posted on May 13, 2004 07:27:38 PM new
Here in L.A. there is a sudden surge of ads for "estate" sales that in my mind are nothing of the kind! It's just the usual garage sale stuff including Ikea furniture, kid's toys, tupperware. Some of these we are waiting in line outside only to discovery it someone's pretentious idea of their everyday junk.
My idea of an estate sale is that the house is being cleared out due to the demise of the owner. Is this too narrow of a view? One lady in Santa Monica called hers an estate sale because her house is behind gates. If this current fad doesn't end soon, I'm about to say something rude to one of these people... got any ideas?
No, I don't think your view is narrow at all. To me, a true estate sale is, as you said, because someone has died.
Here in my area (a couple of hundred miles north of you, on the coast) there are only a few professionals handling estate sales. I never miss the sales being done by one woman, I go to every one. I don't go to any of the others.
From what I've observed over the past few months, probably 40% are true estate sales where everything is being sold and there are no heirs who want the things. The other 60% are different.
One where they were only selling the antique furniture - the garage was STACKED with packed moving boxes.
Another where she was simply selling some furniture and collectibles for a friend of hers.
Yet another where the sale was being held to pay for the owner's medical bills. They were only allowed to sell 10% of the woman's things (which was a HUGE amount) at each sale and had to break it down as to category. She had a giant collection of dolls and a large amount of jewelry.
Evidently her assets were in a trust where certain heirs got certain kinds of things from her final estate.
BTW, between my friend's estate sales and the thrift where I volunteer, I need look no further for eBay inventory. So make a friend of someone who holds real estate sales and, if you have time, volunteer at a thrift.
posted on May 13, 2004 08:19:09 PM new
In my area, the owner of the items doesn't have to die to qualify it as an estate sale. A bad hangover is usually sufficient.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on May 13, 2004 08:54:37 PM new
Lucy...Sure. The email account attached to my account will only accept mail from Yahoo or AOL though. You are on AOL aren't you? If so, it will get through.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on May 13, 2004 09:06:05 PM new
Kind of strange during this time of year. You get the people that don't truly know the deffinition of "estate sale", then you get the people who wish to run their own estate sale. The trick is to determine which ones are legite.
posted on May 13, 2004 09:46:46 PM new
My friend, Kevin, had an 'esate' sale before moving to another condo. He did it exactly like an estate sale. I helped him out, and it was weird, but he didn't call it a moving sale. He had alot of "objet d'art" and it was, imho, just a sniff above a moving sale.
Oh well, semantics.
posted on May 13, 2004 09:51:43 PM new
Stone...One good way to spot a legit estate sale is if there are a bunch of greedy, drooling relatives, none of whom trust each other, watching the cash drawer.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on May 13, 2004 11:09:13 PM new
These are the same people who use 'RARE' in their eBay title for a book published in 2003 with 57 other copies listed on eBay with no bids either.
posted on May 14, 2004 12:02:48 AM new
ohmslucy & I are well acquainted with the "estate" sales in this area. I go to estate sales put on by 3 different professionals. Two of these are a little out of Lucy's area. You are right, there are a lot of "estate" sales that are nothing more than a garage or yard sale. I rarely go to these as I don't buy junk.
posted on May 14, 2004 03:15:09 AM new
My definition of an estate sale is where everthing in a household needs to be liquidated, then cleaned out [in order to list a house for sale during the probate process]; it is usually, but not always, after the passing away of a married couple, and the family has gone through taking what mementoes they want... have also been to quite a few tag sales where a widow or widower liquidates in order to move to a retirement village or an assisted-living home...
I don't see too many 'incorrectly worded' ads in our newspaper here in Ohio... usually, if it says 'estate sale' or 'tag sale', that's exactly what it is... most of them are put on by professional tag sale companies; some are put on by family members who don't want to pay 25% to a tag sale company.
I love going to estate sales, but my husband prefers estate auctions... I can always search out a few incredible bargains at a tag sale... get in, get out, and you're done... [rather than the estate auctions, which can take up your whole day, when all you wanted were a few of the things there]
posted on May 14, 2004 03:53:51 AM new
In our area of western New York we have several excellent professionals that run the sales. They always are in a certain part of the newspaper, rather then in classified with garage, moving, yard, etc. Well worth standing in line to get early number...(will be in line for one in about an hour). On other hand, went to garage sale last summer and got there latish. Momma died, we've taken all we want, everything else is a quarter. I stayed so long that I had to ask to use their bathroom. The woman 'running it', if you could call it running-finally gave me a pencil and piece of paper and told me to keep track on my own. Even as late as I got there, I spent quite a lot AND went back the next day to double check myself. Those don't come up very often. Then there is one elderly professional that I have vowed never to darken her sales doors again. Her prices are becoming higher and higher, though the quality of the household is often below par. Think she has lost touch with price reality. One other note-in our area the person running the sale is doing so on commission; they have not bought the household and are reselling same. There is a BIT of moving some higher priced silver pieces from sale to sale but not all that much. So bargins are easy to find.
