Among Friends

[geezerette]

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@KittySoftPaws wrote:

@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. 

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@KittySoftPaws 

That's why I said it depends on the quality and quantity of what you have and what you're willing to do yourself.

On the other hand, auctions also have more potential customers competing with each other to drive the prices up.  And some people keep track of the auction sites and are frequent participants.

There is no one right answer for everyone.  And in the end, it's your choice and you take your chances.

[Sooner]

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@stevieb wrote:

@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.

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@stevieb I agree with all you said.  However, next time I move it will be to a smaller place and I will do an estate sale here.  So I am tossing that out as an idea.  

I know we won't be upsizing from here, so I will probably take a few pieces of furniture, fill in with new and save on moving costs.  Take what clothes I need, would not need 1/4 of the kitchen ware and dishes we have for smaller, so just do an estate sale. 

At that point I will be looking to save money on moving expenses only, and not make money.  Just make my life easire from the horror of moving!  We moved about 1/2 mile last time and it was awful!  

[Group 5 minus 1]

Hubbs and I go saleing as a hobby. We avoid any marked as "estate sale" usually more $$.

Here is some feed back from us: 

Know your competition ( many collectibles are no longer not)

No obnoxious kids

No chatting on the cell 

Be willing to bargain (altho hubbs and myself will not do that,if price is too high we just walk by)

Check e-bay for prices (we do before we set out)

Always have a "free box"

And oh the stories I could tell ! 

After Good Will raised prices I have found some great thigs (clothing) at GS.

Just recently found a Thrift Store in our area that has great prices. 

[Shanus]

We think the best plan is a garage sale for the less expensive things...ktichen tools, towels, sheets linens, small photo frames, vases, etc. 

Then an estate company is coming here to take our more expensive sets of dishes, lamps, several end tables, coffee tables, mirrors, etc. They'll take the things with them and give us a check, less commission, but at least they're out of the way. 

Since the move is not until late sprimg/early summer assuming house sells then, we need to have some furniture even in rooms not used when house is shown. The dining room table, chairs, china cabinet and server will be taken on consignment by an antique store in town. Other bedroom furniture will be picked up by a charity when the house is sold. 

Everything is being divided into different rooms so we know what goes where...trying to keep things neat is a chore. It's too soon to pack or donate large appliances like my big stand mixer, cooking/casserole dishes. Glass items like wine glasses, serving platters, bakeware, handmade pottery, etc, and similar items will get broken at a yard sale even though we have friends helping watch what's going on. 

I appreciate all the replies and suggestions.

[LuvSoCal]

@Shanus I had an estate sale after my mom passed away and I had a great experience. I found a company that did everything...I barely had to lift a finger. I just took what I wanted to keep and they took it from there. They basically turned the house into a store and sold everything in one day. They took 40% of the proceeds and I got a check for $6,000.00. That was 9 yrs ago so I think these days you would likely only get 50%. It would still be worth it in my opinion.

It would have been overwhelming for me to organize and conduct the sale. I highly recommend.

[haddon9]

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@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. 

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Sadly I have to agree with this. Yard sales are a ton of work and you get very little payback considering the time and labor involved.

I had a few when my kids were little and everyone wants to haggle to get the lowest price possible! For some people it's a game.

My community also has a group yard sale at the recreation area once a year and many years ago I gave that a try too. I was so disappointed at the end of the day with all of the

haggling.... I said, "never again!"

More recently, when my brother and I sold mom's condo we tried to find someone who specialized in collectibles and antiques. It was not easy but we finally found someone who purchased several Wedgewood and Lladro pieces that we had boxes for that would have broken my mother's heart if she knew how little we got for her things.

He only bought a few items and the majority of crystal, a service for twelve china made in Occupied Japan, silver and other various odds and ends we either threw out, donated or gave to the building's cleaning woman.

I'm sure mom would have been horrified to see how her things were distributed. While she was still alive, I shipped her set of sterling silver to my home were it sits in a box.

I also shipped a few other items....my grandmother's crystal bowls, and a few pieces of Wedgewood still wrapped in bubble in the basement.

No one wants these things anymore... at least this current generation of young adults.

[gidgetgh]

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@haddon9 wrote:

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@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. 

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Sadly I have to agree with this. Yard sales are a ton of work and you get very little payback considering the time and labor involved.

I had a few when my kids were little and everyone wants to haggle to get the lowest price possible! For some people it's a game.

My community also has a group yard sale at the recreation area once a year and many years ago I gave that a try too. I was so disappointed at the end of the day with all of the

haggling.... I said, "never again!"

More recently, when my brother and I sold mom's condo we tried to find someone who specialized in collectibles and antiques. It was not easy but we finally found someone who purchased several Wedgewood and Lladro pieces that we had boxes for that would have broken my mother's heart if she knew how little we got for her things.

He only bought a few items and the majority of crystal, a service for twelve china made in Occupied Japan, silver and other various odds and ends we either threw out, donated or gave to the building's cleaning woman.

I'm sure mom would have been horrified to see how her things were distributed. While she was still alive, I shipped her set of sterling silver to my home were it sits in a box.

I also shipped a few other items....my grandmother's crystal bowls, and a few pieces of Wedgewood still wrapped in bubble in the basement.

No one wants these things anymore... at least this current generation of young adults.

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@haddon9 - when my mom passed away, my sister and I sold her sterling flatware and our grandmothers flatware for the silver content. Both of their flatware sets had monogrammed initials on them, making selling even more difficult. So, we sold for scrap.  

[ID2]

We had estate sale years ago. My parents were never savers and left nothing of real value. We had a very successful sale of their things. My brother and I split the money we made.

[occasionalrain]

@Shanus 

Excellent plan. I hope you make a bundle, a windfall.

[Puppy Lips]

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@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. 

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@River Song I need a friend like you to drill this into my head everyday.