As the PP said, I use eBay completed listings. I'd also check out your local bookstore to see if there are books on the types of items you're looking to sell. If any of them are porcelain/china/pottery figurines, PM me and I'll see if I can get you headed in the right direction for info.
As far as selling, if you decide to try eBay, keep in mind that if you post an item there and ask what you think it is worth, you may not get a single bid. IMO, people are looking for bargains - they want to snipe a great deal at the last second. I see lots of items posted at what would be very close to reasonable closing bids, but they don't get a single opening bid because the starting price point is too high. I've always found it best to be willing to take a risk and start low and hope the market supports a reasonable price. I've often been shocked at how much an item would bring - and seldom horrified at how low something sold. Oh, and IMO I wouldn't
ever bother with a reserve price auction.
Honestly, I feel it's a BAD market for lots of things, antiques and collectibles included. Were it me, I'd probably try to get a feel for what the item is worth and offer it on Craigslist as $ or BO over going the eBay route. Hopefully you don't have something rare that you underprice that way, but unless you're willing to roll the dice with eBay you may never know. Antiques are funny that way - one little subtle different can mean the difference between a cheap item and a mad collector bidding war!
