As with all antique dealers we have to buy glass in order to be able to sell it. Much of our glass comes from auction houses, antique fairs, flea markets, boot fairs and online sources, but an ever increasing amount of our stock comes from private individuals who wish to dispose profitably of their glass. They are presented with a number of options for disposing of their possessions. They can sell it online through platforms such as eBay, but this necessitates identifying it, photographing and documenting it and paying fees to both eBay and the payment clearer (normally Paypal). They can put it into auction with an established land-based auction house but this incurs seller’s fees which can be as much as a third of the hammer price, and they also normally have to wait for the auction to occur and to wait for another month after the auction finishes to obtain payment. The third option is to sell to a reputable dealer.
Here at The World is made of Glass Ltd. we will help you identify the glass (most glass bears no maker’s mark) where possible, and where we wish to purchase the glass for our stock we will offer you close to the estimated hammer price at auction. This can therefore amount to a 50% premium over what you might receive by putting it into auction. Our rational is simple – we buy much of our stock at auction where we have to pay the hammer price plus buyer’s commission and VAT which is normally about another third of the cost. By paying hammer price directly to the seller we get a better price and the seller receives more money than they would do by putting it into auction.
In the South-West of England we stand at the Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair four times a year when open and encourage attendees to bring in relevant glass that they might consider selling. In addition to our presence at fairs we also travel around the country on a regular basis on buying and collecting trips and can arrange house visits where this is the preferred option. We pay cash on receipt of goods so there are no delays in your turning your glass into currency.
If you have some quality glass to dispose of then please contact us telling us what you have to sell. We will probably ask you to send us a photo or two to give us an idea of the items involved. We promise to get back to you quickly and if you don’t like our offer we are always happy to recommend land-based auction houses close to you where you might get a good price.
We buy:
Antique glass (more than 100 years old);
Hand-blown 20th and 21st century glass;
Glass that can be attributed to a particular prestige glasshouse (e.g. Baccarat, Lobmeyr, Moser, Val St. Lambert, Lalique, Daum etc.).
We do not buy:
20th or 21st century cut glass
Moulded or pressed glass unless the maker is a prestige one e.g. Lalique.