What is an Estate Sale?
An Estate Sale is a huge tag sale put on by professionals and attended by very large numbers of people. There are so many people that they cannot all enter the house at once and must take a number. They are so popular that people come early to get a good place in line. The Estate Liquidation Co. usually starts handing out numbers about an hour before the start of the sale. If you look at one of our ads, you will see the time the sale starts and then a cryptic line that reads something like “Numbers 0700”. That means we start handing out numbers for place in line at 07:00. In an estate sale, the entire contents of the house are for sale. The Estate Liquidation Co appraises each item and places a tag on it with the price. The first day of the sale, the prices are fixed no negotiating. On the second day, if you are a good haggler, you may get an item for less than the tagged price. However, if you have your eye on something special, its best to buy it the first day as soon as you can. The
An estate sale is one means of selling goods not willed to, or disputed by survivors of a deceased person. In some cases the estate sale can also be used as a means of paying a deceased person’s debts. Generally auctioneers, experts in antiques or simply a professional organization that takes a profit from the sale runs the estate sale. Still, for many, disposing of the goods of a person’s estate is simply too onerous to take on, particularly when people are grieving. When no one in the family wants the goods, then selling them makes the most sense, especially if you have to empty a house in order to sell it. The difference between an estate sale and a garage or yard sale is that normally, the estate sale is run by professionals, and also, the goods you are purchasing probably belonged to someone who is now deceased. This can give people some qualms, particularly when purchasing clothing or beds. It’s well to remember that the estate sale tends to profit the family who has lost someone
I think your main mistake was letting people inside. Secondly, using the term “estate sale” when you advertised. If you only want to sell a few, less valuable things, I suggest setting it up on your front lawn or garage and advertising it as a tag or garage sale. DO NOT LET PEOPLE INSIDE! In fact, when you are outside watching the next sale, keep the doors to the house locked, or you’ll end up in the same situation. Good luck.
