What do I do with items that are not a fit for Case Antiques auctions?
Just because your items do not meet our criteria does not necessarily mean your items have no value in today’s market. This page will help you better understand what type of items we sell and our criteria as well as ways to sell your items that are not a fit for Case.
Click Here for examples of categories and items we’re seeking for our auctions.
Now that you have an idea of some of the types of items we auction, keep in mind we are seeking items with auction estimates of at least $400 per lot. Remember that a lot could consist of multiple, similar items. For example, a single silver goblet may not be worth $400 on its own, but a collection of four silver julep cups would make a qualifying lot.
We also don’t auction items outside of our knowledge base, items that are fake or tend to be frequently faked, items with very limited markets, or certain items that are under federal or state restrictions such as ivory or liquor.
If you are uncertain, you can submit photos and descriptions of your items and we’ll let you know if they are a fit for one of our auctions. Sometimes, we can refer you to a venue that will sell categories of items that we don’t handle.
What are some venues for selling my item(s)?
Options for selling items Case cannot take include hiring an estate sale company, working with a local retail consignment store or local auction houses, and selling items yourself via eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, as well as garage or yard sales.
To find an estate sale company in your area, visit EstateSales.net, choose “Hire a Company” and type in your city and state or your zip code.
A few DIY venues are listed below – The links we provide below are from the venue itself or a trusted source.
eBay can be a good venue for items that are shippable. It can be used for larger items like furniture as well, but the audience is better for small, shippable items. Be sure to review eBay’s selling fees and account for shipping and handling costs since you will have to pack and ship your items when sold.
Click here for information on selling on eBay.
Many types of items can be sold on Craigslist and it’s free to use as long as you have an account. It is best used to communicate a potential sale then meet locally and exchange cash for the item in a public setting. Be sure to plan a visible, public meeting location that is not isolated. Parking lots that are monitored by cameras can often be good meeting locations.
Click here for information on selling on Craigslist.
Click here for some tips on using Craigslist (by ADT Security).
Click here for tips on avoiding Craigslist scams.
Lots of things can also be sold on Facebook Marketplace and it is also free to use as long as you have an account. It is used similar to Craigslist to communicate a potential sale then meet locally and exchange cash for the item in a public setting. Be sure to plan a visible, public meeting location that is not isolated. Parking lots that are monitored by cameras can often be good meeting locations. The security and scam avoiding tips posted above in the Craigslist section also apply to Facebook Marketplace.
Click here for information on selling on Facebook Marketplace.
Many types of items can also be sold on NextDoor Marketplace and it is also free to use as long as you have an account. It is used similar to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to communicate a potential sale then meet locally and exchange cash for the item in a public setting. The reach of NextDoor is usually your neighborhood and some adjoining neighborhoods typically around a 3-mile radius of your home. It is a pretty safe venue to use because the members are clearly identified by name and location in proximity to your home but it is still suggested that you plan a visible, public meeting location that is not isolated. Parking lots that are monitored by cameras can often be good meeting locations. The security and scam avoiding tips posted above in the Craigslist section also apply to NextDoor.
Click here for information on selling on NextDoor.
How can I find the right price to ask for my item(s)?
A few of the free databases that are available to look up the current market prices include:
Free to sign up and use for sold pricing lookup. This is the largest database of sold prices available. It is a good venue for investment-quality fine art, antiques, jewelry, and several other categories of items. To use it for sold price lookup – sign up, log in, search by keyword, then choose the button “Price Results” which is right beside the button that says “Upcoming.” Be careful about which prices sold to use because there are several auction houses on the platform that can be well off the normal price on certain items. Tip: Look for auction houses that are “Top-Rated” which can be chosen as a selection in the search criteria after a general search is done. You can also sort the price results by “Best Match” which is the default or “Time: Newest” which means most recently sold.
Free to sign up and use for sold pricing lookup. This is typically a good venue for a variety of collectible items and decorative arts but not as reliable for investment quality antiques and fine art. To use it for sold price lookup – signup, login, search for an item, and on the left dialogue bar scroll down to the “Show Only” section and choose “Sold Items.”
Free to use for pricing lookup. Replacements is a site where folks can locate missing pieces from their sets of china, stoneware, crystal, glassware, silver, stainless, and collectibles, but it is also a good site to find values for these categories of items. To use it for price lookup – go to the site and search browse through the categories to find a match for your items or do a search by keyword for your items. They will have retail prices for items available for purchase.
Free to use for pricing lookup. This site is dedicated to books, pop art, and some collectibles and is a vast resource of prices. They maintain some sold history, but general searches will yield items currently for sale and the retail price. To use it for price lookup – go to the site and search for an item.
Free to use for sold pricing lookup. This site is dedicated to stamps. To use it for price lookup – go to the site and search for a stamp by year range they provide and then look for the stamp by image and they will have valuation information if it is in their database.