It is not fun trying to find a home for 10 tonnes of tile.

May 13, 2006 10:45 AM

Where could I sell vintage bathroom fixtures and tile?

Well, correction, where could my dad sell those things. We have a decent number of ceramic bathroom fixtures (towel bars, tp holders, soap dishes, shelves, etc.) from the 60's and 70's, as well as ceramic tile from that period.

My dad said he heard that there were places that will buy that stuff from you for a reasonable price, does anyone have experience with that, or any ideas where we may unload this junk for a small profit? My only thought was eBay, since salvage stores normally grab the vintage stuff right out of the house. We are in South East PA if that makes a difference.

posted by Loto to home & garden (6 comments total)

I'm in SE PA too - try Olde Good Things in Scranton. They pay top dollar for good salvage, although most of their things are much older than the 60s and 70s. But I have seen some architectural pieces from that period.
posted by iconomy at 12:03 PM on May 13, 2006

I used to work at an architectural salvage place and we bought people's hardware.

Be warned though that you may not get a high offer. The store has to maybe clean it, find missing parts, store it before they can sell it to someone who just might happen to need / want that specific hardware. This takes lots and lots of time. Sometimes the most adorable old pieces never sell.

When I did the buying I would offer anywhere from 5 to 15% of what we would eventually sell it for, depending on how rare, or currently trendy the item was. It's not that I was trying to rip you off - it was the best I could offer given the risks that we might have that item for years in the store.

If you want to make some money off it, try selling it yourself off of ebay first. Or I would also look into websites like Apartment Therapy's classifieds. That could be a great way to sell directly to someone who wants / needs those parts. LOTS of people who peruse architectural salvage hunt on ebay and design sites classified sections for the parts they want. That is where you'll get the best money. Apartment Therapy is what I would do first.

If it's more convenient, you want to pass on the hardware to people that love it for whatever lost quality it holds in it's design or function, and you like getting a few extra bucks for your trouble go to an architectural salvage.

Here's a list of most of the ones around the States.

Since it's from the 60's and 70's, try any mid century modern stores around your area too. It's later than most of their stuff but it's a good shot. Ask about consignment - that might be a good route too.

In my experience the best way to bargain a deal with a buyer is to be polite and respectful. If someone was a jerk to me I would just politely end the prospective trade right there. Our store was an old house full of stuff. Clutter would be a generous understatement. I really disliked the people that tried to bully me. If the proprietor is rude to you, go somewhere else if you can. But most people in the field are so because they love this old stuff. They love seeing new old designs, they love the stories behind all of it.

Good luck!
posted by dog food sugar at 12:09 PM on May 13, 2006

Building and Construction Materials Reuse and Recycling Centers in Pennsylvania
posted by glibhamdreck at 12:19 PM on May 13, 2006

Gosh I hope I didn't sound like a downer on the architectural salvage places because I really love them and they love people that sell neat old things to them. Try as many places as you can and see what sort of offers you get. Then you'll get the market range for your stuff.

You might get a really excellent range right off the bat. Other benefits to selling it locally is that you don't have to ship it which can be expensive.
posted by dog food sugar at 12:42 PM on May 13, 2006

Have you got pictures? I hate my bathroom fixtures. Email in profile.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 8:08 AM on May 14, 2006

Dirtynumbangelboy: No pictures at the moment, but I'll see if I can get my dad to take a few. I'll get back to you if he does.

Thanks for all the information, everyone. This has been extremely helpful. Talking to my dad again, he isn't really concerned about making money. He just doesn't want the stuff to go to waste, since he'll have to junk the stuff if can't unload it in the next few weeks.
posted by Loto at 8:45 AM on May 14, 2006