Buying Antique Furniture Online: A Condition-First Checklist

Buying antique furniture online can be rewarding, but photographs and polished descriptions rarely show the evidence that matters most. Use this condition-first checklist before you bid, pay a deposit, or arrange collection.

Start with the listing, not the story

Read the entire description and separate three things:

What the seller directly observed, such as a replaced handle, a split rail, or a missing key.
What the seller believes, such as a maker attribution, date, or country of origin.
What the seller does not say.

Words such as "in the style of", "attributed to", "period", "old", and "vintage" are not interchangeable. Treat a confident title as a claim to test, not as proof of age or authorship. Check whether the measurements include the cornice, feet, handles, or any removable parts.

Ask for the missing views

Before committing, request clear, unedited photographs of:

The front, back, both sides, top, underside, and interior.
Feet, stretchers, corners, drawer linings, door edges, and hinge leaves.
Locks, escutcheons, handles, labels, stamps, and old paper.
Any crack, blister, lifting veneer, worm damage, water mark, or fresh-looking colour.
A ruler or familiar object beside significant damage when scale is hard to judge.

A single attractive front photograph can hide a shortened leg, replaced backboards, a patched side, or a composite carcase. Ask for close views at right angles to glossy surfaces so reflections do not conceal ripples and repairs.

Judge structure before surface

Surface colour and patina are easy to overvalue online. First decide whether the piece is structurally usable.

Look for:

Open joints, movement at corners, loose feet, and repairs that have changed the original geometry.
Splits running through load-bearing rails, legs, hinges, or seat frames.
Warped doors and drawers, and whether the case itself is square.
Missing structural boards, cut-down sections, or modern brackets and screws.
Signs that an object has been assembled from mismatched parts.

Ask how the piece will be used. A cabinet that is acceptable as a decorative object may not be safe for daily loading; a chair that looks sound may need frame and upholstery work before anyone sits on it.

Read the repair history honestly

Repairs are not automatically a reason to walk away. A well-documented, sympathetic repair can be preferable to an untouched object with active structural failure. The key questions are what changed, why it changed, and whether the intervention can be maintained or reversed.

Ask the seller:

Which parts are original?
When were repairs carried out, and by whom?
Were components replaced, cut down, re-veneered, refinished, or repainted?
Is old damage stable, or does it continue to move?
Are there invoices, photographs, or conservation notes?

Look for consistency between the written description and the images. If the listing says "minor restoration" but the photographs show a new top, replaced feet, and extensive filling, price the object as a substantially restored piece.

Check authenticity without overclaiming

Online buying rarely permits a secure attribution from photographs alone. Use several clues together:

Does the form suit the claimed period?
Do construction methods, timber, hardware, and surface history agree?
Are wear patterns believable at handles, edges, feet, and contact points?
Do labels and stamps fit the furniture, or do they appear transferred?
Are replacement parts described clearly?

A good seller should be comfortable with uncertainty. A narrow date range or famous maker claim unsupported by construction evidence is a reason to pause, not a reason to pay a premium.

Calculate the real cost

The purchase price is only one line in the budget. Add:

Buyer's premium, taxes, payment fees, and seller's commission where applicable.
Delivery, stair carries, storage, packing, and insurance.
Conservation, reupholstery, hardware, or specialist treatment.
The cost of a second visit or return if the object is not as described.

Set a maximum price before bidding. Leave a reserve for unknown damage and do not let a low estimate turn a poor-condition object into a bargain by wishful arithmetic.

Confirm the sale terms

Read the conditions before you make an offer. Confirm:

Whether the item is sold as described, as seen, or with a return period.
The deadline for payment and collection.
Who carries risk during transport.
Whether the seller permits inspection before collection.
What happens if the measurements, condition, or attribution materially differ from the listing.

Keep the listing, photographs, messages, and invoice together. They form the practical record of what was represented at the time of sale.

A simple decision rule

Proceed when the object is structurally understandable, the repair history is candid, the photographs support the description, and the total cost still makes sense at your chosen use.

Pause when key views are missing, the seller avoids direct condition questions, the attribution carries most of the price, or the object needs work you cannot yet describe.

Walk away when there is active structural failure, unexplained substitution, unsafe construction, or a price that only works if every optimistic assumption proves true.

The best online purchase is not the piece with the most impressive story. It is the one whose materials, condition, history, transport needs, and final cost you can explain before you buy.