Sourcing: what is the secret?

1. The trick is to buy what you like. But make sure it is sellable at a reasonable price. After buyers commission (30%?), possible delivery costs both ways and some kind of mark-up, a £100 acquisition can turn into a £200 selling price. But, at Pluperfect Presents, there is no shop, no paid staff and no overheads, except as mentioned here! We believe we are NEVER undersold !!

2. Buying something big in Aberdeen is a challenge if you live in Devon. It is amazing how expensive delivery can be. And in many cases there is cleaning and framing. These can be expensive, but can make an enormous difference to the appearance of the object. And an ugly frame is unacceptable, sometimes before we put the picture up for sale. Luckily, we have QED Framing nearby.

3. You need the eye. A bit of training at Christies helps. And access to real experts to help with identification is also invaluable. Like many professions, most experts are happy to help and give you a view, particularly if they know you and know you are not going to waste their time. There are no experts who think Pluperfect Presents represents competition!

4. You need to LOVE research. Who is it by? What do the other examples of their work look like? Can you link it more definitely. Who can you ask?

5. You need a story. This is so important, and fundamental to Pluperfect Presents. That is, in our view, what makes the object so interesting. You have provenance, where possible, and some idea of who, what, why or when. Again, research. Would you ever know about Antoni Sulek, or what a Bezoar stone actually is ( hint: Harry Potter found the latter invaluable) unless you had read the stories for each object on our website.

6. You need to spend a lot of time searching websites, and looking, looking, looking;

7. You need to accept that only about 30% of bids will be successful. There are others searching and knowing as much and more than you.

8. Try not to get carried away and overbid. A 50% success rate suggests overbidding from our experience. 100% might be OK if you are going to keep it and you love it!

9. Don’t overlook curiosities and gifts for children. Some of the old-fashioned joys, sailing ships, games and the like are wonderful amidst the battery powdered, all-dancing electronic gizmos that are now omnipresent.

10. We are not going to find the lost Renoir, I’m afraid. But we might. So might you. But, until then, we hope Pluperfect Present amuses you and, now and again, delivers what you want.

11. Under no circumstances permit the Dispatch Clerk to become involved in the sourcing process. It will not go well. Ever.

12. And, as far as the Pluperfect Present website goes, if you don’t see what you want, ask us to find it. You will not stand as good a chance of finding it as we will. Unless you are planning to spend a lot of hours on the internet.