Insider · Method
Questions the trade actually asks
Straight answers on recognition, buying, selling and the market — the method's output, free. The engine handles your exact object.
One question answered here saved you a mistake. The engine answers yours — the exact object, the exact number.
Ask the engine — 24h pass €100Recognition & risk
- How to tell if Murano glass is authentic
- How to spot fake mid-century furniture
- What is a "Frankenstein" piece in antiques?
- Why does fake patina look wrong?
- Are "attributed to" lots at auction safe to buy?
- What does "in the style of" really mean in auction catalogs?
- How do auction houses protect themselves from fakes?
- What questions should I ask a seller before buying?
- Why is a huge discount a red flag?
- How to check provenance without being fooled
Buying & auctions
- Should I bid by phone, online, or with an absentee bid?
- Why you should never leave a maximum absentee bid
- When is the best time to buy at a fair?
- How to negotiate an unsold lot after the auction
- What is a condition report and what must it include?
- Why ask for RAW photos before buying remotely
- How to buy a whole estate or house clearance
- What is buyer's premium and how does it change my maximum bid?
- How to set a maximum price before an auction (and respect it)
- Is it safe to buy art from Italy? Export rules explained
Selling & valorization
- Auction or private sale: how to choose
- How to photograph antiques to sell higher
- How to sell on 1stDibs successfully
- What makes an object worth 10x more?
- How to write a description that sells (without lying)
- What is an unsold lot worth after the auction?
- How to get an artwork attributed: the institutional path
- Who are the experts auction houses actually listen to?
- Negotiating seller's commission with an auction house
- How to sell to wealthy collectors
Market & strategy
- Why timing matters more than authenticity
- What a market flooded with similar pieces is telling you
- How do you know if a collecting market is good right now? The method's answer
- The real cost of one buying mistake
- How dealers cut shipping costs by 50%
- Why the same source keeps you mediocre
- How AI is changing the antiques trade
- Can AI value my object? No — and here's what it should do instead
- What is the Insider Method?
- How much does one hour of catalog reading cost you?