The $1.50 Dollar Tree Winter Plates That Are Being Sold On eBay For A Huge Price Hike

Dollar Tree, despite its still-inexpensive pricing (though the cost for many goods has gone up from its titular dollar to $1.25 or $1.50), nonetheless carries a multitude of surprisingly useful and versatile items. For example, it's a hidden gem for summer barbecue supplies, and it offers many solutions for your cluttered junk drawer. One item has become so popular that it's reselling for a huge markup on eBay: Royal Norfolk Winter Green plates. While the dinnerware sells for just $1.50 in stores, eBay sellers are hawking them in sets of two for as much as $27, nine times what you'd pay if you picked up two from store shelves. And people are ponying up their cash, with the listing revealing 58 sets have already been sold.

This price hike might seem like an incredible anomaly, but it has actually become commonplace for the Royal Norfolk dinnerware lines. A quick search on eBay using the query "Royal Norfolk plates" yields thousands of results, all of which sell the plates for far more than $1.50 each. A website that specializes in replacement dishware also sells many Royal Norfolk patterns, with plates going for at least three times what you'd pay at Dollar Tree. And there's a robust reseller's market on sites like Facebook, too.

You might be wondering why on earth people are willing to pay so much for plates that only cost $1.50 at the Dollar Tree. For starters, they're actually really good quality. Made of 100% ceramic, they are incredibly practical for everyday use. They're perfect for reheating leftovers, because they are microwave-safe, and cleaning them is as simple as loading them up in the dishwasher, because they are safe for that appliance, too — no hand wash-only here.

But their practicality is just one facet of why Royal Norfolk plates are so desirable. They also come in a variety of pretty patterns and designs, including dupes for higher-end dinnerware, like you might find at Pottery Barn. So whether you pay Dollar Tree prices or reseller prices, you're still likely not spending as much as you would for similar patterns at more expensive home goods retailers.

There is also the fact that Royal Norfolk doesn't just produce plates; the company makes entire sets, including smaller plates, bowls, and even mugs within the same design family. If you can hunt down these sets at Dollar Tree, you can have elegant decor for a fraction of the price.