Do you (or your parents) have a collection of something that is intended to be a nest egg because it’s worth a lot of money? Do you know for certain that it’s worth a lot, by having it appraised? Just because it cost a lot when it was purchased, does not mean that it has gained value over the years.
Royal Doulton figurines for example, are not as valuable as people think. Value on vintage and antique items is based on demand, and figurines such as these are not of interest to younger people so the value goes down. From what I’ve seen, there are a few specific ones that are valuable, but they are more rare so are likely not to be the ones in your china cabinet. Just because your grandmother purchased her figurine for a lot of money back in the 1920s does not mean that she’ll sell it for more than $5 online.
Another thing to consider is old coins and bills. In Canada, old $2 and $1 bills, as rare as they are, won’t get you much more than the actual currency amount if you sell it to a coin dealer. When it comes to coins and bills, collectors are usually looking for imperfections and misprints that make them unique pieces. So unless your bill has a rare serial number on it and/or is in pristine condition, you likely won’t get much more than the dollar amount printed on the bill. Even silver dollars you will typically only get the value in silver, which is about $10 per coin (dependant on the value of silver of course!).
I’ve helped with several auctions that had vintage and antique items for sale, and it was really interesting to see what people actually wanted to buy, and that they would pay a good amount of money for! Keep in mind that I am not an expert on the value of anything, but rather this is just things that I noticed when doing auctions. Please get your items properly appraised if you are wanting to get the best value! Here are some items I noticed did well in auctions:
Fire King Milk Glass – Anchor Hocking made a line called Fire King where everything was made out of white glass called milk glass. The mugs were especially popular! I think people remember these mugs from their homes and cottages in the 60s-90s, so they are scooped up for nostalgia. Plus some of the designs are really unique and cute.
Strawberry Shortcake – There are a few different types of dolls that seem to be in high demand, but I noticed that Strawberry Shortcake was one that was consistently bid on. The dolls, clothing, accessories, games, plastic toys, sheet sets etc. Once again, I think it’s the nostalgia piece that gets people bidding on these!
Certain China Teacups – It seems that there are certain brands and lines that are in demand, and one that I noticed consistently was Royal Albert. If we had an auction lot with 6 teacups, it would go for around $50 or more if there was a Royal Albert teacup and saucer in it – and I think it was just for that one teacup!
Lego – This is one of those toys that never seems to go out of style, and is loved by people of all ages! Whether you are selling loose pieces or complete sets, they usually sell for a good amount of money (though, keep in mind that the original price of some sets is pretty high, so you may not be able to get it for higher than that unless it is discontinued or rare).
There were some other unique reasons that things sold. Old Monopoly boards usually sold pretty well, as jewellery makers would make the metal pieces into jewellery or charms. Chatty Cathy dolls that were in rough condition could be sold for parts (especially if the voice box still operated). Large collections of fabric could be sold to sewers and quilt makers, as purchasing fabric new is quite expensive.
Do your research before trying to sell stuff online! See what similar items are being sold for, and how the condition of that item compares to the condition of yours – is your paint chipping or logo worn off? Your price will have to be lower than the ones in pristine condition. Also look at how long that listing has been up. If they’ve listed something at $200 but it’s been up for over a year, no one wants to buy it at that price!
An important thing to consider when selling your stuff is how long you have. If you are downsizing and moving within a month or two, then you need to sell stuff as quickly as possible. If this is your situation then I would suggest taking your items to a vintage seller like Things From Mom’s Basement in Peterborough or doing an online auction through MaxSold, but both of those avenues will cost you a percentage or a price-markup. With auctions, you may not get as much as you expect, as it depends on demand and whether you have multiple people bidding, but it will ensure that you downsize and make a bit of money from your stuff before you move! What I’ve noticed is that the average size MaxSold auction will usually make a couple thousand dollars, but it all depends on the quality and quantity of your items.
If you do have the time, you can use online platforms like Facebook Marketplace to sell by yourself. However, you will have to deal with people messaging you and then not replying or showing up, as well as haggling either online or in person. If you look at your time as money, it may not be worth it to sell yourself. But I know of some people who have made a good profit by selling stuff online! You need to do your research, take good photos (and plenty, so people can see every angle), write good descriptions, and be consistently on the app so you can respond in a timely manner.
Are you exhausted by the prospect of all this? Get in touch with me! I can help you downsize and declutter your home, and we can discuss selling options to see what is of the best value for you.
