Each of our staff has an opinion as to what the value of vintage china and dinnerware might be. This article is a generalization of our office discussion.
We are aware that there are many items that fall into the class of museum quality. These items are great to view on occasion when we have the opportunity to visit one of the lucky museums. These items are obviously way above the resources of most of us.
Most collectors started with grandmother's hand-me-downs. Grandmother's generation were great believers in using elegant dinnerware and glassware for all social events and special meals. This is the general class of collectibles that we talk about.
Unfortunately a lot of the younger generation have interests that do not include saving grandma's beautiful china. This means that the market for beautiful china is shrinking. Shrinking, but not disappearing completely.
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Carolina China Collectibles is a small shop which sells vintage and replacement dinnerware.
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The market today is not as good as it was a few years ago. Most of the vintage dinnerware traded today is sold as replacement pieces. This happens when a collector has broken a piece. As a dealer, our shop rarely sells a complete set of china. Our sells are usually one of a kind.There are a number of online dealers of vintage dinnerware. Their prices are generally in a close range. Etsy is also a favorite for some dealers to sell their pieces of vintage china. Here the prices are somewhat stable and consistent.
Another popular market for vintage dinnerware is Ebay. On Ebay, the selling prices are very volatile. It seems that, especially in this market area, the prices do not seem to follow any rules. There may be several pieces of the same item and prices will vary considerably. Some of this is because of quality of item and/or the desire of the seller to just unload the item. Bargains can be found, but please be careful.
This means that selling used china is not as profitable as it was in the past. Prices are generally lower. Along with this, supply is decreasing. Once a piece is lost or broken, it is gone forever and replacements become harder to find.
Carolina China Collectibles tries to place a fair marketing price on each piece in our shop.
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