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Old 01-12-2016, 11:15 AM
 
Location: Midwest transplant
2,050 posts, read 5,912,675 times
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The new question is "Does it bring you joy?" Whether or not you use it or display it, does it bring you joy or is it something you are just storing for someone, some occasion, some reason....? If not, then it's time to get rid of it~understanding that it might be "worth" something, but to whom? I went to a seminar about de-cluttering and the message is that we are no longer collectors, the younger generation doesn't want it, doesn't want to maintain it (polishing silver and steam ironing linens is not high up on anyone's household maintenance list), and many are minimalists. They value experiences over items.

Try consignment shops for the dishes. They will often give you a 90 day window and take large sets and break them down for sale. I was able to unload several sets of dishes (from in-laws) this way. I received 50% of what they ended up selling them fore, and only had to pack them up and drag them over there. My local consignment shop came and picked up the heavy furniture items (for a fee) but took a curio cabinet, 3 piece solid maple entertainment unit, a couch and roll top desk and computer hutch/desk. All sold within the 1st month at the store, along with lamps, do-dads, vases, knick-knacks, odd pieces of glass serving dishes and many Lenox vases, cake plates etc. All had been wedding gifts, were in their original boxes so could be easily regifted.

The next suggestion is the living estate sale. They will help you display, market, lay down protective paper and bring tables to display items, perimeters for people to view, control the crowd and pay you 25-40%. Some will help with pricing suggestions because they do this for a living. They are great about making sure your home is staged for a sale, securing items out of sight that are not for sale or to be viewed. The living estate people can be found on Angies List or probably Yahoo or Yelp.

You might want to approach an antique mall and see if there are any vendors that would be interested in your items, based on what they have displayed. I found booths/dealers for my Barbie dolls, silver thimbles, Tiny Tears, vintage Christmas decorations, Crystal and Fiesta Ware and called the vendors directly, sent pictures and had them come over and purchase what they wanted.

Animal shelters and places that house the homeless would be grateful for towels, bed linens, blankets and pillows. Churches that sponsor families in crisis or refugees often have a coordinator and the resources to come out and get the items you're willing to donate.

A Realtor or real estate company might have names of local estate people, but there are often ads in the local paper. You could check out the services by visiting several different sales and seeing whose work you're most comfortable in having in your home. Local senior centers may have resources as well.

Give your kids a deadline, and have them come and pack up what they want and move it out. If they don't want any of it, toss it~report cards, school projects, etc. If they haven't looked at it, talked about it or seen it in as many years as they've been out of the house, it's time to let them make the decision about it's next storage spot. Maybe make a tote drawer or folder of their baby book, baptism certificates, high school diploma, senior yearbook/photo etc. Get rid of the rest.

It's hard, but when you think about being in control rather than having it go to the junk yard after you're gone, it can be empowering. Good Luck!
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:26 AM
 
Location: Connecticut is my adopted home.
2,398 posts, read 3,816,966 times
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Yes to all of the above especially the first paragraph. I have become like the younger generations ironically a minimalist that doesn't want clutter and a dealer of vintage things. I do have young customers (mostly younger actually) but their priorities are not of the collector. They use what they buy and I highly encourage that.
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:27 AM
 
12,046 posts, read 10,172,542 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by no kudzu View Post
never knew such things existed. How do I find them? I'm way too active on FB but never knew I could buy and sell. I get a bit pissed off when I see sell stuff on FB. Maybe every now and again but not every week or so. Had a FB friend who got reported for too much activity like that. and a Real Estate friend who posted every listing he got. Annoying.
just put in the name of your city/town/county in the search and "sale" and pages should pop up.

Most are closed groups, so you would have to ask to join. Once you are in, if you don't want to see it in your feed, just "unfollow" and just go to it when you need to.
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:28 AM
 
21,427 posts, read 12,558,787 times
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Good luck with the antique dealers; I was mostly told, "I can't sell what I already have!"


And YES to donating blankets, sheets, towels, etc. (but nothing with decorations that could be swallowed) to animal shelters.
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:32 AM
 
12,046 posts, read 10,172,542 times
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I suggested the facebook sell pages, but even there you can run into people that will try to get the best deal out of you. You will run into that everywhere, so be prepared.

I just give my stuff away.

I'm 55, so there is no way I want to have a bunch of things around that I can't get rid of later. I get rid of things all the time. I live with a mini-hoarder and I just can't grasp that way of thinking. I think it is the thrill of buying.
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:40 AM
 
21,427 posts, read 12,558,787 times
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"I suggested the facebook sell pages, but even there you can run into people that will try to get the best deal out of you."


Not to mention people who ask a million questions and then never show up while you sit around waiting for them. Ain't nobody got time for that!
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:41 AM
 
Location: Chicago area
18,748 posts, read 11,708,497 times
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We put things out on the front porch when Craigs list people come. So far it hasn't been a problem, and we've sold a lot of things through Ebay and Craigs list. We've been donating a lot of stuff and I finally got John to dispose of some of those hundreds of dust collecting flying magazines that he never looks at anymore. Jumping for joy on that one
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:46 AM
 
21,427 posts, read 12,558,787 times
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You're lucky if they actually leave the money if you're not there to receive it!
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,089,721 times
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How do the "estate sale" companies work? Do you pay them up front, or do they just take a percentage once everything in the house is sold?

Eventually, my mother will die or go to a nursing home, and it'll be dumped on me to get rid of all the crap. She's a mid-grade hoarder, and every closet, drawer and surface is packed with crap. I don't live in her city, so I can't do it myself over time.
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:56 AM
 
Location: Connecticut is my adopted home.
2,398 posts, read 3,816,966 times
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denverian,

They do it either way but a percentage basis is normally the method. If in their opinion things in the estate aren't going to fetch much at a sale, there may be an upfront cash requirement plus a percentage. There are people that just come in and "clean up" estates for the belongings which they then turn around and sell themselves and they may pay a nominal sum to do so and there are people that clean out for a lump sum. Some just sell house, kit and caboodle as is but that is really rare, the home in shambles sold as a tear down.

How you go about it depends on the quality of the "stuff" in the home. Fortunately we have prevailed on my mother to start the process and I am almost finished with the process in my 50s. I just went through my bookshelves and got rid of 5 boxes. I tend to gather books....
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