5 more tips from readers: How to find vintage lighting at affordable prices

Stop at every garage sale. Ask new neighbors if they want their home’s old fixtures. Don’t forget the town dump. These were just a few of the crazy-in-a-good-way suggestions from our resourceful readers left on our recent story six tips to find affordable vintage lighting in a midcentury modern market gone mad, which bemoaned rising prices. These new suggestions can get results! Thanks to our determined readers — not too shy to share their methods for getting the good stuff cheap — here are five more steps to take to help you find that vintage fixture of your dreams.

1. Dumpster divers and demolition trackers unite!

Janet in CT says:

I started collecting in the mid-nineties although everyone thought I was nuts! The word got around and I have cleaned out many old houses, the best of which was my landlord’s grandfather’s house, an old 1700′s cape but full of mid-century stuff! They were filling up trash bags with everything because they were so sick of cleaning it out. I went through DOZENS of trash bags, and some fellow stopped and took the bags I went through for the same purpose! I have never gotten so much “stuff” out of a house as I did that one! I have enough saved to furnish our fifties ranch up in Maine short of mattresses and a TV, which my husband wants new. I have a garage full of my stuff and a cousin who does the same, and I figure I will have plenty left over to sell when done, which is what she does in her retirement.

Annie B. says:

Don’t be afraid to be a trash pick-up “gleaner.” You never know what might appear curbside the night before a scheduled trash pick-up. You can get really lucky sometimes. I know that I’ve set out all sorts of things with still usable parts in hopes that a “gleaner” might come by before the trash truck does – and they do.

David says:

Another way to score vintage lighting or anything like a led light panel is be aware of homes that contractors or home owners will bulldoze. While driving around I will notice a zoning sign for a house they will demo and follow up on it regularly. Often times if you contact the developer he will give it to you free or cheap. It is a way to keep things out of the land fill. Or at an estate sale they may be ok with selling the item that you can take off easily or they may be listing the house as a teardown so the fixtures will be for sale too. I will in addition look on Craigslist for things under teardown, demolished, bulldoze etc. and often times get great items.

Jamie D. says:

We have a local resource in my city’s historic district called the Artifacts Bank for this stuff. When old buildings are in disrepair and get gutted or demolished, some of the contractors try to save what they can and donate (sell? I’m not sure exactly how it works) stuff to the Artifacts bank, which they end up selling and then a portion of the proceeds goes to maintaining the historic district. The midcentury items are few and far between, but there are frequently MASSIVE drainboard and farmhouse sinks, doorknobs, doors, small quantities of beautiful old tiles, and light fixtures.

JP says:

Don’t forget office buildings (or schools). A lot of commercial and insitutional building have great stuff that often finds its way into dumpsters. Ever pay close attention to the furniture and lighting in old schools, police stations, and other government buildings? I’d say more $$ for public spaces went to Herman Miller than residential $$s.

Mary Elizabeth says:

Oh, and I forgot my husband’s favorite vintage find location, the share table at the local transfer station, a.k.a. the town dump. This year’s scores were a large abstract stained glass window hanging for our bay window (not Frank Lloyd Wright, but similar in feel) and a stone base for my bird bath. He’s also seen stuff we weren’t looking for, like candle holders and a huge TV console. If you bring your trash to a transfer station, keep your eyes open for stuff left outside the bins and ask if you can take it.

2. Stalk every place you can think of

Wendy in St. Louis says:

Yes, the glory days of regularly finding cheap mid century gems, lighting or otherwise, are sadly over for the most part. I have been collecting 50′s and 60′s stuff since…lord I’m old…1980ish when I bought my first vintage radio at a flea market. Then I got into estate sales and could fill my car for very little money. It’s really sad to me that prices are so outrageous. My tips:

1. Garage sales. ALWAYS stop, especially in older neighborhoods. Even if it looks like a bunch of junk or all kid’s stuff from the street, there might be a dusty fixture that was hauled up from the basement or stored in the garage. And ASK them if they might have any fixtures – some people don’t bother to put them out because they are “junk”.

1. Estate sales. ALWAYS stop. This is a lot harder, since the dealers get there *early*, but treasure is still to be found. I go to the basement first, then the garage. [So does Pam – see her 8 tips for shopping an estate sale here.]
2. Flea markets. ALWAYS stop. (sensing a pattern here? ? ) Especially if they’re off the beaten path.
3. If you spot fixtures at a sale that aren’t for sale, write down the address. Write a letter expressing your interest, and mail it to the address. Whoever is liquidating the estate, usually the children, might sell to you. Be polite, and you also have to tell them you will replace the fixture with something new. This is a little more expensive to do, but depending on the fixture, it can be worth it.
4. If they won’t sell to you, keep the address and monitor the real estate listings. Contact the new owners when the home sells. (Again, write a polite letter.) In this case don’t offer to replace the fixture, just offer whatever you’re willing to spend towards a new fixture.
5. Watch real estate listings in zip codes that have older homes. Go to the open houses. Ask the agent to make an offer to the sellers – you’ll replace the fixtures with nice new ones for the old ones. This is a long shot, but it’s a free upgrade for the sellers…they might bite. Changing a fixture is easy, you just need a ladder and some very basic tools and an assortment of wire caps. Don’t forget to turn off the breaker to the light!
6. Know any real estate agents? Have them alert you if they get a listing with “goodies” and proceed with suggestion #5.
7. Teardowns. If you can find out the companies that do teardowns in your area, ask them to call you whenever they have a new demolition scheduled. Some companies already advertise…do a web search with ‘demolition sale xxxxxxx’ (xxxxx being your city.)
8. “We Buy Ugly Houses.” There is usually one in every city. Call them and tell them you’re interested in their ugly fixtures.
9. Builders. Look for neighborhoods with a lot of teardowns. Find out who the builders are – usually there’s a sign in the yard “Coming Soon…” Many builders don’t bother trying to salvage fixtures, or they sell to scrappers. Contact them and try to set up a deal. They’ll get more $ from you than they will from a scrapper.
10. Craigslist. Prices can be high here too, but there are still good items. You have to be prepared to drop everything and get the item right away, or you might lose it to someone else who offers more money. Yes, I’ve gotten callbacks from sellers cancelling our deal because of this. Pffft!
11. Vacations. Allow extra time to go to sales, junk stores and flea markets in the area. Bonus if you’re driving… there are many huge flea markets/junk barns along rural highways that aren’t advertised other than an old billboard or just “Flea Market” painted on the side of the building.
12. Friends, coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances. Make sure they know your interest in vintage fixtures. If I meet someone new who asks what I do, I mention my job, and then mention my interest in vintage. Two examples: Someone in my best friend’s office mentioned he was getting rid of a bunch of old stuff, so she asked for any things from the 50’s or 60’s. I scored a triple cone table lamp (the cones are black, white, and orange!!), and a Culver cocktail set. For free. A coworker of mine bought an old house and told me about it since he knew I “liked old stuff”. Unfortunately there were no goodies, but the more people who know you’re into it, the better. You never know!

3. Don’t give up on tried and true methods

Erin in Ohio says:

GARAGE SALES. My husband and I have had great luck at garage sales over the years, especially at garage sales in rural or small towns where people see midcentury items and still only think of it as “old stuff.”

Mike A. says:

I would still look at ebay, Craigslist and shopgoodwill.com. I recently bought a starlight ceiling light on ebay for $50 with shipping, the same as at Rejuvenation (Nimbus), which sells for $210. I just had to put in a new socket. Also check out local auctions/salvage places in your area. On ebay try the ‘Buy it nows’ and offer less. Also, with a lot of the ceiling type fixtures, it is the shade that is expensive. Buy a simple base or use off another light and get a used shade that fits properly.

pyrexmaniac says:

I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned consignment stores. I have residences in both Buffalo and Toronto and I find that antique stores, co-ops and estate sale purveyors are already “on” to the hot market for lighting, meaning that there are very few bargains to be had. Consignment stores, on the other hand, typically price their merchandise to sell. The two biggest ‘home consignment galleries’ in Toronto sell what I would consider top-quality, mid-to-high end furnishings from all eras at VERY REASONABLE prices.

Amy says:

I get a lot of great deals on ebay… they are there to be found. Not $5 Bertoia chairs, but for example I got a GORGEOUS pull-down lamp with a swoopy glass shade, and in near perfect condition, for $65 + $25 shipping. So, $90. Not $10, but you could easily spend $90 at IKEA on a chandelier. That’s how I think of all my vintage purchases: Might I spend this much on something similar at IKEA? If the answer is “Yes,” or “Nearly,” I almost always make the buy, because I’ve owned a lot of IKEA in my day and it won’t hold up as well as something that’s already 40-60 years old but in fab condition.

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My ebay tips are:

• Look thru the whole categories — not just Antiques / Periods & Styles, but also Collectibles. Instead of searching for very specific terms, look more generally. Like “pair lamps” not “pair atomic lamps.”
• Yes, you have to wade through a lot of “junk” you’re not interested in… but that’s how you find bargains.
• A lot of professional sellers take advantage of buyers’ search/research laziness, that’s how they can command higher prices.
• Also: note that a Buy It Now is never fixed in stone. Just cuz it’s listed as BIN, doesn’t mean it will sell for that. (I see the same stuff listed for sale for months — no bites.) If a price is nearly what you want, you can ALWAYS email the seller and ask if they’d consider working with you on your budget. For me, this works 8 times out of 10.

Just use your new powers for good… and don’t go up against me in a bidding war

4. Ask nicely and you may recieve

Lynne says:

Really, don’t be too afraid to knock on a door. This past summer, the house up the street sold. That house was built by the same contractor as mine, and they had identical Andersen windows. Not long after they moved in, we noticed a Pella truck parked outside. Sure enough, they were replacing all of the old windows. So, I summoned up my courage, knocked, introduced myself, and explained that we had the same windows that they were replacing. Long story somewhat shortened, we now have all the necessary window cranks, and replacement parts we will ever need to keep our original Andersen’s in good working order. All for free. They welcomed me to take anything I needed or wanted. They also told the installer to expect us to come poking around.

Also, make nice to the Habitat folks. After a little while, I became known, I like to think of it as affectionately, “the pink toilet lady”. They knew what sorts of things I was looking for, and actually put my phone number up on their bulletin board in the office. They called me whenever anything that might interest me came in.

Victoria says:

As for the tip on scouting renovations in your neighborhood — we got a whole set of parts for our 1960 cooktop, as well as diamond backplates and cabinet handles from the tear out next door by just being interested. They didn’t want the stuff. We also got a couple of good pieces of the cabinet wood that matches ours that we can use in case of repairs. Don’t be shy. Most people — still — are throwing the stuff away, unaware that it has value.

5. Get out of the city

Robin, NV says:

Here’s my tip – get off the beaten path. Out here in rural America, mid mod madness has not hit. Thrift stores sometimes have lighting for cheap. Even antique shops might have some and they still sell it cheaper than Victorian and Arts and Crafts fixtures.

Lynne says:

Were auctions on that list of where to find vintage lighting? The small local and farm auctions are great sources.

Oh dear readers, how we love thee. Thank you for sharing some of mid mod mad ideas for finding the good stuff — even if it does make us all sound a bit off our rockers. For those on the hunt for that vintage lighting deal — or deals of every kind! — good luck and may the Retro Decorating Dods be with you.

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