Like many baby boomers, Sarah Vick and her husband decided to downsize to a smaller home after her two sons went off to college. When they started sorting through their belongings, Vick realized she had 22 sets of china. Some she’d bought herself, while others had been inherited from her mother, grandmother and aunts.

“I was overwhelmed,” says Vick. “I had china patterns I didn’t even know the names of from the 1920s and 1930s, and I also had crystal, silver and collectibles. Really the only time I used my fine china was during the holidays, so I didn’t need all these collections, but they’re special to me.” Vick knew she wouldn’t have room at her new home for all of her pieces, meaning she would have to get rid of them.

“I felt so guilty having all these patterns I couldn’t use, but I just didn’t want to sell them at a yard sale; they mean so much to me,” she says. “That’s why I wanted to help someone else who might be looking for these same pieces to complete their own set of their family china.”

But where could she turn to for help? In the past, Vick had purchased pieces from Greensboro, N.C. based Replacements, Ltd., the world’s largest supplier of discontinued and hard to find china, crystal, silver and collectibles, so that’s the first place she checked.

“We not only sell tableware, we buy pieces as well,” says Randy Foster, Replacements’ vice president of product operations. “We are really able to help customers like Sarah out in that we’re able to bring two needs together. We connect those folks looking to sell something they don’t want or need anymore with someone who may be searching for a special piece in their grandmother’s pattern they never thought they’d see again.”

Other sellers include those going through lifestyle changes, such as Susan Dubois, who decided she no longer wanted her wedding china following her divorce. “Selling my china marked a way to start healing so I could move on with my life and start over,” reflects Dubois. “It really wasn’t about the money, but I’m a single mother of two teenage sons, so the extra cash really did help out.”

Foster says Replacements also hears from folks who stumble across forgotten treasures stuffed in a closet or hidden away in the attic. With spring cleaning around the corner, would-be sellers need to keep in mind that the company is looking for quality merchandise, and doesn’t buy every pattern. Inspectors need to physically examine pieces to make sure they’re in good condition before making a final offer. “Obviously we wouldn’t buy anything that is chipped or cracked,” says Foster. “I also think a lot of customers are surprised to find out we buy by the individual piece, they don’t have to have the entire set.”

Vick says it’s not a problem if the seller is stumped and doesn’t know the name of their collections. Replacements’ free pattern identification service can help figure out that information. “I put some of the patterns I couldn’t identify in a box and sent them over to Replacements’ research department,” Vick remembers. “They were not only able to identify the pieces, they told me what they were willing to pay for them.”

Replacements research team identifies approximately 65 patterns every day. To find out more about selling to Replacements, Ltd., contact the company at 1-800-REPLACE or visit www.replacements.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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