The piece you want most is often the one you cannot find in any public catalogue: a specific discontinued watch reference, a work from a particular period of an artist's career, a handbag in one exact colour and size. Requests like these are exactly what collection sourcing is for. But there is a real difference between “keep an eye out for me” and a request that someone can act on — and that difference is how clearly the information is prepared. This guide walks through the five things worth thinking through before you submit one.
1. The target: the more specific, the easier to assess
The most useful information is a concrete identity: the brand or artist, the model or title, the year or period, the materials, the dimensions, and any version differences that matter to you. Reference images, past auction records or any provenance clues you already hold are worth including. A request can also start from a direction — “an antique diamond ring suitable for everyday wear”, for example — as long as you are ready to narrow it down together, using budget and preferences.
2. A budget range: an honest bracket works better than “as low as possible”
A budget range determines the direction and channels of the search: it lets us quickly assess whether the request is realistic in the current market, and at which level to look. It also helps to state whether the bracket should include commission, shipping and insurance. A sourcing request with no budget at all is difficult to advance — not because we are unwilling to search, but because there is no way to judge what “a suitable find” would look like.
3. Your bottom line on condition and accompanying items
Think through in advance: whether normal signs of wear or a service history are acceptable; and which accompanying items — certificates, original boxes, warranty cards, purchase receipts — are essential and which are negotiable. The clearer your bottom line, the more accurate the screening, and the less likely a disagreement surfaces at the final step.
4. Timing and purpose
If there is a date that matters — an anniversary, a gift, an exhibition or an occasion — say so at the start. Whether the piece is for your own use, a gift or a long-term collection also shapes the direction of the search. An honest statement of purpose does not weaken your position; it lets us spend the limited effort of a search on the candidates that actually fit.
5. How to submit — and what happens next
You can submit a sourcing request through the enquiry form on our contact page, or by email. Once received, we will usually confirm the details of the request with you before any search begins. When a candidate worth seeing appears, we will share the available information and detailed images where possible, then arrange a private viewing if you wish. Whether to proceed towards a private sale afterwards is entirely your decision.
A good sourcing request turns “what I want” into information someone can act on.
You can start now
Vera Buy provides collection sourcing across art, luxury and fine wine for collectors in Shanghai, Hong Kong and worldwide, in Chinese and in English. If you already have the piece in mind, write to celine@verabuy.cn, or tell us through the enquiry form on our contact page.