The Importance of Relationships

One of my favorite aspects of initially collecting and now selling antiques is the importance of building relationships.  Anyone who has been involved in antiquing is already nodding their head saying, “Absolutely!”  Of course, my first exposure was my Mom bringing home some old bottle and just raving about what a good find it was.  Later, after my wife and I were married, it was an old family friend who used to be a traveling evangelist and later became an antique dealer.  Any time he was coming through town, he would spend a night or 2 at our home and show us some of the items that he was going to be selling in the antique show. It was a result of his passion for antiques as well as his friendship that influenced my decision to become a collector.  Later, it was an antique shop owner in a little town that completely blew my mind with his hospitality.  Some time after that, I discovered eBay and was pursuing my scale collecting with a frenzy and ended up developing a relationship with a fellow scale collector that had really been ticked off by me on one particular auction!  Now, many years and many hundreds of antiques later, the tables have turned and I am in the selling mode instead of buying.  Those relationships and life lessons hopefully have prepared me for this venture.  One thing that was a take away from each of these individuals was their passion for what they were involved in.  Sure, there is always a financial aspect to everything but these individuals that made such an impact on me, were not just about money.  In my mind, their greater desire and purpose was to connect each item they were selling with a new home that was going to treasure and appreciate that piece as much as they had.  They took more pleasure in seeing the excitement on my face than they did putting the cash in the register!  Well, online business has changed the way we operate but it does not have to change the importance of building relationships.  Since starting to sell on eBay and Etsy, it has been my goal to ensure every person that bought something from me was 100% satisfied.  I may not be able to see the excitement on their face but it is sure evident in their words!  You see, now it is my challenge to connect that piece that we enjoyed for so many years, you know, the one you have been searching for, with a new home and family that will enjoy it as much as we have.  If that is the end result, that is the true measure of success for me.  So, as you browse through this site, feel free to ask as many questions as you would like.  You know, anyone in the antique business loves telling stories.  I look forward to sharing one or more with you.