Antique and vintage shop website: what buyers and sellers look for

People visit an antique shop's website to ask four things. Are you open today? What's new? Do you buy what I have? Is that piece I saw still there? Every piece sells once, and most shops also buy from the public, so your site has some jobs a regular store's doesn't.

In October 2026 we opened 21 independent antique, vintage and consignment shop websites in 19 towns and 16 states, on a phone and a computer. Eighteen posted hours. Only 4 had a phone number you could tap on the first screen, 8 invited sellers, and none said anything about the legal basics below. This guide goes in order of how much each part matters.

Say when you're open, and when it's by appointment

People search "antiques open now" and "open Sunday". Hours were missing on 3 of the 21 sites, and one still invited people to "visit our store" after it had closed for good.

1. Click Business info, and under Regular hours set each day Open or Closed.
2. In Note under hours, say what doesn't fit the grid, like "Mon–Wed by appointment: call or text" or "Closed Tuesdays".
3. If you close for winter or run a summer schedule, add Seasonal hours.
4. Add an Open today section near the top of your home page. See Set your hours.

For a day you can't open, click We’re closed today in Business info, then Publish. See Close for today. If you're closing for good, say so on the home page and in the Announcement bar, and turn off pages that still say "visit us".

Make your phone and address easy to use

Visitors call to ask "do you still have it?" before they drive. Type your number in Business info › Phone; on a phone it's tappable. Add a Call to action section with Show phone number on. Put your Street address under Location, and say in your FAQ where to park, whether dogs are welcome and whether there are stairs.

Say whether you buy, and how to show what you have

Searches like "antique shops that buy antiques" and "sell my antiques near me" are common. Eight of the 21 sites invited sellers. The rest said nothing, so sellers had to guess.

1. Click Pages, New page, and use the Service page template. Name it "Sell to us".
2. Say what you buy and what you don't ("furniture, sterling and glass; no encyclopedias, no TVs"), whether you take consignments or whole estates, and whether you make house calls. Be plain about how consignment works: your percentage, how long a piece stays, what happens to what doesn't sell, and when you pay.
3. Add a Form section, start from the Contact ready-made form, and turn on Let people attach photos. Sellers can send up to 5. Two sites asked people to email photos instead; a form keeps them in your Inbox. See Forms and your inbox.
4. Say whether you give free opinions on value or charge for a written appraisal. If you appraise, offer bookings; see Take bookings on your site.

Show what's new, and keep a little of what's sold

Visitors come back for new stock. The clearest sites labeled pieces "New arrival" and kept sold ones visible, marked sold. That shows the shop turns over.

• A few pieces a week: add a Gallery section on your home page with a Caption on each photo, like "Walnut washstand, c. 1890, $425". Change it when stock changes.
• Instagram or Facebook as your feed: a Social posts section shows posts you pick; it doesn't update itself. See Show Facebook and Instagram posts.
• Tell people: the Newsletter sending add-on emails your list when new stock comes in. See Send a newsletter.

Sell one-of-a-kind pieces

Say it plainly: "Every piece is one of a kind. If you see something you want, call or text before you drive." One shop's line, "when a piece is sold, it's gone for good", does this well.

• A few pieces, by phone or text: send a payment link once they say yes. See Request a payment.
• Payment links in a section: a Buy & pay section can hold a few fixed items. See Take payments with payment links.
• A shop on your site: the Online store add-on lets you list each piece as a product in Lists › Products, with photos, a full description and a price. It suits a shop with a few dozen pieces, but know its limit. It has no stock count. A piece that sells in your shop or on eBay stays buyable until you turn on Sold out, so two people could pay for the same piece. Mark it the moment it sells; see Mark a product sold out. Marked pieces stay on your site, labeled sold out.

Describe each piece the way a buyer needs

Buyers look for age or period, maker's marks, size and condition. For each piece, write:

• What it is and when: "Oak dresser, c. 1900" beats "old dresser". Say "circa" when you're estimating.
• Marks: maker's names, stamps and hallmarks, quoted as marked.
• Size: height, width and depth. Photograph a small piece beside a ruler.
• Condition: repairs, chips and wear, honestly. A close-up of a flaw prevents returns.

Add a short Describe this photo to each photo; see Describe your photos.

Know which words carry legal weight

This isn't legal advice, and the rules vary by state. We read federal law and a few states, so check yours.

• "Antique": we found no single legal age for ordinary goods. Federal species rules use 100 years. Use a date or period you can stand behind.
• Silver and gold: the FTC's jewelry rules say "sterling" means at least 92.5% pure silver and "coin silver" at least 90%, and a karat mark must be right. Describe pieces as marked, and unmarked ones as unmarked.
• Native American work: the Indian Arts and Crafts Act makes it unlawful to offer goods in a way that falsely suggests they were made by a Native American or a tribe. Fines for a business go up to $1,000,000. Name a maker or tribe only when you can show who made the piece; otherwise say "Native American style".
• Ivory, tortoiseshell and similar: federal law restricts selling worked ivory, with an exception for true antiques that needs proof. New York bans most ivory sales and allows antiques only when documents show they're at least 100 years old and the ivory is under 20% of the piece. Other states have their own laws. Don't list these pieces online until you've checked.
• Recalled children's products: a resale or antique shop can't sell a recalled product. Check a crib, cradle or toy against the Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall list first.
• Firearms and weapons: antique firearms (made in or before 1898) are treated differently under federal law, but states and towns differ, and payment companies restrict them. Don't sell any through your site.

Know the rules for second-hand dealers

Buying from the public brings dealer rules. They are state and town laws, and they differ. Florida's law covers shops that buy or consign second-hand goods and exempts sellers at antique shows; New York's state junk-dealer law covers metal dealers, and the second-hand rules we saw were in town codes. Some places require a license, a record of each purchase, or a holding period. We didn't find one site that mentioned this, so ask your town clerk. If you're required to show a number, add it under Business info › Location › License number.

Rent booths and attract dealers

Of the 9 multi-dealer sites, 5 had a dealer page, 1 had a "coming soon" note, and only one published its rates. Put one page up for dealers with:

• Your booth sizes and monthly rent, shelves and locking cases, and your commission.
• Whether there's a waitlist, and how to apply: photos of what they sell, and who to call.
• A list of your dealers, if you want one (Lists › Team works for this).

Link it from your Footer links under Menu.

Post estate sales and shows

If you run estate sales or sell at shows, add them under Lists, then Edit events, with the Date, Last day, Where and a Full details note on what's inside. Set Status to Postponed or Cancelled if it changes. Don't post private names or addresses until the sale. See Events.

Shipping, delivery and returns

Large and fragile pieces are the hard part. Only about a quarter of the sites said how a piece travels. Say what you ship yourself, who ships big furniture (freight takes weeks), how it's insured, and who to tell about damage. Say whether you deliver locally, where to pick up, and your return policy ("All sales final" or "7 days if not as described"). Put it in your FAQ and, if you have a shop, under Store › Settings › Returns and fine print.

Show your reviews

Only 3 of the 21 showed any. Add your best recent Google reviews to your Reviews list, then a Reviews section. Paste your review link into Business info › Leave-a-review link. See Reviews. Don't offer a discount only for good reviews.

Photos that sell

Your own photos do the most. Shoot in daylight, straight on, with a plain background:

1. The front of the shop, from across the street
2. A wide shot from the door
3. Each category: furniture, glass, jewelry cases, clothing
4. Each piece, and its mark, close up
5. Flaws, honestly
6. You or a dealer pricing or wrapping a piece

Until then, Free photos has good ones for "antique shop interior", "antique china cabinet" and "vintage clothing rack". See Free photos.

Answer the questions customers ask

Add an FAQ section. Antique shops get asked:

• Do you buy antiques, and what do you look for?
• How do I find out what my piece is worth?
• How does consignment work?
• Can you hold a piece for me?
• Is the piece I saw still available?
• Do you ship, and how do you pack large pieces?
• What is your return policy?
• Is there parking, and are dogs welcome?

Lists › FAQs › Suggest questions drafts more from your site. See Use suggested questions.

Tips

• Give your home page a search title with your town and your kind of shop, like "Antiques and estate buyers in Ithaca, NY". See Set a page's search title and description.
• A Gift cards and coupons add-on lets you sell cards at the till. See Gift cards and coupons.
• Read your site once a season for old hours, a sale that ended, or an "N years in business" line that has gone out of date.