Re: ESTATE SALE?

Shanus · ‎05-17-2010

@Mom2Dogs DH has a card reader at his office...portable. Some folks want to pay for their returns before they leave and not give numbers over the phone to associates or secretaries.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

Do you need the money or are you just unhappy with not getting what pieces are worth? Questions you can ask yourself.

What would it be worth to me to have the free time rather than the object? Also, maybe you can find a charity you like that will take them to sell. Peace of mind and objects gone! Just sacked up two bags of too big clothes--many with tags, from the last move.

I could sell on e-bay, not get a lot but a couple hundred or a little more, but make some cash, but the Salvation Army will help someone and I don't need the money that badly. So, a win win for me because my faith says to be generous and help others.

Sage04 · ‎07-10-2011

I could see if you had a house full of antique furniture, then I would call an estate firm.

Most people are advertising now on FB Marketplace.

Someone I know just did this with antique furniture that came from her husband's mom and grandmother. She sold a lot and the few pieces that didn't sell was donated.

I'm not into antique but she gave me a beautiful table. Someone checked it out and offered and said it's worth about a thousand dollars.

Effie54 · ‎09-08-2010

@KittySoftPaws wrote:
@Effie54 I fully agree. We made over $1,000+ from an Estate Sale. Plus you will feel better about selling your good items versus giving them away. It is funny though in that the things you think will sell don't, and the things you don't think will sell, will.

@KittySoftPaws Yes, exactly. We made several hundred dollars at each of our tag sales. We had very nice things to sell, and the buyers surely came out in droves. My husband also posted signs in the neighborhood, which brought in those who were driving by. All in all we had a great time and it was nice to see those who purchased the items. You're right - you never know what's going to sell first. And in this economy, it's money in your pocket. I disagree with those who say not to bother trying to sell items. I've never been disappointed in our garage/house sales.

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

This site is wonky today as least for me! Can't edit, can't delete.

I wanted to say that I have had several garage sales over the years and have never been disappointed with sales.

I guess it depends on how bad you want to sell the items...I'd at least give it a try, and then you can always donate what does not sell.

stevieb · ‎03-10-2010

@Sooner Agree that if you're looking for a clean-out and hire a reputable estate sale agent, it's a good way to go. The way I read it, though, was that the OP had a few items she considered higher end or more 'precious' and was looking to make a bit more from their sale. If that's the case, an estate sale is probably not the way to go. I'd also note that most estate sale companies won't take the gig for just a few items, though they might let you auction them on their websites for a percentage.

In my pantry with my cupcakes...

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

@Sooner wrote:
@River Song wrote:

My advice, save yourself a whole lot of time and effort and just donate everything. Yes, even the items you feel are too expensive to donate. People will offer pennies on the dollar at a yard sale or estate sale. By the end of the day, you'll be giving stuff away for free just to get rid of it. Yard sales are a tremendous amount of work for not much return.

I donated all my mother's silver plate trays and tea service years ago to a charity with a resale shop. I'm about ready to donate my Lenox fine china dinnerware service for twelve, nobody wants this stuff. Same with collectibles like Hummel figurines. Look at it this way, the money spent on the items is gone, you'll never get it back, just let it go and move on.
@River Song @Shanus I agree with everything she has said here. I have liquidated 3 Estates, one at an Estate Sale, and the other two us doing it. Here's my perspective:

Edited to add: Sterling silver is up to $30 an ounce so sell it! You will get less but still a great profit!

Cleaning out other people's houses and my house:
Go through quickly, take what you want, gather up paperwork and take it (several SUV loads for one place) and have it shredded. Banks sometimes have shred trucks come on a Saturday!

We found an estate sale group for my mother's house that said walk away, leave ALL the stuff for us. They sold everything TO THE WALLS and hauled off what was left and cleaned the house.

Bottom line? We didn't make a lot but I'd have paid them 5 times what we made to do it.

So if you are moving and leaving a lot of stuff, check around and maybe find a company.

Garage sale? NOT worth the effort. Expensive stuff like dishes and crystal and silver plate are basically worth nothing now. I'm hauling a ton to the Salvation Army at this point. Made a trip Saturday with some Royal Albert Old Country Roses.

The factor to weigh against a few dollars is how much of your life do you want to devote to this process? That's worth WAY more than money and stuff. GOOD LUCK whatever you decide!

At my old house we did well with our garage sales. The most we made was $600. A couple of times in the $500 range and usually around $400 range was the norm. At my new house, the most was a little over $500. Our norm now is $300.

KittySoftPaws · ‎07-21-2020

@Snicks1 I respectfully disagree. The saying "One man's junk, is another man's Treasure" still holds true. I sell a lot on Ebay and if the item is in good condition, people would rather own something used as opposed to paying full price for new. I know I do, especially with things I wouldn't have been able to afford new. You never know what someone is looking for.

KittySoftPaws · ‎07-21-2020

@geezerette We had an autioneer come in to my MIL's home and they were high priced and didn't want most of the items, can't remember why. We did it ourselves and saved a lot of money and made a lot too. With an Auction, you are competing with a lot of items, therby reducing your odds of selling your stuff, IMO. But the catch is you need a couple people willing to help you out.