markets for collectables. Cheers
  • Tammy Lopez 27th of September
    I would love to be member
  • RoanokeCollector 13th of September
    I disagree on the silverware being a favorite - it's a hard sell. Of course anything sterling will sell fast and frequently because of the precious metal and the brands you mentioned only sell frequently because they are the low end common saturated brand and some sets are not eve worth selling on ebay. This post is going to have people out busing garbage silver plate by Rogers and it wont sell for them... NOW if it is sterling YES it will sell and most likely for scrap value unless it is a rare pattern or piece and even then it may be a hard sell. So the best sterling would be very odd ball items like weird pickle forks or open salt cellars or napkin rings and items that have that art nouvous vibe or sort lived brands and small town silversmiths that made a limited quantity.