I Want to be an Arms Dealer

Associate
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I always enjoy looking on Matt Eastons website. His sword descriptions are great.
I keep toying with the idea of collecting antique swords.
Swords with provenance interest me the most, so I'll put it off for a few years until I can put more cash towards it.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Jul 2003
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9,595
Your pictures are pretty good, another option to get you started might be to sell prints (digital / framed) on places like Etsy. Digital is really easy to run as they just download the file but you will make more money on framed prints (you can get a third party to handle that if you like). Perhaps add a bit of history or a quote from the time period to put some story in to the pic, something to appeal to a wider market.

Just an idea anyway.
 
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Soldato
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Laurence Llewlyn-Bowen :p

My wife and kids bought me a potato masher for fathers day this year. The parcel is in the hall I'm not allowed to touch it yet :mad:

Aha!

You'd need to prove the buyer is over 18 for a start, how would you go about that? Ask for ID prior to purchase?

I already do that with people I don't know: I ask for a photo of a driver's licence or similar.

I always enjoy looking on Matt Eastons website. His sword descriptions are great.
I keep toying with the idea of collecting antique swords.
Swords with provenance interest me the most, so I'll put it off for a few years until I can put more cash towards it.

I'm not just saying this, but aside from their amazing history they are excellent investments. I've made FAR more by putting my money into them than any bank account.

Ever been to the Royal Armouries in Leeds or read a book called Classical Weaponry of Japan?
I'm talking about serious hardcore gear

Nope, but I've read many others. I don't know much about Japanese swords...yet. :)

You're making them into furniture? :p
Depending on how that's done, you might instead alienate a lot of the enthusiast/collector market and instead attract clueless new-money modernist types who don't give a **** about the write-ups, because to them it's just a sword...


Alas, that market is already well covered...

Essentially, yes, but I bringing them into the everyday home will only increase the appreciation of them, in my opinion.

Your pictures are pretty good, another option to get you started might be to sell prints (digital / framed) on places like Etsy. Digital is really easy to run as they just download the file but you will make more money on framed prints (you can get a third party to handle that if you like). Perhaps add a bit of history or a quote from the time period to put some story in to the pic, something to appeal to a wider market.

Just an idea anyway.

Thank you! Someone else has mentioned doing prints but I don't know who would buy them, to be honest.
 
Associate
Joined
23 Feb 2019
Posts
461
This is actually pretty awesome niche you've got here.

But I feel as though you might do better targeting professional/business audience and keeping your website as more of a blog/promotional tool?

Building up a customer list and seeking out shows (if there are any?) would be a good start, other established collectors, museums, media production groups etc.

But I defiantly do understand what you're attempting to do with them, especially with how people like to design their homes now lol

Btw I can tell your my fiancée certainly doesn't use those as sword knots... https://www.instagram.com/p/BieY-PaHgAE/?hl=en
 
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Soldato
Joined
21 Apr 2007
Posts
6,590
Hello all!

After a health scare I'm now following my passion for bringing historical weaponry to the masses (in an interior design context) and I'd like to set up as a dealer. I already have a website and a bit of a following on Instagram, I can source products quite easily and I have a clear set of goals but, like many people trying to follow their dreams, I have no idea about the nuts and bolts side of things so I'd love a bit of advice from anyone who has set up as a shop.

Do I need to get an accountant or is it easy to get your head around the books and taxes yourself?

Lastly, you chaps are probably slap-bang in the middle of my target audience (dear God) so I'll probably be doing some market research on you in the future.

Fantastic collection you got there lad.

I'm not exactly someone who has a passion for this kind of stuff but can appreaciate the importance.
 
Man of Honour
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LL-B?

I have a Barbour wax jacket already and a flat cap so I'm ahead of the game. I will be concentrating on antique European and Indo-Persian weaponry, no firearms as they just complicate things, and presenting them as investment-level interior design features [..]

An interior design feature made of weapons that aren't firearms...

It's the Iron Throne of Westeros, isn't it? :)
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
16 Nov 2009
Posts
16,030
Location
UK
Thanks again all!

This is actually pretty awesome niche you've got here.

But I feel as though you might do better targeting professional/business audience and keeping your website as more of a blog/promotional tool?

Building up a customer list and seeking out shows (if there are any?) would be a good start, other established collectors, museums, media production groups etc.

But I defiantly do understand what you're attempting to do with them, especially with how people like to design their homes now lol

Btw I can tell your my fiancée certainly doesn't use those as sword knots... https://www.instagram.com/p/BieY-PaHgAE/?hl=en

What does she use them as... *gasp*?

And thanks. I have excellent links with the militaria collectors but it's getting into the mainstream market that will be the tricky part. I'll need to do some more interior design and lifestyle research.

Fantastic collection you got there lad.

I'm not exactly someone who has a passion for this kind of stuff but can appreaciate the importance.

Thank you, sir!

Will you be dealing with weapons in the form of words?

The pen is mightier, after all!

An interior design feature made of weapons that aren't firearms...

It's the Iron Throne of Westeros, isn't it? :)

Okay, that honestly sounds like a great idea...
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Jun 2005
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Location
In the middle
Well you can still buy inert/deacs easily enough, just tick a box to confirm you are over 18 and away you go.Check out Henry Kranks in Leeds to see how it's done.
I just bought a rather nice inert Scottish steel pistol. Mechanism all works but no touch hole and the barrel is blocked and slotted underneath (new post 1017 rules, before then just having no touch hole drilled was enough)
Of course, for real antiques you don't even need a license.
 
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