5 Hot Tips to Crush Your Next Estate Sale

What does an estate sale, Black Friday, and the Kentucky Derby have in common? Sweeping the board, of course — except, in this case, you’re hauling tush out the door for that incredible Broyhill Brasilia hutch, right?

(Okay, so we can dream).

When it comes to estate sales, you need to think two steps ahead of the game. Just follow these five tips and you’ll bring home your next prize in no time.

Unlike a garage sale, an estate needs a little bit of planning. Think of this step as your pre-workout before a hard HIIT sesh.

Find the listing of your choice and scroll through the photos. Take your time with this. Screenshot what you like. Learn your brands. Liquidators will generally list a hefty number of photos for your previewing pleasure.

And listen, this part is very, very important: don’t forget to check back on Friday.

Many estate liquidators will post Friday photos (or photos preceding the day of the sale). It’s imperative you set a reminder in your phone or subscribe to updates. You don’t want to miss a great piece of vintage just because you blanked. No excuses, my friend.

Once upon a blue moon, I was selling vintage out of a booth in an antique mall. This was pre-lockdown.

The majority of my inventory was a result of waking up at dawn to wait in front of the estate’s location. Yes, sitting there in my Jeep under the streetlights like a freak. I’ve stood in the heat and waited in the rain. It’s worth it.

Whether you resell or not, my best piece of advice is this: get there early! I’m talking as early as 6AM. You know what they say, the early bird gets the Heywood Wakefield — or worm. Take your pick.

Don’t forget your coffee on the way out.

First of all, see Tip #1.

Second of all, make sure you have ample trunk space. You will not want to call an Uber after this, trust me. And you’re definitely not going to want to take the train. I have left estate sales with my Cherokee’s rear end jam packed with unexpected finds. Make room for those pleasant surprises.

Thirdly, if you don’t have a vehicle then I suggest reaching out to friends or family. Never be afraid to ask for help.

Side note: keep towels and boxes handy for breakables.

Sometimes folks will hire professional estate liquidators after a divorce, or because they need to move quickly. But the main reason still stands…

…it’s usually because someone died.

Chances are the family is onsite during the sale and emotions may run high.

We need to remind ourselves that stepping into a home of the recently deceased is a privilege. Its belongings once belonged to someone else, and those belongings hold a lot of life and memories. We are taking those memories out of the home and creating our own.

So don’t be lame about it.

Remember the days when we had to read the newspaper or walk around the neighborhood with our grandparents to actually find sales? Remember when they all happened by chance and everything inside was a complete surprise?

Well, technology has your back, my vintage voyaging friend. Download these three essential apps (and then re-read Tip #1) to plan like a pro.

For those on the go (and when are we not?), there’s an app for the tried-and-true OG of estate sale search engines. Punch in your zip code or city and find nearby sales faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

You’re welcome.

This is geared more towards your average weekend yard sale, but an estate sale will occasionally pop up. It’s worth a download. Listings are pulled from Craigslist and embedded into the map of sales so you can easily find your treasure.

The treasure map really gets hot in the spring and summertime when people come out of their winter hibernation. Create a list of the sales you want to visit and curate your own goose hunt.

I know, I know. It’s Facebook. You can stop looking at me like that, now.

But I will say this: Marketplace is a rabbit hole you’ll want to go down.

Facebook Marketplace launched way back in February 2015 (also, how is 2015 considered “way back” now?). Ever since then, your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and enemies have had the option to list anything from that North Face jacket with the funny smell, to homes for sale by owner.

Somewhere between all that, you can find weekend garage and estate sales. It’s worth a peep, so peep it.

Don’t ask me how I know about that North Face jacket with the funny smell.

Downloaded your apps? Check. Got your alarm set? Check. Vehicle? Check.

Scored some vintage? Checkmate.

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