How much are donated dishes worth?
These ranges are per piece, so a service for eight is a count, not a single line, and the counting is where most of the deduction is either found or lost.
- Typical value, good condition
- $1.75
- Published range, good condition
- $1.50 to $2.25
What a donated dishes is generally worth
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plate, Dinner Plate | $2.25 to $3 | $1.50 to $2.25 | $0.50 to $1.50 | Source 1 for Plate, Dinner Plate |
| Plate, Salad or Side Plate | $2.25 to $3 | $1.50 to $2.25 | $0.50 to $1.50 | Source 1 for Plate, Salad or Side Plate |
| Glass, Mug or Cup, Drinking Glass | $1.50 to $2 | $1 to $1.50 | $0.50 to $1 | Source 1 for Glass, Mug or Cup, Drinking Glass |
| Glass, Mug or Cup, Mug or Cup | $1.50 to $2 | $1 to $1.50 | $0.50 to $1 | Source 1 for Glass, Mug or Cup, Mug or Cup |
| Dish Set (multi-piece) | $6 | $6 | $6 | Source 5 for Dish Set (multi-piece) |
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price.
How this range was derived
Published: Salvation Army 'Plate' $0.50-$3; Goodwill Intl 'Plates' $0.50-$3; Goodwill CNAZ 'Plates/platters' $1-$50. Corroborating: Catholic Charities $0.50-$7. Consolidated $0.50-$3 (lower median); tiers per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.5. St. Vincent de Paul prints $0.50-$3, identical to the Goodwill Intl row, so it is not counted as a second primary. Guides publish one range for plates as a class.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated dishes
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Completeness is what turns a box of plates into something a shop can price. Eight matching dinner plates in one pattern sell as a set; eight mismatched plates sell as eight cheap plates. If the pattern name is still stamped on the back, it is worth writing down, because a recognizable pattern is what lets a buyer fill a gap in their own service and is the difference between the top and the middle of the band.
Damage is judged by touch as much as by eye. Chips on the rim, hairline cracks that catch a fingernail, and crazing in the glaze all take a piece out of resale, and knife scoring across the face of a plate is the one people forget to look for because it only shows at an angle. Glassware has its own version: cloudy etching from years of dishwasher cycles never comes back, and a cloudy glass is a Fair piece at best.
Two things sit outside the everyday rows. Dishwasher and microwave safety marks on the base widen the buyer pool for ordinary stoneware, and fine china, crystal, and marked vintage patterns are a different valuation problem entirely, one that needs recent comparable sales rather than a thrift band. A boxed dish set is priced as its own single entry, which is a convenience, not an invitation to also count the pieces inside it.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Lay the pieces out in one frame and photograph them so the count is readable, one shot per type: dinner plates, salad plates, glasses, mugs. Turn one piece over and photograph the maker's stamp. Write the count on the list you hand the charity, and ask for the receipt to name the counts too, because a receipt that says two boxes of kitchen items supports nothing.
Like new for tableware generally means unused or nearly so, no scoring, no chips, and a complete matched run. Good means light use, no chips, some pattern wear on the face. Fair means it is serviceable but shows knife marks, dulled glaze, or a cloudy finish on glassware. Anything chipped, cracked, or crazed through is below Fair and generally is not deductible.
Items people log as a dishes by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Glassware and mugs
Priced on their own rows, generally below a plate, and counted the same per-piece way. Stemware and everyday tumblers share the glassware row, so the count matters more than the shape.
The dish set row
A boxed set is one entry with one value. Use either the set row or the per-piece count for the same dishes, never both, or the same plates end up in the total twice.
Fine china and crystal
A marked service or a named crystal pattern is not the everyday row. Value it from recent comparable sales of the same maker and pattern, and keep the listings with your records.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the kitchen and housewares section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
Also in Dishes, Glassware and Flatware
- Plate, Other Plate$1.75, good
- Glass, Mug or Cup, Wine Glass or Stemware$1.25, good
- Glass, Mug or Cup, Other Glass, Mug or Cup$1.25, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the kitchen and housewares valuation guide.
- ValuesKitchen and housewares donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesWhat are donated pots and pans worth?Donation values for skillets, saucepans, stockpots, and bakeware by condition, including why a scratched nonstick pan generally is not deductible at all.
- ValuesWhat are donated bath towels worth?Donation values for bath towels and sheet sets by condition, with the line between a deductible linen and one a charity will only ever use as a rag.
- ValuesHow much is a donated blanket worth?What donated blankets, comforters, quilts, bedspreads, and afghans are generally worth by condition, and which row a handmade piece actually belongs on.
- ValuesWhat are donated curtains worth?Donation values for curtain panels, drapes, and valances by condition, why the value is per panel rather than per window, and what to measure before donating.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a dishes
Do I have to list eight plates as eight items?
Are chipped dishes deductible?
What if the set might be collectible?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill Industries International (compiled list, republished by member affiliates)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Estimated Donation Values
Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Thrift Store Valuation Guide
Catholic Charities Maine (Catholic Charities Thrift Store)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors (single average price variant)
Goodwill Industries International (single-value variant; copy hosted by Goodwill Industries of East Texas)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
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Condition on the record
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