.png)
How To Check Ebay Sold Listings (Sorry Your Corning Ware Isn’t Worth Thousands of Dollars)
In my last post, I mentioned the importance of SOLD listings. Right now, there is a huge thing going around about how “Your Corning Ware Might Be Worth Thousands of Dollars!”…And sadly that’s just not true. People are asking anywhere from a few hundred, to tens of THOUSANDS of dollars! Common sense tells me that the thick white glass dishes that are always found at Goodwill are not just a cash cow waiting for someone to come along. In reality, these dishes are worth around $5-$20 at BEST.
To check sold listings, first type in what you want to search. For this purpose I am going to type in “Corning Ware Spice of Life Dish With Lid’. This is what comes up:
Now, this looks REALLY exciting! You feel your heart start to beat faster while you think of raiding your grandma’s cabinets and cash in on all her old dishes…. But that smile soon fades when you click the sold listings button and womp womp womp…. Your dreams are crushed.
The first inkling of the prices being inflated in the first photo is to see that the middle one has a couple bids... at $23. To get to the sold menu, you need to go to left column, and all the way at the bottom check 'Sold Listings'. Completed listings will automatically be checked.
On mobile, on the right hand side, click 'Filters' then scroll down until you see 'Sold Listings'. Personally I do most of my checking on mobile.
Now, you may say, “But Jenn! Some sold for almost a hundred dollars this week!” And that is true. Because people 'buy into' the thought that they need these 'valuable' dishes. I call this a “bubble”. The mass hype brings attention to eBay listings but if you go back just in December, nothing is that high and gives you a truer estimate of value.
Edited to add: some people reached out and asked why there are some "sold" for large amounts. Now there are a few things in play here. First, "Accepted Best Offer" doesn't actually show you what their offer was. It could be $6,000.... Or more likely $10. Same thing with items with only one bid. Sometimes it's someone who won't end up paying, other times its people shilling their own listings and then canceling the sale. This item for example, was 'sold' at $6,000, but magically relisted at $200. Still inflated, but that tells me that big sale didn't go through!
Still seeing ones sold for thousands? Worst case scenario- Money laundering. Same thing happened with Black Diamond Disney VHS tapes... No, they are not worth thousands either! (more on that coming soon!) Look for items with multiple bids, and items that are an odd number (more authentic of a sale). This will help keep you from overpaying or overvaluing your item.
Worse comes to worse, list your item high! ...but sometimes if something is too good to be true, it probably is.
The last thing I will leave you with is that just because someone sold one on eBay cheap one time does not mean your item is not valuable either. I also recommend trying a few different sites for value as well. For example, I have a Worthpoint subscription that I use, but you have to pay for that. If you have an item that was limited in production, made of a precious metal, or in better condition than one sold online, fear not. At the end of the day things only sell for what someone is willing to pay, or what someone is willing to let it go for. Sometimes things slip through the crack and someone ends up getting a good deal. Do your research and you can avoid being unaware of what you have!
Now you know, the best place you can find Corning Ware is on the shelf, right where you left it.
See Also:
Etsy Shop: bellsandwhistlesetc.etsy.com