Finding Great Estate Sales!

There are several ways to find good Estate Sales. The old standby is the Newspaper. Don’t discount the newspaper because many people handling the estate of a loved one are caught by surprise, and are not really aware of many ways to advertise these events, so they just place a classified ad in the local paper. The family run estate sales are usually the best place to find the best stuff. Dealer run estate sales have cleaned up the mess (sometimes throwing out some good items) and priced everything, and sorted it all out. Many times dealers will high grade the sale, keeping the best items for themselves “as part of the payment for their service”.
The internet is a must when checking for sales. Craigslist is a great resource. We have a local radio station with an online classified section that has been a very popular place for ads of all kinds for many years. Estate sales are numerous here.
The best place for an estate sale, is the “pre-estate” sale. The one that just happens out of the blue, usually by word of mouth, because someone knows you are interested in the type of stuff. These sales are great because you are the only one shopping. There are no dealers, no competition, no hurry. Sometimes you have several days to go through the estate. Pricing is sometimes by the pile, or by the pickup load! Word of mouth? (This means you need to spread the word!) Business cards, ads online, tell friends, etc.