I’ve taken a bit of an auction break, and by bit I mean I haven’t been in probably 10 months! But I’ve been thinking about stepping back into the game. I know several of you liked seeing what sold and for how much so I thought until I start back up again, I would help you by showing you some things to be on the look out for.

Today, it’s all about teacups! I love selling teacups. They are small and easy to ship. Usually they are labeled with the maker and sometimes even the pattern – which makes it super easy to list. And surprisingly, some of those little cups can be worth BIG bucks!

At one auction I purchased a whole lot of teacups and saucers for about $20. There were about 20 cups in the lot so I only paid about $1 each. It was a steal. I figured that I would be able sell some of them for $5-10 each. This was one of the first cups I pulled out and it sold for $94.20! A few more out of that box sold for $50, a couple for $35 and most of the others for $5-10. I did very well.

This is a brand to keep your eye out for! It’s made by Shelley and this particular pattern is Dainty Green. The person may have gotten a deal on it – I’ve seen some sell for as much as $250. For one cup and saucer! It depends on supply/demand, condition and also for this pattern if it is an earlier print. The Dainty pattern comes in lots of colors – all of which do well, but if you can find the black, they have been selling for $525 – $750 for one set!

I spotted this teacup thrown in a box with several broken cups and mismatched saucers. I had to have it. Sometimes at auctions they do what is called choice. That means you bid on the chance to choose. You never know what box people are going to take. Sometimes you wait and your item or box gets selected. Sometimes you pay a little more to make sure you get the one you want. For me, I paid a little more than I wanted to ($25 for the box). This cup (Royal Albert in the Old English Rose pattern) sold for $52. What made it worth more than the other Old English Rose pattern tea cups? The fact that this one is a matte black.

[Tweet “Out thrifting? Keep an eye out for these tea cups. They could bring in several hundreds of dollars!”]

When you are looking for teacups and saucers either at the thrift store or at an auction, look for things that make it unique. The Shelley cups were so thin it was incredible. For the Royal Albert cup, it is a matte black color. Collectors love intricate designs, unique designs, artist signatures, vintage/antique pieces, and limited editions all can raise the value. Gold gilding is popular with collectors! And as with everything, condition is vital! You want your teacups and saucers to be free of chips, cracks and hair lines. But if you find an ultra rare teacup like a Shelley Dainty Black and it has a small chip in it, be sure to pick it up. Just know that it is going to effect the value.

Be sure to check out these top sellers that have happened lately on Ebay. Write them down, take a mental note, or keep a list in your phone so just in case you see one you know to pick it up!

This teacup and saucer is gorgeous. It’s an example that you can get lucky sometimes. The person selling this couldn’t read the makers mark, but knew it was just pretty. Well, it sold. For $885!

Haviland has long been a beautiful and desirable china maker. This particular teacup sold for $633!

This is a great example of unique cups being a selling point. The colors are beautiful and the handle of this cup is definitely unique. It’s made by a company called Aynsley and this one sold for $598!

This is another cup by Aynsley. Many of their cups are beautiful and vibrant colors making them appealing to collectors! Would you guess this cup brought in $324?

And one more Aynsley tea cup. This one is signed by the artist on both the cup and the saucer. It brought in a great $280!

Tips For Selling Teacups

Teacups are all about beautiful colors and condition. Show it off! When selling teacups on Ebay, be sure to take a great photo on a clean and clear backdrop.

To make it easy, one of these easy backdrops is easy to set up and makes for nice professional looking photos. You can use a free photo editing software like Picmonkey to make your photos look their best. Clear photos will attract more bidders and higher prices! If you plan on selling lots of teacups you may also want to pick up a teacup stand. They are inexpensive and will look great in your photos!

The teacup really should have it’s matching saucer. Once I found a teacup that would sell for $50 for only about $1 but it was missing its’ saucer. Without it the price would drop down to $10-15! A quick check on Ebay and I found the saucer for only about $10 shipped. It was worth the purchase in this case!

Bubble wrap is your friend when it comes to shipping.

Find a great teacup? Sell one for a great price! Let us know!

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