I really prefer looking to eBay as a guide on this topic because frankly, that is where most people will look when searching for a hard to find decorative plate or other collectible. Some people do prefer to go to specialty shops, but they often end up paying top dollar for whatever they are looking for simply because the owner of the shop is most likely going to charge whatever he or she can get. It is simple economics. They have no chance of something bidding up, so they must price their collectibles in a way which guarantees them a certain profit margin.

The top selling plate at this particular moment is a Bing and Grondahl Christmas plate from 1899. Listed simply as a Christmas plate of "Two Crows", it ended up selling for just over $500. This is more of an exception though as most of the prices are far less than this on any typical day. Right now, there are almost 9,000 listings in the "Collector Plates" category. Most likely any brand of plate you could be looking for would be included. As a collector of plates this massive number of listings can really help you out. Because there are so many sellers competing with each other, you have the opposite effect occurring from what is seen in a collectibles shop. Seller find it necessary to price their items as low as they can possibly risk giving the plate up for or they will almost certainly eliminate their offerings from the buyer's consideration. They hope that potential buyers will find their auction interesting enough to bid it up so that they can make a few dollars.

Gone With the Wind Plates

Take a look around eBay and you will find almost any plate you might be interested in purchasing. In fact, you will often find more than just one of what you are searching for and be able to comparison shop.  Unless you are collecting plates that are extremely rare, you have a pretty good chance of finding them just waiting on eBay.   Looking for plates commemorating a favorite movie like Gone With the Wind?  Just type it in and you'll usually find it.   That is a lot easier than hunting through garage sales and collectible shops and it is probably part of why collector plates are such a large category on eBay.  Sellers and buyers both seem to enjoy the venue.   That can be a definite money saving opportunity no matter what you are collecting.