New On-Line Auction Site to Fill a Missing Niche

David Antebi has been in the antiques and decorative arts business for more than thirty years. His flagship gallery was in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. A second gallery was located on Rodeo Drive. Antebi specialized in Oriental Art and at one time had the largest collection of Jade and Ivory amassed under one roof. He was one of the first to enter China after Nixon opened the door. His frequent travels throughout the far east brought unbelievable treasures to the market. In 1982 he engaged in a joint venture with the Chinese government and arranged the first time ever exhibitions of rare treasures from the mainland.

In 1988 he moved to New York City and operated galleries in the midtown area. He was also in the wholesale end of the business selling goods to retail galleries around the country.

In 1998 his son Marcus, an extreme sports enthusiast, joined the business, bringing a comprehensive knowledge of the potential for internet sales. The company sold goods on eBay successfully for ten years but were seeking  a venue where they could offer their merchandise without potential buyers having to wade through thousands of unrelated items. To their dismay, they could not find one.

AntiqueSpider.com, the brainchild of Marcus, was developed to fill the void. This niche on-line auction site offers other dealers from around the country to list their items for free,  with only a small commission if the item sells. “The sight offers many of the features of the market leader,” says Marcus, “but its primary goal is to service antiques and decorative art dealers only. No rubber duckies, please.”

AntiqueSpider.com is a user friendly site. “We wanted to make it easy for anyone to navigate the site and list their items,” Marcus added. “Our programmers set up easy to use pages which will allow even beginners to navigate with ease.” A Toll Free number connects you to an efficient customer service line that’s available to answer any questions and help sellers and buyers to reach a common ground.

AntiqueSpider.com’s first phase is to attract as many sellers as possible and to populate the site with unusual and competitively priced items. “We’re committed to a fairly large advertising budget,” says David. “We are placing full page ads in most of the important trade papers and magazines as well as utilizing the appropriate Google programs. A blitz e-mail campaign focusing on dealers will follow shortly”

Phase two will target potential sellers, again utilizing print ads in retail magazines and using Google as well. To further attract buyers AntiqueSpider.com is offering free appraisals on ivory carvings and, if potential buyers sign on before June 4, 2009, they will automatically become eligible to win a $1,000.00 Gift Certificate to be used towards the purchase of any item from any dealer on the site. Of course, no purchases is necessary to become eligible. For more details go to the site.