# Need help getting ready for an estate sale



## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

I'm continually amazed at the knowledge and experience of the people on this forum, so I thought I'd put this one out there.....

I'm getting ready for an estate sale of many of Deb's mom's belongings. We were supposed to have this last fall but that's when Deb took a turn for the worse. 

Deb was the one that was very good at preparing for these things and pricing the items. Me, not so much! I have about 10 tables set up so far - mostly glass, china & kitchen items (my garage is full with overflow still in my basement). Much of it is very nice and everything is in excellent condition - a good portion is still in original boxes.

My question, how do I figure out how to price the items? I want to price to sell but don't want to be giving things away. I'm also afraid I have some treasures here and don't even realize it. The sale is scheduled for mid-September so I don't have a lot of time. 

Also, I've sent an invitation to all of Deb's cousin's to attend a family sale the weekend before (some had expressed interest in purchasing some of the items). Once I determine the pricing, do I charge family the full price or should I be discounting for them?

Thanks!


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

Wow this is difficult. I would probably try plugging the best description of everything into Ebay to get a price of what has sold.


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

Yes, Jill, this is a very difficult question. Even people familiar with antiques don't always know what they have - for example, a friend of mine really in to antiques was given a wooden puzzle which in turn she was selling for a few dollars...only to have an honest person say to her that it was really worth a couple hundred! The library will have some books on pricing glassware and may even have a flea market pricing guide that will help you. And I wouldn't be surprised to find these guides on the internet now. As for glassware, if anything looks like it could be depression glass, you can find price guides at the library. And also, check the trademark underneath the plates, bowls, etc. You can plug these names into google and see what comes up. Dinnerware etc made in the '50's are a really hot item too.

As for relatives, it would be a nice gesture to discount for them IMHO. (OK, not a big discount!)

Now for the public sale, whatever doesn't sell the first day, you can discount the next, unless you know it is a valuable item. Also, don't be surprised at dickering. It's supposed to be a "rule" for the prospective buyer to ask "will you take..." I do it all the time. In FL this past winter I got a beautiful heavy crystal bowl for about $6. I figured the woman selling it had gotten a divorce and it had been a wedding present! 

Good luck! Sue


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Jill, I agree with Sue that discounting for relatives would be a nice gesture, but you are going to a lot of work and deserve some compensation so I think you should keep that in mind as well. 

You might consider interviewing one of the companies that does estate sales. Just because you interview them doesn't mean you would have to hire them to run the sale, but it would be interesting to hear their terms and you might glean some valuable information if you ask questions like "how would you advertise the sale" etc. 

Ebay is a great source for figuring out the fair price for items. You probably won't have time to research every item, but you could pick the ones you suspect have the most value. 

Let me know if I can help. I'm going on vacation mid September and am going to Chicago this weekend, but other than that, I'm around.


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Jill - We recently had an estate sale for my mother's home - the things that we kids did not take. There was some furniture, lots of glass and china, lots of knick knacks, several were antiques or nice collectibles. We simply hired a company that does estate sales. They did everything - pricing, tagging, cleaning, showing for maximum sale, the sale itself over 2 days. What didn't sell they took to their consignment center. They kept 40% of the proceeds. We figured it was the best outcome. My mom would have been pleased that people who really wanted her things and would love them bought them, and we were happy to have the proceeds to give to the grandkids. Otherwise I can only imagine how much stuff would have gone into Goodwill because it was just too overwhelming for my sister to handle it all.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Jill I love estate sales, DH and me go to a lot of auctions and estate sales in the winter to get out of the house. I wish I lived close so I could see what you got. I agree E-bay is a great way of doing research on items but it can still be hard with some items if you do not know what you are looking for. Sue is right by looking for names or trademarks on any glass, china or pottery you may have. If you have any items with trademarks without a name take a picture of it, I have a book that I can look it up for you. Most pottery pieces I am good at naming just by looking at it if it is worth anything. You would be surprised at how much some of the ugliest pieces can go for. Old furniture can also be worth a lot depending on what you got. At any estate sale the people that show up first are most likely going to be antique dealers or people that sell on E-bay. They will be looking for a deal to turn, if you see anyone really checking out an item, pull out a flash light or start pulling draws out of furniture and tipping it over do not budge on your price. I agree that day 2 is the day to go lower in prices.
If you feel like taking some pictures of your tables I would be more than happy to see if I can spot something that you may want to research, I am not the best at spotting things but would be more than happy to take a peak.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Jill- 
I hope it goes well for you. We had a sale when we had to move my mom out of her house after our dad died. There are 8 of us kids, only 4 are local so we cleaned up and got it all ready for sale. Then we decided what we all wanted to keep and sold the rest. I'd give the family a discount but I agree that you should be compensated, it's a lot of work! People will try to talk you down to nothing so hold your ground! If you have things left that don't sell there are companies who will come pick it all up, call your county to ask if they have a list and you can take a deduction as a charitable donation. I know St. Vincent de Paul will pick up.
Good luck to you!!!


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Jill, a difficult task indeed. I am terrible at pricing. 
When my mother-in-law died a few years ago and my father-in-law was moving out of their large home he had an estate sale. He hired a company to do and they did everything from pricing to displaying the items. The second day they discounted the items and the third day (it was a Fri-Sun sale) they were discounted even further. They did it all so he didn't have to. It did cost him some money but he still made money and didn't have the headache of pricing. She had a LOT of collections of depression glass, crystal, etc.
Good luck!


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks for the input!

I'm thinking I'll try a combination of things you've recommended. Sue - a book from the library is a great idea - I think I'll stop by one of the big libraries (Southfield) on my way home and see if I can find a book with pictures to at least identify pieces. 

Anne & Susan :brick: I had to laugh at myself. I had told Deb we should hire someone to come in and handle everything for us - we didn't have the time or energy to take care of it by ourselves. After family bought up quite a bit of furniture we decided we didn't have enough to hire someone and could do it ourselves. Well I've since moved her mom into an even smaller apartment and now have even more stuff than we started with. I don't know why I didn't go back to my original decision to hire somebody (since I have even less time & energy (not to mention desire) than I did a year ago!) Oh well, I'm too far into the process now.

What I think I will do though....there is a neighbor who has 5-6 garage sales a year. I think she does them as a profession - I think she goes around collecting items from other garage sales and then sells them for a profit at hers. I think I'll ask if she could come down and help me price things (maybe for a flat fee, % of sales, or perhaps in exchange for some of the things I have for sale.)

Just to make sure, I'll check out the internet for as many of the china/glassware items I can to see what the going rates are. Items like coffee pots (there are 6!!!!) I won't worry about - whatever the neighbor suggests, I'll go with.

Leann, thanks for the heads up about the "professionals" - I'll know what to look for and hold to my price (at least the first day).

I think I'm also going to set up a "family table" with some of the better pieces. My MIL painted china cups, porcelain, etc. for years. There are some beautiful pieces - perhaps not worth much but more sentimental value for the family. Then the family won't miss the things they were probably interested in originally. 

Shelly - thank for the offer of assistance. I may take you up on it. The problem is that I'm having to do most of the work in the evenings after I get home from work, feed/walk the dogs, etc. 

Thanks for thinking about me regarding compensation. As power of attorney I think there are issues regarding receiving anything. That's okay, it will all work itself out in the end (even if it's just in heaven points).

Thanks for your responses. I knew I'd get useful suggestions here. You folks are great!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Jill, I think everyone has given you super advice. I love your family table idea - how sensitive. Another thought might be during the family "sale" that everyone writes their name on a small sticker on the items they would like if they aren't sold. That way, they know that nothing will be given away after the sale without them having the option to purchase at discount. Good luck and I'd definitely go with hiring your neighbor to help. It's way too much for one person. Oh, and if you have craigslist.com in your area, it's another good pricing resource. You might want to advertise the sale there and for some of the expensive pieces, you could advertise in advance and see if you could get them sold that way.


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

(((Jill))) Just let me know. It's a huge undertaking, I know. I had an estate sale when my Grandmother passed away. I hired a company to run it, but even so I spent weeks going through her things, sorting and organizing. I can't imagine running the whole thing by yourself while working too.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

Jill,

I've been involved with a lot of estate sales, as a REALTOR. We always hire a professional and they do set up and price everything. However, they do take a percentage of the sale. You'd have to find out how much it would be there. For the possibility of antiques or other collectibles I would recommend taking a photo of any item you think might be worth something and send it to Christy's or Sotheby's auction house. They have specialists in every field.

Good luck with it.


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## Alexa (Jun 17, 2007)

I think selling collectibles or antiques at garage sale isn't going to get you nearly as much as you could get selling them on ebay or directly to a collector. Check the completed auction on ebay to see what those kind of items go for ( you have to sign in to get those, so if you don't have an account already, set one up). If you don't want to sell on ebay yourself, you can find someone that will do it for you for a hefty percentage, but it still may be more than what you'd get selling locally.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Jill-

As executor of the will you should be considered and paid a percentage, if you choose to take it, of the estate. We went through this when my parents died and my sister had the enormous job of executing both of their estates only a few years apart. We wanted her to take something for herself but she wouldn't so we just gave her $ after it was all done. Check with the attorney to see what provisions were made as you will have put in lots of time by the time you're finished.

Good luck to you!


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Alexa said:


> I think selling collectibles or antiques at garage sale isn't going to get you nearly as much as you could get selling them on ebay or directly to a collector. Check the completed auction on ebay to see what those kind of items go for ( you have to sign in to get those, so if you don't have an account already, set one up). If you don't want to sell on ebay yourself, you can find someone that will do it for you for a hefty percentage, but it still may be more than what you'd get selling locally.


I agree, you could also just call an auction house that will do the auction at your house. They will come in see what you have, take some pictures, advertise then come with a crew on auction day. You just sit back and pick your chin up when something you thought was worth nothing goes for some insane amount of money. I get shocked all the time, I went to a shaker auction once and watched a set of 3 spools with a tiny bit of red thread on them go for $6,000.00 needless to say I came home with nothing from that auction but it was a blast as I love shaker furniture.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I've had more experience with this than I ever wanted.

Are there beneficiaries entitled to the personal property in any way specified in the will?

Has the estate been settled?

Have you discussed any sale with the Commissioner of Accounts (varies by state) in your county?

Is the goal to get maximum income from the sale or just to get rid of stuff?

Consider how any income may affect any taxes due according to the value of the estate-if it is in the taxable range.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Leeann said:


> IYou just sit back and pick your chin up when something you thought was worth nothing goes for some insane amount of money. I get shocked all the time, I went to a shaker auction once and watched a set of 3 spools with a tiny bit of red thread on them go for $6,000.00 needless to say I came home with nothing from that auction but it was a blast as I love shaker furniture.


Wouldn't that be amazing! I'd be pulling out every spool of thread I could find....just in case!:biggrin1:

Tom, fortunately I'm not in a position to have to deal with beneficiaries yet. My MIH hasn't passed yet, we just moved her from her home to a studio apartment in an assisted living center. In fact, one of the reasons for trying to get this done as quickly as possible is that the money just goes back into her account and I can make sure it's spent on her expenses versus having to deal with her son- whom, when he shows up, is going to be a real problem for me....But that's a whole other story.

My goal is to get rid of the stuff, more than making top dollar. I refuse to carry it all back into my basement again this winter!

I really appreciate all of the great input everyone has given. I'm going to contact a couple of people this weekend - we have quite a few auction houses/antique dealers in the area - just to see what they have to say.

Thanks again!


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Just had to show you the size of my upcoming estate sale (this weekend is the family's sale and some of my neighbors and then next weekend is the actual sale). The tables extend around behind the garage and there is furniture all the way down the drive to the front of the house (I think there are 28 tables), with pictures hanging all along one side of the fence and comforters/quilts along the other. 

It's taken me three weeks to get it all set up and today I started pricing items. I'm going to be so glad when this is over!!!


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

WOW!!!!

Please let us know it goes.....


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

Hi Jill!

I see you, and Tess and Cody back there! 

Sue


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

Oh, Jill... how tired you must be!! 

I hope it goes so well for you and is a huge success.... treat yourself to a bit of "doggie therapy" as needed, a few minutes here and there with cuddles will make it better. Have you made arrangements for items that don't sell? Maybe Purple Heart or an organization like that can do a pick up. 

I will be saying a prayer for beautiful weather and lots of people wanting to buy.


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

Oh, my goodness, Sue.... you are right!! LOL! I read your post and went and looked at the photos again... and there they are! Kind of like those "Where's Waldo" books that were around several years ago.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

WOW Jill, that's a lot of stuff. What is on the blue table by the suitcases, it looks like some colored glass?


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Good luck, Jill!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

OMG, how many houses did you have to sort through???

Wish I could come to the sale, good luck!!!


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Oh my goodness, that's a ton of stuff! I would never have seen you in that one picture, if Sue hadn't pointed you out. I was wondering yesterday where you have been! Now I know, you've been toiling away on your mission!

Are you putting a tarp over the items between sales or do you have to set it all out again next weekend????? That thought makes MY joints ache!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Oh my, that is a lot of stuff. I wish I was there to buy the quilts...I love them. Hope you have lots of success.


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## BeverlyA (Oct 29, 2006)

OMG Jill! That is an amazing amount of stuff! There's a special place in heaven for you girl!

I know I'm too late to offer advice, but in a similar situation, what we did was hire an expert in the particular field to come over and help us sort and price items. My MIL had a huge Americana/political/statue of liberty collection and was contemplating just donating it to a school or something to save us the time and trouble of selling or packing it. We found a man that specialized in Americana antiques and he first sorted things by over/under 50$, by putting a small sticker on them. Then he helped us price individual items as we asked, or things he felt were especially valuable. He worked by the hour, so we knew just where we stood price wise.

I hope you're having great weather this weekend and next weekend too!

Beverly


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Leeann said:


> WOW Jill, that's a lot of stuff. What is on the blue table by the suitcases, it looks like some colored glass?


Wow Leann, good eyes! Yes, there's quite a bit of cut and colored glass on that table. I put that out for the family sale and have now packed it back up and will take it, along with the Lladro, Hummels, Goebel, etc. to an antique dealer to have priced.

Beverly, two of my neighbors (one who had a booth at a flea market for years and the other who does about a dozen garage sales a year) helped me price the items. I have about 70-80% priced and will spend the next few days making sure everything is priced.

I made about $640 this weekend from just family and neighborhood friends and you can hardly tell.

Shelly, I'm covering everything with tarps each night - it takes me about 2-3 hours to cover it all - so I won't have to reset everything next weekend but since we're supposed to have rain this week and on Friday (first day of the sale) I may need to move some of the better pieces into the garage...just in case. One of the dressers wasn't covered well enough last night and ended up with water damage from last night's storm.

Ann, I just happened to receive a flyer from the National Kidney Foundation and they're doing a collection drive the Wednesday after the sale for household items and clothes which is perfect since Deb's mom suffers from kidney disease and goes to dialysis 3 days a week so that's the perfect organization to donate to. The bigger furniture items I'm going to donate to Habitat for Humanity who has a collection center in Pontiac.

I'm going to be so happy when this is over!!!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

I knew when I finally saw the pictures I'd say "Holy Toledo" - wow! What an incredible amount of work. I love that the family table was successful. Such a lovely idea. Good luck and I'm glad you found a bit of help to price that immense amount of merchandise.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*wow...*

It is amazing how much all of us have when you take it outside...I hope you are treating yourself as well as you are taking care of the sale! You deserve something very special...


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

OMG Jill. I've never seen a sale so big in someone's yard before, ever! Where WAS all this stuff? Was it all in only one house? 
I wish you good weather and a very successful sale. I hope you have some helpers on sale days. I'm just stunned at those photos. Our multi-family sale a few years ago didn't even have that much stuff.


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

Just sending you a little :hug: and some :nono: :rain: wishes for your sale this weekend!


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

Jill,

Thinking about your sale...did you go ahead with it? Or was the week-end a total washout? 

Sue


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

suzyfrtz said:


> Jill,
> 
> Thinking about your sale...did you go ahead with it? Or was the week-end a total washout?
> 
> Sue


I had put signs out on major intersections near my house on Wednesday night, to advertise the sale for Friday and Saturday. On Thursday people were showing up, while I was at work, and were just going into my backyard and peeking under all of the tarps. :jaw: My next door neighbor had to put signs up that the sale wasn't until Friday and pulled up my signs. I still had people coming back when I got home from work asking if I was going to open up Thursday night! NO!!!

When I got up on Friday morning at 5am and realized the rain wasn't going to miracously skip me, I started moving everything into my basement. I had been telling everyone that I didn't care what happened in the sale, I'd give everything away, but I wasn't moving that stuff back into my basement.! So what took me about 130 hours to set up in my backyard, I moved back into my basement :suspicious: in 4 hours and moved the furniture into my garage.

The sale was supposed to start at 9am. People started lining up at 7:30am! 
Friday was steady all day and even though Saturday was a complete washout I had a pretty stream of business.

I still haven't dried out!

Unfortunately, I still have a basement full of stuff so I'm having a 2nd sale this weekend.

Oh yeah, and I've made $1,300 last weekend (over $1,900 total so far)!!!eace:


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## isshinryu_mom (Mar 23, 2008)

Oh Jill... all that rain!!! I can't believe people were out garage sale-ing in it!! Did they come in and out of your house or did you move it all back out to your garage? How did Tess and Cody do with all the strangers around?

I'm sending sunny thoughts your way for the weekend! Good luck!


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

I'm glad that you did well, a compensation for all the work you had to put in to it...moving twice....

I am also amazed with Ann that people were garage sale-ing during the buckets of rain we had Sat. There are some pretty dedicated people out there! 

This week-end will be nice though. Again, hopes that all goes well and you won't have much to cart away.

Sue


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