Should I wait until the house is sold before conducting an estate sale?

We are happy to work with your realtor conducting the sale of your home. We can conduct the estate sale prior to the house sale, after the house sale, or during the house sale. Many houses have been sold during the three days customers come through the house to view the items for sale.

What do you do with personal items found during the process of setting up a sale?

During the set-up, if we come across personal photographs, fine jewelry, cash, liquor, or firearms, we will put them aside in an isolated bathroom and contact you to see how you would like to handle them. We will sell items you choose except some firearms and liquor cannot be sold on site of the sale.

Is my property protected?

Only a certain number of people are allowed in the house at a time. Numbers are given out to control who goes in first. Most sales will have only one point of entry/exit. Garages may be opened occasionally for loading only. Other doors are locked off and we allow only one exit where sale items can be securely monitored. Fine Jewelry and valuable are displayed in lock-boxes near the check-out table where customers need to ask for assistance.

How do I choose an estate sale company?

There are several questions you should be asking when interviewing different companies. How much experience do they have & how many sales do they conduct each year. Do they have liability insurance? Ask for a written contract and make sure everything is spelled out clearly what each party’s expectations and obligations are. Do you feel like you can trust this agent? Ask for a list of referrals from the last 5-10 sales they have conducted.

Do you collect NYS Sales Tax?

We are a licensed NYS vendor and are required to charge NYS sales tax on all purchases (unless you are a dealer buying for resale and you have completed a Resale Certificate ST-120). We are required to post our Sales Tax Certificate to be visible above the check-out desks.

Do we negotiate prices?

We do a lot of careful research to put a fair and reasonable price on all items, and for that reason we do not negotiate prices on the first day of the sale. However, on the second day of the sale we generally reduce many prices by 25%, and on the final day of the sale many items will be reduced by 50%. We exclude some items from the half price sale (ie jewelry and items we feel can be moved to a future sale to get a new audience)

How do you price the sale items?

We have been conducting estate sales for many decades and have a vast knowledge of what the highest market prices are that the current economy will allow. When we are unsure of prices, we have a vast library of reference books and periodicals and auction records to look upon, and we research on internet web base sites like ebay and etsy & amazon. Other items may require us to consult a professional appraiser with relevant experience which will be conducted at our expense.

What happens to items that do not sell?

When the sale is over, we provide detailed sales log of each transaction so you know what items are sold for.  We will take care of moving them to a future sale, or to auction, or sell at discounted prices to flea market vendors, or to be sold on consignment from our web site, or donation to charitable organizations. Tax deductible donation receipts will be provided to you. We will work with you to make sure your house is clean and as empty as you want it to be.