eBay Coach Top 5 – Kitchen Items

I am starting something new and different on my blog – Top 5 lists. These lists are my top 5 picks for items to sell in a category. Some of these items I have sold myself in the past, some items I have researched to help you save time and money when sourcing inventory. These items can be sourced at thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, or estate sales, and are in used or vintage condition. Today we will start off with my top 5 picks for kitchen items.

Vintage Pyrex Bowls. I have talked about this one before, but they are still great sellers. The sets will be your best bet here, such as sets of mixing bowls, nesting bowls, and chip and dip sets. Complete sets can sell for $75 - $100. Patterned bowls are highly collectible. Some common patterns include Cinderella, Amish butter print, Autumn wheat, Sunflower, and Early American. (Check this book for a complete list and explanation of all vintage pyrex patterns.) Click here to see completed listings for vintage Pyrex bowls.

Dutch Ovens. Sometimes when selling cookware, bigger is better! You can often find Dutch ovens in great condition for around $5. Brands to look for include Calphalon, Le Creuset, Griswold cast iron, Lodge cast iron, Cutco, Saladmaster, and Revereware. You will get the highest price if the lids are included. Some of these Dutch ovens can sell for over $150. Tip – look on Craigslist for cookware sets. You can often find the entire set for a low price and sell the individual pots and pans separately for a very good profit. Click here to see completed listings on eBay.

Littonware Microwave Cookware. This item is often overlooked. I have sold this item myself and twice it shipped internationally. This type of cookware was introduced in the late 1970's – early 1980's when the popularity of the microwave oven was increasing. This product was created for use specifically in microwave ovens. The sets will sell for the most – but don’t pass up single units. Littonware made all sorts of different products including casserole dishes, cake pans (including a Bundt cake pan), muffin pans, and Dutch ovens. Click here to see completed listings.

Martha Stewart cookie cutters. Here is a product that has increased in value over the years. Some of these can sell for over $80 – for one cookie cutter!. If the item has been retired, it will definitely be worth more. If you have not sold these before, do your homework before hitting estate sales or thrift stores. These cookie cutters are usually made of copper or metal, are solid (closed) on one side, and have a little handle on the top. Used Martha Stewart cookie cutters have a very high sell through rate. Click here to see completed listings.

Fireking Mugs. These are the heavy milky-white mugs that were made in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970s. Restaurants often used these mugs for advertising so you might find logos on them such as Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Sambos. The famous and valuable Snoopy mugs were made by Fireking. Even if the mugs don’t have advertising on them, they are still good sellers on eBay. Fireking comes in a variety of colors other than white including green, blue, red, orange, and yellow. Click here to see completed listings on eBay.

Do you have a Top 5 kitchen item to share? If so, please leave a comment below and feel free to link to a listing in your eBay store if you like!

Related articles:

Vintage Pyrex Bowls

Vintage Measuring Cups

Squeezo Food Strainers

Squeezo Food Strainers

Today's post is contributed by Amy Kagey. You can visit Amy's blog at Collectibles Online Sales.

Squeezos or food strainers or juicers are interesting items that can bought cheaply at garage sales and have a high resale value. These all-metal or half metal/half plastic kitchen tools are used by canners and home cooks to strain, juice and puree fruits and vegetables. They are very useful for making jellies, jams, baby food, tomato sauce and apple sauce.

Vintage Squeezos sell especially well on Ebay since not all older parts are interchangeable with newer models. I have found that the all-metal older models are more desirable than the newer models with plastic parts, though there is definitely a market out there for both since newer models can cost as much as $200.00.

Even just single parts of Squeezos are valuable on Ebay to the home cook who is missing a part of her Squeezo which isn't made anymore. You will see people on Ebay selling only the feeder, the plunger or the different screens in seperate auctions. If you familiarize yourself with the different parts, you may find them in boxes of random kitchen tools. You can also sell your Squeezo with missing parts, as many people are looking for their missing pieces or will be willing to purchase a missing part elsewhere. Be sure to mention any rust to the metal parts or any cracks in plastic parts, particularly the scroll piece.

Some names of Squeezo or strainer makers to be familiar with are Garden Way, Berarducci, and Victorio/Vitantonio. You may find the aluminum parts with these names embossed on them, just the name Squeezo or possibly printed on their original boxes.

If you want to photograph your Squeezo assembled according to its directions to show that it is complete, you will probably realize a higher selling price. If you're not willing to do that or aren't sure if all of the pieces are there, it's fine to just photograph the parts laid out. Generally, the buyer are very knowledgeable about these items.

Some examples of recent sales on Ebay:

New Garden Ways All Metal Squeezo Strainer - Sold for $160.50


Berarducci Metal Squeezo Strainer - Sold for $71

Vintage Squeezo Strainer Hand Crank w Chute & Filter - Sold for $42.73

The most I have ever paid for these at sales is only $20.00 and in some cases, I've only paid a few dollars. They are definitely great items to look for that sometimes are undervalued at garage sales.

Terapeak shows Squeezo Strainers with a 92.37% sell through rate!

Thanks, Amy, for this great information! If you would like to write a guest post about a specific eBay item or niche, contact me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com for consideration.

Niche Item - Vintage Measuring Cups

Keep your eye out for these at estate sales, garage sales, and thrift stores. Vintage kitchen gadgets are a great niche. Here are some recent listings for vintage measuring cups.


Vintage Tufglas Measuring Cup - sold for $43.01


Vintage Enamelware Measuring Cup - sold for $37.73


Vintage Vaseline Measuring Cup - sold for $33.00

Click here to check out my free list of more great vintage finds you can sell on eBay. And if you haven't downloaded it yet, get your free copy of my eBook Hot Brands to Sell on eBay which contains over 200 brand names and vintage items to sell for great profit.

Happy Selling!