Delivering a world of antiques
If you had to think of the perfect website address for an
antiques marketplace, you’d be hard pushed to do better than antiques.co.uk.
Forward-thinking art and antiques expert Iain Brunt acquired the URL back in
1996, when the internet was just a baby. Now the site has been established for
over 20 years and is the UK’s leading online marketplace connecting sellers and
buyers.
Iain cut his teeth in the art and antiques sector 40 years
ago, when he worked for Daniel Wildenstein, one of the 20th
Century’s greatest art dealers, eventually going on to work in Wildenstein’s
galleries in New York, Paris and London before setting up his own London
gallery.
Since then, Iain has seen many changes in the way art and
antiques are bought and sold, the latest and most important one being the shift
towards buying online. This has given the consumer much more power. “With the
growth of the internet, and more recently the fact that Covid-19 sent even more
people online to do their shopping, it is becoming the norm for private
collectors to buy from auction houses and from sites like ours,” he says.
“Covid made the world realise that we could carry on shopping globally and
easily from the comfort of our own homes.”
Carry on shopping
Antiques.co.uk is a fixed-price site, not an auction site.
“All our sellers are verified and have to comply with our strict terms and
conditions,” continues Iain. “Buyers have time to choose, to do their research,
and they don’t have to compete in a bidding war. Our buyers are from all over
the world.”
The
UK is a key market for art and antiques, but a major barrier for international
buyers has always been how to get the items home. Now, though, thanks to a
partnership with Mail Boxes Etc.’s MBE Auction Logistics service, “our website
instantly pairs the items listed to the seller’s nearest MBE Auction Logistics
centre, taking potential buyers to an online form where they can obtain a
quotation for the item to be collected, packed, protected and delivered
anywhere in the world.
“Instant
quotations give anyone a door-to-door price, which means the buyer knows the
final cost without any surprises. This means our customers can buy with
complete confidence and offers sellers the reassurance that they are reaching a
worldwide audience that understands how easy it is to buy and own any item
listed on our site.
“We
are the only antiques website that has partnered with a dedicated shipper,
offering stress-free worldwide shipping on thousands of items on
antiques.co.uk. We’re making it even easier to buy online, wherever you are in
the world.”
White-glove
service
MBE
Auction Logistics was set up in 2015 by international pack and ship experts,
Mail Boxes Etc. as a white-glove delivery service tailored to the auction, art
and antiques market. The service is offered by more than 150 MBE centres
throughout the UK and Ireland, where franchisees and their teams offer expert
collect, pack and ship services.
“MBE’s
franchisees are uniquely positioned to fulfil the needs of each seller, whether
they are an antique dealer, art gallery or private seller, continues Iain
Brunt. “They work with all the leading shippers but the MBE Auction Logistics
service takes antiques shipping to the next level, thanks to its sector
expertise, certified custom packing and worldwide shipping know-how. We’re
really excited to be partnering with MBE Auction Logistics to offer our sellers
a solution that will help them secure sales and buyers a service that will help
them find and own the finest antiques, wherever they are in the world.”
Iain’s
advice to anyone wanting to start buying antiques online is to do their own
research. “Ask your friends, ask the seller, talk to other experts. Use our
valuation service and compare prices with those on other sites. On
antiques.co.uk you can browse through our 250,000 sold items too, to see what’s
selling and how much people are paying. Then just go ahead and buy the things
you love!”