FUN ESTATE SALE TIPS
Come prepared
We love when shoppers bring their own totes, wrapping supplies, etc. I know an estate sale pro when they walk in with their own tape measure, totes and bubble wrap. It speeds up check-out process and gets you out of there more quickly.
SOCIALIZE
We love seeing customers become friends and you never know when they’ll be able to offer you a hand or assist you with something. We see it all the time!
BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY
Mark our email address as “VIP” so your phone notifies you as soon as we send out an upcoming sale email.
Make an offer
It NEVER hurts to ask about a specific item. Every once in a while, there will an item I predicted would be popular, but to my surprise, no one has asked me about it or have even seem to have glanced at it during sale hours. Maybe it was priced too high, or maybe it was in a more difficult spot to see, making me more inclined to accept a lower offer.
Another side to this is if there is for example, a unique piece of artwork you’d love to have, but the price is just way out of your budget, leave an offer with us. Either above the half-price, or even below it. Similar to the situation above, sometimes I am surprisingly left with an item that has not sold, even after the sale has ended. I always look at my notes to see if anyone had made any kind of offer on it, and often I’ll call the buyer and let them know I accept their offer.
I always encourage buyers to make offers on items, there may be several reasons unknown to customers that I would take you up on it.
ASK QUESTIONS
If there was an item you liked in a picture on Facebook and can’t find it, don’t always assume it has sold. Ask a staff member if it sold or where it is. We are constantly moving items around in the house to re-stage.
Don’t do it!
Items I recurrently suggest to buy from estate sales.
Printers. Auctions, garage sales, Facebook Marketplace; these I wouldn’t recommend. Clients who hire us are most of the time are downsizing to a home without an office or have passed away. The printers we see for sale often were in use up until we started working, often working great with ink or even extra ink. People seem to be very hesitant to buy used printers, so we mark them pretty low. Don’t spend the $300 on a new one, pick up one from a sale- I did!
Appliances. Buying a washer and dryer from an estate sale is often a steal. As well as refrigerators, freezer chests, lawnmowers, etc. They are almost always in use by the client up until we begin working. Most of the houses we take on, the owners took excellent care of their items, maintaining them over time. (Don’t forget how many sales I turn down because things do not seem to be well maintained). I also hear time and time again that they “don’t make them like they used to,” this is absolutely true. No tax either!
Yard chemicals, cleaning supplies, chemicals in general. I am DO NOT ever want these to end up in a landfill, so I mark these products low low low. Fertilizer, specialized plant food, insect and weed killer; pricey in the stores, super cheap at estate sales.
Slightly worn furniture. If you have large dogs, four teenage sons, destructive toddlers, etc. Buy a dining table with a top that has scratches, or a leather recliner with a soiled head rest. We see this all the time, and it’s smart. Chances are, it will be a quality piece of furniture the clients paid a lot for, considering the houses we work in. If it is going to be heavily used, either put a little elbow grease in or leave as-is, and pay a fraction of the original cost. For example, we had a leather sectional the clients paid close to $6,000 for. It was only two years old, and their pup’s claws heavily damaged one of the cushions and some on the back. It was way too nice for me to have hauled off, and I didn’t want it to be the showcase of the sale. The clients did not have room for the large sectional in their new house and they understood the situation. With it being heavily damaged on a prime spot, and having a dog-blessed piece of furniture in general, I priced it for a very low $450 and it sold to a parents of a new puppy, and they draped a chunky knit blanket over it. Perfect! Don’t settle for a poor quality new piece of furniture if you know it is going to receive heavy use.
Frames, matting equipment. We have several artists, but not enough, who come to our sales to buy canvases, and frames of all sizes. Very smart. I am always astonished what these sell for new in stores. Save the money and put it towards more art supplies! We are always selling all sizes of frames for incredibly low prices. They are awkward to showcase and don’t bring in very much money for us. Keep an eye out for large family portraits with gorgeous frames the family left behind. We don’t always have the time to remove the photograph, but put a price on it for it’s frame, but people are usually distracted by the family portrait (understandably).
PLAN AHEAD
If you have been searching for something specific but are waiting to find the exact right thing, come prepared. For example, say there’s an area in your house you’d love to cover up with a room screen or a curtain panel, or just… something, but you’re just not sure yet, or a cracked piece of glass you need to replace in a frame you love. Take all the measurements of the space and make a note in your phone for quick reference when you’re shopping. Never knowing what you’ll find at an estate sale, you may find something that just might work, and you’ll have your measurements! Another example would be measurements for a coffee table or barstools. These are trickier measurements because they are not all one size. Different styles of couches require different heights of coffee tables, different stools have different heights depending on the countertop.
I often do this for unframed artwork I’ve purchased while traveling, that I’d love to have framed in something unique and different. While having everything custom framed is ideal for some, it’s not always in the budget or not what I am looking for. Planning ahead could help you find just the thing!