An antique is an old collectible item made valuable due to its age, rarity, condition or unique characteristics. In the past the best ways to get your hands on quality antiques were estate auction, antique shops or through inheriting. With the technological revolution came the internet and online antique auctions.

These auctions will differ from popular auctions sites like Ebay in that they are solely for the purpose of buying and selling antiques. Places like ebay may have an assortment of antique auctions online to choose from but serious buyer and sellers may prefer a site that specializes in antiques.

The format of an online antique auction is pretty basic. Sign up or register for an account, then review carefully their terms of service. Some antique auctions online may require appraisals and or other documentation to prove authenticity of an item. Next go to the sell item area and fill in all the pertinent information. This can include the history of the item you are selling and any unique characteristics such as a coin with a rare mint stamp on it. Online auctions are always more successful if you add pictures to your auctions, so you may need to invest in a digital camera. Finally choose your starting price and duration of auction and you are ready to go.

Once your auction is up and running it will remain open to bidders for the time you specified. You may notice that as the end date draws near there will be a flurry of increased activity. This is because many bidders will wait and try to get the item cheaper. This rarely works because many other bidders may have the same idea causing a bidding war.

If you are more interested in buying than selling, the process will be a little different. You may be able to browse antique auctions online without creating an account. However when you are ready to place a bid you will need a buyers account. Generally if you already have a sellers account that will be sufficient and vice versa. When creating an account to buy antiques online you may need to put in personal and financial information or sign up for pay processor such as paypal. The pay processor or financial information will be determined by the online auction site you are using.

These are some general guidelines to antique auctions online and may vary from site to site. Remember to read the auction description very carefully before placing any bids as your bid is considered a legally binding contract. Similarly, if you are the seller be very detailed and specific when describing you antique auction to prevent confusion and unhappy buyers.