12 Tips for Shopping Estate Sales—Part 2

Two rusted vintage chairs found at a local sale, in need of some love.

Yesterday, I posted my first set of tips for shopping estate sales. Today, I’m posting the remaining six.

7. Be realistic: Most of the time, merchandise from estate sales will be of better quality then items found at thrift stores. This isn’t always the case. Just like thrifting, you may stumble upon something that’s broken or needs to be taken for a good cleaning. Be realistic. Those 1950s kitchen chairs may look awesome but are you really going to spend 5-hours on your day off cleaning the rust from the sides and fixing the ripe in the vinyl cushion?

8. Hold it: If you want an item, pick it up and hold on to it. Read the sales description before attending to determine if you’re allowed to bring reusable bags or boxes into the sale to carry your items. If an item is too big to be carried but you want to purchase it, grab a worker and let them know you’re claiming it. A lot of companies allow you to put your merchandise behind the checkout area if they see you’re hands are overflowing with merchandise.

9. Cash is king: Most companies don’t accept credit or check unless you spend a minimum of at least $50-$100. Bringing cash not only helps you avoid this problem but, it makes it easier for you to haggle. If you only have $30 cash to spend then you can focus on getting your items for a price within your budget.

10.  Things will get weird: The atmosphere of an estate sale is usually pretty bizarre. There will be old men prying around through toolboxes in the basement, looking for specific nails and bolts. There will be a mothers digging through dresser drawers while their children climb on beds stacked with puff paint sweatshirts.  There may even be a returning customer, complaining to the sales person that she tried to poison him by selling him expired BenGay. Just roll with it. You have to be pretty weird yourself to go digging through a strangers house on a Saturday afternoon.

11. Do go in the basement and garage: People store stuff they don’t normally use in the basement and in their garage. People, especially when they get older, forget about this stuff or are unable to easily access and utilize it. Because of the amount of merchandise in these areas, companies often don’t have the time to really sort through and price everything found here. This is why, a lot of the time, your best deals and most prized vintage scores can be found tucked away inside a forgotten filing cabinet or in a cardboard box stacked beneath a well-loved Formica table.

12. Start close and cluster: Nobody from the Northwest Side of Chicago wants to drive all the way out to an estate sale in Barrington only to be disappointed. While heavily researching neighborhoods, owners, and sales listings comes in handy nothing at an estate sale is a guarantee. Just as you should be realistic as to how much work you’re willing to put in an item, you should be equally realistic as to how much driving and time you’re willing to put in to attend a sale. To avoid a total bust, be sure to attend nearby sales happening during the same time and on the same days.

So, do these tips cut it? Did I miss something? What estate sale shopping tricks have you acquired? Got any stories of some great finds?  Connect by commenting on this post or visiting Thrifty Chi on Facebook or Twitter.

I’ll be posting again on Thursday with the short history of the RelaxAcizor. I recently found the advertisement for this quacky “medical” device in a 1960s Esquire magazine I picked up from an estate sale in Norridge.

Happy thrifting!