Helping a friend, need advice:
10-01-2014, 11:35 AM
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Upstate NY, north of Syracuse Area
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Helping a friend, need advice:
My non-quilting friend is bringing me some quilting stuff she inherited from another friend. Some she is gifting to me, some I am going to finish for her.
There is a very old, velvet crazy quilt which she says has wonderful appliques and she wishes to sell this. She is looking for me to help her price this quilt and suggest the best way to sell it.
Are there other factors I should consider besides age, condition, quality of work and size in pricing this quilt?
I suggested she get it appraised but she didn't feel it was worth the time and effort. When I actually see it, I may suggest it again, more forcefully if it indeed is a piece of art.
I mentioned posting on facebook that she wants to sell it along with a photo, and asking anyone interested to message her. Also, that she could post it on Craig's List. Any other suggestions of a good way for her to sell it without much hassle? She is a very busy person and doesn't have much time for a lot of messing with it. LOL
Since I don't sell my quilts, I don't have any experience with this aspect.
There is a very old, velvet crazy quilt which she says has wonderful appliques and she wishes to sell this. She is looking for me to help her price this quilt and suggest the best way to sell it.
Are there other factors I should consider besides age, condition, quality of work and size in pricing this quilt?
I suggested she get it appraised but she didn't feel it was worth the time and effort. When I actually see it, I may suggest it again, more forcefully if it indeed is a piece of art.
I mentioned posting on facebook that she wants to sell it along with a photo, and asking anyone interested to message her. Also, that she could post it on Craig's List. Any other suggestions of a good way for her to sell it without much hassle? She is a very busy person and doesn't have much time for a lot of messing with it. LOL
Since I don't sell my quilts, I don't have any experience with this aspect.
10-01-2014, 12:55 PM
#2
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
I doubt that many people will be willing to pay much for a quilt posted on Craig's list. Not sure, but I think her best bet would be an auction on eBay. I just did a search on eBay and came up with one quilt that is up for auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-VELV...item4adcf7699c
and one that is up for Buy It Now or Best Offer:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hand...item2340582a52
If I were you, I would do another search on eBay and then go to "completed listings" to see how much this type of quilt has actually sold for.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-VELV...item4adcf7699c
and one that is up for Buy It Now or Best Offer:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hand...item2340582a52
If I were you, I would do another search on eBay and then go to "completed listings" to see how much this type of quilt has actually sold for.
10-01-2014, 12:58 PM
#3
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,559
Okay this is my own personal opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it, and I may get flamed for it, but I'm gonna say it anyway.
My sense of this situation is your friend wants to get as much money for as little work as possible, and you are getting pulled by her tractor beam into the crosshairs. RUN. Let her deal with it. You are a quilter, not a professional restorer or appraiser. You are right; if she wants money for anything she wants to sell, she should get it appraised. That way she can back up her pricing with paperwork and provenance. Appraisers may also be able to suggest appropriate selling venues.
My sense of this situation is your friend wants to get as much money for as little work as possible, and you are getting pulled by her tractor beam into the crosshairs. RUN. Let her deal with it. You are a quilter, not a professional restorer or appraiser. You are right; if she wants money for anything she wants to sell, she should get it appraised. That way she can back up her pricing with paperwork and provenance. Appraisers may also be able to suggest appropriate selling venues.
10-01-2014, 01:25 PM
#4
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,232
My friend was recently in this same situation. She inherited a crazy quilt from her MIL. With my help, she found local appraisers (Well, 2 hours away). They did not feel confident to give her an appraisal of this unique quilt. (It was beautiful). The appraisers suggested she contact an appraiser in California, who had some expertise in this area. It was appraised for several thousand dollars, and the California appraiser helped her find a buyer. It was worth her time and expense to do a thorough job researching her quilt.
10-01-2014, 01:26 PM
#5
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Rapid City, SD
Posts: 4,961
Okay this is my own personal opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it, and I may get flamed for it, but I'm gonna say it anyway.
My sense of this situation is your friend wants to get as much money for as little work as possible, and you are getting pulled by her tractor beam into the crosshairs. RUN. Let her deal with it. You are a quilter, not a professional restorer or appraiser. You are right; if she wants money for anything she wants to sell, she should get it appraised. That way she can back up her pricing with paperwork and provenance. Appraisers may also be able to suggest appropriate selling venues.
My sense of this situation is your friend wants to get as much money for as little work as possible, and you are getting pulled by her tractor beam into the crosshairs. RUN. Let her deal with it. You are a quilter, not a professional restorer or appraiser. You are right; if she wants money for anything she wants to sell, she should get it appraised. That way she can back up her pricing with paperwork and provenance. Appraisers may also be able to suggest appropriate selling venues.
10-01-2014, 01:46 PM
#6
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 5,052
Okay this is my own personal opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it, and I may get flamed for it, but I'm gonna say it anyway.
My sense of this situation is your friend wants to get as much money for as little work as possible, and you are getting pulled by her tractor beam into the crosshairs. RUN. Let her deal with it. You are a quilter, not a professional restorer or appraiser. You are right; if she wants money for anything she wants to sell, she should get it appraised. That way she can back up her pricing with paperwork and provenance. Appraisers may also be able to suggest appropriate selling venues.
My sense of this situation is your friend wants to get as much money for as little work as possible, and you are getting pulled by her tractor beam into the crosshairs. RUN. Let her deal with it. You are a quilter, not a professional restorer or appraiser. You are right; if she wants money for anything she wants to sell, she should get it appraised. That way she can back up her pricing with paperwork and provenance. Appraisers may also be able to suggest appropriate selling venues.
10-01-2014, 01:52 PM
#7
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,588
Guess it's Me Four. If she is giving you some of the items in exchange for completing others, I suppose you could call that a form of payment. But I get the funny feeling that you are going to be left doing all the work and possibly getting the blame if she does not get the prices she expects.
10-01-2014, 02:31 PM
#8
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Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
Have her visit the American Quilters Association website - they have a list (by state) of certified appraisers. Around here it is $50- $75 for an appraisal. Often along with the written appraisal they often will help find the right venue to sell it, or put you in contact with someone who can help.
10-02-2014, 11:38 AM
#10
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Upstate NY, north of Syracuse Area
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Very interesting outcome today. After seeing the quilt, it was not in good shape as I expected. About 20% was damaged by wear. I pleaded inability to make a proper judgement and she decided to keep it. She gifted me one quilt with one area of damage, one flimsy with 2 missing blocks and a set of very old blocks in muslin and blue, tree of life, 11 blocks and 4 in the same colors that are signature blocks. There is a lot of flocking on the muslin, so I'll be trying to get them cleaned up.
She didn't bring any blocks for me to sew and give back. Not sure what happened to that but I didn't ask.
She didn't bring any blocks for me to sew and give back. Not sure what happened to that but I didn't ask.
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