Sherrie Rodriguez

One of the common characteristics of most of the collectibles is that they are naturally charming, while somewhat fragile. Ceramic collectibles are one of them. These collectibles are delicate, beautiful and very fragile, but can be damaged when dropped. The collectors of ceramic collectibles take great pains to place and display them. However, finding the right valuable ceramic collectible means knowing what exactly ceramics are.

Some people confuse ceramics with porcelain. Porcelain is a kind of ceramic, but the reverse is not right. Just like not all types of woods are oak, similarly not all ceramic are porcelain. There are many sites that uses both the terms interchangeably.

The ceramic collectibles includes any valuable tiles, dishes, sculptures, ornaments or figurines. If any of these items are not classified in the category of pottery, porcelain or stoneware, then the broader term used for them is ceramic collectible. The old, delicate, beautiful and rare ceramic collectibles have a higher value because they are made once and are thus original and unique. Collectors always like to collect these types of collectibles.

About Ceramic

Ceramic is a generic term which includes bone ware, pottery, earthenware and porcelain. This term originally derived from the Greek word ‘pottery’, which means that anything that is made up of clay and hardened by heat. Therefore, the way any item is made of clay and heat determines its ceramic type. Since ceramic is a generic term, there is always a confusion between different types of ceramics. Porcelain items can be categorized as ceramic collectibles as it is a subcategory of ceramics. This is not same with ceramic items. You cannot categorize the ceramic items as Porcelain. Most of the ceramic collectibles are not porcelain, and even the items referred to as porcelain are not authentic porcelain.

Collectors or Seller Must know the Difference between Porcelain or Ceramic Collectibles

Most of the collectors look for a specific item or particular category of items. If a collector looks for ceramic collectibles, then it is very important for the collector to understand what exactly the porcelain is. It is helpful for the collectors if the seller understands the difference and labeled items accordingly. If ceramic collectibles are labeled as porcelain, then the seller may seem amateurish or even dishonest.

Find Ceramic Collectibles Online

There are many gifts shops and antique stores that sell ceramic collectibles. Shopping online for them on a site like eBay is an excellent way to find the specific items without going on foot, from one store to another.

This is one of the collectibles that has been in practice for practically a very long period of time. There are interestingly a large number of items that collectors add to their list of growing collections each year. Christmas, as you will agree with me, is one of the most celebrated seasons of the year and collectors always find joy as new collections are introduced in the market. To others, they might find it strange, wondering what this particular collection includes. This is one of the largest collections and continues to grow at an impressive rate.

Where do collections find their collection?

The advent of technology has even made it easier to buy articles online. This is one of the largest growing collectors groups, and, around the world, collectors have some very unique collectibles ranging from the Victorian era to now. Some are quite prized and held by a few. But one thing is for sure, collectors can choose to buy these at auctions, garage sales, yards sales or any other place where items are on sale. This kind of item needs to be displayed with art as they come in different sizes and shapes. They are a unique collection list which will interest you if you see them for the first time.

The list includes antiques, cards, chocolate items, costume jewels, crafted ornaments, bells, tree decorations, and different kinds of glass ornaments which normally must be handled with care, and can be quite costly. This is one of the largest lists of collectibles and collections continue to increase each year as new items are added into the collection. It is definitely fun as new things continue to be produced in the market each year, giving the group a new item to add to their list.

Finally, it’s not hard to start a collection of your own. You will simply decide what your niche is, and start it from the comfort of your home. You will realise that you have a few Christmas collectibles around you that can make a very interesting collection. Look no further, just start with what you have. Christmas somehow, is one of holidays celebrated each year in nearly every Christian home and if you care to look around, you will realise that you might be able to have a collection that will come with no cost at all and might prove quite interesting in the end.

How to sell

When you have religiously accumulated your collectibles, you might wish to sell them. However, there are times when you don’t even realize that it might just be time to make the sell. There are a number of places where you can make the sell, most especially through the internet.

Before you set out to sell your collectibles however, you need to ensure that you do know your market. This way, you know which price you need to attach to the items. You need to create a website in order to sell your items. This has numerous advantages such as giving you an opportunity to sell ads to other dealers and collectors in addition to the site being a potential money-cow on its own given the amount of traffic it does receive.

You can also sell your items on eBay through online auctions. You can even sell your items at garage sales, in online malls, at flea markets, online forums, collectors clubs and classified ads among others

How to buy

With a passion for collecting collectibles comes a desire to buy some. Instead of rushing to buy a given item, it is better to know your subject well so you don’t make mistakes. A good education of the items you choose to collect will give you better insight when it comes down to buying.

Getting to know dealers and insiders also goes a long way to a successful buy. In order to get to know the dealers and insiders, you need to make your way closer to the sources. A certain level of patience is called for when you choose to buy given items. Just because an item appears good, it doesn’t mean that you should rush into buying it. When you learn to be patient, you will avoid over paying for an item or buying an item that you much rather have not bought in the first place.

In addition to patience, you need to be objective when it comes down to buying collectibles. You also need to look into buying quality as opposed to quantity if you need to realize a good value for your item. Last but not least, once you have bought the items, you need to ensure that you take good care of them until such a time that you are ready to re-sell them. This way, you don’t run the risk of the items loosing value due to improper care.

Collectors too have groups and forums regarding their collectibles. And as one of them you might have been wondering how you can go about it. It is good to note that things have changed and with the advent of technology, it is important to have a group of people who share the same dream and hobbies. Technology has come with some very great benefits and one of them is that, it has now made the world to one open market. You will not be limited to only a group of people in the neighborhood or old school mates who you occasionally talk to on phone.

What are the best ways of creating a collectibles group?

1. As discussed above, have a group who share the same dream and hobby like you and with whom you can discuss easily on a given topic. Contact them and let them know of your desire and dream.
2. Go online and create a template or hosting platform. There are many kinds of platforms and if you are just starting and have no capital you can opt for the free ones. The free ones however are for a limited period. If you are ready to spend then identify a fully paid one which will be more stable and give you more space.
3. Once you have downloaded and created your forum, contact your team of friends and let them know your collectibles group by inviting them to join. It is up to you to control the membership by choosing who joins and doesn’t.

Remember that even though forums are open, there can be a few people who can make life online just impossible. You do not want to have your forum attacked from all ends because of critics who have no idea about the group or forum in the first place. That is why it is important to control membership to only those with genuine interest.

Finally, remember that creating such collectibles forums is not hard and most of these sites will give you a one to one step on the best way to create your forum and how to operate it. That is simply to say that you need no professional assistance to create a group of your own. You can create one and interestingly, manage it without any outside help as most people are made to believe. Make the decision today and make that group you have desired to have all along.

When you have some collectibles that you wish to sell, it is ideal to look for the best places where you can sell so that you get the best value for them. One of the very best places where you can sell collectibles is your own website. Bear in mind though, it takes a lot more than building the said website. You need to market your items and draw some good traffic to the site in case you are to realize any sales of good value.

Below are steps to creating your website:

• You need a domain name, preferably one that will give your readers an inkling of what it is all about. In order for you to get the domain name, you need to part with an annual fee in order to register for the right to use the name you have chosen.
• Once the domain name is sorted, you need to choose which company will host your website. Finding the right web host for your website is paramount for its success.
• Once you have sorted out your domain name and the web host, you need to look into the design for your website. Designing a website calls for either hiring a professional to do the job for you or if you are able then you can do the job by yourself.
• Once you are done with the design, you need to test the website. Ideally, the testing process should be undertaken all through the web design cycle for the best results. It is recommended to test the site on a number of browser, more so the major ones such as Safari, Opera, Firefox and Chrome.
• The next stage is to collect credit card information and make money. Since you will be selling your collectibles, you will need some way to collect the credit card information.
• Last but not least, you need to ensure that your site gets noticed if you are to make the most of it. In order to make this happen, ideally, you need to submit your site to search engines such as Google or Bing. Alternatively, in case your site is already linked to other sites, then you don’t need to submit it to the search engines. In addition to submitting your site, you might also wish to look into promoting it through advertisements, press releases, or getting it noticed by news sites or blogs.

Now once you are done with your website you will find selling and buying your collectibles more swift and orderly.