Ceramic advice???

soolin

Ooooh Sylvac, now theres a style I like- I do hope that comes back into fashion. I bought some today and last month I got a couple of their long eared matt coloured dogs.

How nice to come from a family of craftspeople, it must make it sadder to see everyone flocking to the likes of Ikea for the mass produced 'bland' stuff.

pulliptears

soolin wrote: »

Ooooh Sylvac, now theres a style I like- I do hope that comes back into fashion. I bought some today and last month I got a couple of their long eared matt coloured dogs.

How nice to come from a family of craftspeople, it must make it sadder to see everyone flocking to the likes of Ikea for the mass produced 'bland' stuff.

Dad used to joke that you could fall out with the bosses on one potbank and cross the road and get a job with another within half an hour lol

It is a shame, Stoke started dying on its arris 20 years ago when the likes of Doulton realised that shipping ware to Indonesia to be decorated was more cost effective than doing it here. Thats how most of it is done now. There are a couple of factories (Churchill still has one here) but most of the stuff is coming in from Indonesia.

People want cheap, can't blame them for that I suppose but it is sad.

martindow

Another approach is to send photos to local auction houses. They will tell you a rough value and if they are interested in selling it for you. As has been said even old or interesting pieces often are worth very little but you never know. Or you could take the Soolin approach and store it waiting for an upturn in prices (whenever that might be!).

Crowqueen

pulliptears wrote: »

Dad used to joke that you could fall out with the bosses on one potbank and cross the road and get a job with another within half an hour lol

It is a shame, Stoke started dying on its arris 20 years ago when the likes of Doulton realised that shipping ware to Indonesia to be decorated was more cost effective than doing it here. Thats how most of it is done now. There are a couple of factories (Churchill still has one here) but most of the stuff is coming in from Indonesia.

People want cheap, can't blame them for that I suppose but it is sad.

My family had a large stake in Burgess and Leigh but the decision not to go into the euro ruined them; my grandmother, whose sister married into one of those families, never forgave John Major for that. They traded so much within the current Eurozone that maybe it would still have gone wrong now, but uncertainty over that decision killed a lot of business.

The name was bought by Wedgwood and used to churn out giftware for National Trust shops etc, but our family's stake is gone and my mother's cousin has only just recovered from it.

I'm not sure I would have personally supported Britain going into the euro - certainly not now - but I believe my grandparents when they tell me what did for our little piece of pottery magic. I remember getting a tour of the factory as a child and having a go painting a blank saucer.

bananachip

I bet there's a lot of people like me who have their granny's wedding china and a couple of tea sets and ornaments in boxes. I didn't want to sell after her death because I knew how special they were to her but at the same time the flowery patterns are not appealing at all to me and I have never used them. Thinking about it, using the tea sets with the delicate cups was a real treat when I was a kid so maybe I should dig them out at some point for the occasional cup of herbal tea I drink.

I love visiting Caithness glass factory in Crieff, slightly different from ceramics but you get to see the artists at work, a shame this is a rare sight nowadays.

emmbrook

The comment about ceramics not doing well inspired me to take a look - whilst I'm not a prolific collector I keep an eye open for nice pieces. I've made a few bids this weekend - All bar one item I've been the sole bidder though I've mainly gone for heavy pieces so with postage not that cheap - but some good deals. Makes me chuckle though to see people listing the same piece I paid £12.99 for at prices from £25 - £60. And 'rare' when four sellers have the same item.

I also came across this item - tempted until I read the seller's conditions. He had great feedback but he must put a lot of people off with his long list of how he won't help if RM lose/break it. I get his point but it put me right off.

soolin

emmbrook wrote: »

The comment about ceramics not doing well inspired me to take a look - whilst I'm not a prolific collector I keep an eye open for nice pieces. I've made a few bids this weekend - All bar one item I've been the sole bidder though I've mainly gone for heavy pieces so with postage not that cheap - but some good deals. Makes me chuckle though to see people listing the same piece I paid £12.99 for at prices from £25 - £60. And 'rare' when four sellers have the same item.

I also came across this item - tempted until I read the seller's conditions. He had great feedback but he must put a lot of people off with his long list of how he won't help if RM lose/break it. I get his point but it put me right off.

Goodness gracious- a master class in what not to put in a listing.

I have actually come across that seller before as they sell in similar categories to me, and they are a 'private seller'. I had thought for a while that I knew them as I recognised some of their pieces from recent auctions- but I must have been mistaken as they are nowhere near me. They do have some lovely items though, and most goes quite cheaply as they don't attract a lot of buyers and don't achieve the higher prices and they sell very little of what they list overall.

Lovely items though.

EDIT: this one for instance is worth a great deal more than he got 290755925995 . I got more than that for one with damage .

I've just noticed another glitch on ebay as well, its showing free postage on items that actually do have postage. Blooming ebay

charlies_mum

pulliptears wrote: »

I have a few sets in the loft myself, nothing I'd use (bit too flowery for me!) but the sentimentality of them keeps me holding on to them I guess.
My Mum was a lithographer for Churchill, my Gran a modeller for Sylvac, my Grandad was a famed 'saggar makers bottom knocker' hehe. You'd be hard pressed to find a job in the industry locally now, other than the ridiculous thing we have going for Emma Bridgewater where people with more money than sense flock to the shop to pay £20 for a mug :eek:

My Dad worked as a painter for Clarice Cliff for a while, shame he didn't buy loads

emmbrook

soolin wrote: »

Goodness gracious- a master class in what not to put in a listing.

Yes indeed - I really like some of his pieces and, as you say, prices are good, probably because he puts so many people off. I've been using eBay since 1999 and have only twice had problems in that time, but the presumption of this seller that all problems are the buyers' problems means that I have no confidence in buying from him. You just know it's not going to end well if a parcel gets crushed or lost.

A pity as he does have nice things.