So you are looking more towards selling rather than just getting rid of it?

If so, try your local auction house(s). I think your would get more money there than through the internet sites.

Cannot commiserate though... we use our china regularly and enjoy it all!

I would check sales on e-bay to see if your items are selling - if hot enough might be your best bet. I doubt local auctions would provide much return. I regret not getting rid of much of my extra stuff some years back when it was more desirable. "I see how little value such things have added to my life." Wow, Cup! That statement is profound.

I'd check both eBay & replacements.com. Demand and prices can vary so greatly on eBay. Replacements.com might be an easier, faster way to sell the whole collection at one time. If you have something that's selling well on eBay you'll probably get more money that way.

I'm considering selling my wedding china. It's lovely & we still like the pattern. But we've never used it in 18 yrs.

I have learned my lesson for the most part. Years ago, I accepted a lot of dishes & other items from my sister when she was cleaning out her house. It wasn't really my style but I didn't want to say no. It ened up in my attic & we had to clean it out when we moved.

My dad had to be put into assisted living in Jan. We're slowly starting to deal with the items in his house. Yesterday my sister asked if I wanted any of the china or stoneware. I told her no. I was proud of myself. At one point in my life, I would have taken them even if unsure.

Mom owned lots and lots of a certain China pattern. Her mother had bought the stuff (Noritake-Azalea) Over the years, I added a few pieces as gifts. At one point, Mom became elderly and was strapped for cash. I suggested she sell her china but she never got around to it. After she died in 2011, Brother did some research on Ebay and Replacements and thought it was worth a bundle. He inquired about selling to Replacements. They offered ten percent of their own selling price. He ended up selling serving pieces, coffee and tea pots etc. privately. Later he held an estate sale but got stuck with about 80 common items like plates, cups, saucers. would you believe he actually threw the remaining stuff away?

I would have taken them to Goodwill or Salvation Army.

I would check eBay for completed sales of dishes like you want to sell. You may have to register to do that. You may find out it's not worth the trouble. Shipping is expensive and dishes are breakable. I haven't sold anything there since the bottom dropped out of collectables. The prices on everything is down except for the things that were collectable before the craze that went on a few years ago. My friend has a house full of glass ware that she can't sell it.

This post was edited by EmmaR on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 11:42

I had replacements give me a quote for selling my china........ they were willing to give me pennies for it. It was seriously a joke.

What they offered you is a guide line, check ebay completed sales like I suggested. Having two guide lines will be a pretty accurate price. Before I sells for pennies I donate them to the Bethesda Gently Used Stores. They have customers coming in every day so it is easier for them to find buyers. I have a few dolls left over from my collections and will eventually donate them even though they are valued high in the books, they are not worth anything if I cannot sell them. It is my way of helping the Lutheran Charities without giving them money. The value on collectables are way down. It will also help my heirs who would probably sell them for pennies which will not help anyone.

Yes I'm in the same boat! I have a huge collection of swarovski crystal with original boxes and certificates. What was I thinking when I bought this crystal. I must have thousands of dollars in this stuff. I'm thinking on going on EBAY and selling. The thing is. Is how much? I'll look at other prices and compare. Plus, I'm getting on in age so I have to let this stuff go. I'll be the conqueror of my little business. I have 3 pieces I'll keep. The thing is all I have is a tablet android. I guess I can sell on THAT tablet. Also, selling some pieces of gold but I got that. Covered. Wish me luck you guys.

Mr. Gil

I eventually emailed Replacements.com an inventory of my Wedgwood. Here's the thing: they were not intersted in the entire set and service pieces, or even whole placesettings. Instead, Replacements.com wanted to buy a certain number of bread plates or a different number of tea cups or they didn't need dinner plates but would buy as many soup bowls as one could sell. The result would have been that I would have had a swiss cheese set of china: 18 incomplete place settings or 9 incomplete placesettings or whatever.... they didn't care what I was left with... Then how could I sell the remaining dishes at a reasonable price? Also, I would have to pack everything and ship it to Ohio so they could inspect it before offering to purchase my dishes.

So at this point, I still have them and I am hoping that one of my daughters would cherish them. They are very beautiful bone china dishes, classic English country.

I would like to thank everyone for their comments on this topic because it is helping me make the decision as to whether or not to take a leap into this market space. For the past 35 years I have bought, sold and traded sports memorabilia at all levels of the market, private collector, brick and mortar retail, private investment advisor, and now online, and while the industry and buyers have evolved and changed, one thing has remained, demand! The older vintage cards and memorabilia is always in demand regardless of the economy so it holds it value. We see the same trend with comic books, toys, dolls, and Disney memorabilia. Can anyone see what all these things have in common? Children! Today's collectibles market is driven by the demand for the things we had as children, and I say we because it is my generation (born in 1966) that is now the buyers and my parents generation (1941) and my children's generation (1990) that is selling.

Over the past few years I have noticed that fine china that was once a staple in antique shops is now piled on bottom shelves and overflow boxes in place like the DAV thrift shop or the Habitat for Humanity resell store with $20 price tags. Not for each piece, for the whole set. As an example, the set of china my wife and I have was purchased at the DAV for $20. It is a service for 12 and included all of the service pieces, including a teapot, sugar bowl, and creamer dish. It has a oriental bamboo design from 1952. When we got it home we were amazed to find every piece in pristine condition and only the sugar bowl lid, soup ladle, and oversized serving platter were missing. It was when I went on line to find the pieces that I realize that I had just purchased a $5,000 set of china for twenty bucks. This was my wife's favorite story to tell friends and family while eating off the dishes. She has since passed on but I still have the china which will like be sold rather than passed down since we bought all of our children large beautiful china sets for christmas a few years ago. Only one still has her's. The other three children either gave theirs away or abandoned it during a move.

My last sentence brings to question, is it the change in attitude of the upcoming generations that has resulted in the casting aside of once cherished and loved heirlooms? Or, could it be, with the generation of the Depression Era gone and the generation of 20-somethings coming of age, with no interest in history or the past struggles of their great grandparents, has the importance of respecting the things we take for granted been lost. Yes we are talking about dishes, but at some point, very likely in the near future, having a plate for your food may be a gift rather than a convenience.

I am not sure what has happened to the interest in fine china and crystal. Who knows why the things we desire and place importance upon change from generation to generation. Whatever the reason, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to preserve and pass on pieces for the past, pieces of history that have a story to tell. Just like us. Pieces of the past with a story to tell!

In closing, today i stopped at one of our local thrift stores and as I always do, I found a few things that I could have lived without, a pink glass Jesters Cup, a commemorative frosted crystal Rocks Glass, a cut crystal shot glass from the Sochi Olympics (BobSled), and two miniature porcelain bells. I paid $2.50 total, for all five items. And, tonight while I was writing this, I sold the Sochi shot glass and the pink glass Jesters Cup for a total of $95.00. To answer the question posed, yes, I do believe there is still a market for these once treasured items, and like some have said, it is up to the individual as to how to pass them on. One way that was not mentioned , how about gifting the to a friend or family that has never had the opportunity to own fine china or crystal stemware? Someone who will love and cherish them just as you have. For me, to see someone I care about smile is worth far more than a dollar bill.