What do I do with all this china?

My sympathies.... we will face sad task in time. My mother s favourite set is Astley..... I bought some cups and saucers on eBay just to replace some saucers she was missing. The problem is modern use of dishwasher... too rough for good China and crystal and the gilding on China makes it unsuitable for microwave use.

Pleased to hear mention of Streetlife. I miss it. That is how my book group and Italian conversation group got off the ground. It was like a neighbourhood notice board for all sorts of activities, recommendations etc. And it was anonymous. None of us joined Next door, too many issues to do with privacy (or should I say non-privacy).

It's a dilemma. As you say you could do with the cash, I would explore all selling possibilities before disposing via charity shops etc.
I don't know how much experience with ebay selling you have, but I have a few tips that have worked for me.
Put Evesham crockery or similar in the search box, then when lists appear, select "sold" from the lists on the left. This will bring up all sales within the last few weeks. From studying these over a week or two, you can get a picture of what exactly has sold, how much for & what postage & packaging costs were charged.
My first attempts would then be to split the crockery into small groups or singles, based on your "sold" research. I would price it at very slightly under the "sold" prices. On the first run I'd try for "collect only" & "cash on collection" payment.
This would save packaging.
If this didn't work, I'd relist with a postage option but make sure you have suitable packaging and weigh the whole package adding on a small charge for any packaging you've bought.
Unfortunately, it can take a while to sell and needs patience. My friend sold two full dinner sets eventually and made about £150 after fees deducted. Nothing near what they were "worth" but what people were prepared to pay at the time.

Glad i am not the only one that did not like Nextdoor. Too easy for anyone to see our details so we pulled out!
Really miss Streetlife still for all the local news & what is happening!

I love beautiful china tea sets and cant resist if I see any at car boot sales or on ebay, I recently tried to buy a lovely set on ebay and bid but the set went unsold as the seller had set a 'reserve'. My bid was reasonable in my mind. If you really want it to go, then ebay may be your best bet, but, if its just a case of it going to another home, perhaps start your auction price very low, I think it would definitely go. Good luck!

Mumski....a lot of people like the sort of china you are describing for vintage themed weddings now. I have sold this type of china on eBay myself. I found that by looking how other people have sold theirs....ie: displayed - described etc you will get more guidance. The best way to sell it is in smaller lots ...for example "trios" of teacup, saucer, teaplate. Plates in smaller sets. However you have to be very careful how you pack/ wrap and also watch the weight re postal charges.You could also look out for "vintage fairs/markets" in your area and book a stall at one of those. This is the time when people are organising summer weddings and on the look out for just the type of china you have.

Yes, try the china search websites as people do try to match up old sets or buy out of production sets.
chinasearch.co.uk/
www.chinamatchers.co.uk/
I would buy some - but I daren't because I have tea sets that we never use, but I just like them!

Some cafes use vintage tea cups and saucers for serving afternoon tea and it is always more enjoyable drunk out of a china cup.

I am gasping at the weaste!!
G plan wall units, lovely china

and the young say they can't afford a mortgage.
We were glad of anything given or 2nd hand when we were young even if it wasn't our choice.

I expect all my furniture will go in a skip one day, even charity shops don't seem to want mahogany any more.

Take it to a local auction house for the full sets

waste!!

http://chinasearch.co.uk/buy/royal-worcester/astley---gold-edge/
You probably wouldn't get that much for it as they have to make a profit but it would be worth trying them

sorry
chinasearch.co.uk/buy/royal-worcester/astley---gold-edge/

BlueBell what about sending the sheet music to a local music school or loooking up a music teacher that lives locally and givin g it to him or her.

Sadly no one wants the records unless they have pristine covers. I have had to let a whole lot go to the tip.

I had tonnes of swing era sheet music as my dad was a talented pianist. They were in prime condition as once he knew the music, he didn't refer to it again! Back in 2006 in the US I thought I could get money for the sheet music, but there is a lot of it out there. So in the end I gave it to his nursing home as there were a few who played the piano there (as my dad did... he was called the Piano Man) and wanted music from that era.

As to china I have a service for TWELVE of Noritake Ashford. I brought it over here in 2000 thinking to use it. I have used it twice. It just takes up room in the cabinet. Sometimes I have seen adverts for caterers who want a full service for 'tea party' events. Vintage is in... so maybe sell to a caterer if you can find one who is interested.

I did sell a Dinner Service through an Auction house a few years ago, they will come out to value for free so you could get an idea what they think it will make.

I am horrified that people are talking about breaking up or taking furniture to the tip. Before you do that try YMCA or British Heart Foundation as they sell furniture or find your local "Freecycle" as they will come out & take many items including large electrical in working order. If you can't find name of company locally ring your local Council, they will have a contact number for the company. All items donated will be sold (at reduced prices to people on Benefits including Pensioners).

Such a sad time having to do this, I dread having to dispose of my DM's items when the time comes.

Everthankful Portmeirion sells very well on Ebay - I buy it myself as the (newer) pieces work well in the dishwasher. The older pieces (with the large green crest on the bottom) sell very well, particularly if they are unusual.

I recently took some Evesham to our local charity shop, apparently that sells well there, particularly the serving dishes which can go in the oven.

Just visited wodeston manor, fabulous very modern chandelier on display made up of broken plates, cups and saucers. So how about smashing some plates and topping a wooden garden table with a beautiful mosaic (find details on line). Breaking china will probably be hard for you, but you will have a lovely useful family reminder.

I suppose that the problem about selling furniture at auctions or on Ebay is the cost of delivery or collection (unless the buyer has a van).

We took quite a lot of my late mother's furniture to a charity, the local Sue Rider Home, where they hold regular auctions. They don't take upholstered furniture though, unless it has a label saying that it is fireproof. We took an old teak bedroom set there, probably G-Plan, which she had since the early 60's.

There are many local charities that take furniture, including the Salvation Army - families without much money still need furniture and are not so fussy about style - though they must be in good usable condition.

You could always do the same as us....I inherited all my DM's china, and as I couldn't bear to part with it, we use it!
Most evenings we have dinner from her Coalport Athlone dinner service, drink from her Baccarat crystal glasses and use her silver cutlery, made by Huttons of Sheffield in 1910.
I don't have a dishwasher, so there's no fear of me damaging anything. It all gets hand washed, dried and put away in the cabinet.
The cutlery is kept in the original mahogany table canteen, and polishing it all is one of my favourite tasks!
We still have our own Portmeirion crockery etc that we use for breakfast and lunch, but I really like setting the table properly for dinner, even when it's just the two of us.
It must look a bit odd, us at the table in our PJs eating sausage, egg and chips from fine china!
DH and I have been collecting antiques for about 18 years now, so all mum's stuff is in the right setting. We just find a lot of more modern stuff poorly made, and prefer things with a bit of character!

Perhaps a silly question but I assume that you are aware of EBay's 'Collection in person only' option which does away with the postage costs/problems. Alternatively, depending on the area in which you live, there may be a local selling site on Facebook - some really good ones here in Devon.

Direne3 The collection only option worked very well for us a few months ago when we sold 2 x full 12 place settings of Royal Doulton plus all the serving dishes and condiment sets,it was 2 x identical sets used at OHs Grandparents hotel when they where in business many years ago,he was left it via his father,we had it on sale for 4 weeks on ebay and arranged to meet half way between at mutual service station,we made sure the items where in prestine condition and well wrapped in separate boxes and the buyer interested bought both sets and paid in cash on collection,they where obviously very sought after and we could have asked for more but we where very happy with the amount we made on the deal.

I use my mother's good China too. I have sold several items on eBay as 'cash on collection' and it is a great way to avoid the hassle of packing and postage.

Are there any teashops/cafes in your area seem to be the up and coming thing now only use china delf in their cafes.
We do have one in Gravesend area.

TriciaF I have two sets of the translucent Japanese tea sets, nearly 100 years old and brought home by my father but I doubt they are worth much at all. Because they are so delicate they are stored in china cabinets and rarely used so many have survived according to the lady in the charity shop. I do know that my DM used to use them for afternoon tea when they were stationed overseas but I have never dared!

Some of the G plan teak furniture goes for a fairly high price on Ebay.