Am I Asking Too Much?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
With Christmas coming soon, I put these two angels up for sale on local Facebook sale groups. The smaller one is a Fenton glass signed angel, very collectible, selling for an average price of $30 on eBay. The larger, ornate one is composition molded and 7.5" tall. Both are in excellent condition. I am asking $20 for the Fenton and $10 for the other, or BOTH for $25. So far no interest. Overpriced?

Fenton angel.jpgangel.jpg
 

The prices sound fair to me.

It could be that people have better places to invest their spare cash at this time of year.

I notice the sales at the local flea market seem to slow down during the weeks leading up to a major holiday.

Good luck!
 

I am a "wannabe" collector of Cambridge Glass, meaning that I have about 50 pieces of this beautiful colored glass. My Grandparents worked at the company for many years. My Grandfather was a glass blower and my Grandmother was an acid etcher. Anyway, Fenton was a competitor of Cambridge. Well, kind of, anyway.

I rarely go to the Cambridge Glass Collector's Convention, but I did attend a few years ago. The sentiment is that there just isn't very many collectors of anything anymore. Some of the pieces that once sold for $100.00, now go for about $70.00. Today's generations aren't really collectors of anything. Most are into hi-tech gadgets and that's where they spend their money. I know very little about Fenton, but if those pieces are hand painted, the price is very fair and probably should be worth double what you're asking. Someone could be missing out on a real deal.

The old Cambridge Glass factory in Cambridge, Ohio before it was torn down.

Cambridge Glass.JPG
 
Have you checked online to compare prices? Oh, I reread your post and see that you have. I have a chance to purchase about 30 Goebel, Humbel, and went on my antiques site to get ideas of prices. Most answered that the price will sell for only what is in demand. The market is flooded and most pieces only bring 5-10 dollars. I think you are asking a fair price but must reach someone who doesnt have these items. Here is a photo of some of the goebels im looking at.

4CD0609B-CC60-4328-BDC4-267FE7021E02.jpeg0B125BF5-776B-4DB1-A4A7-9074C9DF54D7.jpeg
 
oldman said:
I am a "wannabe" collector of Cambridge Glass, meaning that I have about 50 pieces of this beautiful colored glass. My Grandparents worked at the company for many years. My Grandfather was a glass blower and my Grandmother was an acid etcher. Anyway, Fenton was a competitor of Cambridge. Well, kind of, anyway.

I rarely go to the Cambridge Glass Collector's Convention, but I did attend a few years ago. The sentiment is that there just isn't very many collectors of anything anymore. Some of the pieces that once sold for $100.00, now go for about $70.00. Today's generations aren't really collectors of anything. Most are into hi-tech gadgets and that's where they spend their money. I know very little about Fenton, but if those pieces are hand painted, the price is very fair and probably should be worth double what you're asking. Someone could be missing out on a real deal.

The old Cambridge Glass factory in Cambridge, Ohio before it was torn down.

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I think you've hit the nail on the head, Oldman -- nobody is collecting anymore, and those of us who once did have stopped. The younger generation doesn't want to be bothered with glass and porcelain and the (huge) hassle of moving it when they move, even if they appreciate it, which most of them don't. I figure my porcelain and china will probably end up in a thrift store after I die, or, more likely, in the trash. I collected a lot of beautiful stuff when we lived overseas, but it's just junk to the younger generation. That stuff only has value to those who love it and are willing to pay for it and those are dying off.
 
The last time I visited an antiques shop, the proprietor sadly told me that everyone wants to sell their "stuff," nobody wants to buy it. There is probably a glut of stuff on the market.

I have been selling books over Amazon for years, and sometimes get a pleasant surprise when an old book, which I have listed for years, suddenly sells. All you need is one buyer. Is the Facebook listing free? Amazon is, for as long as you want, which makes me use it rather than Ebay.
 
Several long-established antique stores and malls have closed down around here in Central Florida in the past several years. I'm an ardent looky-loo but not much of a buyer and that's about all I see in antique stores any more, fellow looky-loos.

The Spousal Equivalent's mother had a lot of Precious Moments figurines and antique dishes. She was absolutely convinced that all the stuff was extremely valuable......wrong. Nobody wants it. Anybody who was willing to take it off our hands only wanted to pay practically nothing for it. I don't blame them, I see so much of it sitting in the antique stores. She constantly mourns that "all her valuable stuff" has sold for very little. It's really hard (and there's really not much of a reason to try to convince her) that her stuff really isn't "all that valuable".

I have a friend who had a huge Hummel figurine collection. I can't even imagine how many thousands of dollars she has spent on buying them over the years. When they went through a bad financial patch, she tried to sell it as a collection. The low-ball offers were insulting. The reasonable offers were not forthcoming. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed.....
 
I went to a church bazaar a few weeks ago. There was a table on which they has "Snow Babies" figurines, the lest expensive one was marked $20. The woman that had that table kept telling to the people that walked by, "Those prices are VERY reasonable; they're Snow Babies!" I didn't see anyone buying them. She may have invested in them and was hoping to get her money back by charging retail prices. Not something you'd expect at a church white elephant table.

My mom had a bunch of those Knowles "collector's" plates - the whole six of "Wizard of Oz" characters which she paid $25 each. I sent them to an auction and got $2 for the whole set!
 
Everybody who wants to sell something on the used market always asks too much.

That's why their stuff isn't selling!

I'm about to sell my Slot Car items, which includes 90 feet of track, 5 cars, and lots of curves, crossings, bridges, etc, for which I have invested over $1200.

What will I be asking? $300 or best offer!

I want to sell the stuff!

Hal
 

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I will have to agree that the collectors out there are a dying breed. The younger folks, as someone said, just are not that into these types of collectables. I think they would rather spend their money on technology, and other collectables of today. Plus, people are not as much into buying a home and staying there for decades. And people our age, are looking to downsize, and not add more stuff to our lives.
I just think that the days we remember are gone. My mom had a collection of china tea cups and a set of formal china. They were to go to me when she passed, but I had no where to keep them. My brother kept them in his basement for years, and when he did try to sell the pieces he got practically nothing for them.
 
I see a friend and neighbor's posts all the time on FB online garage sale. I asked her once if she ever sold anything and she said she's sold lots of things. Maybe it matter what type of items are offered.
 

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