Everything You Need to Know About Estate Sales

Who doesn’t love finding buried treasure?  Well besides the thrift stores, I’m always delighted when I get to go on a treasure hunt at small and bigger-scaled Estate sales.

But it wasn’t always this way. As a newbie estate thrifter, I just didn’t understand the process and I was afraid of doing something wrong and standing out like a sore thumb among the experts. There are protocols, like arriving super early and standing in line to get a “number” to get in. To tell you the truth, I was pretty intimidated starting out but after asking around and doing a little research I decided to go for it!  

I had heard that estate sales had the "good stuff' and I knew I would find vintage items for my booth business and online shop.  With the popularity of collecting vintage and antiques, my old methods of neighborhood garage sales and thrift shops were just not cutting it. The thrift shops were often picked over and had gotten rather expensive! 

I’ll always remember one of my first Estate sales with items galore everywhere I looked. I had found a promising estate sale listing but decided to wait and go on the second day. As I walked into the house, I learned that everything was 30% off!  Wow!  I quickly grabbed a shopping basket and started looking around.  I will tell you that it was a bit overwhelming at first, deciding where to start, which room to go in first, and what I should be looking for. There were items displayed everywhere I looked, even the furniture was for sale! I was overwhelmed with seeing so many things I loved and knew my customers would love too! I knew right then that Estate sales were where I needed to be. So full of inventory and promise. I was elated!   

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am hooked and a certifiable Estate sale junkie!  I absolutely love getting lost in the time-capsules and I find myself feeling washed over with a sense of calm, while I am meandering through the home and searching for treasures. There’s usually beautifully made furniture for reasonable prices, old books, garden items, ironstone, artwork, and mirrors.   

     

The other unique aspect of Estate sales is there is much to learn about the person and family who lived there. Literally, an entire life is laid out before your eyes and it always makes me think of all this person’s treasures that were bought, saved, used, and once held dear.  It’s like mapping pieces of their life back together.  While sifting through the contents, I am usually able to determine bits of the puzzle, like what they did for a living, what they did for fun, the part of the country they were from, if they were in the military, where the ancestors were from, if they were entertainers and socialites.  Most times, Estate sales are several generations of stuff that the family no longer wants.

I find myself feeling sentimental at these sales and often take to heart the special finds, like a caretaker for these rescued treasures. I hand-select items with the thought of finding them a proper home, where they can be re-loved and admired for years to come. 

If you’re like me, I had always wondered what sort of people shop Estate sales.  I was pleasantly surprised to find casual buyers to curious neighbors and lots of retired folks. In the past couple of years, younger people are getting in the mix too, looking for good quality pieces to furnish their home.  And then the obvious professional antique collectors and dealers who know exactly what they are looking for and can often be found at the beginning of the line with a coffee in hand, chatting up the other professionals, exchanging picking stories just waiting until their number is called.  Of course, there are many vintage thrifters like me, that are brick & mortar vendors, refurbishers, flippers and junk treasure hunters.  

If you have never been to an Estate sale or are looking to go, here are some tips for success. 

How to find an Estate sale:

• Websites www.estatesales.net  www.estatesales.org   www.gsalr.com
• Local papers 
• Signs on street corners

When are most Estate sales:

• Most estate sales are held Thursday through Saturday. Line numbers are typically only given out early on the first day, before the listed start time. 
• Items are usually 20-30% Off on the second day.  
• Items may be 50% Off on the third day. 

What to bring:

• Check the website or details from the sale sponsor. 
• Masks may be required. 
• Hand sanitizer or baby wipes. Your hands will get dirty. 
• Sturdy shoes. No flip flops. Plan to be walking outside, dirty garages, old steps. 
• Magnifying glass or reading glasses. 
• Marker to write "sold" on items. 
• Phone to take pics and to search the web for identification of items. 
• Soft-sided shopping tote for items you intend to purchase. I use mine to hold items as I shop.  
• I recommend that you leave your big purses or backpacks at home or in the car, as they tend to get in the way as you are navigating narrow hallways, steps and people. A waist pack works great.  
• A spray cleaner and towels to clean your items before loading in your car, especially furniture. Usually they are full of “dust of ages” and spider webs.
• Bags to carry your items home in.  Old grocery bags work well. In most cases the estate sale will have bags for you, just depends if you prefer your own. 

Words of wisdom:

• If you want something, pick it up and put it in your bag. You need to claim it.  Otherwise, it may be gone when you go back for it.  You can always change your mind and put it back if you decide you don’t want it. Certain items do go fast. 

• If you want any of the large and heavy items such as furniture, mirrors, and trunks, you’ll want to remove the price tag. That essentially is claiming it’s yours.  Carry the tag with you and find a worker letting them know you intend to purchase it.  They will clear it off and let the organizer know, and most times carry it out for you. Alternatively, they may let you write "sold" tags as you shop, just check with them first.

So are you wondering if I’ve ever gone to the first day of an Estate sale?  

Yes, I have!  And it was a great sale… after my initial nerves had me unsure of how to get my number. The sale began at 9:00 am and I arrived at 8:00 am. There were several people waiting outside the home, chatting amongst themselves.  As I walked up the driveway, feeling awkward and unsure, I found a spot to sit.   Lucky for me, a kind soul approached me and said, “Go get you a number!” and she pointed to the closed front door. While walking toward the door…I was practically sweating as I felt all the eyes on the back of my head.  Another vendor cut in front of me, as I was standing at the door, he grabbed a playing card off the screen door.  He turned around and said, “Here's your number!”  I think he sensed I was new, so I took the card and thanked him. The numbers, at least for this sale, were on a deck of cards. Clearly not in plain sight for this newbie, but the experienced thrifters were warm and helpful, luckily!  

 

So if you haven’t shopped at an Estate sale, I’ll be the first to tell you that you’re missing out on interesting history, a fun day of exploring and some great deals.  While you’re there, you’ll probably notice the rest of us as we are treasure hunting for nostalgia, ephemera, architectural salvage from the midcentury to as far back as you can imagine.  I like to say, “we are finding diamonds in the rough.”