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Estate sale survival?

winters860

winters860

AK Subscriber
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I've been an avid garage saler and thrifter for years, and while I've never passed up an estate sale, I've never actively mined that scene, either.

Just today I got an email from a local estate sale company about a sale this week with some audio equipment and household goods I'm VERY interested in. Sales starts at 9:30 Wednesday with tickets being given out at 8:00.

Any tips on helping me secure what I'm looking for?
 
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Have low expectations and be willing to pay too much. These folks know what they're doing and how to extract the maximum dollar. They generally know what things are worth. There will be lots of competition from flippers and many others. Not to be totally negative, go and you might well get lucky. As said above, be early!
 
Get there at 7am. Bring a fold up chair or crate to sit on, water, hat, sunglasses, and cash.

If the price is reasonable and within your budget, grab it before anyone else has a chance to get their grubby little hands on it! :)

If the gear is ridiculously overpriced, find the person running the sale and make them a serious cash offer should they not get their asking price. And make sure you hand them your info with the item and price you're willing to pay. I've been seeing quite a bit of this recently with estate sales trying to price things based on eBay. They overprice for their market and potential customers, so all the hardcore audio flippers scoff at the silly prices and leave. It's usually the guy that gives the estate people a nice backup offer that walks away with it after the sellers finally realize that nobody is willing to pay the inflated prices.
 
enzoazul said:
Get there at 7am. Bring a fold up chair or crate to sit on, water, hat, sunglasses, and cash.

If the price is reasonable and within your budget, grab it before anyone else has a chance to get their grubby little hands on it! :)

If the gear is ridiculously overpriced, find the person running the sale and make them a serious cash offer should they not get their asking price. And make sure you hand them your info with the item and price you're willing to pay. I've been seeing quite a bit of this recently with estate sales trying to price things based on eBay. They overprice for their market and potential customers, so all the hardcore audio flippers scoff at the silly prices and leave. It's usually the guy that gives the estate people a nice backup offer that walks away with it after the sellers finally realize that nobody is willing to pay the inflated prices.
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So true...I was at a sale recently just like that. There was some really good stuff. The asking price reflected pretty much what the printed out ebay sheet said it went for. I had to leave town the next day and could not be around on closing day when I know they were forced to accept someone's lower offer as I felt nobody was going to pay those prices.

Also being in line early, no first, helps tremendously. Another helpful thing is to know the exact asking price before hand and the placement of it in the house. Armed with the knowledge of where it is, how much it is, and being first in line pretty much will seal the deal if you are okay with the price.
 
The sale that I scored big at started at 9am. I arrived at 5am and was the second in line. Luckily, the first in line resold vintage military items. The person behind me was there for the audio gear, too. You need to arrive EARLY!!!
 
In Kenosha, we do estate sales a little different, but it works out the best, I think.
Someone arrives at the sale anywhere between the night before or sometimes 3-4am. :boring: They are 1st, and they have a sign up sheet or give out numbers. Anyone that arrives after that can just sign the sheet or get a number and leave, and then come back when the estate sale people hand out their numbers or sign up sheet. The sale people are usually OK with this because it is easy for them and it keeps everyone in an orderly fashion. The only one that has to stay there the whole time is the 1st one on the list. And usually, whoever is 2nd on the list will come and give them a break to go to the bathroom and grab some coffee sometime before the sale starts.
So far, I have only been to one sale that the estate sale person came out and said that our list was no good and she will hand out her own f*****g numbers. I don't think they are in business anymore.
I've heard people from out of town come to our sales and they bitch and moan about how that's not how its done from where they live, and it should be this way or that way, etc., but seriously, it works!
That's how I scored my Empire 698. 5 hours of waiting, but I was the 1st one in the door! :banana:
The 1st one in line is there because they know there is something in the house that they HAVE to have. Everyone else can go out an hit the regular rummage sales before the estate sale even starts.
 
Here it depends on who running the sale on whether number are given out ahead of time. A hint to the wise sometimes you can get lucky by going by the day before and talking to someone there. This way you can find out what is there. Poaching you say, it does happen all the time. I have seen a ad with pictures in the listing only to find the item sold the day before!



Barney
 
Oerets said:
Here it depends on who running the sale on whether number are given out ahead of time. A hint to the wise sometimes you can get lucky by going by the day before and talking to someone there. This way you can find out what is there. Poaching you say, it does happen all the time. I have seen a ad with pictures in the listing only to find the item sold the day before!



Barney
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That's actually another thing that happened to me. I went to a sale just over the state line in IL, and I got there at about 5am, and I was number 47 on the sign up sheet! :yikes:
Come to find out, the sign up sheet was put out by the estate sale company the night before. So the next time there was a sale in IL, they advertised HPM-100's. I went down there about 3pm the day before and they were in the garage setting up some tables, so I walked up and asked if I could see the speakers. They let me in and I tried to buy them then and there, but they said since they were advertised as part of the sale, they couldn't do that, but I could look around and anything not advertised, I could buy now. I found a Boulevard tube amp and a Knight tube tuner that I bought on the spot! They also said I could sign the sheet and be the 1st one in the door for the speakers.
In the morning, there were a few people that were pissed when she came out with her list and my name was already on it, even though someone had been there since 5am. I explained what happened at the other sale, and all I wanted was the speakers, and I figured they were running this sale like the last one. Most of the first 10 people were there for the records and the vintage toys, so they were OK with me getting the speakers. And I did! :thmbsp:
 
I've not seen an estate sale around here where they gave out numbers. A lot of early bird people will put down 'markers' on the walkway up to the door and head back to their car for a nap or go get coffee or whatever. Markers will be anything: basket, paper cup, pocket knife, some personal trinket, or just a rock from the side of the driveway. It's a whole different scene with the regulars at opening than it is casually stopping by an estate sale mid-morning or later.
 
A marker would not stop me from getting in line ahead of them. No signup sheet then stand your ground I say! But then I also will say something to the guy who cuts in line because they know someone. Should of got up earlier dude! I must look crazy or something because they move.


Barney
 
winters860 said:
Just today I got an email from a local estate sale company about a sale this week with some audio equipment and household goods I'm VERY interested in. Sales starts at 9:30 Wednesday with tickets being given out at 8:00.
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If you got the email with the gear in it, so did the pros, and you can bet they'll be there if it's worthy stuff. Folks drive from states away days early for the really hot sales; it's a business for them and their livelihood, so get ready to play hardball, especially if the pricing is great.

A second thing folks forget about is pricing. If it's featured, it's usually fully priced, which isn't bad if you want a keeper, but not so good if you want a quick flip. I went to a sale a few weeks ago loaded with McIntosh stuff that was featured prominently in the ad and it was all there when I arrive around 2:00 PM because it was all fully priced.

Good Luck!!
 
A second thing folks forget about is pricing. If it's featured, it's usually fully priced, which isn't bad if you want a keeper, but not so good if you want a quick flip. I went to a sale a few weeks ago loaded with McIntosh stuff that was featured prominently in the ad and it was all there when I arrive around 2:00 PM because it was all fully priced.

Good Luck!![/QUOTE]

But normally it's discounted as the sale dates progress.Did you go back the 2nd or 3rd day??
 
winters860 said:
I've been an avid garage saler and thrifter for years, and while I've never passed up an estate sale, I've never actively mined that scene, either.

Just today I got an email from a local estate sale company about a sale this week with some audio equipment and household goods I'm VERY interested in. Sales starts at 9:30 Wednesday with tickets being given out at 8:00.

Any tips on helping me secure what I'm looking for?
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Get there early, be first in line. Gonna have to battle the dealers.
 
After some initial experiences, I give most estate sales a miss now.

As Andyman said, if you know about it, so do the pros.

Consider this. With thrift stores, nothing is known about what they contain or when. Every thrift store is a mystery box waiting to be explored. They're all over the place, and some are in place where there is a fairly low population, so they don't get picked through by pros often.

Garage sales are a bit more risky. They're advertised, sometimes the things that will be featured (to use Andyman's term) are noted, so again, the pros know and show. Prices may be lower, however, because garage sale sellers are generally not hip to the typical highest prices paid for various items; although some sellers are overly optimistic as well.

Estate sales are the worst for the pure bargain-hunter because the contents are well known, the sellers are informed, the market is limited to a specific time and place. The market is also crowded with pros these days.

There are always exceptions. If you're into something that isn't currently 'hot', you can do well. I like records that most people don't care about, so that often works well for me. But high-end Blue Note jazz releases? Yeah, good luck with that at an estate sale.

Since I am the thriftiest of the thrifty (read 'cheap bastard') I will stick to the thrift stores. They've been great to me.
 
diddlybopper said:
But normally it's discounted as the sale dates progress.Did you go back the 2nd or 3rd day??
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There really isn't much point if you're looking for the bottom-dollar deal. There is if you are willing to pay 1/2 what the item is worth and it happens to still be there the last day of the sale.
 
roberttx said:
Was it the Prince? I once had the matching Princess tuner, but eventually gave up on finding the amp and sold it.
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No, its a 5T17. Sounds very good, but needs a recap. Has a hum.
095E31E2-22D1-4EE8-9086-7CEAD4C17429-722-0000019ECA687F5D.jpg
 
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