@Mary Bailey- I actually have quite a bit of experience with selling china, crystal and sterling flatware.
When I sold my Waterford crystal and also my mom's and my sister's for her, I sold quite a bit of it through a Facebook yard sale page. We'd meet locally (usually in the Target parking lot). It actually sold pretty quickly and since it was in new or next to new condition, I was able to get about 50% or a little more of current retail cost.
The rest of the crystal I put in a local consignment shop and it sold very quickly. They take 50%.
I sold my mother's sterling flatware as well as a small set of mine, to a local jeweler for just the sterling price. I was not able to sell the sterling at all. My mom's flatware had the initial engraved on it. So we sold it for scrap. You don't get a ton, but we had no one that wanted it.
On silver plated flatware, I sold one complete set for a friend at the consignment shop. They sold the entire set for $99 which I thought was really low. My friend got 1/2 of that.
On the china- I had 3 sets to sell. My sister and I had both inherited sets from our grandmother. We kept them for years, since 1983 and we just didn't use them. Then we also had our mom's.
Local consignment shops (2) didn't want them. They said the ONLY time to "try" and sell china is in the fall, before the holidays. But one large shop told me they had an entire room full of unsold sets that didn't sell that owners never came back and got. On my mom's china, the other shop told me that they wouldn't take it because it wouldn't sell because it was pink! It was actually a deep pink, very ornate pattern.
So, we sold at Replacements in NC. Here's a few things about Replacements. First, they sell for high but when buying don't pay too much.
However, they bought all 3 of our sets which is obviously a ton better than getting nothing.
I've sold to them twice and both times my husband and I drove to NC to sell to them (6 1/2 hours one way).
The first time, we sold the 2 sets from my grandmother.
Then, in 2016, on the way out of state to bury my parents, we diverted and stopped at Replacements and sold my mom's set.
Overall, my sister and I were thrilled with what we got from Replacements. Would I have preferred to sell locally? Of course, but I tried selling all 3 sets on the Facebook yard sale page and there were no takers.
On Replacements, you can go on their page under "contact us" I think and there you'll be able to click on sell to us or something like that. They'll ask for some details on the china and they'll send you a price sheet by email.
After that I made an appointment and we went and it was a really easy transaction and they give you a check right then. They inspect every piece and if there are scratches or anything, they won't take it.
On shipping to them, both in 2015 and again in 2016, they told us that they do NOT accept UPS shipments so everything has to be sent by mail. To be really honest, I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine packing entire sets of china so that they wouldn't break and the postage would be really high.
We were thrilled that Replacements was there and my sister and I were greatly relieved to get all the china sold (as well as the crystal locally). I did the best I could liquidating all that china, crystal and silver. We just wanted to sell it all and move on.
All I have left to sell is a set of silver plated flatware that was a wedding gift to my husband and me. I'd love to sell it as we've only used it once in 27 years, but my husband is balking. And so it sits.
Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?
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