treasure.spotter

jenandtonic asked: Hi Andrea, You have a great eye-I love seeing what you find. I was wondering if you might be able to help me with a mission I'm on? I'm interested in building a Le Creuset cookware set, using a variety of colors & styles. Am I crazy? Is this impossible, or rather impossibly expensive, especially since I live in NYC? Where do I even start? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks! Jen

Creating a thrifted collection can be challenging when it is very item-specific. I once started to collect various 70’s flatware pieces with the intention of making a set, but gave up after about a month. The pickings were just too slim and it became apparent that it would take way too long to amass enough pieces for a functional set.

Instead, I turned to eBay. There, after holding off long enough to study the market, I was able to put together a full set at the best possible price.

In your case, there is even more reason to go this route. Thrifting in NYC is highly competitive and expensive — I, myself don’t do it at all. In addition, Le Creuset is highly desirable, and because it is incredibly sturdy, people hold on to it and don’t donate it to charity thrift shops.

Using eBay and Etsy, you can still have fun curating a tailor-made set for yourself. Take your time, get to know the market, and only buy or bid on exactly the pieces you want. You will still be getting a bargain compared to the price of new.

It’s the pace of acquisition (i.e. one at a time as you can find and afford them) that makes building a collection in this manner so much fun, IMO. It gives you something to look forward to each time, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you spent your money wisely.

Here is a link to LeCreuset on ebay to get you started. I always check completed auctions first, because they show what people are actually paying.

Good luck and please let me know how you do!

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