Best way to sell 24 piece Crown Fairshire plate set

Hi,

I have this rare set and would like to know the best way of selling it.

So far I've only tried ebay, but where could I find a private buyer?

Also what do you know about Crown Fairshire? All I have is that it was made in Bavaria in the 1920s-30s. There are only 10 results of it on google, so information is scarce.

Ebay listing- http://www.ebay.com/itm/333093406518

Thank you

24 Piece Crown Fairshire Set by Brandon Mccurdy posted Mar 3, 2019 at 9:51 AM

 

I can't find anything on Crown Fairshire, either, whether it was an importer or decorating studio. You might try listing just one piece to gauge interest. I predict no one will buy a partial set of fine china by an unknown maker at the price you have set.

 

When you list it, be sure to mention if those are cake plates and the size of the bowls. Have you contacted Replacements to see if they would want to buy that?

 

Welcome. I don't know anything about fine china, so my input is only from the 'how to sell' aspect.

I'd personally never buy something like this on eBay for a couple of reasons. The most important being, I'm not going to spend that much money on something that is so fragile and trust that a seller would package well enough to arrive safely. And as an eBay seller, I avoid listing fragile items like the plague. I don't need the stress.

Provided the value is there, and depending on your area, you could take it to a local auction house that specializes in this type of thing. You'd reach a large, targeted audience, and hopefully not have to ship it. That's my nickel's worth.

 

Do you mean china replacements? If so than no, but I'll contact them on monday.

 

Yes. I've known people who used to sell to them. Please let us know if you are successful to do this and if it's worth what they want to pay?

 

Sure

 

Ok first your asking price is absolutely unreasonable.
You do not list what pieces make up the 24 piece set.
You say it is from Bavarian, but show nothing to support this.
I would have placed this pattern more in the 1950s than the 1920/30s.

You obviously know enough to know that the gold square covers the original maker and that Crown is the Import Company or Store, Fairshire being the pattern.

Replacements will give you very little for an unknown pattern.
Unknown patterns don't sell well, because people don't have sets to fill in.
Also there is no known maker, which also detracts from the higher price.

 

Hi,
Here are my two sources and reasons for the price.
The two appraisers give it values in that area.

https://my-secure.justanswer.com/qu...ec1d659ad0?rpt=1020#re.v/2584,2706,2796,2798/

https://my-secure.justanswer.com/qu...aa59641d0852b0df43a#re.v/2584,2706,2796,2798/

 

Thank you for your help everyone!

Have you heard of Crown Fairshire before? What else do you know about them and what do you think about them for collecting?

 

ask them if they want to buy it.....

 

Collect what you like...what speaks to you & gives you pleasure to be around !
Unless you can display them.....it's hard to enjoy them.
I would not council dishes as a long term investment strategy.

 

What would you value it at?

 

I am not sure who this was directed at & I wish you luck in selling your china, however I will share a few things I have learned over the 18 years I have been selling on eBay. I have sold a lot of china over that time & the amount of fine fine, especially those patterns that have gold, silver & platinum in their designs, has steadily decreased to the point I rarely ever buy it anymore.

People do not have big dinner parties & if they do they don't use these types of dishes. That is because you can not put them in the dishwasher & they are not interested in something that has to be washed by hand.

Replacements Ltd. will give you very little for most pieces. Their prices do not reflect what they are willing to pay the people who try to sell them their dishes. I have personally never sold to them but do know several people who do & they are quite picky about what they buy. They will also go over every piece with a fine tooth comb & the amount goes down with each flaw that they find. You are also responsible for getting the dishes to them & I am assuming getting the ones they don't want back to you. So if you do not live close to their place in NC you will have to pay shipping.

I have never heard of this company & would not have a clue as to if they are a company that some people are interested in or not. However, given the fact that they are fine china, have heavy gold encrusted areas in the pattern & all you have are the pieces shown the value would be very low.

JMHO

 

The gold trim on these dishes reminds me of the Rambler Rose decoration that we see frequently on glassware. The gold is tarnished and not showing the dishes at their best. I usually use a very mild silver polish on my gold trim items. I use Hagerty's Silver Foam. It's a paste used with a wet sponge and I do not press hard, just very lightly and the gold really shines.

You need to add measurements to your ebay listing. I assumed at first that these were dessert plates. IMHO, $2K is not realistic. I've seen some ebay sellers get great prices for gold encrusted dinner plates, but their listings have a certain cache (professional photos, stunning backgrounds, etc) and they have been selling for years. And their wares usually say names like Haviland, Rosenthal, and the like.

So you have a real challenge with these items. I could go on and on but it would get tedious and for most here, preaching to the choir. Start out by researching Gold Encrusted Plates and see what comes up and what price was realized. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for this info, I definitely will look info what other sellers are doing.

This all has been great and informative, I don't want to keep stretching this thread so I'll do my best to keep this as my last questions.

Could you give a ballpark value on it?

Why did the two appraisers I linked above give such high estimates?

 

Actually the two appraisers gave a very wide range. You used the highest range, not the most realistic.

The first said:
"The estimated retail value of your 24 pieces, as described, is $1700-2000 in an upscale venue."

Which by the way you didn't describe. She asked if they were dinner sized, you answered "if that is what you see." A dinner plate measure approx 9-10 inches, a salad 7-8 inches.

An upscale venue means 5th Ave, Rodeo Drive, Palm Springs where people with money don't worry about what they are buying, and the seller is out to get as much as they can from them.

The second one was a little more realistic for a higher income bracket sales area
"The value of the set is $400 to $500 today." She's valued the pieces at $18.00 - 22.50 each.

In the everyday market of working people who buy what they need or can afford:
Retail shop price:
Dinner plate 10 each, or if it is a salad plate 8 each, soup bowl, 9 each.
If someone wanted to buy it all, add it all up and discount it by 10-20%
And that would still be high by some standards.

Selling on ebay you will get about a third of that. People consider the cost of shipping part of the cost of the item. You've got about 20 pounds before packing materials, and you are responsible for getting them there without breakage.

 

BTW - Welcome to the board.
I don't mean to sound harsh. I'm just trying to explain.

 

I'm honest when I say this is a nice and warm welcome.

 

I'm not sure why there are so-called appraisers on line to freely respond to questions about price, but I distrust such a business model. Just my own personal opinion. Even the second quote at $400 is way over the mark and I still have no idea how large your plates and bowls are. I would just garage sale them and let them go to a new home, rather than to have to wrap and box them so they won't break in shipping for sale. I think you'd have to use 3 or 4 boxes to ship in too..