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So, you have some items or a whole household to sell? Here are a few tips to help make it easier...
Rummage/Garage/Yard Sales: Usually viewed by the public as cheaper items. Prices are expected to be negotiable. You'll get best results placing an ad, and even better results if you can talk neighbors into doing a "block rummage." Estate Sales: Viewed by the public as having more rare/old items & therefore expected to have a bit higher prices. Prices are not considered negotiable as the sales usually run for 3 days, with discounts on all items the second day, & even further reductions on day three. Folks expect items with flaws or damages to be marked "as is" for easy identification. Placing an ad is almost mandatory. Most estate sales can draw quite a crowd! It is best to pass out numbers to limit the number of folks in the sale at one time & to control the crowd. Usually this is listed in the ad as "numbers handed out 1 hour prior to sale start." Estate Services: There are several businesses offering estate services. They basically take a percentage of the total sales generated from running the estate sale, but they do all the work! They price each item (based on area market value), have it in clean saleable condition, handle all the paperwork--including sales receipts, sales tax etc., and clean up! It is a great option if you are pressed for time or have a large estate to deal with. Consult your Yellow Pages. Selling "Direct": If you have several nicer pieces, like furniture or extremely collectible items like head vases etc, then you may wish to place a classified ad for them. Options include local papers & antique/collectible trade publications. You should get a higher price then at a sale, but you will have a little more expenses in time and money. A good idea is to give as much specific information as needed to help a serious collector know what you have. There are several opinions on the listing of your price in the ad... I personally prefer to list the price, as this "pre-screens" callers: Only those who are very interested in the item & who can afford it will call you, saving you from many time consuming calls from people who are not seriously interested in meeting your price. Dealers & Specialty Stores: If you have a large selection of collectibles or antiques, you may want to contact a dealer or shop owner regarding the collection. Generally, they will make an appointment to view the collection & call you back with an offer. Remember that in selling to dealers or shop owners that the price offered will be lower than if you sell direct to a collector, but then you do not have the expenses or hassles of the above. The dealer/owner should be expected to come package & pick up the collection, but get clarification on this, especially if there are time constraints involved (for example you are moving). If they cannot meet your time table for a pick up, but would be able to accept your delivery of the items, make sure you negotiate for a higher sales price based on you doing the work of packaging & delivery. If you only have several pieces of particular merit, you may take them into a local antique shop, but call first to see if the owner or manager will be available. The owner may decide to make you an offer, or take the piece on consignment. Each shop has its own policies. There are several things to keep in mind if considering consignment: 1) make sure both you & the owner are very clear on who is responsible for insurance on the item &/or what happens if the item is damaged in the store, and 2) be sure if you are leaving furniture on consignment, that you & the shop owner are very clear about who is responsible for delivery of the item! Consult your Yellow Pages & ask around for information on the dealers & shops with the best reputations. Auctions: This is an option for very unique items. Auction prices depend greatly on the bidders in the audience, and each auction is a true gamble. Like most gambling situations it can be risky, but also can pay off well! Each auction house or auctioneer will have differing policies, but basically they take a percentage of the final sale price and other fees may apply. A note of caution here: it is best to have the item(s) appraised first, to be sure of their worth. Appraisers charge either a flat fee or a percent of the item's value. (I prefer the flat fee as the appraiser has no "interest" in inflating the price.) Be wary of the appraiser who offers to buy the item, that is considered unethical! Some auction houses will refund the appraisal fee if they auction off the item. There are also some large auction houses that do free on-line appraisals (you use the on-line form & include a photo of the item). The best way to proceed is to first research auctioneers. Start with the Yellow Pages, the internet, check the library for trade publications, & ask around. Find out who has the best reputation and which ones have the best following for your type of item. Some are known for ceramics, others Victorian furniture etc., and putting your item at the wrong auction will certainly bring you a lower final bid price. There are local (smaller) & national (larger) auction houses. Generally the larger the company, the more rare the items they offer for auction. Be sure to take several clear, detailed photos of the item & mail out the info with a letter detailing all you know of the item, including your appraisal. These materials will be used for the auction house to make a decision on the item's worthiness of being offered at their sale. (If you'd like the photographs returned, you should include a self-addressed stamped envelope along with the request for them to do so!) Once again, be very careful when signing the contract, and pay attention to fees, insurance coverage, shipping of the item & reserve options. (A reserve is a minimum you would let it sell for. Many auction houses do not like this option & will try to talk you out of it. They will insist that your piece will go much higher & that reserves turn off bidders. This can be true, but any auction is a gamble... If you have a minimum dollar amount needed in order for you to part with the item, insist on a reserve price. The auctioneer will have to accept it.) Flea-Markets/Swap Meets Etc.: If you have the means of safely transporting the items as well as the time to participate, these markets can provide tons of potential customers. Prices are expected to be lower than estate sales, although it is not always the case. There are fees, usually "rent" on a space. Each promoter will have its own policies & fees. It is advised to "shop" a few of the promoter's sales to get a feel for its ratio of sellers to buyers, type of merchandise being sold, prices etc.. If you can, talk to some folks selling and ask their opinion of the market. Internet Sales: Many of the same sales options listed above exist on the internet. From simple classifieds pages, to malls, to on-line auctions. There are even dealers who will list your items for sale for you (for a fee of course). There are pages to list you classified for free. However, in order to get the best results (fastest sales, highest prices) you will want to be on the busiest pages. This of course translates to fees, but with some investigation, you can see if it is worth it. Be aware that larger, heavier items may not sell well this way due to shipping costs. If you have the time to invest in researching, listing, storing & shipping the items, there are many alternatives!
First, decide why you are having the sale... I know we all say to get some extra cash, but take a moment & think a bit about it... There are tremendous time investments associated with having a sale. Handling each item, cleaning it up a bit, pricing it, organizing the sale & that's just before you open the sale to the public! If you keep in mind why you are doing this, you can make it easier on yourself. Here's what I mean: If you are on a deadline of say, moving, can you really afford to spend the time researching each item to get what you think is fair market value? Instead of negotiating with a potential buyer & sticking with a higher price, you just may end up keeping the piece! If you objective is to clear-out, then price accordingly--it means less trips with items back into the house or to take them in as a donation! If you are doing this to raise money & can afford to continue to store the items until the right buyer comes along, then your prices can either have a higher price or a "firm" one. Pricing your items will take time. There is no way around this. Each item has to be handled, even if only to put a tag on it, or be assigned to a "$1 box." But the following guidelines may help!
* When it comes to items that are not considered antique or highly collectible, the rule of thumb is to start with 25% of the item's cost & adjust for condition.
For the collectibles & antique items it is more difficult. There are so many types of these items out there, that not even antique dealers or auctioneers know everything! Most specialize in categories (glassware, books, sports memorabilia etc.) or departments (furnishings & decor, art etc.). There are books galore on collectibles, broken down by subject: Depression Glass, American Furniture, Japanese Pottery etc.. Your library has many books you can borrow for this purpose. Research as much as you can of course, but keep these things in mind when using the price guides: 1) Note the date when the book was published. Many changes occur in the market due to items changing in popularity over time. And, it takes several years for many books to actually be printed, so the prices may not be accurate. 2) Many price guides reflect prices from one area of the country. Prices change as much by location as they do by year, as many areas have "trends" that are not occurring everywhere. This often happens as a matter of availability. For example, Golden Oak was recently very plentiful in the mid-west area, and as a result was not getting high prices locally. The opposite was true out west where the prices where going much higher. If the price guide you are using is showing prices from another area, then consider contacting local shops to see what they are selling the items for. If there is a high demand for some of you items in other locations, again, consider an auction! 3) As mentioned, prices are based on availability. With the popularity of the internet, many items once deemed rare, can now be found a click away & at very low prices. Many price guides do not consider these on-line shops or auctions when making their lists. 4) many of the prices listed are the "highs" that set records at auctions etc. Professional antiques dealers may not reach half that price--even though they have those serious collectors in their stores everyday!* To make things easier on you, mark boxes or tables with common prices instead of marking each piece. For example, a box of books might be marked "25 cents each" or a table of sweatshirts "$1 each." * If you have so many of some items, do a multiple purchase discount. For the books it might be "25 cents each, or 5 for $1." If all of this seems like a huge undertaking, it can be. This is why I stress being honest & giving careful consideration to your major objective in having the sale. If you really want the stuff to move, worry less about book value. If you have a wide assortment of items, the best advise I can give is this: separate the items you think are valuable & treat them differently, either by researching them & marking them accordingly, or by using one of the other options listed above. If you don't mind keeping the item after the sale, then mark it accordingly. If you really think the majority of the items are unique & desirable, then consider holding an estate sale (which will attract the right crowd). If the amount of work involved seems overwhelming, consider the other options. (They may have seemed expensive before, but now that you see the work involved, it may be worthwhile!)
Utilize the following "common sense tips" to make the sale go smoothly:
* Be sure to have plenty of change (bills & coin) available & a safe place to store it. Heavy wooden or metal cash boxes are the best. Never leave it unattended!
* Be prepared for bad weather--even if holding the sale inside! All the muddy feet can ruin carpet or make stairs treacherous! * Keep plenty of room for walking around items & tables. It minimizes the chances of broken items & maximizes sales with better visibility. * Put unusual items in high visibility areas--not only do they get folks attention, but you can keep an eye on them for safety! * Sad to say, but items are taken from sales--even items not for sale! Keep items not for sale out of the area, covered up &/or marked "not for sale." Keep rooms that have no items for sale in them with the door shut or blocked & place a large "Private" sign on it. Keep easily hidden/pocketed items near supervision. * Keep fragile items away from table edges & out of reach of little hands. * Have at least one other person there to assist you. This keeps items under supervision. It also makes for faster sales transactions if you are busy answering questions on an item. * If you take the time to spruce up some of the better pieces, you will get higher prices. Most folks don't have the time or the imagination to see past dirt, or know if the spots will wash out... So wash the china, polish the rocker & wash the table linens. This is especially true of antique shop owners, auctioneers, direct selling etc. If you want the best market price, then show the item off at its best. If you can, set the table with china, put flowers in a vase... anything to show the usability of the items. These are "rules" you should decide upon before the sale starts & be consistent with. If you don't, you can guarantee that someone will notice & create a scene! While you are not legally obligated to abide by these rules, it can be very uncomfortable to have angry folk yelling & complaining. It may cause other people to leave.
* Checks accepted or just cash? Bad checks do occur, but on the other hand, not many people carry hundreds of dollars around "just in case." If you accept local checks, you can have anther person run to the bank soon, or at least be able to track them down for collection. Many states have laws making passing of bad checks over certain amounts a crime they will handle, making it easy to prosecute. But then, this is extra effort on your part. With debit cards very common now, it might be easier to direct them to the nearest cash machine -- and hope they return. It's up to you. But it is best to consider these options before the issue comes up "live" at a sale.
* Be clear on delivery terms for large items. Most people do not expect you to be responsible for delivery, but be clear on it. If you are not doing it, & need to have the items out by a certain date, make that clear. Put it in writing &/or get the phone number of the buyer & confirm the date within 24 hours. On a related matter, if you do accept a check/money for a large item, and that person arranges to pick up the item later & then leaves, honor the contract. Do not re-sell the item to another person for a higher price, more money or faster pick up... when the first buyer returns & you hand them their check, you can expect a scene! * Early rummage sales customers. There are two schools of thought on this: 1) a sale is a sale, who cares what time it is? After all, a customer now is better than a maybe later, and 2) we listed a start time & we should honor it for those who respected us & waited. Neither is 'wrong,' it is your sale. Just be clear, especially if other people are involved in the sale with you. Never start an estate sale with numbers early! The bottom line is, selling your items, collections or an entire estate can be overwhelming. But I hope I have provided you with some ideas to organize with, some points to consider, & some options to suit your needs. Remember to use your "free tools" like the library for price guides, your phone to ask questions of area professionals who can answer your questions & even your friends for their opinions of the professionals! Do the best you can & have fun! (And for heaven's sake, remember all this work the next time you are at a sale & offer them 10% of the item's price tag!)
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