TIAS!
Proving that experience does pay off, TIAS.com was the winner in a tight race for Best Place to Buy Antiques/Collectibles online. I know it's usually the first place I check out when looking for something specific or even when I just need a little more information. Many of their merchants are quite knowledgeable and helpful with large inventories.
TIAS started in 1995(the same year as eBay) with 24 dealers and now has 400 merchants in their family of websites which include TIAS.com, Collectoronline.com and AntiqueArts.com.
From TIAS:
TIAS serves approximately 800,000 unique visitors each month. About 400 merchants sell through the TIAS system, listing well over 630,000 items for sale online. The company has been building e-commerce systems for merchants since 1995. One of the reasons we feel that we won this award is because of our "TIAS Trusted Merchant" program, which guarantees any purchase placed with a TIAS merchant for us to $500 of the purchase price. We are the only online antiques & collectibles mall that offers buyers this type of guarantee.
Congratulations to TIAS and the other four finalists!
The other finalists in order of finish, from second to fifth:
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Bonanza
Although the company started out as Bonanzle, the name was change to Bonanza, probably what people kept calling it anyway. It's been around for a few years now and has loads dealers specializing in antiques and collectibles on the website. -
eBay
Everyone know eBay originally started with the collecting market, today just about anything can be purchased there. Do people still buy lots of Collectibles there? They must, it made the top Five. -
Etsy
Etsy.com is well-known for their handcrafted items and supplies for sale, but for many buyers they are the secret spot for finding vintage items and collectibles at fair prices. I guess it's not much of a secret since it easily made the top five spot for buying collectibles and antiques. -
Ruby Lane
RubyLane has been around since the 1998 and includes categories such as Antiques, Fine Arts, Jewelry and Collectibles. Of the top five nominations, RubyLane has some of tightest restrictions on what may and may not be sold on their website, along with strict requirements for their sellers.
