Antique furniture appraiser blowing smoke.

[Athene]

EBay will be a waste of time and money considering shipping and fess they charge.

Perhaps. But, depending on their condition, his items could stand to garner a lot more interest from all over; from folks who are willing to bid.
He doesn't have to offer free shipping, either. The buyer can pay.

Also, eBay sometimes offers free/reduced rate trials for new users. 

Of course, if the items aren't in excellent condition then it's probably not worth the hassle; especially if he already has an eBay account and can't minimize the fees.

[Thumpalumpacus]

EBay will be a waste of time and money considering shipping and fess they charge.

Perhaps. But, depending on their condition, his items could stand to garner a lot more interest from all over; from folks who are willing to bid.
He doesn't have to offer free shipping, either. The buyer can pay.

Also, eBay sometimes offers free/reduced rate trials for new users. 

Of course, if the items aren't in excellent condition then it's probably not worth the hassle; especially if he already has an eBay account and can't minimize the fees.

I was just thinking about how much furniture weighs and bulks as well -- even passing that off to the buyer means that expense must be added in somewhere and nah work against a buyer's mindset.

Being local, CL is truck-to-truck.

[vorlon13]

yep, it was worth $8000 until you re-finished it . . . .

[Athene]

Perhaps. But, depending on their condition, his items could stand to garner a lot more interest from all over; from folks who are willing to bid.
He doesn't have to offer free shipping, either. The buyer can pay.

Also, eBay sometimes offers free/reduced rate trials for new users. 

Of course, if the items aren't in excellent condition then it's probably not worth the hassle; especially if he already has an eBay account and can't minimize the fees.

I was just thinking about how much furniture weighs and bulks as well -- even passing that off to the buyer means that expense must be added in somewhere and nah work against a buyer's mindset.

Being local, CL is truck-to-truck.

Yes, I'm aware that he could get the items off his hands with a bit less hassle on CL.
If his primary goal is to rid himself of the furniture, then Craigslist may very well be the best route.
 
If his goal is to maximize profitability, perhaps not--depending on the desirability and condition of his items.
eBay would allow him access to a much wider market.

[ignoramus]

Has it got a love heart with George loves Mather (1759) scratched into it somewhere?
If so, I'll give you $10,000.

protip:
If not, then scratch it in yourself!

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yes, I'm aware that he could get the items off his hands with a bit less hassle on CL.
If his primary goal is to rid himself of the furniture, then Craigslist may very well be the best route.
 
If his goal is to maximize profitability, perhaps not--depending on the desirability and condition of his items.
eBay would allow him access to a much wider market.

No doubt. But those shipping costs will be factored in one way or the other. Furniture being heavy and bulky, those costs will add much to the bill one way or the other. Buyer pays shipping? Add a couple of hundred dollars to the tab. Seller picks up shipping? Add a couple of hundred to the listing price. Cost me well north of a hundred to ship a 70-lb amp to Texas, and that was compact and not bulky. I don't know what furniture he has in mind, but a chest-of-drawers isn't going t be cheaply sent.

Were it my own, I'd simply go consignment through a local antique house. Less shipping risk (because monkeys throw stuff around, forklifts slam it, and so on) and if such happens with an Ebay sale, the buyer gets the benefit of the doubt in any dispute. The seller gets the shaft.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Brian, you might try to find a collector (as opposed to an appraiser) to get a better idea of the value of these pieces.  

Boru

[Athene]

No doubt. But those shipping costs will be factored in one way or the other. Furniture being heavy and bulky, those costs will add much to the bill one way or the other. Buyer pays shipping? Add a couple of hundred dollars to the tab. Seller picks up shipping? Add a couple of hundred to the listing price. Cost me well north of a hundred to ship a 70-lb amp to Texas, and that was compact and not bulky. I don't know what furniture he has in mind, but a chest-of-drawers isn't going t be cheaply sent.

Were it my own, I'd simply go consignment through a local antique house. Less shipping risk (because monkeys throw stuff around, forklifts slam it, and so on) and if such happens with an Ebay sale, the buyer gets the benefit of the doubt in any dispute. The seller gets the shaft.

Fair enough, certainly. 

Do keep in mind though, that not everyone's out to pinch every penny. There are over 150 million buyers on eBay, most of whom routinely pay to have their hearts desire shipped to them. 
Or they use the myriad of shipping coupons/promos eBay offers on a regular basis.

Done correctly, it would could cost him nothing to find out just how much people are willing to pay IF he takes advantage of one of the trial offers.
That's why he shouldn't dismiss the idea outright, IMO.

Not if his goal is to make money.

[Brian37]

That is what I googled to get this guy.

Oh, duh....yep. Sorry.

A second opinion, maybe? Could be that that's actually all they're worth. 
Ever watch Antiques Roadshow? That's brutal to watch sometimes. You wouldn't be the first person to think he/she was sitting on a goldmine when they weren't.

If that's the case you might have better luck putting them on E-bay, and crossing your fingers.

Um no, these pieces are not fake wood, not reproductions. Like I said, been in my family long before I was adopted. I've grown up with this furniture since the 1960s. They are real solid wood, very ornate, iron fixtures. The stuff you'd put in a mansion or museum, very high quality.

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Has it got a love heart with George loves Mather (1759) scratched into it somewhere?
If so, I'll give you $10,000.

protip:
If not, then scratch it in yourself!

Ha ha, um no, I am not committing fraud to make a buck. I simply think this guy has done this so much he knows how to lowball, then get someone else to offer more than I expected but way below the real value. I know damned well the desk is alone is worth thousands at least. Utter bullshit to claim I'd only get 75 to 100.

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Any pictures? Close ups of the detail?

I may just record personal vid with my laptop next time I am at my storage unit. Then I could take it several places to show people. That's not a bad idea.

[popeyespappy]

..... They are each worth grands each I am sure of it. .....

Based on what?

Quality and worksmenship does not equal market value.  Typically a piece of antique needs to either have a particular feature that is in vogue in the market at the moment, or has a highly desired and demonstrable pedigree to command that kind of money.

I have to agree with this. A piece of antique furniture needs to be special to be worth any real money. Quality and condition alone aren't enough.