Frequently asked questions

  • Q: Can I afford a tour? How much does it cost?    A: Tours run between 250 euro to 750 euro per day, depending on the country of your tour and the duration of the trip.  CLICK HERE to visit our pricing page for more information. 
  • Q: I need to purchase antiques for my store but cannot take a trip abroad.  Do you offer buying service?    A: Yes! A major part of what we do is offer customized Buying Services to private individuals, antique dealers, and interior designers. Minimum of partial container load applies. Please click here to visit our pricing page for more information. For more details on this time-saving service, please contact info@antiquesdiva.com.
  • Q: Does it matter how much I spend on tour?  What if I just want to window shop?    A: In French the expression for window shopping is lécherune fenêtre or “licking the windows” – they use this expression because you’re literally drooling over the divine design inspiration. Half the fun of shopping abroad is in seeking inspiration. You pay a fee for your guide’s time on tour. You pay that same fee for their time whether you spend 100 euro or 100,000 euro. If additional post tour follow-up is needed additional fees will apply.
  • Q: How much do clients typically spend on tour?    A: While there is no minimum purchase required, our average Trade Client will typically spend anywhere from 50,000-150,000 euros to fill a container. 
  • Q: Why should I book an Antiques Diva® Tour?    A: By custom planning a tour to your specific needs and desires, we are saving you time.  When you tell us the type of products you’re interested in, we can then take you to specific dealers who specialize in that product/style. We also will help negotiate the best trade price possible for your purchases.  When we walk in the door, we bring the buying power of not one client but rather all our clients. Vendors recognize our buying power and as such tend to give us best pricing.
  • Q: Do you ship my purchases home?    A: AD&CO is happy to liaise you with 3rd party shippers with whom we have longterm relationships.
  • Q: I am traveling alone.  Can I book a tour for just one person?    A: Absolutely! Our tours are priced a la carte! You book 1 person for 1 day or 10 people for 14 days!  The size of your tour party depends upon the number of people in your party. We do not pair groups of strangers together – however we will fulfill group tours if you have a group of friends with whom you’d like to travel. We’re also ideal for solo travelers – traveling with your diva guide is sort of like having a best friend in Europe who also just so happens to have the best little black book on the continent.
  • Q: Do you offer group tours?    A: No, all of our Antiques Diva buying tours are private, however, we do fulfill white labeled group tours – behind the scenes for many of our competitors’ group tours as their ground service provider.
  • Q: What does it cost to fill a container?    A: That’s a difficult question because it depends upon the price point you’re buying at and the size of the items you’re purchasing.  In general you can equate a 20-foot container to around 40 pieces of medium-sized furniture (i.e., chest of drawers size). We’ve had clients fill a container for 30,000 euro while others spend 150,000 euro.One key point to remember is that in order to ship overseas you do not necessarily need to fill a container – there are always options for shipping one-off pieces or consolidated containers.
  • Q: What if I only want to purchase a few items?    A: That is completely fine! Whether you purchase one item or a container full of items, the cost of your tour is based on the amount of time you book with your guide.  For purposes of shipping, we can organize individual items, partial consolidated containers or entire container loads.
  • Q: What’s the best time of year to shop abroad?    A: The best way to answer this question is to say when the worst time of year to shop abroad is – avoid mid-July through end August as vendors tend to be on holiday. With holidays in mind be aware that holidays often mean vendors take time off work to spend time with their family so if you travel on Easter or any of the May Catholic holidays in Europe you risk fewer vendors being open. We suggest clients travel off season when possible. February – June tend to be our high season, and then also September to November is another good time to shop.
  • Q: Do you offer antiques shopping tours for tourists?    A: Yes! For example, if you are already in Paris on holiday and want to book a 1-day tour of the Paris Flea Market, we can certainly accommodate you! In any of our tour countries you can book a private tour giving you access to shop as if you were a dealer for a day!
  • Q: Do you offer tours for the trade?    A: Absolutely! More than 75% of our business is trade driven – whether that’s antique dealers stocking their stores, new vendors seeking to gain a network of sources in Europe, or established dealers who recognize that we save them time and money. Designers tend to travel with us both privately as well as taking their clients on tour along with us. Design showrooms often book inspiration tours.
  • Q: What if I am an Antiques Dealer and want to keep my sources secret?    A: We never reveal our client’s names – unless the client has offered to go on the record for a testimonial or on our social media channels. With every client, we are happy to sign a confidentiality agreement that says we will not reveal our client names nor sources where our clients shop. Your secret is safe with us!
  • Q: Do you book our hotel and airfare?    A: While we’re happy to make suggestions on where to stay en route, you are responsible for booking your own hotel and airfare.
  • Q: What if I have to cancel my tour last minute?    A: The Antiques Diva® & Co Tours requires payment in full at time of booking. If a tour booking is canceled, 75% is refundable if cancellation is made up to 2 weeks in advance. However, this deposit may be reapplied if the tour is rescheduled. Additionally, if the client cancels at the last minute or does not show up for another reason, it is up to the discretion of The Antiques Diva® & Co Tours to give back part of the full payment. The Antiques Diva® & Co Tours appreciates the understanding of our clients regarding the above policies, due to the unique nature of the planning involved in these tours.

STILL HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?


EMAIL US AT INFO@ANTIQUESDIVA.COM

The Antiques Diva
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