How to Choose an Estate Sale Company

An estate sale company will require that you have a minimum amount of inventory. Hold off on giving away or donating items prior to the sale.  Almost anything can be sold during the sale.

As soon as you have removed the belongings or have at least tagged everything you plan to keep, you can schedule someone from an estate sale company to come out to your home for a consultation.  

The fee can range anywhere from 30-50% of the total sales. It will depend on how much time will be required to sort through and organize your belongings.

The estate sale company will have to organize your items, price them and possibly sort through and set aside items that are not saleable.  The sale will then be scheduled and promoted.  It can take 2-4 weeks or longer depending on how many sales the company already has scheduled.

The sale is typically held over a 2-3 day period.  The sale may take place during the week or on the weekend. It will depend on their availability.

It will be advertised on estate sale webstes such as estatesales.net.  The estate sale company should also have their own company website.  If an estate sale company has a following of buyers, they most likely have an email list where they notify people of their upcoming sales.  You can also inquire as to whether they have a following and promote sales on social media.

The estate sale companies will not be held liable for theft or damage of items during the sale.  More valuable items should be placed near the area where the employees sit and ring up the sales. 

Ask if they offer assistance with moving larger and heavier items out of the home.  Otherwise, you risk having damage to the floors and/or walls.  You can also request that shoes are removed or protective floor coverings such as paper or visqueen be installed throughout.

If you have antiques, collections or items of high value, it will be important to know that the estate sale company has a certified appraiser available to properly price those items. It is also important that your items are competitively priced.  Some estate sale companies price items too high which causes them to not sell. The first day of the sale, items will be full-price and typically non-negotiable.  The prices will be discounted to 50% off on the second day and up to 75% off on the last day.