Topic: Little cut and gilded demitasse cup & saucer - salviati?

[josordoni]

Don't forget Cat, dealers prices and ebay prices are not comparable.  I think this has probably been discussed before in the cafe.   Dealers have higher overheads, they often have to wait a long long time for a piece to be sold.  Ebay is either top dollar for rarities, or a haven for bargain seekers. 

And don't forget, unless you are very sure of your dealer, you have the risk of the piece arriving in good condition or not, so a lot of people still don't like to buy breakables on line, and would prefer to pay the premium price for being able to pick up and examine a piece before they buy.

it's like Apples and Oranges.  Both delicious fruit, but not from the same tree..

In general, whilst I like to get near the online market value, as long as I made a reasonable profit I try not to be greedy.

Which is not to say that I don;t grind my teeth when I see Miller's valuations..... 

[catshome]

Lynne,

I take your point on valuations. 

The thing is that my collecting is totally out of control and my outgoings are heading towards exceeding my income and I am unable to stop.  I figure, with all the time I spend learning more, it would be daft not to use the knowledge to pick up "missed" items if I see them (by that I mean things where the dealer doesn't know what it is and just puts a price - like the WF Tricorn I picked up for £3 last week).  Then I can keep the things I adore and ebay things I've had for a long time but have lost my passion for, or bought simply to sell and fund my "habit".

I don't rely on Miller's valuations - I've always said you usually need to take at least a third off to start with - but they are problematical in another way as they are static and don't reflect the changing trends in collecting.  Still they are great to flick through!

Take care
Cat