Use Google Lens to Determine the Value of a Vintage Item

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While immoderate radical are drawn to vintage oregon secondhand items similar furniture, household goods, and covering due to the fact that of their benignant oregon their sustainability, others acquisition pre-owned merchandise due to the fact that it’s what they tin afford. But if you’ve ever deed up thrift stores, gait sales, oregon flea markets hoping to find a peculiar piece, you astir apt noticed that prices of akin oregon adjacent identical items tin alteration importantly depending connected wherever they’re sold. 

That has to bash with everything from proviso and request to the seller’s crushed for getting escaped of it, but it tin besides marque it hard to find whether that lamp you had your oculus connected is being offered astatine a decent price, oregon if you should proceed your hunt elsewhere. 

Or, possibly alternatively of shopping, you’re cleaning retired your parents’ basement, and wondering whether the crystal candlesticks they received arsenic a wedding contiguous 40+ years agone are worthy anything. Whatever the reason, if you privation to get a wide thought of the scope of prices a vintage point is presently being sold for online, Google Lens tin help. Here’s what to cognize astir utilizing the tool, including wherever to look if it’s not helping.

How to usage Google Lens to terms vintage items

Available successful the Google app connected Android and iOS phones and different devices, arsenic good arsenic on desktop via Google Chrome, Google Lens tin assistance you place everything from plants to tegument rashes, and yes, vintage and secondhand goods. 

In summation to helping you find an item’s age, manufacturer, oregon model, the ocular hunt instrumentality besides provides a speedy mode to get a basal thought of however overmuch online retailers are presently trying to get for it. Of course, that’s not needfully what radical are consenting to wage for the item, oregon its precise retail value, but astatine slightest you’ll get immoderate benignant of representation of what it mightiness beryllium worth.

The process is the aforesaid arsenic immoderate different Google Lens search: Pulling up the Google app connected your phone—or opening Chrome connected a computer—and either snapping a photograph of the item, oregon selecting 1 you had taken previously, positioning it truthful it’s wrong the small viewfinder box, past tapping the magnifying solid icon to commencement the search.

Here are the archetypal results for a Google Lens hunt we did connected a vintage reddish rotary telephone:

The hunt results volition see what Google deemed to beryllium akin items, arsenic good arsenic the prices they’re presently listed for. Be definite to scroll done aggregate pages of the results successful bid to spot the scope of asking prices. For example, the archetypal leafage of hunt results for our reddish rotary telephone shows prices ranging from $75 to $130:

If your archetypal hunt isn't yielding galore results—or, conversely, has fixed you truthful galore results that you request to constrictive it down—try entering immoderate keywords successful the hunt barroom astatine the top. This could beryllium the marque oregon manufacturer, a serial number, oregon a statement of the item: Any further accusation that mightiness assistance way (or narrow) it down. For example, our telephone has a Western Electric marking, truthful we added it arsenic a hunt term:

Where to look if Google Lens isn’t helping

There are besides plentifulness of times erstwhile Google Lens isn't coming up with immoderate utile information. When that happens, you whitethorn beryllium amended disconnected searching without an image. Instead, spell to the hunt motor of your choice, and participate immoderate perchance identifying information—like a manufacturer, year, oregon exemplary number—along with a carnal statement of the item. You whitethorn request to play astir for a portion and effort antithetic combinations of hunt terms.

Chances are, immoderate of the hunt results volition beryllium eBay listings. Click connected 1 to spot the related listings, past erstwhile you've scrolled done the ones that travel up, bash a caller hunt for the point connected eBay, alternatively than going done the hunt engine. Here, you person the added bonus of being capable to filter the hunt results truthful you lone spot items that person really sold. This mode you'll person immoderate thought of what radical are consenting to wage for the point (at slightest online).

Don't hunt successful beforehand of sellers

Let's accidental you're buying astatine a flea marketplace oregon antiques store and an point catches your eye. You're not definite what to marque of the price, and wonderment whether it's the going complaint astatine the moment, oregon if you mightiness beryllium capable to find it cheaper determination else. By each means, hunt away, but beryllium discreet astir it—especially if the seller is around. Chances are they've enactment clip and effort into finding, cleaning, repairing, and staging their merchandise, and whitethorn beryllium little consenting to marque you a woody if they spot you trying to find it astatine a little price.