Does anyone here know about furniture?

[SAWYER]

I bid on several item at a local online estate auction and ended up winning these two chairs, I only bid because I thought they looked cool and ended up getting them for $47.50. I put them on craigslist at $200 and had a lady offer me $150 and I just wanted to make sure I wasnt selling them too low.

 

[DietDrThunder]

Easy money. Take the money and run. I find that for the most part, furniture is usually not even worth half of what you've paid for it. I've tried selling some nice furniture that my wife no longer wanted. I pretty much gave it away. But then again they weren't antiques and I'm not an antiques dealer.

 

[purbeast0]

I know that is some fugly furniture.

But good for you for making some money off of it. I wouldn't have even taken those chairs for free.

 

[IronWing]

French Empire style. Any indication of age? Slit open the seats. If thy're padded with horse hair or grape vines you have some expensive chairs on your hands (or at least did until you slit open the seats).

 

[RearAdmiral]

I don't know anything about the chairs in particular but I feel like they would be priced at 200-250 or so at an antique dealer that actually wants to sell stuff. Weird that they don't match...I wonder why. If they got reupholstered in something trendy like a grey some hipster would snatch them up in 2 seconds. I like them otherwise! That being said I'd just take the easy money.

Source: I casually like antiquing

Edit: I do see stuff like this fly out of one of my local antique dealers. Must be popular.

 

[pete6032]

$200 each or $200 for one. If those are in good shape they are probably worth a lot.

 

[DietDrThunder]

$200 each or $200 for one. If those are in good shape they are probably worth a lot.

This is a problem with what people "think". Unless you are going to the trouble of having them appraised, then they are only worth what someone is willing to pay. If you feel they are worth more than offered, then you will end up having them for a very long time. Then realizing your mistake, you'll end up selling them for less than what you paid for them. $150 in hand is worth more than having to store them.

 

[IronWing]

This is a problem with what people "think". Unless you are going to the trouble of having them appraised, then they are only worth what someone is willing to pay. If you feel they are worth more than offered, then you will end up having them for a very long time. Then realizing your mistake, you'll end up selling them for less than what you paid for them. $150 in hand is worth more than having to store them.

With or without an appraisal, this is true.

 

[DietDrThunder]

With or without an appraisal, this is true.

Agreed.

 

[MrSquished]

We are having an estate sale for my parents house and there is some nice antique furniture in there. The guy said it's harder to move than you think because that style is just going the way of the dodo. Either he knows what he is talking about or trying to rip us all off.

 

[dasherHampton]

I would just sell them. If they were worth anything you would have been outbid at the auction.

Do they match anything else you own? If so, you maybe should sell more than just those chairs.

 

[feralkid]

We are having an estate sale for my parents house and there is some nice antique furniture in there. The guy said it's harder to move than you think because that style is just going the way of the dodo. Either he knows what he is talking about or trying to rip us all off.

Why not both?

 

[zinfamous]

I don't know anything about the chairs in particular but I feel like they would be priced at 200-250 or so at an antique dealer that actually wants to sell stuff. Weird that they don't match...I wonder why. If they got reupholstered in something trendy like a grey some hipster would snatch them up in 2 seconds. I like them otherwise! That being said I'd just take the easy money.

Source: I casually like antiquing

Edit: I do see stuff like this fly out of one of my local antique dealers. Must be popular.

They don't match exactly but are likely part of a set. A dining set like that would have the two armed seats for the heads of the table and then 2 or 4 of the tapered sets for the rest of the set. OP, that CL buyer is getting a great deal from you, because they are probably worth a good bit more. But the real issue is if you have the means and the know-how to get them properly appraised and sold to the right kind of people that will pay the right kind of money.

 

[dasherHampton]

I'm certainly no expert but I do know a master restorer. He sends people to almost every sizable estate auction in the state (and some out of state).

It's hard for me to believe that someone knowledgeable didn't look over those chairs.

 

[SAWYER]

I went ahead and sold them

 

[IronWing]

I went ahead and sold them

Fixed that for you so this thread doesn't run ten pages.

 

[SAWYER]

I also won five 5 quart jugs of synthetic oil , four 1 quart bottles of synthetic oil, three oil filters and one quart of transmission fluid for 30

 

[IronWing]

I also won five 5 quart jugs of synthetic oil and four 1 quart bottles of oil for 30

When's the ATOT party?

 

[zinfamous]

I also won five 5 quart jugs of synthetic oil , four 1 quart bottles of synthetic oil, three oil filters and one quart of transmission fluid for 30

used?

 

[SAWYER]

No

 

[MaxDepth]

One, they don't match. Two, they look to have been reupholstered. There should be furniture tags or marks underneath. Were you looking for to sell them more than what you paid?

Some folks watch the Antiques Roadshow and think they can score big bucks with hidden treasures. However, those items are really rare and just because they say it goes for XXX at auction, does not mean anyone actually pays that.

And like Zin said about spending the time and effort to get them appraised also means you have to pay for appraisals too. So you'd have to factor in the cost of that along with what you paid.

Nope, I think you made a very good sale.

 

[Denly]

Late to the party, by the condition of it I am leaning toward calling them replica. If they're the real deal there should be stamp under it and they worth a lot more than $50.

 

[dasherHampton]

Now I'll be watching for a follow up thread:

Rare auction find! Two chairs that once belonged to Teddy Roosevelt sold for $200, worth millions!

 

[zinfamous]

Late to the party, by the condition of it I am leaning toward calling them replica. If they're the real deal there should be stamp under it and they worth a lot more than $50.

I was going to mention this before notcing that the OP already sold anyway, but with the finish and the machined look of the details in that wood, they look to me like a "Haverty's" or something version of the style. Was going to mention in my first post that OP should check out the bottom, see if there is any industrial features (like grommets or nuts/bolt) or an authentic logo or stamp.

Chairs like that would still go for ~$3-500 or so, new, assuming they used quality materials, but it means they have no real collector value.