Could you please help me find a good selling price for my old Mersman tables.
Thank you.
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I would ask $200 for the large table and $50 for the small
Thank You so much for your reply. I remember paying a pretty penny for these but theyre so old and I was afraid to asked more than 200. But thank you very much I am going to list them.
The coffee table has really held its value, and while I can't find a sold version at my fingertips, there are several active actions in the high $400s.
If this one is an exact match (hard to tell at the angle) and it sells, that will give you today's value:
www.ebay.com/
The end table/magazine rack is very rare and may be worth as much as the coffee table.
I strongly suggest taking these to a reputable dealer so you can get the maximum amount possible. The challenge with getting the values is most people won't pay that much to a new eBay or online seller (plus selling furniture on eBay is challenging because of shipping).
Facebook and LetGo etc. people don't want to pay a stranger a maximum amount.
If you want to settle for less, you can sell them this way, but I think you would get the most from a reputable vintage furniture dealer--preferably one who sells either with reserve auctions OR who buys outright.
Please post back what what you decide, how much you fetch for them and what part of the country you are in. I love learning values for things in other places. My info is based on sales in the Western PA area.
Thanks!!
Thank you so much for replying back to me. I am very new at this and just wanted to clean out shed and start with old furniture. You have taught me a lot. I will get back with you to let you know what I decide to do. Thank you for the advice.
You are most welcome. I have dabbled with furniture sales for years and there are several things to be aware of in the process.
Where you are has everything to do with how much you will get for your pieces because it a supply and demand process. If there is no demand, you could have something worth a million dollars but the value (price you get for it) will still be zero if no one wants it.
There was just a prove-my-point-in-real-life thread on this site (Thrifty Fun) just recently talking about this person who had a really neat, very ornate bedroom set.
Where I am no one wants these and when we sold a comparable set for an uncle whose estate we were disbanding last year, we got very little for it. Had we been in Europe, where these sets are valued, we would have had money to pay for his care for many months! Supply and demand in action! Here is the thread:
www.thriftyfun.com/
Furniture is big and clunky and selling it takes time, which means it hangs around your house until it gets sold taking up space. That is why for the more valuable pieces where you can (depending on the supply and demand in your town) get good money for it, is best left to the professionals. They either pay up front or take it to their store to sell so you get your space back and a tidy check when it sells. They will take a percentage so be aware of this up front so you are not disappointed when your check is less than expected. Everyone has to make something in this kind of deal.
We sold much of the smaller items from the estate on Facebook ...little furniture pieces like a small computer table, a metal book shelf and an end table.
We did them as Porch Pick up where we had a covered porch we could use to leave the items and the person would come, decide if they wanted it, and pay. No one had to be home and it worked well. Since those pieces did not net more than $25 the risk was low and it felt safer than having some stranger come INTO my home. We were quite pleased with the process. Best to do in the summer as you don't want people traipsing on your porch and sidewalk if you have ice and snow. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
If you do Facebook you can look at the person's profile and block people if you think they are trying to scam you. There are many sites on Facebook called SWT (Sale Want Trade) or FSOT (For Sale Or Trade) or (TOWN NAME) Flea Market on Facebook.
Be sure your descriptions are accurate for condition and have measurements. NEVER, unless the item is brand new, say something is pristine or excellent. Your pristine and excellent IS NEVER THE BUYERS and they will try to get you down on price because they see a "flaw". Best to say good, nice, or ZOOM ON THE PICTURES TO SEE THE ACTUAL condition.
If there are big flaws, be up front. Nothing worse than someone coming out to see a PRISTINE piece with a huge gouge on the side and them being mad. Honesty is everything in this process.
SAFETY FIRST NO MATTER HOW YOU SELL IN PERSON..NEVER BE ALONE OR IN A NON PUBLIC PLACE WHEN YOU MAKE DEALS. Also NEVER take checks, never give change from someone giving you a check and asking for cash in change back. The deals must be cash only (unless you are a business and can take a credit card).
If you have to, go to the local police department or library or school when open to make a deal, but just don't be alone and don't go to areas you do not know.
The selling process is all about negotiation and you have to have your bottom dollar set in your mind and be able to walk away from a deal if someone low balls you--if you are doing it to make extra money. If you just need the space back, take the offers as they come!
Make friends with a reputable vintage dealer and he/she can help you through the process. We have a few lovely stores but they are far from me so it has been harder to develop relationships. The nice little store I can walk to is going out of business as in my little town, sales for anything used are terrible. You have to go outside of my area to the bigger neighborhoods to find people who want to buy used anything, let alone furniture (supply and demand).
This is why the Facebook sites are nice as you can join ones in a 5-10 mile radius of your home.
If you need someone to bounce selling ideas off of, let me know. Best wishes on your sales!
Thank you again for all your knowledge. I will take your advice and sale a few things on Facebook as well. You have been a tremendous help. When I do sale I will let you know for sure. Thank You
ThriftyFun is a great site!
Where else could anyone go for such great information as Pghgirl has provided and what is so nice is that it will benefit many people with the same type of questions for many years to come.
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