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How to Value a Fabric Lot


Many factors go into thrifting fabric online. Unlike stores you can visit in person, online you can only see a few photos of the fabric. You don't know how it smells, if it's been staged to hide soiling or imperfections, or if it's not suitable for use (some very old fabric can be dry-rotted; I recently had a lovely-looking quilt virtually disintegrate when I washed it.) Price is always a factor as well.

This is a lot that was up for bid last month on ShopGoodwill.com, and it appeared to be a full Orchid Mega quilt kit from Robert Kaufman, with new Kona fabrics. Everything looked pretty good in the photos.

I did a little research when I saw it, putting the name of the kit into Google and checking all the listings for new kits. This particular one makes a king-size quilt, and retails on Etsy for $145.00. Bidding started at $9.99, and went all the way up to $114.11. With at least $16.00 minimum additional charge for shipping and handling, that makes it close to what you would pay for it new, so not really a great deal.

Here's another quilting fabric lot that was auctioned last month. Those Stripz jelly rolls retail at the cheapest for $25.00, and the fat quarters are sleeved, which indicates they're new and clean, and are typically priced $1.25 - $2.50. Based on what I'm seeing, I'd put the value of the whole lot at $150.00. It was won for a bid of $61.01, which is a great deal, considering the approximate value. P.S. I didn't bid on either lot -- I was serious when I said I have enough fabric now. :)

Not every fabric lot is so easy to value, however. This pic of a tote of fabric came from the 40 lb. lot I won on a whim bid in August. The quilting idea book from Missouri Star was the main reason I decided to bid on it; I thought anyone who shopped there was definitely a quilter, and probably had a nice fabric stash.

The side view of the 40 lb. lot, which shows some pieced patchwork. That clinched it for me, although I was sure I'd be outbid. I think the reason I wasn't is that the other bidders either didn't look carefully at the listing pics, or skipped over the listing because of the scant pics and details.

If you decide to bid on thrifted fabric at online auctions, look at all the listing photos carefully. I've seen lots of what was listed as fabric for quilts made up of cotton knit, dressmaking and synthetic fabrics, which are actually tough to use for quilting. If you see something like a quilt kit or jelly roll, find the price for new to give you an idea of the value. Finally, consider the condition of the lot. It's tempting to get a lot of fabric for a cheap price, but if it's soiled, fraying or torn you may not get a great value.

Image credit: all of these photos came from actual auction listings on ShopGoodwill.com.

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