What to Expect at an Estate Sale

Hey estate sale shoppers! I just had a very large estate of a popular small town family and many people that had never been to an estate sale, shopped for the first time. Many called me on the phone so worried that they wouldn't know how to shop at the sales and I quickly realized that not everyone has been to the many estate sales that are cropping up across the land.

So in my best school teacher voice ( I taught 12th grade for 35 years) I will give you a few pointers as to what to expect.

1--Register to receive emails of estate sale coordinators in your area which you can find on websites like estatesales.net. If you check out my web page that reads "sign me up", you can register with us but PLEASE make sure that our emails do not go into your SPAM folder. Because I send out 4100 emails, many times my email is sitting in the junk folder of your computer. With my Constant Contact email provider, many company emails block this service. You will get consistent notifications of sales through emails and I PROMISE that I will never share my email list with anyone.

2. Come early and be prepared to wait in lines if there is something that you really want. Bring a chair and bring a friend to help you nab that special item. BUT if you cant' come first, then come LAST. Many times the houses have to be completely cleaned out and we are making deals in those last few hours.

3. Follow the rules--If the coordinator announces that the sale will close at a specific time, believe her and don't try to buy after that time. If a door is off limits then follow the signs. We are usually following the estate sale family's wishes and they have the final say.

4. Be prepared to pay for your purchases. Find out what form of payment the estate sale coordinator takes. I take credit cards over 100 dollars, but many do not take credit.

5. Be prepared to pack your items and move them to your car without our help. You are getting that sofa for 75 dollars so don't expect delivery--(this isn't Olinde's) We will certainly help you if we can, but often times we are short handed and swamped.

6. It is expected to haggle about the price AFTER the first day. PLEASE don't tell us what you will pay for items. If you are polite and ask "our best price" you will often be rewarded.

7. When the sale begins pick up the small items you want to buy and precede to the check out counter to pay. If it is a large item, pull the tag and pay. We will give you a sold sticker and you can pick it up at an agreed upon time.

8. Finally, remember that this sale is someone's inheritance and our job is to get as much as possible for this family.. I DO NOT have permission to give the item to your charity or sell it to you for a pittance.

Come out to our next sale and I promise you'll find something you didn't even know you wanted and you too will be hooked! See you very soon Junk Nation--