About three months ago, I wrote an article about a new ratio I was calculating on a regular basis:
eBay sterling flatware selling price / scrap price ratio
The purpose of the ratio is to compare sales of sterling flatware on eBay with the market scrap value of the flatware.
- If the ratio is 1.0 (or 100%), sterling flatware is selling generally on eBay at the scrap price.
- If the ratio less then 1.0 (or 100%), sterling flatware is selling below the scrap price.
- If the ratio is greater than 1.0 (or 100%), sterling flatware is selling above the scrap price.
At the end of October 2011, the ratio was 0.89, a pretty disappointing number. Today, the ratio is 1.04 which means that sterling flatware, in general, is selling on eBay at barely above scrap value. This is better news but still not very encouraging.
What does this mean for you? Not much unless you are considering selling or buying used sterling flatware. The ratio will give you some idea of where the market is. Be aware that for a few patterns, the selling price might be quite a bit higher because of popularity, rarity, etc. Do some research if you are buying or selling.
We’ll look at the ratio again later to see if a trend is developing.
Disclaimer: The method used to select sample actual sales on eBay was not based upon generally accepted statistical sampling methods. The actual ratio could be higher or lower. However, we feel it is reasonably close.
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