You Can Find Treasures in a Variety of Places
Where you can find vintage and decorative collectibles is limited only by your imagination, and sometimes the type of antiques you're looking for. Aside from antique stores, there are many stores online and off that deal in vintage collectibles, like stores and dealers that specialize in things like sports memorabilia, coins and paper money, stamps, surveying equipment, medical and dental equipment, mining equipment, movie collectibles, science fiction collectibles, vintage toys, antique glass and jewelry, and the list goes on and on. If someone collects it, chances are there's a store or dealership that buys, sell, trades and repairs those types of antiques.
But aside from antique stores and specialty shops like this, there are several other places where you can find vintage collectibles, often much more inexpensively.
Online Auctions
Sites like eBay have become huge hubs of activity. Ebay doesn't just give people a place to buy and sell vintage collectibles, you can find almost anything you could possible want in the online auctions from all over the world. Often new items are available before they're in stores, and hard to find items are put up for sale and allow everyone to have a chance to own theme - if you're willing to pay the price they ask. But for antiques and vintage collectibles, sites like eBay give collectors one of the biggest marketplaces they'll ever likely see.
Be wary, though, when purchasing decorative collectibles and antiques based on photographs and descriptions. Ask the seller lots of questions, and use your best judgment. Make sure you're aware of the seller's return policy, or even if they have one at all. And when shopping for certain vintage collectibles like old autographs, sports memorabilia and other items, be aware than fraud and forgery are common problems. Verify the items as best you can before committing to buy.
Flea Markets and Yard Sales
Flea markets and yard sales can be great places to find vintage collectibles. The wide variety of items for sale makes it less likely that the seller has focused much attention on any one item. Often you can find items, especially at yard sales, for only a few dollars to discover that they're worth much more than that. The sellers, if they're not collectors, might not recognize vintage collectibles, instead thinking the pieces are just old junk.
Estate Sales
Estate sales are another good way to find vintage collectibles and antiques. These are sales of a person's estate usually once they're deceased. Often, relatives of the deceased opt to have an estate sale for an elderly loved one's assets. Very often, elderly people had items that are now vintage collectibles but were just ordinary items to them, that they'd probably had a long time. These auctions, so if other collectors are there the prices on some antiques could go up quickly.
Local newspapers
Scan local area shoppers or tradepost papers for items that you recognize as vintage collectibles. Often, sellers don't recognize the value of the items they're trying to sell.
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