To say that I am hooked on attending weekend Estate Sales is clearly evident with the ritualistic display that I perform every Wednesday, carefully mapping out my points of destination, the amount of time that will be spent at each location along with any provenance about the items that have been listed for sale.
While I am a relative “Newbie” to the art of Estate Sale shopping (two years and counting), I have able to acquire a number of the “tricks of the trade” from online sources, other Estate Sale shoppers and Estate Sale organizers. Here is just a few that I would like to share, feel free to post your own recommendations that you feel would help others!
· What will ya have?? What is it that you are looking for or seek to collect? Make a list of one to five top items that you are looking for to keep you focused. And even more importantly determine your budget ahead of time. Don’t break the bank on an impulse item your first time out of the gate, only to see the item that you really wanted an hour later. And speaking of banks, please make sure that you check to see what methods of payment are accepted at the Estate Sale. Some only accept cash or will only take local checks with valid ID. Additionally, others will require a minimum charge amount for charge or debit card purchases.
· Be prepared! I have learned to put together an Estate Sale Emergency Kit that I keep in an old plastic crate in the truck of my car. It includes old plastic and paper shopping bags, recycled wrapping paper, a couple of sections of the Sunday paper, an old medium size cardboard box, masking tape, rubber bands, twine, hand sanitizer and an inexpensive magnifying glass. All great items to have! I have been known to come to an Estate Sale with a shopping bag or old cardboard box to place my items while shopping. The old newspaper comes in to add extra packing to those special fragile items. The magnifying glass? Of course to more closely examine manufacturer’s marks for authenticity. The hand sanitizer comes in handy, gives you a chance to remove all that dust and dirt from "digging" around. (Yes, some of the items at a tag sale can be rather gritty). While most organizers are prepared, I have gone to sales where they ran out of wrapping paper. I have found that organizers are appreciative that I bring my own bags and boxes to cart stuff away.
· Let the Internet be your guide! The Internet can provide an abundance of valuable resources that will provide information on who is hosting Estate Sales in your own neighborhood. Popular sites include; Estatesales.net, Estatesales.org and weekendtreasure.com. I also rely on oodle.com (just type in Estate Sales in the search for stuff field and put in your city or zip code). EBay’s classifieds (Kijiji) has also provided me with some great Estate Sale experiences. Yardies.com, yardsale.com and gsair.com are also sites that I would recommend to help you round out your experience.
· Also consider Community and local Church Yard Sales as alternatives that can be incorporated as “side bars” to your mapped out course of Estate Sales for the day. It’s an added plus if the aforementioned are in the same or relatively close proximity to the designated Estate Sale.
I once uncovered a lot of information about the previous owner of the home that was hosting the Estate Sale that I had scheduled to visit. After purchasing a .79 cent item at a nearby yard sale, I thanked the homeowner for my wonderful find and let her know that I was going to the Estate Sale only blocks away. The octogenarian who hosted the yard sale let me know that the very same home was owned by the Great Grand Niece of Teddy Roosevelt. I left leaving with a new sense of anticipation of what new treasures I would find. While there I had additional good fortune meeting with several people who actually knew the owner and could provide provenance to many of the pieces for sale. What a great .79 cent investment!
· Be a Detective! I am genetically predisposed to be nosey. So I have no problem in trying to glean the Internet for more information on an upcoming Estate Sales former owner. More times than not the Estate Sales organizers will provide a few tantalizing sentences on the posting to get you to the door with key words like “Premier”, “Former antique dealer”, “Huge”, “World Traveler” and “Historic”. Assuming that everyone has access to a Thesaurus, feel free to contact the organizers to try to get additional information before the sale about the owner and the items offered. Be forewarned however, while most Estate Sales organizers are as honest as the day is long. I have had some organizers add a “little more color” to promote a particular sale. I have experienced going to an Estate Sale of a former “Tuskegee Airman” only to find out once I arrived that the owner attended Tuskegee’s Civilian Pilot Training Program after WWII and didn’t have the items that I assumed would be there. It was not a total loss however. I was able to only find out that the owner was one of the first African Americans in a key leadership role at the FAA, but was an important community leader as well. Needless to say, I did find important historical documentation key to Atlanta’s political scene that I will treasure forever.
· Key Words. Learn to focus on key words in the description of Estate Sales Postings to help you narrow down what Sales you will be visiting. I tend to look for older vintage items so I key in on words or descriptions that include; Septuagenarian (70 – 79 year old), Octogenarian, 80 to 89. Nonagenarian, 90 to 99 and even Centenarian, 100 to 109. I have even used Google using “Key Word Searches” in the advanced Google Search options to get me closer to my goal.
· Plot your journey! Always map out the directions to the Estate Sale in your GPS, Smartphone or use online mapping (i.e. MapQuest, Google maps). Almost all of the sites offer mapping and directional options to get you where you need to go. Since I have not invested in a GPS, I print out directions to each sale that I will be attending along with the phone number of the organizer and notes regarding the particular Estate Sale, placing the information in a file folder for easy access.
· Location, Location, Location! At the risk of sounding like a pompous snob, I have found that seeking out the high dollar zip codes for potential Estate Sale stops have yielded the best value buys out there. My personal best include a Carla Mancini Handbag for $5.00, pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for $12.00, pre WWII Nippon Tea Cups for $2.00 apiece. Find your metro area’s “High Cotton Area” based on any demographical information that you can find online or through your local Chamber of Commerce.
· Go Where No Man Has Ever Gone! Don’t be afraid to look through boxes tucked away in the far reaches of a closet. Look in desk drawers, under a bed or through the pages of a book to find your “Holy Grail” of treasures! Do however, be respectful and play by the rules. If there are signs that state “Don’t Enter” or “Not for Sale” please honor the organizers request. It’s good Estate Sale Etiquette. I have also experienced organizers using tape to bar buyers from entering a room or closet to indicate “No Sale”. My personal favorite places to look are basements and the “man cave areas” of the house. I have found some of my most interesting items that include a box of vintage Car Magazines dating back to the 1950’s and a Jayne Mansfield Hot Water bottle (see http://glamgurl.ecrater.com).
· The Subtle Art of Negotiation: Just a few octaves short of haggling, learn to negotiate while on site at an Estate Sale. Be forewarned however, successful negotiation does require that you actually know the value of the item you’re negotiating. Bundling items can provide small discounts for items. Also consider trying to negotiate a lesser price based on paying for an item with cash. Very often organizers are hit with merchant fees for credit card purchases of anywhere from 1.8 to 2.5% see you can take a few dollars off of your total purchase by paying in cash. Timing is also a big factor in price negotiation. Many Estate Sales will provide discounts from 20% - 50% based on how far into the Estate Sale they are. Typically the 50% off signs don’t go up until the last day. Please keep in mind that by waiting until the last day you risk only having the opportunity to find slim pickings leftover from previous visitors. Waiting it out could however put you in the "drivers seat". Though most Estate Sales will have auction liquidators come in at the end of a sale to bid on the remains of the household, I have encountered some Estate Sale organizers that pratically gave away items on the last day near the closing hours of the Sale just so that they could get the heck out of there. If you are someone who also likes to wait until 5:00pm on Christmas Eve to shop for gifts, this method could be for you!
· i Vant to Be Alone! At the risk of earning the wrath of my closet friends, I like the “Lone Wolf” profile when shopping. I have found that I spent more time gabbing and less time shopping when I attend an Estate Sale with two or more of my gal pals. Truth be known, I am not the “Alpha” of the group and have made a few regretful purchases after being told that the item “was tooooo cute” to pass up. Henceforth, my best purchases have been made when I quipped the famous words of Greta Garbo before heading out on a Saturday morning. In some instances, two heads are better than one. I have personally witnessed couples successfully working in tandem while they purposefully split up upon arrival, scoping out the best bargains. As this to say, “Know Thyself” before inviting your posse.
· Shake a hand, make a friend! I always look forward to attending Estate Sales to not only purchase great finds but to meet other Estate Sale buyers and organizers. Particularly impressed with a particular Estate Sale Organizer? Make sure that you sign up for their respective email newsletter or their notification emails indicating where they will be next. Make sure that you like them on their Facebook page if they have one. Don’t be afraid to email your favorite organizer to ask specific questions or recommendations. Some organizers even have local consignment shops where they will sell some of the high end Estate Sale items. It’s a great way to develop a relationship and get a head’s up on the next sale and any special discounts or offers that will be provided. Other Estate Sale buyers can also provide great insight and information that can assist you down the road. While I have fallen prey to some fabulous fakes that I still love as if they were authentic (see http://glamgurl.ecrater.com), 40% of what I now know about marks and backstamps has come from my interactions with other buyers at Estate Sales.
· Words to Live By! The most important bit recommendation that I can make is above all else enjoy yourself, feel free to make the occasional mistake or two along the way and make it an adventure!
