WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE to sell your vintage steel kitchen cabinets? As a follow up to my post on how much your metal cabinets may be worth, here is an outline of where and how you can sell them.
The market for these cabinets is very local. People will want to come look at them before they buy and to be sure, it will be a lot cheaper if they can pick them up rather than having to arrange for a moving company. But, “local” actually means “within driving distance” for someone who wants to buy a set of steel kitchen cabinets. So your marketing and outreach should really extend…3 or 4 hours in a circle around where you live. Here are the sources:
1. Craigslist is probably the most common source for cabinet listings when you take into account the entire U.S. I think they will only let you list in one city, and if that is their rule, you should abide by it. What a great service they are providing for free, after all! But, it’s my experience that avid craigslist users really on the hunt for a specific item also set up google alerts so that they will see what comes up around the country. So, make sure that you use good keywords in your listing.
2. My Postwar Steel forum — http://retrorenovation.com/forum — was created in December 2007 to connect buyers and sellers of vintage steel cabinets. It’s also free. I do insist, though, that you include your LOCATION and PHOTOS as these are always requested. And if you are wise, you will also include your EMAIL. Note, after you have sold your cabinets you may come back and delete your listing and email. (And I am beginning to delete all posts after 6 months unless they include groovy photos which we like to ogle forever.) The forum requires registration. Remember your password!
3. eBay — I see lots of listing come up, and only 1 in 10 seems to sell. However, there may be after-market bidding going on (at a lower price). eBay may work for you if you are in a larger market where there are more potential buyers.
If you cannot sell your cabinets, they don’t have to go to the dump! You can take them to Habitat for Humanity / Re-Store, where they can be stored until their next owner finds them. And what a great cause. Remember, though: Condition matters.
Finally, if your cabinets are in really bad shape — with tons of rust, for example — take a look at the hardware. There is a market for vintage cabinet pulls — in particular old Youngstown handles. And, people with the old Geneva’s are always eager to connect with the white plastic concave piece behind the chrome pull. And, folks want the knife hinges that connect the doors to the base and wall cabinets. If you have parts, I’d recommend eBay — as they are not expensive to ship.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Why would anyone in their right mind sell their vintage metal cabinets?
Hi! I run the architectural salvage department at Rejuvenation’s Portland, Oregon store. We purchase steel kitchen cabinet sets in good condition (there aren’t many out there!), and the occasional individual piece as well. We’re always looking for single- and double-drainboard sinks, with or without their steel cabinets (Youngstown and the like). Midcentury restoration is really taking off in the Portland area, as it is in many places. I’d encourage folks to look for architectural salvage dealers in their locality both for selling stuff like steel cabinets, and for finding those elusive pieces for their own restoration projects!
In addition to Habitat for Humanity / Re-Store, many cities also have ReUse stores specializing in architectural salvage. Buffalo, NY, where I live, has a spectacular ReUse store, and it is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to salvaging usable architectural features from homes & building facing demolition. I don’t know whether the store will pay for pieces or simply relies on donations. Prices are usually quite reasonable and supply is constantly changing. I know store such as this are beginning to pop up in other cities as well.
Pam – This is totally off topic, but seeing your awesome kitchen reminded me… Do you have any close-up pictures of your kitchen floor? I’d love to see the scale of the pattern of Azrock’s ‘Autumn Haze’.
Hi Nancy, I’ll have to look around for a photo, not sure. Do you want me to scan a tile for you from my boxes of extras?
Also, I did call the customer service line at Azrock/Tarkett to ask whether their vct tiles could be installed back-side-up. The answer is ‘no’ – the bottom side is not coated and would get very dirty fast, while the top side is coated and would not adhere well, they said. Good try, though!
I’d love to see how the tile looks “in action”… how streaky it is when laid out.
We went to a flooring store the other day and found a few “new” companies that offer pretty cool looking tiles. Mannington Commercial makes VCT tiles. Flexco makes rubber tile. Also, Tilo makes a beautiful linoleum (unfortunately, it only comes in tile form).
Thanks for checking with Azrock. The backs of the tiles have a PERFECT 50’s look. Too bad!
Nancy – click on the photo in this post a couple of times and it will enlarge pretty darn big. It’s Meredith’s kitchen, Azrock Cortina professionally polished: http://retrorenovation.com/2008/11/25/do-i-need-to-polish-my-vinyl-vct-tiles-readers-please-weigh-in/
That looks a-ma-zing! Do you know what color that is?
Autumn Haze. Have you seen my Flooring page? http://retrorenovation.com/flooring/
Yup! It is a great resource! =)
I think Krinstinski said it best; “Kristinski 04.09.09 at 4:18 pm
Why would anyone in their right mind sell their vintage metal cabinets?”!
Chris
Cabinet sellers – please do not try to post your cabinets for sale here in this Comments section (I will not approve them)…. Go to the Forum: http://retrorenovation.com/forum
Thank you!
Being sort of new to this (even though I lived through it once), where can I find out how to identify the various metal cabinet manufacturers?
Jan, welcome. Over on the Forum, readers and I have identified 70 different brands. Go take a look. http://retrorenovation.com/forum. In some cases, there are photos, but not always…this is a work in progress and honestly, I do not currently put much time into it except to makes sure I capture the basic names and photos as they come in. The easiest way, of course, is if there is a label. If not, then it’s a bit like identifying characteristics of a vintage car. If the brand is distinctive, you can ID it by the basic design or by the handles. Start going through the posts, too, and you can start identifying them. Look at Categories / By Room / Kitchens / Steel Kitchen Cabinets