Do you want to open a shop (or booth) or sell on eBay-type places? Somehow I think it makes a difference. :)

Start out at the high end shops and look, ask, listen and learn....read all you can and ask questions and touch and learn>
Fidn out what is prevalent in your area and learn all you can about those items.
Good luck....I know more than a few people like you who started out buying junk and over pricing it....but eventually learned.
Auctions are the best way to learn fast....you see what is in demand and how much it sells for....and you can touch and feel things....and ask questions of other people!

Not a shop, because it will take me away from home, but some time of online store or eBay type store, maybe.

You need to attend auctions to buy....which will take you away from home....
I remember my back killing me because I was carrying a 2 year old and trying to bid. I would try my hardest to make it to the table full of stuff and sit his butt on the table with his arms around my neck....later I would buy them something to keep them busy while I attended to the good stuff.
You had best make up your mind that in these first years you won't make beans....and you won't be able to do it without spending time away from home.

Learn to be able to tell period from style big difference in price

Thank you guys! Linda, yes true, but I am hoping either to take the little one or do it part time.

That story is too cute! I go to the grocery store with them, and just to get groceries, I have to buy something to keep her busy, and it is always a good trip if that little something is a nicknack, not a box of crackers :)

I figured one of the ways for me to dedicate enough time to my kids is
do a part time business at home. Buying and selling antiques is an
option I like.

Seriously ... learning about antiques to the required depth and starting a business buying and reselling antiques will suck up a LOT of time and money before you learn what you are doing well enough to make enough money to call it a "business". Most of us have been hobby collectors for decades, and had/have full time jobs with regular paychecks supporting the hobby.

How much cash do you have every month to spend on this learning experience? (buying, gas, storage, cleaning, refinishing ... it adds up real fast)

How much income do you want/need to make every month?

How many hours a week can/will you spend (away from your children, or dragging them along) dredging the yard sales, church sales, and junk stores looking for something that is undervalued enough to make it worth buying?

Do you have the skills to do the minor repairs and cleaning needed to get top dollar for your items?

*********

As a SAHM, you ARE already running a home-based business: you are the CFO, supply sergeant, maintenance man and receptionist for this business.

Before concluding you need to start another business, make sure you are running your existing business as frugally as possible.

This doesn't directly answer your question, but I think there is quite a market for chalk painted sturdy, vintage furniture (that you can usually find dirt cheap on craigslist and estate sales). This is not really my style/preference but I've noticed these items sell very well on our neighbourhood sales sites (varagesale, facebook etc) and a lot of the sellers are stay at home moms looking to make some money from a creative pastime.

Maybe you can try something like that? Just please don't ruin any antiques! ;)

Are you a fan of Antiques Roadshow? I've learned more from those programs than anything else. Their website has so much info & many videos - all free:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/

Watch out for inventory creep. It's just like remodel creep. I've never heard of any person or any business that didn't end up with a bunch of "stuff" that had to be sold on a fire sale.

I have been antique dealer for over 20 years, have a made a bunch of mistakes, Sometime you make money, sometime you break even and some time you lose money. I think I would start specializing in something, maybe something that is interesting to you. Learn all you can about that one thing. Make it small enough to box and mail at a reasonable price if you want to have an online store. It could be salt and peppers, fishing lures, kitchen gadgets. I am meaning vintage or antique. I look up prices on eBay and Etsy sometime if I don't know what the item should go for. Neither of those is fool proof, though. If you look on eBay, look for completed auctions that had a winning bid. You will find folks asking outrageous prices but they don't usually get it. Just because someone is asking a price doesn't mean it is reasonable.

Lazy_gardens, thank you for the input. I do not have much cash, but I am not planing on collecting for now (very tempting though). I have about 8-10 hours a week to dedicate to this hobby business. I want to earn for savings and to help pay for my older daughter's college, not a full time income.

Haha, mothers do run a full time home business. It is pretty cool the way you say it. And frugality is not my main strength, but I am willing to tryI do understand it will take a lot of time to learn and buy.

Thank you Dixie Gardner, I appreciate the advice!

Anna - Always remember that the ASKING price on eBay means nothing. The only thing that counts is the sold price. And Chinese porcelain is one item to NOT try to dabble in.

One steady online seller is not antiques, it's upscale young children's clothing brands. If you can find them cheaply: wash, iron and bundle them into mix and match outfits, perhaps three overalls and 6 shirts that blend, or 2 jumpers and 4 blouses.

Upcycling kids clothes, adding individualized frou-frou to sturdy things, also sells fairly well.

*****************

If all you have is 8-10 hours a week, spend the time it takes to be frugal, and put the savings in the college fund. It risks nothing, and sets a good example for the children.

Comparison shopping, planning bulk buys, proper food storage to minimize waste, using leftovers, using store brands where they work ... it adds up quickly and requires no special expertise.

Mending clothing, fixing leaky faucets, weather-stripping the windows: all low cost and easy with big paybacks.

You mention that every other store is an antique store. Is there room for one more business? Especially if all the nearby stores are doing basically the same thing...buying (hopefully) cheaply from one source and selling (equally hopefully) at a higher price to locals. You may have a very tough time breaking into the market and getting loyal customers.

Maybe you should look for a niche that is underserved in your area. It might even turn out to be something that won't require as much time and money to gain the knowledge and experience that antiques require.

Donna