What’s My Vintage Stove Worth?

Those new to selling their vintage stove wonder, “What’s my stove worth?”

There is a tendency to underestimate the items that are easily acquired. That old stove that came with your house may have spoiled you.  That and perhaps your past, when the kitchen stove you grew up with didn’t get replaced often, if ever. In the back of your mind, you may have assumed newer stoves will be similar in longevity.

A modern day stove may last well under five years before you need to replace/repair it. Today’s appliances are deliberately built to be replaced every couple/few years so producers can make more money.

Vintage stoves were intentionally built to be of high quality and repairable. They persist, asking for minimal TLC.

Yet vintage stove sellers have dreams of grandeur. They see asking prices in the thousands on ebay. Some believe the dustier and more shambled their stove looks lends authenticity and antiqueness, thus increasing its value.

It’s important to know the vintage stoves commerce is a special collectibles market, like vintage cars, paintings or antiques. There are no set prices. Anything goes. And there are far fewer buyers in that market than in the new appliance market.

The reality is, with a few exceptions, with the typical vintage stove, a seller will be lucky to get low to mid hundreds for their stove. Lots of sellers who didn’t do their homework set a lofty asking price, wait and wait, then get frustrated there was no interest in their offer and decide to just give the stove away.

The other reality – final prices are based on individual transactions between buyers and sellers. There’s no set price, no “fair” price.

In addition to a stove’s cosmetic condition and brand, another major factor that can impact the value of the stove is its location. Some regions can have a higher concentration of a popular brand because the factory was nearby. The further the stove is from its origin, the rarer it will be, which might increase its value to those who know the market and what they want.

Professionally, fully restored vintage stoves can sell in the thousands. That’s because it costs thousands to fully restore them. If the stove has porcelain enamel, a recoating and a high quality chrome replating cost quite a lot (thousands). Add to that, new wiring harness, new gas plumbing, updated safety systems, etc. https://dreamstoves.com/restoration-process.html

Some vintage parts, most of which are no longer made, have to be located within specialized markets. Those can also cost because of their rarity. Finding technicians who will work on vintage stoves is also a challenge and expensive.

Sellers and buyers often struggle to understand what a good asking price is. Some sellers, afraid to set one, simply state “best offer”. To get a better handle on asking prices, sellers and buyers should review vintage stoves for sale in eBay, Facebook’s Marketplace, local craigslists, and local thrift shops, etc. Those prices usually won’t be close to the final selling price, however. But it’s a starting point. Ask members who belong to vintage stove and appliance groups what they’ve sold/bought their stoves for.

Regular unrestored vintage stoves from individual owners sell in the low to mid hundreds, ballpark. Unless the buyer is local and has access to suitable transportation, a buyer must also consider transportation costs. Finally, the buyer may have to consider repair, maintenance, installation and restoration costs. Those are sizable unknowns and tend to chill a buyer’s enthusiasm. Sellers should consider that.

Most American consumers still march to the mantra of “new is best”, willfully ignoring the brutal impact of planned obsolescence of newer stoves (and other appliances) on their wallet. Modern appliance makers build short-lived products. Those new environmentally friendly boxes pile up faster in the land fill than ever before. Talk to any highly experienced appliance repair technician. They’ll tell you the new stuff is mostly garbage and it’s very hard to get many companies to honor their warranties.

For better and worse, most vintage stoves get about 1/10th to 1/20th of what they are functionally worth. This makes the vintage stove market a bit confusing for newcomers. If the vintage stuff is so much better, why can’t it fetch a great price?

IOW, that 50-100 yr old working appliance you may want to dump, set aside or sell may still has 20 to 50 years of life left in it. It will outlast the next the 4-5 new stoves you’ll buy. Also, it will bake far better. But it has little monetary value? Typically, that’s the reality.

 

But if you’re intent on selling, make what you are selling looks as clean and attractive as possible. Show lots of clear, well lit photos, interior and exterior. Provide as much info as possible, such as asking price, approximate age, dimensions, history, city. Patience is key. Luck is another key.

Vintage and antique stoves fall into a special category because people usually associate them with fond memories of their parents or other family members, holiday meals, etc. That can make it tricky to settle on a price. Proceed thoughtfully.

Ultimately, a vintage stove will have various individualized values. For the buyer, a used item comes with potential repair, restoration and parts costs as well as transportation and installation costs, usually no warranties or guarantees. With gas stoves, there can be safety regulations and rules to adhere to. IOW, there can some big unknowns for the buyer. That might impact the stove’s value.

With all that, vintage and antique stoves come with quality, repairability, superior home cooking and baking features and they scream style! It’s not easy to find an appliance these days that can fill you with warmth and joy just by being in your kitchen.

What I often tell people intending to sell their vintage stove to buy a new stove.

Today’s appliance techs don’t know squat about vintage appliances. Seriously. And they’ve no brain capacity to think thru the elegant simplicity of a vintage stove and are not interested in learning about them. While there are not tons of vintage stove specialists in the country who can tackle your stove, they do exist. Many are listed on this page in my blog: A few vintage and antique stove businesses.

Many vintage stove owners have been incredibly spoiled in expecting any new stove will last as long and will be as problem free as their current stove. Believe it or not, a new stove may last 2-4 years before a motherboard fries or some other catastrophic technological problem happens. Likely, any needed replacement part won’t be available because they’ll no longer be made. Consumers are expected to toss the stove they bought a few years ago, like their smartphones, and buy new stoves. And modern stove makers will hope consumers will just keep buying replacement stoves every few years, regardless of brand.

If you’re trying to sell your vintage stove you likely will not find a buyer, regardless of the fact that your stove has high value, functionally speaking. Once fixed and with minor maintenance, your vintage stove will probably last 20-40 more years.

Since chances are it may be hard to find a seller, perhaps a compromise is in order. Consider setting your stove aside, like in storage or a garage. It’s a guarantee you will need your vintage stove in no time. And you may begin to appreciate the quality of the stove you already have. You see, your vintage stove was made in an era when stove makers took pride in making reliable, high quality products that repairable and would last generations.

Modern appliance makers make appliances meant to be tossed, although they don’t seem to price them that way.

Vintage Stove Restorations & Repair Notes