Tony Sun, below, who has has been an antique collector, dealer and agent (specialist in Oriental art) for more than ten years and has just joined the Fernhurst, West Sussex auction house, said: "One of the stumbling blocks with dealing with Chinese is the cross-cultural exchanges and the fact that a lot of the Chinese don't understand the auction process."
His tips for dealing with Chinese buyers include:
• Respect them and try and remember their name
• Take extra care of VIPs
• Make regular contact and treat them as your good friend
• Don't ask too many questions
• Check they are financially viable for expensive pieces
• Make sure they know how to transfer money overseas
• Make sure you put everything in writing.
