David,

I've built a bit of a pottery collection in the UK and New Zealand, buying from live auctions in the US and the UK and from Ebay.

There are indeed people who make a satisfying living buying low and selling on Ebay or on the East Coast for many times purchase price. For example, a minton vase I turned down at an auction in Dallas that sold for $250 then sold at Bonham's for $1800 plus buyer's commission. A broken Schiller piece sold at Sotheby's for $8000. A week later a similar piece sold at an auction in the UK for 575 pounds, bought by a US-based absentee bidder ;-) And people often pay peanuts for filthy old trash out of barns and make an easy $500 profit or even more by cleaning it up (I saw one console listed at $3000; he bought it as part of a load of junk for $150).

For about $200 you can buy the encyclopedias and quickly get good at recognising pottery. My advice would be to go for English or European, because there are heaps of experts on US pottery and you will have to compete hard. There is good $ to be made as long as you pursue niche expertise and stay away from the herd.

If the worst came to the worst, I'm absolutely certain I could easily make $100K a year spending a few hours per day at my desk buying and selling antique pottery between Europe and the US. It should last for another few years before the markets internationalise.

If you are interested, I can point you to items currently on ebay that are going to make at least 100% profit for a buyer who recognises what it actually is and knows where to onsell it.

Regards

j.R