Yesterday I shared a few tips about furniture hunting at auctions and today I'd like to talk a bit about estate sales. Although they have a similar vibe, they're radically different animals, and there's a whole new set of rules to check out before you convince yourself you can't possibly live without that 9 foot sofa.
1. Be At Least An Hour Early: When it comes to an estate sale, the early bird gets the worm, well more specifically, they get whatever worm they want! There's no trick, no secret to this, just plan on showing up ridiculously early and standing in line. In more prominent parts of town, being there 2 hours early isn't unheard of!
2. Preview When Possible: Since you'll be devoting a great deal of time to waiting in line, if it's possible to preview the auction goods before hand, do! Often times they will preview goods the weekend before, or even the day or hour before the sale. It will let you know if it's worth your time and give you navigation of the house so you can be the first one to run and sit and a chair and yell, "MINE!"
3. Be Ready To Move It Out NOW: Most estate sales will hold large items until the end of the day and they'll usually place a sold sign on it. Smaller items might get shuffled out of the traffic pattern but larger furniture pieces often don't. Just because you've paid for it, doesn't mean there won't be 2,000 people coming in, sitting on it and declaring their depression that it's already sold. Some are nice, others might let their child shove M&M's in it... so if you buy it now, be ready to move it now!
4. Check Out Other Sales From The Same Company: Although there's always great finds at estate sales, some companies price their goods a little high for most pocketbooks. How will you know what kind of price awaits you (and could waste your time waiting in line)? Just check a previous auction! Even if you go late in the game, checking to see what things are tagged with will help you determine how high they might price other items at auctions down the line.
5. Half-Off Second Day: Remember the first rule? Be early? This still applies here. Quite often the real gems might be snatched up but smaller items that would have been initially priced too high will be half off. This is standard practice for many estate sales that run two-day events, but you will want to be there early, otherwise all that's left are romance novels and cat cross-stich wall hangings.
6. Be Tough with the Pro Folk: This might sound harsh, but you have every right to go first through doorways and not turn sideways to let more people see what you're looking at. While you might be looking for things to fit in your home, many others have booths at local antique stores and they're just concerned with making a profit. They might look sweet, but they can be rather pushy and downright mean sometimes.
Do you have any tips, tricks, or lessons you've learned during your time at estate sales? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
MORE ESTATE SALE SHOPPING INFO ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• All About Estate Sales: A Crash Course & Tips for Newbies
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nice tips..i went to one estate sale recently and was elbowed out on a retro lamp...ouch!
and shop for the stuff no one knows about. i like the estate sales that are "by owner" on craigslist. the official sales are busier + more likely to be marked up.
I have scored some great deals at estate sales. With a few kids to bring along I try to make sure its worth my time. Most companies in our area have websites that post pictures of the goods to be sold. There are many times that I haven't bothered with the sale because I'd seen the pictures in advance.
How do you find out about most estate sales? Company websites, Craigslist?
I second scouting out owner or family sales. Especially on Craigslist, where they will often post photos. I just went to the 2nd day of a sale last month and scored 2 headboards and frames for $25 and got an entire bedroom set for $50. Beautiful, well made furniture.
Last weekend I was out just for a walk and came across an "estate sale." It wasn't one, it was just a moving sale. At first I assumed they didn't know the difference, but by the time I'd talked about several items with the seller, who was quite sharp, I was sure he knew - and was just lying about it to justify increasing prices and to bring more buyers in.
I use estatesales.net to find local estate sales. They are also listed in the paper.
Usually the vendor will put up pictures of most items on the estatesales.net site. This helps me decide which ones are worth going to and which are worth getting there extra early.
Its also wise to get to know the estate sale company. After several sales at each company you tend to learn which ones are fair, which ones are over priced, and which ones are just junk.
I love estate sales. If a listing doesn't mention who is running it, I email and ask. If it's Mona, I stay home.
I love Estate Sales! My favorite site is Yard Sale Treasure Map because it lets you plan the most efficient driving route. :)
Here are our fun finds: Estate Sale treasures!
I don't really know what the *official* requirements are for calling a sale an "estate sale." Are people expecting someone to be dead? (that's how I feel about accidents closing down all lanes on the freeway, btw) I tend to think that "estate sale" means that higher quality things, collections, etc are being sold - as opposed to cleaning out your garage or moving and trying to pawn off all your undesirable junk on the unsuspecting.
I don't care if someone is dead or not, so long as when I go to the sale I'm seeing a decent amount of nice things rather than a line of cardboard boxes full of baby toys and orphaned adapter cords - and the romance novels.
Estatesales.net usually publishes photos of key items and a few shots of the garage by Thursday evening. It's a great way to evaluate whether a sale is worth your time. I don't
know if it's been mentioned but many estate sale companies will let you leave bids for pricier items (furniture, etc.). Don't be afraid to offer a ridiculously low bid. They just want the stuff gone on Monday!
I use estatesales.net too. It's got some really reputable companies, and almost always has photo previews of the sale, so I LOVE it for weeding out sales that aren't my style.
Happy hunting!
I've been shopping estate sales exclusively for the past fifteen years in the Buffalo, NY area. My biggest recommendation to anyone who wants to score big is to become friends with the dealers who conduct the sales. All of the reputable dealers in this area deal ONLY with true estates, not garage sales or yard sales. Dealers usually plan sales weeks in advance and they will gladly tip you off to upcoming sales that will be of interest to you if they know what you're looking for.
I've established relationships with several dealers and they know me as the "midcentury guy." They also know that I will only buy prime pieces and that I WILL pay top dollar, knowing that the item that I am getting is fairly priced and in good condition.
I've amassed a very impressive collection and I'd say a good 90% of it is from local estates.
One last word of advice....be nice and don't try to lowball.....the dealers that conduct these sales use the same research tools that you do and they know the value of the items that they are selling. Oftentimes when an item has a "bid" on it, the dealer will sell it to me for less because they know that I am a good customer who doesn't play games to save a buck or two.
I too get upset when I go to an "estate sale" that is just a garage sale. People do that because they know it brings in more people. In my opinion, there does not need to be a dead person. However, I expect there to be furniture, lamps, clocks, kitchen wares, collections, and, if there's a garage, tools. In other words, a household of stuff. All or most of it. Not just some crap they're thinning out. Maybe the person went to assisted living or moved out of the country. I avoid "estate sales" that mostly list clothes, baby/children's items, and Christmas decorations.
I look at estatesales.net, Craigslist, and the local paper to find sales. I also appreciate the pictures for the reasons stated above. In some cases, I can figure out what room my treasure will be in and can make a beeline there instead of politely following the path everyone else takes.
I have purchased many of my furniture pieces from estate sales over the years. I have also found "divorce sales" to be great places to pick nice things that have seen less wear than furniture that someone has owned for a lifetime.
For real about the pushy folk! I was at a local estate sale looking at vintage clothes and kept getting pushed out of the way ... by a heavy, middle-aged man! He even came up and snatched one of my dresses from the hold table when one of the company people let me try on a skirt. (Fortunately, the saleslady was as offended as I was and made him give it back - he kind of stuck out!)
In Chicago, most sales require you to show up more than an hour ahead of time. There is usually a sign-in sheet where all the dealers have already placed their names which shows the order of entry. I have arrived at a sale very early and the sheet already lists numerous names. The dealers also sleep in their cars outside of the homes. The numbers are then distributed according to this 'official" list. The author is correct about the behavior of many dealers. Many are rude, pushy, and dishonest (some have the reputation as shoplifters). I stand my ground despite their whining that this is how they make their living.
After a while, you can read into a Craigslist post to help determine whether it's more of an estate sale vs. just a garage sale.
In our experience, if the listing is lacking a sense of professionalism, accurate spelling and any specific description the likelihood that it's just a garage sale goes up.
We’ll still take a gamble and check these listings out, but they’re not typically the first stop on our map.
But at the end of the day, location is a more valuable indicator for us.
"Estate sale" just means that it's an entire household, I think. Doesn't have to be high end or even middle range in quality. The owner isn't necessarily dead, either. Could be someone going into assisted living or to live with relatives.
"Estate" does sound rather fancy, though.
Some dealers are incredibly aggressive at sales. I had a nice yard sale with antiques once and two of them got into a shoving match. Jerks! I heard about another guy who climbed up a tree the night before so that he could see into the windows---AND HE FELL OUT AND BROKE HIS LEG. True story!
I've been an estate sale professional now for six years (blog is truefindsblog.com) and I've enjoyed reading about estate sales from the point of view of the customers. After reading all the previous comments, I'd like to put my two cents in: Pictures are great, but they don't always tell the whole story about what is at an estate sale since we can't take pictures of everything. However, if you are looking for a specific style, they might help. Do make friends with the professional who runs the sale, and get on their email list if they have one. We do list our sales on estatessales.net ( a great tool), a local paper (usually Pennysaver, if it is available) and craigslist, but we will often have a pre-sale that is only open to our email list custormers. Plus, if we know you look for certain items, like mid-century furniture, we will try to let you know and maybe even let you shop before the sale. If we do these things for you, though, please don't try to get us to lower our prices. We already sell things at a reasonable price: either take it or leave it. Estate sales vs garage sales: big difference, as has been pointed out. Estate sales include just about everything that one would normally find in a household, while garage sales are just the unwanted stuff. Estate sales vs moving sale: not as big a difference, usually. When I've taken on a sale that is a moving sale, there will be just as much or nearly as much as if it were an estate sale. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth my time and effort. I use the same sign (Estate Sale) for both types because it's not worth my time to make a new one. Finally: estate sales are for everyone who loves a bargain, so come shop!