When can you claim something to be an antique?

[elltee]

I have an item....ale slipper (see previous post).....and want to sell it on ebay.....is it wrong or misleading to call it an antique if I don't have any way of providing it is actually from the time period in which these items were used?  As bigwull responded in the previous post...and got me thinking...what if it is a reproduction?  How does one know....it was sold to me as authentic....and I assumed it was and is too but is it honest and truthful for me to call it an antique just because I think it is?....how can one tell for sure and to what degree should one takes steps to ensure it is what it's been claimed to be?

[ironlord1963]

       When selling online and one is unsure of the actual age, if it is Antique or etc. just state with a simple disclaimer of unsure of Origin, Age, or Original is the way to go.  Many times us seller think that if we don't add Antique or Original to the title the item will not sell.  This is untrue of course, many buyers are not really concerned about if it Authentic or Antique they buy it cause they like, or Collect this style or etc.    Good detail picture can and will tell the story to a trained eye online and if it Antique and they know what they are looking at they will bid accordingly.    You have enough information to sell the Ale Slipper, and if unsure of age then just state that in the description and leave those confusing Adjective out of the title.  This is where many Rookies and dishonest sellers will try and sell up the item.  I have learned over the years to only use these "Adjective Words" when first I feel it will help and I know it to be.  Save those character in the Title for better tag words that will help someone find the kind of item you are selling.  In other words if I was looking to purchase a Ale Slipper, I would type in Ale Slipper usually I don't type in Antique Ale Slipper, Maybe I would use Brass Ale Slipper or Etc.    All in All just be honest with what you know and if you want to use words like Antique and etc.  make sure you are 100% sure, if not they really won't help the sale. 

[elltee]

this was very helpful and good advice....thank you...

[bigwull]

this was very helpful and good advice....thank you...

When you bought the slipper...what attracted you to the ad,?

[elltee]

That it was rare.....good question...

....the auction listing stated, "rare ale slipper"

[fancypants]

Off topic for a sec .... Hey ironlord1963 ! Long time no c !

I'd say ironlord is right on the money , from an ethical standpoint esp .

[bigwull]

well, it stands to reason that you do something similar....how many bids,had it attracted...when you bought it....and when did you buy it....as you have seen, there is not many of the type you have,...about.....there,s lots of the other kind....but yours is far superior..in my humble opinion...that is....it may help you to list that link to the only similar one that we found...that way prospective buyers see it in an environment...where by it is pleasing to the eye...and this helps sell items...

[ironlord1963]

Good to be back, guess I have been hiding too much    And just another pointer I personally think the word "Rare"  is the worst of all used Adjectives in the Online world, never buy from someone who uses Rare, unless you indeed deem it rare.  First Rare by any means does not usually add value, a Collector of any item will know if it is rare and a rookie will just be caught in a web if not.   Items like a Ale Slipper are usually rare anyway, I don't think International Silver ever cranked out 100's of these, and I could bet for the most part these was made in a Folk art tradition. just a guess personally never dealt with a Ale Slipper, Makes me realize what I have been missing the past few months.

[elltee]

I purchased it at an auction house...not online.....it was between me and someone I could tell from what they had been buying new "their stuff" so I was bolstered in my feeling that the item had real value and to bid on it to win....we were only five or ten dollars apart in the end.

I wondered if it was acceptable to give one of the web sites and which to give....I agree with your suggestion in this regard.

Glad you think mine is superior...

[elltee]

Good to be back, guess I have been hiding too much    And just another pointer I personally think the word "Rare"  is the worst of all used Adjectives in the Online world, never buy from someone who uses Rare, unless you indeed deem it rare.  First Rare by any means does not usually add value, a Collector of any item will know if it is rare and a rookie will just be caught in a web if not.   Items like a Ale Slipper are usually rare anyway, I don't think International Silver ever cranked out 100's of these, and I could bet for the most part these was made in a Folk art tradition. just a guess personally never dealt with a Ale Slipper, Makes me realize what I have been missing the past few months.

What do you think about including the word in the body of the text and not the headline?....I'm kinda partial to the word myself...

[ironlord1963]

      To be fair on any posting if you know it to be "Rare" Then use it for sure, and in this case you could, but it really boils down to the intent of using the word, and When it is used in the Title to get more value that is a bit shady overall, if it is to get more to look at the item not a bad deal.  In the text works kind of the same way, these are just adjective words and like I said earlier for the most part are used to catch the rookie for the real collector of these items will know how rare it is anyway.   One thing to keep in mind with the " Title "  It is not only the title but more important it is a " Tag LIne " .  This is what is used to Search for a item. First make sure you have used all the important tag words first before adding any adjectives to the Title,  if you have more room then add these words, they are secondary words used to get the buyer to click the link after they search the keywords.  I hope this makes sense, many of our new lister at work have a hard time understanding this sometimes, and occassionaly I see them even put Wow in the title line.   

[elltee]

well, it stands to reason that you do something similar....how many bids,had it attracted...when you bought it....and when did you buy it....as you have seen, there is not many of the type you have,...about.....there,s lots of the other kind....but yours is far superior..in my humble opinion...that is....it may help you to list that link to the only similar one that we found...that way prospective buyers see it in an environment...where by it is pleasing to the eye...and this helps sell items...

I bought it a week ago....btw

[ghopper1924]

In the U.S., most items need to be 100 years old or more before you can use the word antique.

[elltee]

In the U.S., most items need to be 100 years old or more before you can use the word antique.

Yes...but since it hasn't been authenticated and may be real or just a representation I'll follow ironlord's advice and drop the antique word and just give the info I have and then some....I have enjoyed learning about it and talking about it and being taken back in time via this magic slipper and hope someone else will want it too....otherwise I won't be at all unhappy about keeping it...it looks very nice on the mantle and it's a great conversation piece...and the cost won't break my bank...so I've only had the best experiences as a result so far...

[ghopper1924]

It is a cool item!

Also, you can append the word "style" to something, i.e. Victorian style if you are not sure about the age.