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I am so nosy. When I go to a really good estate sale and see how some people have lived, I want to know about them and what happened to them. Usually the ladies will tell you if they can.
I, too, was nosy until I got a story that broke my heart and to this day still bothers me. At this sale I bought four large items as oppossed to "niky-naky" type items, and am so glad I was able to "pay homage" to the owners, particularly the woman. I no longer need or want to know the story about the "why" to any estate sale.
(If anyone wants to know the story, DM me and I will tell you. I feel it is too heartbreaking to post it here for all to read).
You usually can tell a lot about a person by looking at his/her stuff.
All yard and estate sales look like my estate sale, because everyone downsizing is getting rid of the same items I had/owned. It really is funny to see the same things I USED to have being sold at sales I am hoping to buy something at. At this stage in my life I don't need a thing, but it is still fun to go look and hopefully find a "treasure". I go specifically for the "expensive" household products. I get laundry products, cleaning products, and insect sprays for pennies on the dollar.
It really is funny to see the same things I USED to have being sold at sales I am hoping to buy something at. At this stage in my life I don't need a thing, but it is still fun to go look and hopefully find a "treasure". I go specifically for the "expensive" household products. I get laundry products, cleaning products, and insect sprays for pennies on the dollar.
Honestly, you would be a hero to anyone moving if you approached them and offered to take all that off their hands. That stuff is impossible to get rid of and movers will NOT touch it.
I called in one of my foodie friends to take all of my open containers of food (1/2 can of olive oil, cake mixes, hot sauce collection, etc.) She took it and distributed to about eight of our mutual frinds. That was a big help.
All yard and estate sales look like my estate sale, because everyone downsizing is getting rid of the same items I had/owned. It really is funny to see the same things I USED to have being sold at sales I am hoping to buy something at. At this stage in my life I don't need a thing, but it is still fun to go look and hopefully find a "treasure". I go specifically for the "expensive" household products. I get laundry products, cleaning products, and insect sprays for pennies on the dollar.
I go to yard sales and I love low end auctions. The ''estate'' sale craze hasn't hit my area. I do know people who have been involved in it in other states. They ''buy'' any valuable items themselves ahead of the sale and then resell them through appropriate venues. There are some very valuable items out there whose owners have no idea of what they have.
I've also set up buying rooms at hotels offering to by virtually anything of value. These require fairly expensive security because of the amount of cash on hand as well as valuables I've purchased.
People who live near cities should consider becoming estate agents if they like money. It's a license to steal.
Mom was in a time crunch and had a company in Miami come do hers. She swears they stole things around the house that were not included in the sale. When it was over she was sent a box of stuff that wasn't even from her house. Demands for items she knew they took went unanswered. But that's Miami, everybody is looking to screw the old/elderly.
She did, however, sell an enormous collection of Elegant glass that would have taken years to get rid of.
They don't have them out here in the country. We did go to an auction at a house where someone was leaving. Sat out on the lawn. One by one they sold everything, from lawnmowers to saw blades.
I started my sale (ebay) two years ago. Made quite a dent. I do have one consign lady that I trust.
I live in AZ and attend 12-15 estate sales each week, here's my experience.
There's a big difference in having a yard sale vs holding an estate sale. A yard sale you put out a bunch of stuff in the driveway or garage and have 1 or 2 people help you run it and constantly bargain with prices. A yard sale maybe up to a 100 people show up the 1st day, fewer each day afterwards.
At an estate sale be prepared if you start it at 8am to have as many as 100-500 people waiting at the door between 5am and opening time. An estate sale is normally held inside an open house and you have 1000's of people traipsing through each and every room daily buying all the stuff marked for sale. It generally takes 4-6 people to run an estate sale with roamers watching out for shoplifters and answering questions, loading heavy objects, etc. Most estate sales run 3 days with day 1 & 2 prices are pretty much firm, then the last day being a discount day.
I went to a heavily advertised estate sale a month ago where over 10,000 people showed up. At opening time of 8am people were lined up 2 blocks down the street and parking was up to a mile away.
I spoke with someone who did these estate sales. They get 35%. That seems like a lot, but it depends on what you have and your own circumstances. You could do it yourself, with some hart work. Just be realistic on the prices you expect. Visit some other sales and see how they price everything.
The big advantage they have is name recognition and a large email list of past customers. But with some good ads on Craigslist and Facebook, you could do very well for yourself.
Yes most estate company's charge in the area of 30-40%. A lot depends on many factors and what is being sold and how fast you want to get rid of everything.
Estate sales people come in a few days before the sale and spend 1-2 days pricing everything, setting up tables in the garage, patio and other areas. They then spen 1-3 days for about 6-8 hours holding the sale each day. They box up and deliver leftovers to charitable organizations anything that can't be sold. Sometimes independent buyers will come after the last day buy the left overs for 10 cents on the dollar and haul the stuff away.
Heirs usually want to rid the estate stuff as fast as possible and divide up the money they get with family members all over the country. The house may be sold and the stuff has to go quickly. This is why the estate sales commissions are in the range that they are.
Trying to do a whole estate sale by yourself can be a gigantic headache and dangerous one too. Liability is a big factor if someone claims to get hurt on your property. Most estate companies are licensed and insured.
Some people do it themselves and are happy, most don't. Your choice.
1) When you hear the term "estate sale" do you think -- and do you think potential BUYERS think -- most items are of real value, like legitimate antiques or at least good reproductions, and higher-end costume jewelry, china and things like that.
OR, you don't presume anything...'estate sale' just means people are trying to get rid of everything after someone dies -- and most of it could be junk....or let's say...yard sale type items. Everything from clothes and furniture...to tools and outdoor items....off all kinds of varying value.
2) I ask because I'm thinking that when I eventually move and down-size -- YEARS form now -- that' i'll just pack up and move all the things I want to keep....and just have a huge "everything must go" sale over the course of a few weekends. And then donate the rest. OR start giving away selling things -- maybe a six months before...I don't know yet.
I've got some BIG furniture pieces so unless I get some help getting all that downstairs from the bedrooms....OR let people upstairs to see the items....how will I get things like a five piece bedroom set, or my 48 inch oak roll-top desk, onto my driveway so someone can see it...AND if it doesn't sell that day I've got to move it all back into the garage until the next sale date? Well I guess that's what family is for....
How ever it works out, at this point I don't see paying someone to take 35% of the proceeds just to handle the sale. I'll donate it all for a huge tax write off before I do that.
Estate sales are just that, selling off your estate, all the items you own, usually by heirs that are not interested in what is there but benefit from the proceeds. Since most heir live far away they are willing to pay someone to do the dirty work. They can't just donate it and take a write off unless it's only one person. Usually a bunch of relatives are involved and they have to split up the proceeds.
If you're taking it out to the driveway and selling it then it's really just a yard/garage sale.
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and to this day still bothers me. At this sale I bought four large items as oppossed to "niky-naky" type items, and am so glad I was able to "pay homage" to the owners, particularly the woman. I no longer need or want to know the story about the "why" to any estate sale.
