Has anyone had success selling your parents' stuff on Ebay or Etsy?

There is no general answer to that question. It depends on the pattern and condition. Some patterns sell well. Others you can't give away. You have to look to see if there is a market for the thing that you're selling. In general, ceramics (pottery, porcelain, china) do not sell well, but there are many exceptions. The thing that make heavy things harder to sell now online are the shipping costs, which can be staggering. These that don't sell well online may do better in a yard or estate sale.

Vintage collectibles often sell well. Check out sites such as Ruby Lane or Etsy to see what they are selling and what types of prices are being asked. Small collectibles that are popular and jewelry are so much easier to ship than porcelain or glass. Many things have a good market. But to tell the truth, most things people have is usually "junk." There is so much that was made that it doesn't have any real value.

If you do a lot of research, you may find you have some treasures. I wouldn't bother to put the junk online. People won't buy it. Like I mentioned, it goes much easier in a yard sale.

eBay is great for research, too. My motto for that site is "Give it away on eBay." People there like to get things cheap. I understand that. We all like to get things that way.

Thanks, JessieBelle. I have found similar/sale items on EBay at good prices, but have never looked to see what they actually sold for. I guess that's one of the many steps I have to figure out. I'm having trouble using the Ebay tutorials. Any suggestions? Maybe I should just buy EBay for Dummies and start out $25 in the hole financially?

I would do an inventory of what you have and what you can realistically hope to sell it for first. Whether or not it is worth you time and effort is a personal decision based on your finances and tolerance for figuring out how to go about it, I decided that the relatively small amount of money I might make selling online was just not worth the hassle to me.

The first thing I do when I get something is go to google and type in what it is. Google throws out a lot of things. I click Images at the top to go to google images. Unless something is very rare, looking at some of the links there gives me an idea about an item.

Selling on eBay is pretty simple. There is a tutorial. They've made their shipping calculator a pain now. You have to be able to take good pictures. They are key to selling something. Online sales are a lot of work. eBay is a tough market, but it can be handy for clearing space. If you want to see if something sold, just click the "completed" link to see what sold and didn't sell. If you find that 1 item sold, but 20 didn't, it will tell you that the market is poor or the sellers were asking too much.

Sometimes it's hard to determine what's a treasure and what's junk. When we cleaned out my parents house my mother said about everything "just don't throw that out - it's a valuable antique"! After doing online research I found out - not so much. Sites like eBay have created a global market and some "valuable antiques" are a dime a dozen - hardly worth the effort. But on the other hand - my parents had a tray they kept on a table by the door, filled with loose coins and all those keys no one had any idea what they went to. Anyhoo - the tray went on two moves and half a dozen family members vulturing "valuables" before I decided to get rid of it. On a whim I took the coins home and looked them up. Guess what? One coin was worth $1,200! Turns out it's pure gold and from King Edwards coronation. I am keeping the coin - my little secret - as no one else took it after plenty of oppertunity. My reward for taking on trying to determine what all those keys went to! Now - what to do with all the China, silver, and all those Christmas ceramic village houses/pieces my mom gave me for Christmas?!!

Definitely do your research first. Look up sold items on Ebay (not just completed auctions - look for sold items so you have an idea of the price things are going for). Ebay has become the hallmark for values.

I've been selling on Ebay off and on since the site first started. When things get tight financially, if I have anything of value that I am ok parting with, it goes to Ebay. Recently, my 1972 Ideal Shirley Temple doll was sold. Also sold Mom's scooter on Ebay to a lady in Tennessee who arranged pick up through a furniture company - she contracted with a local furniture store to hold it until the furniture company made a delivery and picked it up. You wouldn't believe the prices people will pay for the oddest things. I have a "magic window" toy from the 70s that is apparently worth about $30. It's just 2 clear plastic ovals sealed together with white/blue sand in between them, which swirl around like waves when tipped and moved. $30. Hard to believe. Definitely sorting through the old family toys and shedding the unneeded items.

Now that my daughter is here and helping me clear excess stuff, I'm finding more and more to sell. Hoping to tackle Dad's bedroom soon, since it is the only other liveable space in the house (basement is not useable), and since it looks like they will be with me for a while, we need to clear more space. Dad's room has been the catch-all for things I need to get out of the way but don't have time to deal with.

Thanks, all. Cwillie, the inventory is a great idea. From a few random researches I've done, I think it may be worth it to give it a try. I'm not under time pressure. Susan, that was an interesting solutions for furniture delivery. I'll have to look into ideas like that, since there are a few heavy items in the house that seem to have potential. Although, as a couple of you pointed out, it might be that local sale for an apparently much lower price makes sense. There are lots of nice consignment shops in this area.

Old china, crystal, and silver are tricky because most people just don't live like that anymore. Old crystal was made of lead and no one wants to drink from it. Silver you can sell at a jewelry store for weight. Unless it's famous bone china - like Wedgwood, for example - it's not going to sell. If it is famous antique china, it must be 100+ years old, in perfect condition, and complete unless you have pictures of the Queen of England dining on it. Knickknacks rarely retain their value unless you have a Picasso that you didn't know about.

That said, check out the Freecycle Network where you will find many a good home for some of your parents stuff. You won't get money for it but you will get the satisfaction of knowing it's being used by people who are grateful.

And if your parents itemize their taxes, donate stuff to the thrift store, take pictures, and retain the donation receipts for tax time.

So true about the China, silver and crystal being a lost generation thing. I actually bought fine china when I first married - have used it a couple of times in 25 years. Now I have my mothers as well - beautiful and expensive - a long time ago I broke one of her serving bowls and had to go to one of those pattern finder companies to replace it - $200! But worth it to put an end to moms incessant needling. I'm wondering if companies like that might be an avenue for selling china, anyone try that? The silver? Yea, worth it's weight in - silver.

Most people have silver plate rather than real sterling silver, I was interested to discover that often the value of those items is in the copper or nickel base metal- as scrap- rather than the thin coating of silver.

I am in the process too! I just found a beautiful portrait of a child done in pastels on the shelf of an attic closet. I know who it is and it was a husband of a distant relative, who as far as I can research has no living relatives.....but I found out he has a locally famous cousin who was a writer. I called my local museum and they were delighted to add it to their local history collection! Made me feel so great to give it to somebody who valued it.

But....I have cabinets filled with Fenton glass....each piece retailed for around $20 in the day, but now worth only $4 to $5 on ebay....so have given away most to relatives and friends who knew Mom. Children of WWII rationing and the depression kept EVERYTHING!

Keep us posted on how you do and keep sharing your ideas please!

Cwillie- I wish! I might keep moms silver if it was silver plated. As it is, it's all stamped "sterling" and each place setting all rolled up in its own bag stamped with the jewelry store name where she bought it 66 years ago. A bag that is suspose to prevent tarnish by the way but doesn't do a very good job of it - hence, the reason I don't plan on keeping it. I had to polish the whole lot before every holiday dinner as a child - and I'm talking a lot of pieces per bag - tiny little spoons, two types of knives, three types of forks and spoons each... - ugg! Defiantly not going to polish it as an adult!

As far as old china and crystal go, there's a really need place in North Carolina called Replacements where people go to complete sets (or sell them). Probably not highly profitable for my mother, but she might like the idea that someone is particularly looking for her patterns. What one of you said about people not using the fine stuff anymore is so true --- I remember choosing my china, crystal and sterling patterns when I married the first time, and now the kids request things from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Much more practical.

Silver! It is worth a lot, especially if it is jewelry of a specific pattern of tableware. Jewelry was out of vogue a few years back, but is very popular now. There is a good market for sterling silver.

BTW, silver plate is either valuable or "junk," depending on its condition and pattern.

I meant to say that Replacements is a neat place, not a need place.

JessieBelle - I still have all my sterling and turquoise rings from the 60's and 70"s!

Realtime, I did my research using the Replacements website, couldn't believe the prices for old Forstoria glassware that both my Mom and I had collected, we both had the same pattern. Also found other dishes on that website which gave me a better idea on what people are willing to pay.

This morning I took 10 packed boxes of Forstoria [both Mom's collection an mine] to the local regional hospital "Ladies Board" rummage sale which takes place in the fall... they start taking donations now. It's an upscale flea market thus I felt better knowing that the ladies would have knowledge on the Forstoria.

Mom also had silver pieces, large serving trays and such. I didn't bother polishing off the tarnish as with the tarnish one would know it was the real mccoy.

Also had dozens upon dozens of doilies that I couldn't use. I saved some pieces that looked familiar that I had recognized that Mom had out and about. Chances are some of the doilies probably were from my Mom's mom but I had no idea. I already had a lot of doilies from my Dad's mother and grandmother. I know some people like to frame them.

I have a huge crocheted table cloth that my Mom used for special occasions but it has either burnt stains or whatever, not sure how to get those stains out. I may try oxi-clean and run it through the delicate wash on the washer. I just hope it doesn't fall apart.

Vinyl records are making a come back, so I gave to the rummage sale a couple dozen of the 33 1/3.

About old records. Are you familiar with Amoeba Music in California? I went to the San Francisco store years ago and had the best time browsing their aisles. Amoeba will buy entire collections of vinyl. In fact, they have a form you fill out right on their website, making it really easy to deal with them.

Rainmom, I'm with you! I used to have to polish my Mom's Silver tea set, with the big tray and everything, and it was a Royal Pain! I don't even recall her using it, but it had to be sparkly and polished, a couple of times a year! I've since donated all my silver plated edged crystal and serving items from my 1st marriage, in 1980, I hated it then, and even more now! Never used it either!

My mother also had a large collection of old glassware. Pink Fostoria and blue and green Depression Glass. While times were hard I always found it oddly charming - getting the glassware in cereal boxes. When my parents moved from their home mom didn't want to take it with her. I loved the collection - I have a thing for colored glass - but just couldn't justify taking it myself with no one to pass it on to. But to my surprise and dismay I practically had to twist the arm of my favorite sister-in-law to take it. SIL had a bridal shower at her house last year and I was so pleased to see her putting it out for the occassion. "To each their own" I guess, but I can't comprehend that someone would not appreciate the beauty in these pieces. Freqflyer- how generous of you to donate your collection to a good cause!

Come to think of it, when was the last time any of us had a candle light supper where we need to bring out our Royal Doulton "with the hand painted periwinkles".

Rainmom, Pink Fostoria, oh my gosh, how beautiful !!! How I wished I had room to store all the Fostoria that my Mom and I had, but that stuff was darn heavy. I was exhausted hand washing it any time I had used it. My Mom had one Fostoria drinking glass she used on a daily basis for years, to which she put into the dishwasher, sadly it became etched.

I also have no one to pass on these beautiful things, and even if I did, they might not have wanted it. It wasn't easy to donate, I would put an item in a box, next day take it out, put it back in, take it out :P Now I must think someone else will be delighted to buy the whole set or by the piece :)

NYDIL --- thanks for the tip about Amoeba Music! Mama has sooooo many records, both 78s and 33 1/3s..

Curiously, it's my now-13-year-old grandson who loves the crystal and stuff. One Christmas a couple of years ago he wanted a set of wine glasses for a present! My almost 27-year-old grandson is also showing signs of interest in things like that since he bought his own home.

Rainmom and gang...artisans are doing really neat things with depression glass plates and saucers....I saw an old picture frame holding a stained glass "collage" featuring different hues of depression ware. Would make a nice memento out of a collection. I have also seen some fun jewelry made out of small cut outs from china or English transferware. Wish I had more time to craft.!

I spent a few hours today on research, mainly to do with my mother's glassware. I learned so much! Never knew what "amberina" was, much less that people ask so much for it, much less that we had some of it.
Once I get a feeling for the sites, I'll have to subscribe to one or two of the auction or research sites to find out what things actually sell for. But I don't want to spend half the potential earnings on subscriptions! I suppose I should look at some of the antique price guides at the library.

Price guides are not much good. The guides are outdated in the years it takes to get the book published. They are also ideal. One rarely gets those prices. Your best source of info is recent auctions. You'll probably see that things go for a fraction of the amount that are in the price guides... if they sell at all. The price guides are handy at showing what is good stuff and what isn't. Other than that, they aren't much use. Googling the item is the best way I know to research it. You can also join auctioneer sites, e.g. LiveAuctioneers and Proxibid, so you have access to their "sold" database. Joining is free. Many places offer free access to their databases, so just look around. The ones you subscribe to cost an arm and a leg if they are worth anything at all. Go for the free ones. Use Google. Use eBay. Professional appraisers are the ones who subscribe to the expensive services.

Have you all thought about taking the dresses, coats, shoes that are over 40 years old to the vintage clothing stores. Apparently, they are quite popular in the larger cities and the younger set are crazy for Peter Max scarves, etc....jewelry from the 60's...might be a place to consign the silver turquoise rings. Oh well, threw my disco shoes out a long time ago! :)

I'm sure you're right, JessieBelle. Just now I took up (and then cancelled) a free 7 look-up subscription to WorthPoint, which has the results of auctions. Good info and it was really enlightening. Comparing the asking prices I saw on EBay, Etsy, etc., with the sold auction prices --- the sales prices were mere fractions of the original asking prices. But, you know, if you're emptying an old house and have the time, the sold prices are better than sending stuff to Goodwill and having nothing. I still hope to give this a try, if only so that Mama can feel proud of her stuff having value --- use Goodwill for the practical items.

Mincemeat, good suggestion about the clothes. (In fact, I have some of that kind of thing!)

Thank you all, I'm building a list of resources here.