“I Didn’t Even Know That Was a Thing” Explaining Collectibles Advising
“What is ‘collectibles advising’ and how does it work?” a new client asked last week. She was surprised by the answer, as she had no idea that collectibles advising was even a thing. These days it’s a significant part of how Spirit & Space helps our clients.
The primary job of a collectibles advisor is to help clients identify and sell items of value. Items routinely surface through organizing, decluttering, and downsizing; often clients aren’t even aware that their unwanted items could be sold. Some clients schedule dedicated collectibles consultations, separate from any organizing services.
“Collectibles” is a loose term. The variety of items we’ve sold for clients is very broad, from vintage to contemporary, décor to personal items and everything in between. Selling options include more than 50 local dealers, auctions, national partners, Facebook Marketplace, and targeted solutions for unique items.
Generally speaking, the most lucrative items coming out of houses these days are jewelry, silver and coins, and we work with these materials extensively. But the items we sell don’t always have high value; we’ve sold fine jewelry for eye-popping prices and vintage items such as hankies and irons for just a few bucks. Each sale puts an item in new hands, allowing someone else to enjoy it.
With so many people downsizing these days, the market is flooded with inventory. Sometimes we must explain that an item isn’t as valuable as the client thinks it is and won’t garner much on the secondary market. In that case, we frequently identify appropriate donation options.
Here are the numbers for a recent week that was especially packed with collectibles work:
1 trip to Everything But The House (EBTH), a global auction in Cincinnati, delivering items for 13 clients
2 boxes of jewelry shipped to a California dealer
3 boxes of coins shipped to a top dealer in the industry
5 nonprofit donations
8 collectibles-related appointments
13 more clients served by deliveries to 17 dealers (and 2 Facebook buyers)
Yes, collectibles advising really is a thing…a really big thing!
To learn more go to the Collectibles Advising page on our website.
