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Estate sale frustration

jjblue84 said:
I always bring sold tags, and yes I show up 3-4 hours early and yes I sell as a source of income. I have a huge collection too, some things stay lots of things go(its not just audio). When I started this like 6-7years ago full time, you could show up an hour before the sale and be number 1, now if you show up an hour before your number 15 or worse number 50. Estate sales have went from being a fun source of income to a combative sport. I've seen it all from people stampeding over a dead body, to dead cats, to people pushed down stairs....The mob wouldn't even let me out of a sale one time, I had to push my way through the mob. Its horrible, and you don't know how much I would like to find a well paying hourly job. I now bring sold tags that cannot be removed because it is impossible to pay for the item before someone else starts checking it out and wanting to buy it....and face its...its a little hard to carry a 75lb receiver around looking for the estate sale person. I suggest that people stay away from estate sales, come by 4-5 hours after it opens and if you want something paticular from the sell....just buy it from ebay and pay retail....its a lot easier....
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Sounds like it's getting to be real work. Shame.
 
Wow, never attending an estate sale, but hoping to, I'm now wondering if I should bring a night stick :)
 
jjblue84 said:
I've seen it all from people stampeding over a dead body, to dead cats, to people pushed down stairs....The mob wouldn't even let me out of a sale one time, I had to push my way through the mob. Its horrible, and you don't know how much I would like to find a well paying hourly job.....
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Were you at an estate sale or did you have a part in Soylent Green?
 
The sales are great... Not necessarly for items in high demand and being first through the door though. I have been to many, now I preferr to go the last hour or two. I do not expect to scroe some kickin gear, really don't have the room anyhow. I have found if you go to the sales without a pre-concieved notion of what your after, generally you will find something pretty cool at one of three or four sales. Not necessarly audio related though
 
Bringing sold tags with you when you come to an estate sale is pretty common these days. Another thing is that some people have "moles" in the estate sale business and know exactly where all the good stuff is located. As you can imagine, it is mostly a waste of time to go to them.
 
I've been to a few estate sales where gear had the sold stickers on them. I quickly found that the units had not been paid for and simply pulled the tag and paid for the item getting a receipt and placing a sold sticker with my name and the receipt number on it. On one instance I ran into the guy slapping stickers on almost anything that may have any value and others would look at it and start to walk away. I'd inquire if they wanted it and if yes, simply rip the sticker and hand it to them. The guy pasting the stickers finally caught up with me and started to "discuss" my actions suggesting I was doing something wrong. I simply asked if he had paid for the items and when he said no, I explained that the estate agent could sue for brech of contract in that slapping the sold sticke on the unit, he was offering to buy it and the estate agent could accept the offer and hold him to it. I also mentioned that when he slapped the sold sticker on the unit the estate agent had not accepted the offer and it was still for sale and only when the agent accepted the offer was it sold and again the slapping of the sticker on the unit was actionable.

About that time the agent came over and aske which of us was putting the stickers on the units and the gent admitted it. The agent said he accepted the offers and had added up the posted purchase price and needed the $18,000 offered. The gent started to walk away but was blocked by security who took his name and address and the agent told him he would be contacted by his attorney if any item sith the sold sticker was not sold. He then had the gent escorted from the premises and heard the security guard tell him he was not to come back and his information would be given to other estate agents in the town. The estate agent did not remove the stickers and do not know what happened thereafter; could have been an interesting law suit as the gent had a defence when the stickers were not rmoved and the agent knew he was not going to buy and pay for them.
 
Brian said:
I've been to a few estate sales where gear had the sold stickers on them. I quickly found that the units had not been paid for and simply pulled the tag and paid for the item getting a receipt and placing a sold sticker with my name and the receipt number on it. On one instance I ran into the guy slapping stickers on almost anything that may have any value and others would look at it and start to walk away. I'd inquire if they wanted it and if yes, simply rip the sticker and hand it to them. The guy pasting the stickers finally caught up with me and started to "discuss" my actions suggesting I was doing something wrong. I simply asked if he had paid for the items and when he said no, I explained that the estate agent could sue for brech of contract in that slapping the sold sticke on the unit, he was offering to buy it and the estate agent could accept the offer and hold him to it. I also mentioned that when he slapped the sold sticker on the unit the estate agent had not accepted the offer and it was still for sale and only when the agent accepted the offer was it sold and again the slapping of the sticker on the unit was actionable.

About that time the agent came over and aske which of us was putting the stickers on the units and the gent admitted it. The agent said he accepted the offers and had added up the posted purchase price and needed the $18,000 offered. The gent started to walk away but was blocked by security who took his name and address and the agent told him he would be contacted by his attorney if any item sith the sold sticker was not sold. He then had the gent escorted from the premises and heard the security guard tell him he was not to come back and his information would be given to other estate agents in the town. The estate agent did not remove the stickers and do not know what happened thereafter; could have been an interesting law suit as the gent had a defence when the stickers were not rmoved and the agent knew he was not going to buy and pay for them.
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:banana::banana::banana:
 
Andyman said:
yes folks do sticker things as "Sold" if they are too awkward or bulky to haul about.
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By what authority can one sticker something as "sold" that hasn't been paid for or hasn't come up for bid (or however it works)?

What stops me from tearing off some anonymous sold tag and paying for it?
 
Nothing except that you should confirm it was not actually sold. I saw the guy slapping the sickers on so knew he had not bought and paid for them. Otherwise, if there was something I was interested in I'd have checked the the estate agent before riping the sticker and taking it. Otherwise, there could be other issues to deal with that could be nasty.

As they say in school, do your homework before acting.
 
The falsified SOLD stickers sound to me like just a way of calling dibs. You can either respect it or not. It's like if someone at the grocery store grabbed the last two of the two-for-one steaks and put them in their basket. You can either respect that or swipe the steaks while he's not looking.
 
whoever goes to next estate sale, can you ask whoever is running the sale to address the "sold sticker" rules before the line goes in. and report back here of what happened?
 
gogofast said:
whoever goes to next estate sale, can you ask whoever is running the sale to address the "sold sticker" rules before the line goes in. and report back here of what happened?
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They have different rules. The "sold" sticker thing is usually not acceptable to most ES companies...unless their employee's are placing them on the items.

I think it goes back to "tag" sales.Where the items are tagged,and you remove the tag from the item you want to purchase.Usually a two piece tag,you remove the stub.
 
I've done the estate sale circuit since I was a kid, so I know the routine. I would say 90% of the time, I do really well. If I just started doing them now, I would be clueless. My girlfriend has started to come with me to some sales and she just doesn't know where to begin. I have my own approach and "ESSP" or Estate Sale Sensory Perception. I see things out of the corner of my eyes and I have an encyclopedic knowledge of values, antiques and americana.

Once you do a few dozen in an area, you begin to recognize who is who and what they're after. Sometimes you can beat them to the loot, other times they come out ahead. I'm too much of a collector to become a reseller, even when I make a huge score, I usually keep it for a few years before passing it along. I'm more interested in accumulation sales, I love to go to sales with items that go back for generations.

However, it is not always easy or fun. I have to say, the worst and most disgusting estate sales I have gone to have been on Long Island. Honor amongst crooks, trust among royalty. False numbers, pre-sold items, blatant ripoffs, and bait and switch tactics. In one instance, I fell for a baited sale that was to promote a reality TV show, Big Brian the Fortune Seller.

I am sure the kinds of things I saw on the LI sales happen elsewhere, but it is not something I grew up with. I find that I have better experiences in New Jersey than on LI. The sales I have attended in NJ seem to be a bit more orderly, without false numbers or pre-sold items.
 
Life is too short to get wrapped around the axle about this stuff. There are always people trying to game the system. I say let 'em. I find enough stuff cheap enough to keep me happy. Life goes on.
 
cnh2 said:
Non an estate kind of guy. But definitely uncool. If it's been sold it should be removed!


cnh2
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Right. Don't even give me a reason to be pissed off about the fact that I followed the rules, someone of less scruples (including the seller) consummated a deal that wasn't fairly offered, and I have to suffer through seeing what I missed out on? Every aspect of that whole situation sucks.:yes:
 
whoaru99 said:
By what authority can one sticker something as "sold" that hasn't been paid for or hasn't come up for bid (or however it works)?
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By the right of being the first one to it.

whoaru99 said:
What stops me from tearing off some anonymous sold tag and paying for it?
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Nothing at all. Just be prepared to deal with the person who placed the tag should they find you. And like Stephen J. said, it probably won't be pretty.

whoaru99 said:
I don't think anyone is suggesting grabbing something out of someone else's shopping cart, per se.
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Aren't you suggesting exactly that in the second quote???

FWIW, I don't sticker items. What I do do is find someone with the sale and tell them I want the item and ask where to place it or as them to place a sticker on it.

Actually, in a lot of cases it's like when folks buy LPs and they grab a bunch of interesting titles and then go aside to check out the vinyl quality. You can't hesitate at these sales early on, as there probably are others there willing to pay the price, so unless you make a move, the item will be gone.
 
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