TIAS.com, an online antiques mall with over 700 merchants, recently released monthly sales data for the past 6 years. Phillip Davies, President of TIAS.com, said that there is typically a slowdown in late April and early May. He attributes this to the Spring antique shows when people go outdoors and away from their computers.

Data for 2002 show consistently strong sales. "It's interesting to note that, even though we are in the midst of an economic downturn, the antique and collectible market is still seeing consistent growth in online sales," said Davies.

While the September 11, 2001, incident had a dramatic negative affect on online sales, sales began to get back on track as early as October. Many media outlets are reporting expectations that September 11, 2002, will be marked by little advertising (even on television) and no telemarketing calls. But no one is predicting that the day of remembrance will have a significant effect on holiday sales. In fact, Davies said that if the trend he sees continues, he expects a very strong holiday shopping season this year for online antiques and collectibles.

A graph showing the sales trend data can be seen at: http://www.tias.com/images/performance/annualDailySalesTrends.jpg .