10 Easy Estate Sale Shopping Tips from a Pro

I’ve been focused the past few weeks with flea market and antique mall shopping for vintage and used items. Estate sales are also a great place to shop. Whether you are looking for small or large items to accessorize your home decor or items to repurpose as DIY projects, estate sales offer a fabulous opportunity to buy high quality items for a fraction of their original price. But how to get the best price at an estate sale? Well, I’m here to share with you 10 easy estate sale shopping tips from a pro.

The rules for estate sale shopping are a bit different from antique mall shopping. As I mentioned in my post about shopping at an antique mall or thrift shop, they are retail brick and mortar establishments that are open all the time. Estate sales and flea markets have different rules and guidelines. And it helps if you know what those are.

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down and picking the brain of the owner of one of the most successful and well~known estate sale owners in the Dallas area and beyond. She shared with me 10 of her most impactful estate sale shopping tips.

10 Easy Estate Sale Shopping Tips from a Pro

So let’s first clear up exactly what is an estate sale, a garage sale and a flea market?

• An Estate Sale, also called a tag sale in some parts of the country, is a way of liquidating the belongings of a family or estate. These are usually much more than garage or yard sales. They are used when someone is in need of a way to sell items due to downsizing, moving, divorce, bankruptcy, or death. The public is invited into the home and given the opportunity to purchase any item that is priced for sale. At times there are items that are not for sale because the family has decided to keep them or new owners of the house have made them part of a contract to buy the house. (Source: estatesale.net)
• A garage sale is a way for homeowners to purge items they no longer need. A slight variation on the garage sale is a yard sale where someone has so much stuff to sell, it spills over into their yards and front lawns. (Google)
• A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of outdoor bazaar that rents or provides space to people who want to sell or barter merchandise. They are usually seasonal. Used goods, cheap items, collectibles and antiques are commonly sold. Many markets offer fresh produce or baked goods, plants from local farms and vintage clothes. (Google)

As an interesting bit of trivia, the name flea market comes from the French marché aux puces, a name originally given to a market in Paris which specialized in shabby second-hand goods of the kind that might contain fleas.

I’ve had my own garage sales over the years, and I loved holding them as a way to get rid of things we just didn’t need in more and make a little money to boot. Once I made enough to pay for most of our moving costs. It is a lot of work to get ready for one and it takes up 2 ~ 3 days, but I didn’t mind.

An estate sale is a whole different animal. They are held inside a home and require the services of a company who knows how to establish the value and price of items, market the sale and conduct the sale. That’s where my friend Janelle comes in.

How I Met the Estate Sale Expert

Janelle is the owner of Janelle Stone Estate Services and she has been in the business for 35 years. She started right after graduating from college when she helped an established older woman whom she met by chance. She learned by doing and her business grew by word of mouth. She started her business by taking whatever came her way: she says her mom told everyone she met about Janelle’s business and how great she was. Janelle is a true woman entrepreneur.

Today her company is considered the premier estate sales provider in the Dallas area and she is conducting her first sale in Austin, Texas this month.

I first became aware of Janelle a few years ago just by stopping at one of her sales. I signed up for her email list to be notified of upcoming sales where she posts descriptions and photos of items for sale. Then a friend of mine started working for Janelle on an occasional basis and would give me a little heads up. I would see Janelle at sales so I knew what she looked like.

The beginning of January, while getting a mani~pedi, a lady walked in and I knew it was Janelle (As it turns out we’ve been going to the same nail salon for years!). Another lady started talking to Janelle and mentioned just returning from New Orleans and Janelle said she had just returned from New Orleans; since Sweet Shark and I had just returned from New Orleans, I couldn’t contribute to the conversation. As it turned out Janelle had stayed at the same hotel as Sweet Shark and me.

As the conversation continued, I told Janelle I knew who she was and she asked, “Aren’t you Sarah’s friend?” Yes, I am. And then she said (Oh and this made my day), “Aren’t you a blogger?” Well, with that we were best friends. We exchanged business cards (After our nails had dried.) and promised to get together.

The next week I texted Janelle and asked if she would be able to meet and share her ideas and tips for successful estate sale shopping. She readily agreed and asked if she could bring her son Wen who does all the technology for the company. We met a few days later for happy hour. (Guacamole, chips and a glass of wine just happened to land on our table.)

I picked Janelle’s brain and she was so gracious sharing her knowledge. So without further ado, here are Janelle’s top 10 tips for estate sale shopping. I wrote that these tips are easy because all they require is the knowledge and the implementation.

Estate Sale Shopping Tips

Janelle actually shared about 14 tips but I combined them for clarity.

Tip #1

If an estate sale shares pictures and descriptions prior to the beginning of the sale (Janelle does.), study them online. If you find an item, copy the picture and description so you will be prepared to look for it or ask about it when you walk in the door.

Tip #2

Most estate sales run over a 2 ~ 3 day period. There is absolutely no bartering the first day. Which means, if you love an item, pay the price the first day. Discounts start the second day of the sale and continue for the length of the sale.

Tip #3

You can bid on certain items as designated by the estate sale service. (I didn’t know that!)If you want to take a chance, leave all the pertinent information required to bid. At the end of the sale any items that have not been sold will be subject to the bids submitted. Be sure you leave all the required information and understand the rules.

Tip #4

Keep your phone ready (and charged) to search any relevant information about the provenance of an item, such as trademarks, maker’s marks or history. This is not to take pictures on items, which usually isn’t allowed.

Tip #5

Carry a jeweler’s loupe (What is that? A loupe is a simple, small magnification device used to see small details more closely.) to see information on a piece, such as maker’s marks, carets, quality of item. This is especially important if you are shopping for jewelry or gold items. Janelle had hers with her and let me look through it. It’s small, will fit in your purse, and is inexpensive. I found this one on Amazon. (Affiliate link if you purchase one.)

Tip #6

Bring all your measurements. Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing for certain if a piece of furniture or art will fit in your home!

Tip #7

Make sure that the style of an item will fit the style of your home. Pictures of existing items in your home that you want to complement are also helpful. A good deal, doesn’t make an item stylish. Don’t buy just because an item has a low price tag. You can’t return items, so be certain.

Tip#8

The more you shop, the more you will find. Estate sales have large inventories and it’s hard to see everything. Ask if there are more items that have not been put on display yet.

Tip #9

Estate sales are great places to shop for gifts. Have a list of needed people and gifts to shop for and designate which items is for which person on your list.

Tip #10

Think outside the box. Items can become different things (I love this tip since repurposing is one of my favorite things.)

I can’t wait for Janelle’s next estate sale. She actually has one in Austin, Texas, coming up, if you live in the area.

Here are some websites that Janelle recommends for finding estate sales in your area:

estatesales.net

24-7estatesales.com

I hope that these estate sale shopping tips are helpful to you on your next shopping adventure. My special thanks to Janelle and Wen for sharing their time and expertise in this field. It’s always great to learn from an insider and a pro.

Do you have any tips to share about shopping estate sales? If so, leave your suggestion in the comments so everyone can benefit.

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