Q: Any suggestion about how to sell my Goldhill by Noritake china service for 12? I don’t want to sell on eBay or Craigslist; that won’t result in a sale.
A: Our reader adds that the china has been used just a few times and has been washed only by hand.
I wish I could assure her that gentle care will ensure a sale, but I cannot. The bald truth is that sets of china are a hard sell. Plus, the vast majority of owners who received sets as wedding presents took similar care of their china. And, like the reader, they, too, no longer use or need their dinnerware.
If I owned the set, here’s what I would do: First, get facts on the pattern. Going to the library or online, I’d find a copy of “Noritake Dinnerware: Identification Made Easy” by Robin Brewer (Schiffer, $39.95). This step is optional but yields a lot of useful info.
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There I’d learn that it’s Noritake pattern No. 6613, that the mark is an N printed in a wreath, and that the blank is LaSalle.
Digging deeper, we learn that the blank was used for white formal china with a red and gold rim made from 1949 to 1987. The mark places it after 1953. It’s not early Noritake, which is usually more desirable.
More telling, the book lists prices for most lines of Noritake dinnerware but none for this pattern. Usually, that means demand is low.
Next, I suggest a Net search on the pattern. Start with the giant, www.replacements.com . There, we found a list of pieces. We also found 39 active listings on eBay, from a salad plate at $8.99 to $1,600 for a 116-piece service for 12. One can ask anything. Getting it is another matter.
On completed sales, zero place plates listed sold. Only select serving pieces sold, such as a $103 large round serving bowl. Ninety-six pieces sold for $299.99. Clearly, some Goldhill does sell on eBay.
Google the pattern. We found a lot listed by replacement dealers — remember, their prices are retail. Smart collectors also check auction results on www.liveauctioneers.com and www.worthpoint.com
On the first, we found that 95 pieces sold at auction in 2012 for $125. On the second, a for-pay site, yielded 96 results, most on eBay. We learned that a 92-piece set sold on eBay in 2013 for $415 and that a 21-piece tea/coffee set brought $169 there the same year. A single 10-inch dinner plate brought $18.90 on eBay this year, and 96 pieces brought $499 in 2013.
After you do all that digging, you’ll have a good feel for how your china stacks up to the competition. Plus, you’ll be better equipped on how to proceed.
It’s essential that you offer the china in the largest arena possible. Based on the above, it seems that eBay has the largest pool of motivated buyers. Perseverance and market know-how stand the best chance of getting the sale done. That, and luck.
Danielle Arnet welcomes questions from readers. She cannot respond to each one individually, but will answer those of general interest in her column. Send e-mail to smartcollector@comcast.net