Buying brocante online: how to choose well

Buying brocante online has changed the way we hunt. We no longer walk a field at dawn; we compare listings. The eye is the same, but it now works from photographs.

First reflex: count the images. A properly presented piece is photographed from the front, three-quarters, the back, underneath and in close-up. A missing back or underside is never an accident — that is where restorations, replaced rails and shortened feet are read.

Second: a good description says what it does not know. A serious listing separates the certain (timber, dimensions, condition) from the probable (date, region, workshop). A seller who asserts everything usually knows less than they suggest.

Third: dimensions, always marked out on the floor of the room with a tape measure. A 2.20 m armoire does not turn in a standard stairwell, and the regret is immediate.

Fourth: who you are buying from. Buying brocante online from a professional dealer means a name, an address and an invoice. At Maison Boitel every piece is offered by an identified independent dealer, and the transaction happens directly with them, with 0% commission.

Fifth: delivery. An antique travels dismantled when it can be, blocked and strapped, never lying on its front. Ask who packs, who delivers, and what happens if something breaks — before, not after.