As you can see it has been a while since I have been on here posting my estate sale finds, and I am not too happy about it! The past month has been so busy. I made another two week trip to Park City, Utah, had a very successful yard sale, went to Seattle, Washington for a Bachelorette Weekend, and then an awesome Country Chic Wedding Weekend in Boring, Oregon (yes, there really is a place in Oregon called Boring!). Phewww! Now that all of the craziness is over... it's time to start focusing back on work and my shop!
Before I left for Utah this second time around, Jared and I, made it to one estate sale. Let me tell you... it was an experience like none other. Going into these sales, I have always thought I was prepared. My eyes fine tuned, coffee pumping in my veins, rolls of bills in my pocket, and arms ready to start holding stuff. Needless to say, everything I thought I knew about estate sales was about to be redefined... compared to these people, I felt like this was my first rodeo.
Now, I continuously get asked about advice and tips for shopping at estate sales so I thought this would be a good time to put in my thoughts. Considering what I thought I knew before quickly changed from my last experience I will go over some basic rules of the game.
1.) Opening Day - Don't be on time, be early...
This was the first time that Jared and I have gone to an opening day of an estate sale at the time it opened. First mistake. We should have gotten there 1 to 2 hours BEFOREHAND... just to get our names first on the list to start grabbing before everyone else. When we showed up AT ten o'clock, there was a line that wrapped around the block.... AROUND THE BLOCK! I asked someone what was going on, and they said I needed to go up to the top of the line put my name on the list and the number in my party.... I was confused. Was this a big joke and were we waiting in line for By Way's Cafe in NW Portland?! I went up put my name on the list, and 30 to 40 minutes later we were eventually called by number and allowed in the house.
2.) Arriving Prepared - Don't arrive with your Starbucks coffee and purse in hand...
While Jared and I were waiting in line, around the block, I ran into someone I knew, and she filled me in on all the tricks of the trade. I noticed a ton of people (everyone at the front of the line...Seasoned Vets) had large Baskets, and little white index cards with their name, phone number, and SOLD written in black sharpie along with a roll of tape. I thought this was bizarre at first, but when she explained why, it made total sense. The basket is for you to hold all the little nick-knack type items to make it easier for you to carry. The tags and tape were for the larger items that you could slap onto items that were to big to carry like furniture, frames, and heavy items. That way people know that it is already purchased. The least amount of items that you have in your hands the more enjoyable time you are going to have. The biggest mistake you can make is carrying your coffee around, while trying to look and grab items with people bumping and grabbing stuff right out in front of you. People are ruthless... that is all I need to say about that (don't let age fool you either, sometimes the older they are the harder they bite when you touch anything around them). Have your money and phone in your pocket, and nothing but the basket in your hands while perusing the house.
3.) Dress The Part - Don't dress too cute...
If you go to a sale where a lot of stuff is not marked with the price, then this is a VITAL tip. By dressing like you are just average joe, out-looking-for-some-cool-stuff-to-put-in-your-house, they will sometimes work with you on the price. I know that sounds silly, but there have been times where being dressed really trendy and fashionable has worked against me, because they know (or assume) what I am doing...reselling and decorating. Most of the time they don't want to me to get away with the best deals. Plus, being young, puts their defenses up. However, MOST sales are mostly tagged to some degree and this is not always an issue.
4.) Room in the Car - Don't expect the sale to hold your item...
Make sure you have room in your car for the unexpected item, like the 4-foot mirror I found or a wooden chair. Nothing is worse than finding something you love and not being able to get it in your car. Most places will not hold an item either, so if you are worried about not having enough room in your car, plan on using someone elses, or beg the sellers to hold!
5.) Make a List - Don't assume you will remember all the things you are looking for to decorate with...
Sales can be VERY overwhelming. Period. As you are rifling though an entire house of someone's life long possessions, A LOT can be missed. I would recommend before you go, think of somethings that if you would have if at that moment you could get. Etsy is a great resource too for those odd items that you would never think of. That way, when you get to the sale, you know things to look for and your eyes will be a bit more trained and tuned into what you want. Having an Iphone or smartphone is a great resource too, because you can see if what they are selling an item for is fair or too steep. An example of this was the toolbox that I got for Jared. He had been searching for months of one, and we could never find one, until I put it on a list, went to a sale, and because I looked at the list found the MOST AMAZING 1920s Kennedy toolbox!!!
6.) Neighborhood Shop - Don't always judge a book by a cover...
Look for neighborhoods in your area that are old. Homes where people have been living there for years. The older the home, the better things you are going to find, because that means some old person has been accumulating for years. I have been finding too that the better sales are not always in the more affluent neighborhoods, because the stuff they are selling is a lot of time WAY over priced and sometimes actual rare pieces that are just out of my league. Average Joe neighborhoods, with old houses is the way to go. I also like to look in areas close to my neighborhood, just for convenience sake! A key to this also, is to never ever judge a book by its cover...just read my blog entry, Never Judge A Book By Its Cover.
7.) Sunday = Best Day - Don't assume all the junk is left...
A lot of people would disagree with me on this, but I believe Sundays can be the best day to go. Ninety-five percent of the time Sundays are ALWAYS 50% off everything, or 50% off everything under $50. I always go right when they open & find the best stuff, and half off. There is an exception to this. If you are looking for items like furniture, electronics, or something very specific, I would not recommend doing this. These items usually go FIRST. You do miss out on some things the first two days, but they are priced a bit higher in the event that they don't sell by Sunday, they still get an adequate dollar for the item.
8.) Finding Estate Sales - Don't be fooled, be sure you are going to an Estate Sale...
I will tell you to not be fooled, because many people label their JUNK SALE as an estate sale. An estate sale is where you walk into someone's home who has deceased or moved to an assisted living facility. Everything in the home is up for grabs. An estate sale is not... in someone's front yard, backyard, garage, driveway, car, or porch. Those kinds of sales are FAR from an estate sale. People are getting clever however.
Craigslist... Do a search for estate sales in your area. Be sure it is not a yard sale.
Your local newspaper's Classified section... I always look online at OregonLive.com. The have an Estate Sale Classified section which is almost always accurate.
G-Salr is a great garage selling website. Just put in your location, and it will tell you were all the estate garage and yard sales are that are right near you. They search anything that has been posted to the internet. They even have a cool Iphone App!
My favorite though is.... www.EstateSales.org. They are the best. Period!
I hope this helps, and if you have any specific questions, shoot me a comment or email, in the meantime, check out the cool items I aquired at the latest sale!
