A friend recently emailed me for advice on how to sell her old fashioned stove after finding reconditioned ones go for as much as $6,000.
“There is a resale market out there,” she said. But how can she tap into it? Generally, the following factors increase your changes of selling an unusual, high-priced item:
1) the item is very unique
2) there is a limited supply
3) the people buying higher-priced items may not be hurting as much, despite the recession
4) it is in good to excellent condition
To get a good price you need to find multiple outlets where you could sell the stove, including:
- Craigslist – see how your listing compares to others before you publish it
- eBay – same as above
- Kijiji.com – an up and coming online classified site
- Consignment stores (for appliances in this case) – find more than one so you can negotiate a better deal
- Specialty stores for your particular item (such as AntiqueGasStoves.com or AntiqueApplianceCompany.com or AntiqueStoves.com) – if a site gets enough traffic this may be your best bet. You could also try general antique stores.
- Google “sell + name of your item” to find other outlets
Once you find a few places to sell your item, clean it really well and take great pictures. Write a very detailed posting, including any major deficiencies. The more questions you answer, the better. Think of it as more opportunities to make the sale. Collect pricing information so you know what is a realistic price.
List your stove on as many places as you can. Make sure the consignment store knows you have it listed elsewhere and that if you sell it they do not get a share. Re-post every three days so it stays fresh.
Good luck!
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I sold a large antique armoire on ebay. But it was listed for over a year before I got an acceptable offer.
Most antique consignment shops charge for moving your appliance/furniture into their shop. If it doesn’t sell within 2 months, they want to get rid of it. So then you have to pay a second moving fee to get back your antique white elephant.
Craigslist is not the best place to sell expensive items. Lots of scammers, psychotics and sociopaths. When I buy/sell on CL, I meet the person in a public place with lots of people/security guards around. Home Depot, Costco are my favorites. I would not give my address or allow a stranger into my home
for a buy/sell transaction.
When the armoire sold, I insisted the buyer use Paypal and waited for the payment to clear before he picked it up.
You can never be too careful—-particularly in this economy.
When I am unable to sell a large or expensive item on ebay or through friends, I donate it to charity and take a generous tax deduction. You could also sell the item to a dealer for pennies on the dollar.
I have learned my lesson the hard way and after a few aggravating (but not not dangerous) experiences.
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
My sister-in-law, huge BB fan that she is, bought one stove and sold another on Craigslist. Neither was vintage.
Still … Craigslist appears to be a great market for vintage furniture, appliances, etc. You do need a way to get the stuff home if you buy (as do the buyers of your stuff).
We got a great deal on an exercise bike on Craigslist. Luckily the seller had a pickup and was willing to deliver. We sold one, too, and that guy had his own pickup.
I guess the morale of this story is: Get a pickup.