Collecting Royal Winton - here's a tip: try international Ebay sites.

UK eBay Sites

I collect Royal Winton Pink Petunia and Old Cottage Chintz for my mother-in-law. But I always get out-bid by Australian eBay buyers. Most items (even the smallest) go for up to (and sometimes over) $200.

So one day, I logged on to eBay UK and - volia! Fabulous Royal Winton items for a fraction of the price. Most of them are BIN, will happily post to Australia, and UK to Aust postage is relatively cheap, and very efficient. All in all I have paid a fraction of the price that I would normally do by going into a bidding war with Australian collectors, including the cost of postage.

Things To Watch Out For

Buy from sellers with great reputations and high feedback scores. Make sure your item has the appropriate Royal Winton makings, do not have any chips or cracks. Also ensure that the packaging is of very high quality.

Why Is This Better?

First of all, there are more antiques in England than in Australia. Postage from England to Australia is very fast, cheap and reliable. I just bought a very beautiful Royal Winton Old Cottage Chintz Salt & Pepper Shaker for only $32 AUD, including postage - this would cost me at least 3 to 4 times as much in Australia. The sellers there are wonderful and I haven't had any problems whatsoever.