Can I tag inventory pieces by period, maker, and provenance chain?
Yes. VeloCMS's inventory post type includes dedicated fields for period classification (Federalist, Victorian, Art Deco, Biedermeier, Arts and Crafts, Georgian, and any custom period taxonomy your specialty requires), maker's mark documentation with photograph upload, provenance chain as a dated narrative field, and a materials taxonomy covering primary and secondary wood species, hardware materials, and upholstery where applicable. Each post emits schema.org/Product markup including the period classification and provenance-chain summary, so LLM crawlers can surface specific pieces when a collector searches for 'Biedermeier secretaire with documented provenance' or 'Arts and Crafts oak with original hardware.'
How does the inventory shop work with reserve price and delivery zones?
The inventory shop connects to your own Stripe account via BYOK — you keep 100% minus Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee, with no additional platform percentage. Each piece can be configured for immediate-purchase at the listed price, inquiry-first for significant pieces where logistics discussion is standard, reserve-price where you set a minimum and accept offers above it, or member-only 24-hour first-look before public listing. Delivery-zone configuration sets geographic availability: local pickup, regional delivery, or nationwide shipping for smaller pieces. The condition-grade display uses trade-standard terminology (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, As Found) with links to the detailed condition notes in the provenance record.
Can I run appraisal services with a signed-PDF deliverable?
Yes. The appraisal intake form is a structured questionnaire with photograph upload fields, appraisal-purpose selection (insurance replacement value, estate fair market value, charitable donation Form 8283, sale-price guidance), and preferred format selection. The intake collects no financial data or sensitive client information — it's a description and photography request that scopes the engagement. Once the appraisal is complete, the signed-PDF uploads to the client's member-authenticated portal — accessible only to the commissioned client's account. The delivery notification goes to the client via email with a secure portal link. You can integrate your existing document-signing workflow (DocuSign, Adobe Sign) before uploading the final PDF.
How does the member-only first-look work for new estate-fresh finds?
When you list a new piece, you can set a 24-hour (or custom-duration) member-only window before the piece appears in the public inventory. Subscribers with paid member accounts receive an announcement email with the piece's description, provenance summary, and asking price or reserve-price. Only after the member-only window closes does the piece appear in your public inventory. This rewards your most engaged buyers, reduces time-on-market for premium pieces, and creates a compelling reason to maintain a paid subscription — the early-access advantage on new estate-fresh finds is a real commercial benefit to serious collectors.
Can I run an estate-sale event calendar with preview-day RSVP?
Yes. Estate-sale event posts include the sale address, dates and hours, preview-day schedule with RSVP capture (party size, collector category, interest areas for matching against specific pieces), a teaser gallery of highlighted pieces, and the estate-sale specialist's curation notes. The member-only announcement tier sends preview invitations to registered buyers 48 hours before the public calendar update. After the sale, the post-sale archive documents what sold: provenance notes for significant pieces, realized prices for market reference, and photography of the estate context. These post-sale archive entries remain indexed and discoverable by collectors and estate attorneys researching market comparables.
Does VeloCMS support a restoration log per piece?
Yes. Each provenance record includes a restoration log field where you document any conservation or restoration work: what was done, by whom (professional conservator, dealer's workshop, previous owner's intervention), when it was done, and what evidence establishes the restoration history (photographs before and after, conservator's report, prior auction-catalogue condition notes). Transparency about restoration is standard in credible antique dealing — pieces with documented restoration histories from qualified conservators are often more valuable than apparently pristine pieces with no treatment records, because the documentation establishes the standard of care.
Can I generate a consignment sheet for auction-house submission?
Yes. The consignment sheet export function compiles the provenance record, condition grade, materials description, period classification, maker's mark documentation, restoration log, and reserve-price or estimated-value range into a formatted PDF appropriate for submission to auction houses, estate attorneys, or insurance companies. The consignment sheet format follows the standard information requirements for major auction house consignment submissions and can be customized to include your appraisal firm's letterhead, credential disclosures, and limiting-conditions language.
What themes work best for an antique dealer or appraisal service?
Atelier Modern — warm editorial typography, antique-shop aesthetic, clean gallery layouts for furniture and decorative arts photography — is the primary recommendation for independent dealers and estate-sale specialists. It renders provenance photography and period-piece detail shots in the visual register collectors expect from a credible trade source. For appraisal services where academic credentials and methodology rigor are the primary positioning signals, Memo Garamond (EB Garamond serif, citation-friendly reading column, academic credentialed-professional aesthetic) is a strong alternative. Both themes are free on all plans. See the full theme gallery at /themes.