Consignment

Have Something Good?

We take a small number of pieces on consignment, chosen one at a time, by eye. If yours is right for this floor we will say so quickly. If it is not, we will say that quickly too, and usually tell you where it belongs instead.

Submit a piece for consideration See what we look for

Hero slot · a styled interior, or a group of exceptional objects
arranged and lit the way an accepted piece would be

Not sure if your piece fits? Answer four questions

Start Here: The Fit Finder

Four questions. It will not decide anything — only we can do that — but it will tell you which route is worth your time.

What is it?

Question 1 of 4

Nothing chosen yet.

Pick one from each and we will point you at the right route.

What this is, and what it is not

One person chooses every piece. That is the whole reason to be selective, and the whole reason a good piece does well here.

One person chooses

Not a buying committee. If a piece is here it earned its place, and somebody can tell you where it came from.

Design and personality

An unusual piece with a point of view often does better here than something conventionally expensive.

Provenance and condition

What is known about where a piece came from matters, and so does an honest account of its condition.

It has to fit

Every item must make sense within the collection. Selective is not a judgement on the piece — it is about the room it is going into.

No guarantee

Submitting photographs does not guarantee acceptance. We answer honestly and quickly either way.

Large pieces

Anything substantial needs advance consideration. Tell us the dimensions early and we will say whether there is room.

What we look for

Furniture, lighting, art and the objects that furnish a room are the heart of what we take.

Hollywood RegencyLacquer, brass, mirrored surfaces and confidence.
Art DecoMachine-age geometry. Chrome, bakelite, stepped forms.
Exceptional lightingTable lamps, sconces, chandeliers. Original wiring is not required.
1970s rain lampsThe real thing — oil-drip hanging lamps, working or not.
Designer furnitureNamed makers, labelled or documented where possible.
Sculptural decorative objectsThings with no use and a strong silhouette.
Vintage barware and glasswareDecanters, coupes, ice buckets, complete sets.
Needlepoint and textile artFramed or unframed, particularly unusual subjects.
California designPottery, furniture and studio work made in this state.
San Francisco history and ephemeraSignage, photographs, documents, printed matter.
A strong point of viewIf it does not fit a category but changes the room, send it anyway.

Furniture by typeCase goods, seating, dining and occasional tables, cabinets, desks, bar carts.
Art and mirrorsPaintings, prints, works on paper, and mirrors whose frame is part of the piece.
Tableware and servingPorcelain, silver, complete services, trays and serving pieces.
LinensTable linens and household textiles, hand-worked or unusual.
CollectiblesThings collected as a set or a run, where completeness is the point: pottery lines, glass ranges, matched groups.

Toys. We generally do not take toys, but we make exceptions for unusual, collectible or especially memorable pieces. Send photographs anyway.

Exceptional fashion & accessories

We are not a clothing store, and we do not intend to become one. We will, however, consider exceptional vintage fashion, jewelry and accessories when the design, history, condition or rarity makes the piece right for the collection.

Have these in your archive? We buy or consign.

Unique vintage jewelry
Handbags
Dresses from the 1920s through the 1940s
Novelty clothing with exceptional prints, including Peter Max-era graphics
Tapestry jackets
Statement brooches and accessories
Select vintage fur

Vintage fur. We will consider vintage fur when it can be legally sold. We cannot accept protected or illegal species, or pieces that retain paws, heads or other identifying animal parts. Sorry, but that is a firm no.

Every piece must be reviewed before it is accepted. Inclusion in this guide does not guarantee that we will buy or consign an item. Please do not take a pass personally. We consider authenticity, condition, demand, provenance, presentation and whether the piece makes sense for the shop.

Buying note. For our personal collection, we are always looking for vintage enamel brooches. The larger the flower, the better.

Designer directory

Named makers we watch for, in home and in fashion, each with a short history and what we look for in a piece.

See the designer directory →

This is a guide, not a promise.

What actually happens to a piece once it is here

Submit details and photographs

Through the form below. Everything stays private to the submission.

We review the piece

Personally, and usually within a few days.

Accepted pieces are scheduled for intake

We agree a time that suits and confirm what to bring.

The piece is prepared and presented

Placed, described and photographed for the floor and the site.

You are notified after a completed sale

With the sale price and the date.

Payment follows the approved terms

We reconcile monthly. In the first week of each month we run the sales for the month before, matched by code, and you are paid within fourteen days of that, with a statement listing each piece that sold.

Presentation and storytelling

An accepted piece is placed where it makes sense rather than wherever there is room. It is described accurately, with whatever is genuinely known about its design context or history attached, because provenance is most of what makes a vintage object worth more than a used one.

The audience is collectors, interior designers and people who came looking for something particular. Presentation online and in the store follows the same standard.

Slot · a consigned piece staged on the floor

Pricing schedule

A piece that has not found its person keeps getting a fresh chance rather than going stale at a number the market already refused.

See the full reduction schedule

Reduction	Timing	Label	Explanation
At the asking price	Days 1 – 30	Starting price	The piece goes out at the price agreed with you and written down before it arrives.
30% off	After 30 days	First reduction	The piece has been seen by the regular audience. A modest move keeps it in front of new eyes.
50% off	After 60 days	Second reduction	Two months on the floor. This is usually the point at which a good piece finds its person.
65% off	After 75 days	Final reduction	The last scheduled step, and the widest audience the piece will reach here. The term still ends on day 90.

When the ninety days end. The term ends on the ninetieth day and is not extended, and the same schedule applies to every piece, agreed in advance, with no case-by-case negotiation. Collect the piece within fourteen days and we will have it wrapped and ready, or tell us at the start if you would rather it were donated to a local charity on your behalf. If you prefer, we will make you an outright offer instead. Nothing is owed to the shop if a piece does not sell.

Dropping off and collecting. Both by appointment, booked after we have seen photographs and said yes. Allow twenty minutes: we measure, photograph, condition-check and write the agreement with you there, and you leave with a copy and your item codes. Email us a code at any time and we will tell you where the piece stands.

Estimate what a piece would pay

Why the split is what it is

Move the sliders. The figures follow the same schedule above, so you can see what a piece returns at each stage rather than working it out on paper.

Expected selling price $450 Your share 50% Agreed per piece and written down before anything arrives.

Stage	Ticket	You receive	Shop share
At the asking price	$450	$225	$225
First reduction	$315	$158	$158
Second reduction	$225	$113	$113
Final reduction	$158	$79	$79

An estimate, not an offer. It uses the published schedule and the split you set here — the actual figures go in your agreement before the piece leaves your house.

How to submit items

Take it in four calm passes. Nothing is required beyond a way to reach you and enough about the piece for us to answer properly. If you have something good, we would like to see it.

What helps us evaluate a piece

The basics

What it is, in a few words Approximate era or date Dimensions, even rough ones Materials

Condition

An honest account Repairs or alterations Missing parts A photograph of the worst flaw

Origin

Designer, maker or manufacturer if known Any label, stamp or signature Where it came from How you acquired it

Practicalities

Where the piece is now Whether it is large or heavy Any timing that matters One item or a collection

Contact

Your nameRequired What we should call you when we reply. Tell us what to call you. Email addressRequired Where the reply goes. Read it back once: a typo here is the usual reason somebody never hears from us. We need an email address to reply to. Check it for typos. TelephoneOptional Useful for large pieces and whole collections, where one call settles more than six emails. How would you rather be reached? We use this for the first reply and for everything after it. Your town or cityOptional Where you are, which may not be where the piece is. It tells us whether a visit is practical.

About the piece

What kind of piece is it? Pick the closest fit. If nothing matches, choose Something else and describe it further down. Title, or one line that identifies itRequired How you would describe it on the telephone. For example: pair of 1970s oil-drip rain lamps. Give the piece a one-line title so we know what we are looking at. Designer, maker or manufacturerOptional A name, a paper label, a stamp, or a number underneath. Unsigned is a real answer and we would rather have it than a guess. Roughly when was it made?Optional A decade is enough. Write c. 1972 if you are estimating, or leave it blank if you have no idea. What is it made of?Optional Wood, brass, glass, marble, lacquer, cane, fabric. Name what you can see and say where you are unsure. SizeOptional Width, depth and height in inches, in that order. A tape measure is accurate enough. For a lamp, include the drop. Overall condition Choose the honest option. Needs work does not disqualify a piece; a description that turns out to be wrong at intake does. Repairs, alterations, losses or missing partsOptional Chips, cracks, a rewire, replaced hardware, refinishing, a missing finial. Write none known if you are not aware of any. Where has it been?Optional Who owned it, where it lived, and anything on paper: a receipt, an auction lot number, a photograph of it in a room. How did it come to you?Optional Inherited, bought at an estate sale, found in a garage. We ask because we tell a piece's story when we sell it. Anything else we should knowOptional The thing you would say last. A reason for selling, a quirk, a smell, a story that belongs with the piece.

Logistics

Where is the piece right now?Optional Town or neighbourhood, and whether it is in a house, a garage or a storage unit. This decides who collects it and when. Can you move it yourself? Anything one person cannot carry down a flight of stairs counts as help needed. We arrange collection for pieces we accept. Is there a deadline?Optional A move, a close of escrow, a storage unit about to expire. Write none if there is no pressure. One piece, or more than one? This decides whether we look at a single item or arrange a visit.

Submitting photographs does not guarantee acceptance. We reply personally either way, and if a piece is not for us we will usually say who it is for.

Prefer email? Write to treasurehunter@sanfranciscovintage.com with the subject “Consignment Submission.”

Looking for a direct sale instead?

Some pieces are better suited to selling outright. See what we currently buy.

Sell to us Compare the two