Wentz Edition No. 5: Tips & Tricks and Villeroy & Boch
Where to search and how to score the best deal
Happy Sunday, and to those who are new, welcome.
Every now and then, these posts will focus on tips & tricks to help you source and find any vintage piece that you’d like — be it crystal, silver, china, or any other treasure. I’ll use a few examples to show you how to hone your eye and find really great deals. And next week, we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming, with another set of 60+ finds focused on Richard Ginori (see their instagram below).
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Alright, let’s dig into an example. For some reason I really loved this quirky little porcelain dinner set I saw on 1st Dibs listed for $480 plus $100.00 to ship (which quite frankly, is ridiculous for shipping six plates). So first things first, always, always, at the very least, search your find on the same site. Immediately, I found the same listing on 1st Dibs for $360 plus the additional crazy $100.00 to ship.
Next begins the search on other selling platforms like Etsy or eBay. Immediately on Etsy I found a seller offering three of the above for $18.00 each plus $12.00 in shipping (these were being sold individually by the same seller, so you would need to watch shipping costs and be sure the seller works with you to combine the shipping, which they usually do). I then found another of the plates above (Horse and Carriage) for $12.00 plus $12.00 in shipping. So for four of the plates above, we are at a total of $98.00. Now you can of course, stop here and love your four plates or even look for these in the future. That’s the beauty of collecting, it is inherently a process occurring over time.
But let’s try out eBay. And lo and behold, a full set of 6 for $99.00 plus $32.00 in shipping … for a grand total of $131.00. It is important to consider quality, in this case the quality looks good, but certainly still used (no chips or cracks, but light utensil marks). The 1st Dibs listing says they are in very good condition, which is hard to know what exactly that means, but you can always reach out to the seller for more information. And finally one last option, a set of 4 on eBay for $73.00 plus $11.14 for a grand total of $85.00. In fact, I found a few more options that I’ll list out below.
A couple thoughts from this example. One, of course time is money. And it’s perfectly reasonable to find and purchase the initial more expensive set. But if you have some time to spare and are open to putting in a little more work, you really can find pieces for much less (in this case, for “70% off”). Another thing to consider is the quality when comparing prices as even with vintage china, you can find sets that are in pristine and likely never used condition. I would avoid anything with chips, cracks or crazing if you plan to actually use them (but if you are mounting on the wall, go crazy).
Another key cost to consider is shipping. Of course, if you are buying in person you do not need to worry about this, but in the era of Covid, I have been buying all my pieces online. It can really add up so just be mindful of the additional cost especially when comparing across sites. It’s also helpful to think about the cost per item when purchasing sets to give you a truly accurate means of comparison.
I also like to price check against Replacements.com as they have an insane amount of categorized inventory of china, crystal, silver and more. They should almost always be above the asking price on sites like eBay or Etsy. However, if you are purchasing larger sets (I will share my Richard Ginori pieces I recently bought from them in the next post), they offer free shipping over $99.00 so it’s something to consider if you are seeing high shipping costs. Here’s the same plates on Replacements for $34.99 each.
To summarize above and give you a sense of how different pricing can be, here’s a snapshot of all the different sets I found as well as the “price per piece” (PPP) :
Set of Six
1st Dibs Set of Six for $480.00 + $99.00 = $579.00 (PPP $96.50)
1st Dibs Set of Six for $360.00 + $99.00 = 459.00 (PPP $76.50)
Replacements Set of Six for $34.99 each = $210.00 (PPP $35.00)
eBay Set of Six for $99.00 + $32.00 = $131.00 (PPP $21.80)
Etsy Set of Six for $80.00 + $25.00 = $105.00 (PPP $17.50) *The winner, lowest PPP, and a full set*
Set of Four
Esty (Seller A and Seller B) Set of Four Mixed Prices = $98.00 (PPP $24.50)
eBay Set of Four for $73.00 + $11.14 = ~$85.00 (PPP $21.25)
In summary, search both the same site as well as others, take into account shipping costs, consider the price per pice and of course, the quality of the item when making comparisons and ultimately the final decision of which set to buy.
The other fun part of doing a bit of extra searching is that sometimes you actually find something you love even more. For example, maybe the plates are a bit too quirky. And maybe you decide, actually no, — “no plates, I think just one quirky framed trivet for $12.00 to hang in our pantry”.
While this was a tips and tricks post, I still wanted to share some fun Villeroy & Boch finds below. As always, use this as a jumping off point and a way to get a sense of what all Villeroy & Boch creates. They have been producing ceramics and other pieces for over 250 years, since their founding in Germany in 1748.
Maybe now you’ve started searching Villeroy & Boch and now are contemplating this rather 70s, but in the best way, modern tea and coffee set (~$150.00).
You’re right, maybe instead you need this classic “Petite Fleur” Villeroy & Boch pattern set of 4 dinner plates ($100.00). The second image is a tablescape design from Villeroy & Boch using the same classic pattern (see here).
Since we’ve been to 70s and the 50s, let’s explore Villeroy & Boch in the 80s with a set of 4 millennial pink plates ($70.00). You could even pair them with green marble chargers.
I fell slightly in love with these Villeroy & Boch fish bowls as I have been thinking about a set for a fun outdoor, coastal vibe. These are quite pricey at $70 each, but they are a fantastic size for a soup or past bowl at almost 11.5”. The price seems actually fair given that the plates on Replacements run at $99.00 each.
Another really fun pattern, the Bontanica, by Villeroy & Boch. This could be something you collect over time as well (although the shipping price for this one is extremely high and I will try to find some others).
Finally, here’s a snapshot of my favorite patterns by Villeroy & Boch. I personally find their patterns a bit hit or miss, so I wanted to highlight the ones that really standout to me. To be fair, I feel that way about almost all china makers as some of the patterns in the 50s are too kitchy, the 80s too 80s, the 90s too 90s, and some of the earliest pieces can get very floral very fast (although I’m collecting a floral set right now, so who I am to say). This is something that is great to do on Replacements.com. You can look up a new maker (like Villeroy & Boch or Wedgwood) and quickly browse the patterns to get a sense of which ones speak to you. Then you can search those patterns on Etsy, eBay or any other site to be more targeted about what you are looking for. I’ve been finding some neat things on Mercari as well (and I feel their shipping costs have been lower).
Favorite Villeroy & Boch patterns.
And finally, I’ll leave you with this neat discovery, a print from artist JP Terrelli who creates these beautiful photographs always styled with different sets of china and fruits. The one below uses a Villeroy & Boch pattern. They run at $1200 a print, but would be stunning in a kitchen.
Villeroy & Boch Artesano Provencal Lavender with Grapefruit - Food still life (2019)
That concludes our first Tips and Tricks edition. As always, would love feedback, comments and suggestions for future posts (and what you thought of this style of post).
I also hope wherever you are and whatever you are going through, that you are still finding your own bit of joy. I hope you light some candles, I hope you vote, I hope you bring some life back to a second hand set of china, and most importantly, find ways to stay sane and healthy.
Happy hunting,
Kelsea Wentz
Ps — I couldn’t help but still put a small list together with some more Villeroy & Boch finds. So here it is. Kudos to you for reading to the end 😉