Estate Sales

Very nice Alias.  I need to check out more estate sales in my area.  We just don't have them enough.  I use to do estate auctions but that was maybe 1 a month.  Is how I got into storage units.

Yard sales have been my bread and butter of recent.  Picked up a few items that have not sold like I thought they would but everything else is doing well.

Plan for this weekend if don't go out anywhere is to hit yard sales Saturday, sell at flea Sunday, rest Monday

I haven't done any estate sales lately, but digging through the stuff that is supposedly unwanted or has no value is my bread and butter. It also depends on the company that runs the estate sale. I know of two estate sale companies in my area that if you bring bags full of stuff to the table to buy, they ring up the larger more expensive items and "ghost" the little things, basically free-bee them as they ring up and bag. Other estate sales it takes three supervisors to get a dollar knocked off a 5 dollar item, so you just have to know your area.

I remember one time I was at an estate sale about a two years ago and lots of people were checking out the fancy kitchenware & fine china & tables and chairs, many lementing how expensive the prices were, well I looked in the kitchen cabinets and they were filled with food! Cans, & boxes mostly unopened. I asked an employee how much for the food, she looked at me funny and said I don't know, 25 cents each? Well I started loading up bags and bags of dry food, canned food, spices, etc. Everybody was looking at me like I was crazy and several people snickered as the walked by. Well I ran out of bags and went to the truck to gat some more and don't you know when I got back to the kitchen it was elbows and a$$es everywhere digging through the cabinets. Luckily, I had already grabbed the really good chit, so I picked up my bags and off to the check out table. I probably paid $25 for about $400 in food!

Cobia - LOL! I have done the same thing....maybe it is my upbringing by Dust Bowl parents - we don't waste nothing! I have had the same snickering by others at the sale, especially in the more affluent areas but let 'em laugh....

I have two estate sale companies that I like to attend on the last day that will deal on bulk buys. I have picked up all the leftover kitchen stuff for $20 or the garage items for $50 or so.

I avoid most estate sales on the first day as I tend to buy crap for myself!

I avoid most estate sales on the first day as I tend to buy crap for myself!

That sounds like me. I have to be careful.  Checking out the Future Flea for us came home with stuff for me, Well I will sell the sewing box after I empty it. 

Our estate sales usually only list one day   

Not sure if I would buy the food or not ( most I have been too, are a little scary looking in the kitchen ) but surly would not snicker at someone who does. 

I wouldn't be so quick to say that personal items are shoplifted. There are some folks who are getting damn crafty with coupons. An example popped up on my facebook this morning. Suave deodorant for 1.07/stick @ kroger. There is a coupon for .50 off and kroger doubles them so you can buy for .07 each. The kicker? There is none! There's no limit x per customer or transaction so basically you can buy them out if you have enough coupons.

A friend of mine from high schools girlfriend is going to school me on how she does it but she constantly posts pictures of her CVS/Walgreens/Rite Aid buys. She'll have a table full of **** and a receipt for some stupid price like $4.13.

I'm gonna assume you posted on wrong thread.....
But I get your point. I got Nivea body wash for 50cents at Target with coupons so bought 20. 

It just seems they sell very high price items like teeth whitening strips that re $30 for $10.  Crew is $17 and they sell at $4.  Allegra is $27 and they sell for $5.   It's all very spendy but SMALL items tht are easily stolen. 
Can see some coupon savvy-ness but week after week?


But thanks for the idea!  Next coupon deal I do I'm stocking up and selling!!   

heh I might have. Once she teaches me the in's and out's I might post something in the other forms of buying section. I had a lady at the flea sell me diabetic testing strips for 1.00 a box because her insurance let her have way more than she needed. No telling where they get this stuff from but you are more than likely right about it being stolen. Couponing is too much work for a lot of people lol.

Got two "hoarders digger sale" estate sales this weekend.
Estate company's didn't even send pictures out or inventory list.
I'm hoping they at least cleaned the place up!  Not dig'n thru dead rats and cat crap!

Only thing I've come to like about digger sales is the appraisers haven't gone thru and researched all the items.  Can fill a bag with small crap and a few choice pieces and buy it as a lot on the cheap.

Got two others not run by a company, private listing. Those are 50/50.
Either they want stuff gone and sell cheap or they think everything is solid gold.
No one tells them that sentimental value can't be paid for.

Should be interesting weekend.......

Just grind'n these days.
Estate sales prices are getting so high. Above retail in some cases.
Wanted these Decca record players and priced at $50.  Showed the guy listings at $35. He said "well buy them there then....".   
Did find a box of old meat grinders for $10. Three complete, one partial and a bunch of parts. And a cherry pitter.
Figure I can get $10/ea.  Not gonna get rich but it's turn over.

Also got a cool mini-vice.  Casted metal. Looks vintage....?
Only a couple bucks. Try for $10 on it.
It's kinda cool and usefull so if I can't sell I don't care. Another tool for the work bench.....

Wanted these Decca record players and priced at $50.  Showed the guy listings at $35. He said "well buy them there then....".   

Well, I'll have to side with the seller on that one.  When prospective buyers do that to me ("I saw these at xx store for..." I often ask them, "did you buy one?"  The answer is always no and I sometimes remind them that I don't charge sales tax.

I always try to sell to the "end user" in my sales, so when a reseller tries to get it from me cheap, it generally won't work unless I'm just in it so dirt cheap I can compromise my original price.

Today at the flea market a gal asked me how much for a VFW cap full of medals and pins. When I said $25 she then asked how much for two 1921 high school yearbooks. When I said $20 each she thanked me and left. Seemed to me she was a typical reseller who was looking for a flea seller who didn't know what he had.  Sure I could have asked for less and had some folding dough right there, but I don't need it for reinvesting, and I'd rather get double what she would have paid for either of the items. They don't take up much space or effort to pack and unpack...not like a queen sized bed ! 

I understand that. The trying to get retail thing. It was really the attitude I got from him.
Perhaps the owners demanded certain prices for particular items. But don't give me attitude. Professionalism would be nice.  I'll swing by Sunday night and see if hey are still there.
He brushed me off so quick I doubt he'll remember me as the one wanting them.

I'm just happy to get the meat grinders. Been wanting one and all the sales have had them at $20 or more for the cool antique ones. And the value village/goodwill ones have been aluminum. Haven't found any cast iron ones till now
When going thru the box I also found a bunch of attachments.  Bread crumb. Nut butter. Preserves.
Couple more I forget. And multiples of several. Each one goes for $5-$10. Throw those on etsy.
As long as I can sell enough so the grinder I keep is free!  Anything more is gravy.


Oh...and the estate sales DO charge tax. So they can't even throw that in your face.  And if you use your card they tack on 2.5%.....but at least they take cards.

Good estate sale picks today.
John lee hooker cd SIGNED for a buck.  Not worth all that much but i love John lee hooker....maybe....um....$20-ish to a real fan?

Hamilton beach '40s mixer with original bowls in box for $15.  Will try for $50 but looks good on my counter so won't go less than $40.

Few old vices. Been moving those lately pretty easy. These were $5/ea and not your standard vice but made for certain purposes (wht those purposes are I haven't researched yet).  Been getting $20-75...

Then some 1oz silver bars for a buck below spot. Nothing special.

Rest of picks we're just stuff people asked me to look for or called and asked if they wanted. Crock pot, carry on luggage, gamers books....marked each up a buck or two just to cover gas.

Was a bit disappointed cause I drove all the way out to the boonedocks to and estate that had a recording studio. Ton's of mixers, guitar pedals, mic's.....
Everything was way, way overpriced. Double eBay BIN price or guitar center.   A mixer that sells new for $219 was $225. $75 guitar pedals for $90.  Total waste of gas. 

Got some nice picks in today.

Hit two huge estate sales and three small, not run by estate sale companies.

Big ones, did well at first.  Ton of tools and car parts, major focas. Think they  spent so much time researching the garage and shop that they hurried the rest.
Got some old school Snap-On stuff. Great price but hard sells. Not standard stuff.
Best find was some old Niagara "lanterns" (1930s) for $1ea.  Haven't researched a lot but thinking I should get Over $20/ea pretty easy.

Second big one I got some nice chisels and hand vices from early 1900s. Paid $2/ea. Only have looked up some but vices are not what I thought, sell for $10-$15.   But chisels are some sought after item from England.   Haven't found any going for less that $40.  Only found one exact match so far but bidding is up to $90.   For an F'n chisel!  Whatever, I'll take it.....

Last ones were really good.  Got a bunch of vintage kitchen stuff.  Cutco knives. General merchandise.  All stuff I've Craigslisted fast and easy before. Spent all of $12.    I just filled a bag at one and he said $5 and it had a set of cutco knives and coper sauce pans......

Still have 6 sales that open tomorrow and then go back to two of today's on Sunday for 50% off the leftovers.....

Should be a profitable week.....finally. 

Sounds good Alias.

We have really been out of the loop past few weeks. Hoping to get back in soon.

I was going thru pictures last night of today's estate sales and on the wall, with a bunch of crap, I noticed wht appeared to be a lug wrench.  I kept going back to it and just held my attention.
Had that "I've seen that before" feeling

So went this morn and went straight to it and still didnt know exactly what it was. Put it back.
Got some other items and there was a bunch of old woodworking tools, total crap but figured I don't have any so these will get me buy.....
Asked how much if I took all and lady said $5 if I took it ALL.  About 30lbs of useless drill bits and broken planes, just straight to scrap pile stuff.

Loaded it all and as a second thought grab'd the lug wrench looking thing cause it was just eating at me.

Got home and started researching and it's a hand crank for a Model A!  Total score!!


Well, total score for a car guy like me.  Really isn't worth that much in its condition.
But to ME this is awesome! 

It's currently at the shop being sandblasted and painted.  Ripped apart an old hand meat grinder and wood handle was made to fit.   Have an old shadow box I'm going to frame it in.

Going to try and sell but I'll be happy to just have it as art.