The pursuit of purchasing vintage Fiesta tableware does not have to be an activity that results in unreasonably high costs. It’s second nature for me to haggle down a good deal on old Fiesta pieces while I’m shopping for new additions to my collection. It goes against my grain to purchase Fiestaware at the full price listed on the packaging, so I do so very infrequently.
When I look for a fiesta at antique shops or art galleries, I almost always find prices that are substantially above what I would consider reasonable. Although antique Fiesta tableware is a highly sought-after collector, there are only a handful of pieces that can be considered truly rare; otherwise, the product is not in short supply. In my experience, you can find at least a few Fiesta items in at least two out of every three antique shops, which leads me to believe that it might not be all that difficult to locate. Because of this, at least from my perspective, any argument for outrageously high pricing just doesn’t seem reasonable to me, and as a result, I just refuse to pay them. You might be wondering about bin stores near me and how I might go about collecting pieces of vintage Fiestaware. I bargain.
I LOVE to bargain. When I was still a very young child, my mother, who I consider to this day to be the absolute “Queen” of shopping for a good deal, started teaching me the fundamentals of how to negotiate. I was a good student, and I dare say that now, after so many years, my abilities in this field are on par with hers, although she will always be superior. Just the topic of shopping for deals could fill an entire another story of mine, and I have enough material for that.
The majority of customers will enter an antique shop, look at the variety of vintage Fiesta on display, consider whether or not they want to make a purchase, select the pieces from the display that they are interested in buying, bring their choices to the cash register, pay the proprietor, and then continue with their day. I’m a little different.
When I first enter a store, the first thing I do is survey the complete inventory of Fiestaware that is on sale as well as its general state of repair. No matter how uncommon an item may be, if it is not in fine or very fine condition, I will not purchase it. If it is not in almost flawless condition, I will not even consider purchasing it. I will not purchase items that have cracks (even “hairline” cracks), chips, worn glaze, or any other damage, except utensil marks, which can be removed with relative ease. It doesn’t bother me if there are “skips” in the glaze or if it’s uneven. I don’t come across them very frequently, but when I do, I consider them to be an essential component of the overall process of making the piece.
After making an initial evaluation of the Fiesta selection that is available, I zero in on specific pieces to examine in greater detail. My mind contains a comprehensive inventory of the vintage Fiestaware that I’ve acquired over the years. I am aware of the total number of pieces I possess, and I can roughly estimate the number of items of a certain color or category that I own. As a consequence of this, when I go shopping, it is not difficult for me to identify the items that I am most interested in purchasing for myself.
I perform a comprehensive examination of each component, which includes visually analyzing it as well as physically examining and manipulating it to spot any potential issues or flaws. As a result of doing so, I am now aware of the appropriate price for the item in question. When I finally get around to checking the price tag or sticker, it is typically only after I have finished this standard inspection procedure.
I would say that approximately eighty percent of the time when I am looking for an antique Fiesta, I feel as though the pricing that is advertised could be better (meaning lower). If I’m only looking for a few goods at this stage, I’ll either gather them all together and search for an available salesperson, or I’ll take the items to the counter where they may be paid for. If I want to buy a set or more than a few individual items, I don’t bring them with me to the cash register when I do my shopping.
A word of advice: when you go shopping in an antique mall where there are several “booths” where items are sold, you should be aware before you go that the person working the sales counter typically has a limited ability to negotiate on behalf of the owner of the items in any particular booth. This is something you should be aware of before you go. The authorized price reduction range for a sales representative is typically anywhere from five percent to twenty percent lower than the price that is published. To receive this price reduction, the customer typically needs to do nothing more than request it.
It has been my experience that if you want a larger discount on your purchase of Fiestaware (for example, if you’re purchasing a set or a large number of pieces), the total purchase amount is usually required to be above $50, and it is usually required that the salesperson contact the seller directly and consult him or her. If you want a larger discount on your purchase of Fiestaware, please keep these things in mind.
If you are shopping at an antique store or gallery rather than a “mall,” then you have a better chance of dealing directly with the seller or another individual who has the authority to give you a lower price on the item(s) you are interested in purchasing.
People frequently miss out on price reductions just because they do not inquire about them. I almost always inquire about it. The worst thing that may happen is that the buyer rejects your offer. On the other hand, if you give off the impression that you are truly interested in purchasing the Fiesta, you will, in most cases, get a very positive answer.
I always have a justification ready to give the seller if they act in any way as if they are going to be hostile to my request for a discount on the item. I either explain that I simply do not have the financial means to spend the amount that they are asking for purchase, that I am purchasing multiple pieces and therefore asking for a discount based on volume, or that I find a piece that while not damaged, may be missing a lid or something similar, or that I find a piece that while not damaged, may be missing a lid or something similar.
It is very helpful to let the seller know that if they stock vintage Fiestaware regularly, it is very likely that you will be a repeat customer. In addition to providing additional information as justification for requesting a discounted price, it is also very helpful to let the seller know that you will be requesting a discount.
Believe it or not, my requests for price breaks are rarely denied without being granted some kind of discount, and the majority of the time I receive the price I want or at least one that I’m extremely comfortable paying for the item in question. Even when I went to real flea markets, I was able to find vintage Fiesta at a price that was far more affordable than any price I could have found at an antique shop. This was especially true when I went to flea markets. Even though I am aware that if I pay the price that is being asked by the sellers, I will purchase almost all of the available pieces, I continue to ask for a reduction. In one transaction, a vendor gave me a discount of between 30 and 40 percent off the initial price of all of the items I purchased from them. That right there is what I’d call a steal.
