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we buy lighters

Sell your lighter

We are always looking for good vintage lighters, and we buy them outright.

Whether you have inherited a collection, have a piece sitting unused in a drawer, or simply want to know what something is worth, fill in our form and we will give you an honest valuation. There is no charge and no obligation.

The Lighterhouse is based in Delft, in the Netherlands, and has been dealing in vintage lighters since 2020. We source worldwide, from single pieces to entire collections, and regularly from the United Kingdom, the United States, across Europe, and further afield. Distance is rarely the problem people expect it to be.

Why sell to Us?

  • An expert valuation: The Lighterhouse has been buying and selling vintage lighters since 2020, and we provide an honest evaluation based on recent market results. 

  • Fair Offers: We provide competitive offers based on market value, and always provide proof.

  • Hassle-Free Process: No auction fees, no relisting, no messages from people who never pay.

  • Fast Payment: Once we receive the final paperwork, payment goes out that day by bank transfer, PayPal, or cash, whichever suits you.

  • A registered Dutch business: The Lighterhouse is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. You are not selling to an anonymous account.

How it works

1. Tell Us About Your lighter

Fill in the form below with what you know and upload your photographs. If you are unsure of anything, our expertise will help you get to know your piece better.

2. Receive a Valuation and Offer

We will review your submission and get back to you within a day or two. We will tell you what the piece is, what it is worth, and how we arrived at that valuation.

3. If You Accept, You Post it to Us

You send your lighter with tracking so we can both follow it and our offer is set to cover your postage. Full instructions come with the offer, including how to empty the gas and what to write on the customs form.

4. Inspection & Final Offer

We confirm the lighter matches the photographs and the description. If something turns up that the pictures did not show, we will explain what difference it makes. We do not simply revise the number.

5. Payment, Same Day

If all is well we send you a purchase statement, a short document recording the sale, already signed by us. It also means that as a private seller you have nothing to account for in tax. You sign it, add your address and send it back, and the payment goes out that day.

And if we do not agree even after sending it in? The lighter goes straight back to you, with a written valuation of what we found, free of charge. Nothing is kept and nothing is held.

What do we buy?

We’re interested in high-quality, rare, vintage, and luxury lighters, including brands like:

 

  • Cartier
  • Dunhill

  • S.T. Dupont

  • Rothschild
  • Van Cleef & Arpels
  • Patek Philippe
  • Bvlgari
  • Other solid gold pieces

 

We are not interested in most:

 

  • Zippo
  • Ronson
  • Myon
  • Colibri
  • John Sterling
  • Flaminair
  • Along with modern torch lighters and promotional pieces

 

If your lighter is not in this list but you think we would be interested, you can always contact us. We are happy to assist.

Get Started

Photos too large? Send your photos and answers to contact@thelighterhouse.com and we will reply the same way.

Common questions

No. Identifying the piece is our job, and we will tell you what you have as part of the valuation. Good photographs help far more than a name: the hallmarks, the base and any engraving usually say more than a box or a family story.

None. The valuation is free, you are not committed to anything by sending the form, and if you decide not to sell, that is the end of it. The valuation is yours to keep.

Often, yes. Most vintage lighters that have sat in a drawer for twenty years need a service, and that is priced in. Tell us honestly what is wrong and photograph it; a dent or a missing part changes the number, it rarely changes the answer.

Not to start with. Send one overview photo of the lot and a rough count, with close-ups of anything you think is the best piece. We will tell you which lighters to photograph in detail and can value the collection as a whole or piece by piece, whichever suits you.

Yes, as long as it is empty. Full instructions come with the offer: how to release the gas, how to pack it, and which service to use. You send it tracked, so we can both follow it, and our offer covers the postage.

We buy regularly from the United Kingdom, the United States and further afield. The offer includes exactly what to write on the customs form; a used personal item sent for sale is routine, and any import duty on our side is ours, not yours.

The day we receive your signed purchase statement, by bank transfer, PayPal or cash, whichever you prefer. The statement is a short document recording the sale, signed by us first, so as a private seller you have a record and nothing to account for.

The Lighterhouse, Delft, KvK 89207092. Buying vintage lighters since 2020.