Antique maps and prints freelance product cataloguer - part time/flexible hours/work from home

Job description

We are an e-commerce business, selling antique maps and prints online through our own website, and through ebay and Amazon.

We are looking for someone to assist with product cataloguing on a part-time, freelance basis. The work is home-based. Hours are flexible; the work can be undertaken at times to suit you and according to your availability and preferences. Project completion is not normally time sensitive.

This role would suit someone looking to supplement their existing income. The work will be paid hourly at £9 per hour. The volume of work provided can be adapted to your circumstances and can develop/increase over time according to your aptitude.

Our stock can be viewed at www.antiquemapsandprints.com

Responsibilities will include categorising, describing and pricing antique maps and prints. Specifically:

* Determining the relevant geographic category (country, county, state etc) and the relevant subject / topical category for every item
* Writing product titles for each item limited to no more than 80 characters. This will require you to prioritise, determine and include the most relevant keywords for each item, and to ignore irrelevant or less relevant words, in order to make best use of the character limit. This may also require you to determine the modern name for place names which have changed since date of publication (eg Madras / Chennai) and/or the name used in English for foreign place names, where these differ (eg Florence / Firenze)
* Writing further descriptions for some items - for example listing the names of the most significant towns and cities shown on a given map, and finding English and/or modern equivalents if different.
* Setting retail asking prices based on auction records and records of prices for similar items asked by other dealers, and based on a subjective assessment of the relative level of attractiveness and/or likely customer interest in any given map or print

The role is research-based. While the location depicted in any given map or print is often obvious, in some cases, especially for older maps with archaic or foreign language text, it may not be at all obvious and may require intelligent use of all available information to determine accurate categorisation. Research skills - the ability to use available information to investigate and draw accurate conclusions about locations depicted - are essential. Complete accuracy is required when categorising items.

Desired profile

We are looking for a candidate who can demonstrate strong research skills, accuracy and attention to detail. A knowledge and awareness of world (and especially UK) geography, history and other European languages (especially French) is helpful. Common sense is required. The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate an educational or professional background in (or affinity with) art and/or antiques. We are seeking a candidate with a degree level qualification, or an undergraduate in process of acquiring such a degree.