Let's Go Antiquing...Online! Top Sites + Buying Tips

Antiquing typically involves getting up extra early, driving out to the antique flea markets, or spending the day wandering the downtown streets of the little town near your resort while on vacation. But let's be real: it's the age of the Internet and when I want an antique chair for my living room, I want it now!

Lucky for us technophiles and "internerds," there is a way we, too, can enjoy a day of antiquing online!

I'm going to show you a few of my favorite places on the Internet to find antiques from the 1800s up to the 1970s, from thrones to 8-tracks, from $50 to $50,000. Let's go online antiquing, shall we?

First Stop: 1st Dibs
1st Dibs functions like an enormous digital antique market. Dealers sign up and showcase their offerings, and you can browse by dealer, year, designers and city. You can even see what's recently sold to see what people snapped up in the previous month.

Wright20
Wright20 is one of my favorite sites to check, and check often. Wright20 has two sections: auctions and "Wright Now" where you can purchase items on the spot. Most of the items are mid-century classics.

Above photo, clockwise: Vintage Pyrex Friendship Cinderella dish with lid, $15.99, etrets on Etsy; Retro 1960s Orange Vinyl Chair, $175, Lushpad; Pair of Italian Ceramic Lions, $10,800, VandM.com; Mid-century ceiling lamp, $143, Deconet; Antique Chinese Tang Dynasty Camel, starting at $2,500, eclecticmuseum on eBay.



Surfing Cowboys
If you love fun, eclectic, mid-century pieces then you will love seeing what's new at Surfing Cowboys. From Heywood Wakefield to tulip lamps to vintage modern pottery, this is one to check often. Their selection is much larger than many other vintage shops I've seen online. It's hard for small vintage shops to gain this type of visibility, and Surfing Cowboys is well-known both on and offline for their great selection.

Etsy Vintage
Etsy has an entire section dedicated to vintage finds. Etsy sellers post everything from furniture to vintage kitchenware.

VandM.com
VandM.com, or Vintage and Modern, is a newer site that's really gaining momentum. Their site is similar to the 1st Dibs model, where it connects dealers with buyers.

Above, from left to right: Gilbert Rohde cabinet, $2,900, Wright Now; Vintage fireplace, $750, Surfing Cowboys; American Classical Bureau by Georgetown maker King, $24,800, 1st Dibs.

Online marketplaces
We can't talk about antiques and collectibles without mentioning the vast antiques category on eBay. Since eBay is a household name, you can definitely find good stuff here. There are also online marketplaces focusing on modern and mid-century design, including Lushpad and Deconet, both newcomers. And don't forget Craigslist.

A few tips about online antiquing:
- Do your research! Don't just take the online listing's word for it. Be sure to investigate, even if the dealer is registered with a trusted website.
- Ask for references and be sure to contact a few and make sure that the buyers were satisfied with their purchases.
- Read feedback. If a site has a feedback function, be sure to read buyers' comments to see how their experience was with a particular seller.
- If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
- Since you can't hold or touch the item, ask lots of questions. If the seller seems put off by your inquiry then they might be hiding something.
- Be sure to get a certificate of authenticity or something similar if the piece is by a famous artist or designer. Many times dealers will have something for you to demonstrate that what you are purchasing is, in fact, real.
- Remember that even if you can't afford an authentic, expensive original antique, there are lots of alternatives. One man's trash is another man's treasure!