How much should you pay for a particular piece of Waterford crystal at an auction?

All too often I have seen bidders pay more at auction for a piece of Waterford crystal than they would have if they had bought it brand new, and the number of times I've seen "Buy it Nows" listed for more than a fair street price for the same item is astounding.

I recommend this, before you place your bid on an item up for auction, that you go to a reputable online discounter and see what they sell the same piece for. Good discounters on-line are ParisJewelers.com , Prestigejeweler.com , Giftshop1234.com and any number of others.  While the NJ Waterford.com and the Irish Waterford.ie websites might be a great place to browse patterns, they sell retail at the list price, and that's usually the highest price you can expect to pay anywhere for an item. Even "retired items" have a fair street value and can often be obtained new at below the current listed price.

So, for instance, though they list for $145 a pair, you can procure a brand-new-in-the-box pair of Lismore Irish Coffee glasses at Paris Jewelers for $105, new-in-box, including shipping, yet people are bidding $110 for the same glasses, plus the shipping. The popular Lismore wine hocks go for $160 street price for a boxed set of four, shipping included, yet I've seen these same glasses going at auction for over $190 a quartet. While I'm sure this delights the seller, most of whom mearly expect a fair price for their wares, its a numbing experience for the naive buyer who later learns how he overpaid for an item, thus putting a degree of "tarnish" on what should otherwise be a treasure. Since you are bidding on-line, you have all the time in the world to research the true cost of an item, so there is really no excuse for overbidding.

Personally, what I do is to keep a list of the Waterford items that I desire to own in a text file on my computer, along with their description (height and diameter at rim), the Waterford part number, and, most importantly, the list price and the best discounter's price I can find for each piece. Then I make my bid accordingly should the item come up on EBay.

Of course some items are just rare and or difficult to find, or are the prized collectors' "signed" items; these fall under different pricing rules, but by and large, ninety nine plus percent of what you see up for auction is being sold new at discount on-line somewhere.

And for sellers wanting to get the best price for their Waterford, you must at the very least, take the time to determine exactly what it is you are selling. How many times have I seen "Lismore? maybe" in the item description! Is your piece Lismore or Colleen? Is it a tumbler or a highball glass? There's a difference and buyers aren't going to respect a seller who knows not what he has to sell. A few minutes to discover what you have can result in a significantly better price at auction. Can't find it on-line? Then visit a top-tier department or jewelery store that sells Waterford and ask them to identify what you have.  I've found these people to always be eager to help a potential new collector.

So, be smart, bid smart and good luck!

And, if it helped you or made you a sharper bidder, then please recommend this guide!