r/estatesales

I heard one of the regular shoppers at my local estate sales was caught stealing and subsequently banned. The estate sales companies here all know each other, so I assume every sales company also knows. I was at the company's sale recently and the workers kept following me around to ask if they could write up what I was holding. I was still shopping so I said not yet. They seemed quite annoyed and I felt like they thought I was going to stick small items in my pocket. They have also banned shopping bags, which is why I was holding items. I am sure theft is a problem, but now I don't want to go to their sales anymore. How do you all handle it?

bought a place 3 years ago to do the airbnb thing. everyone said it was easy money passive income set it and forget it

yeah no

guests leaving messes stuff breaking. having to coordinate cleaners. dealing with complaints about noise or the wifi or whatever. its like having a second job that pays minimum wage

last month a guest left the AC running at 60 for a week straight while they were out of town. the unit froze up. had to call an emergency repair on a saturday night. 900 i didnt plan for

im just tired. the money is ok but not worth the stress

part of me feels like im giving up on something i worked hard to build. but also i just want my weekends back

anyone else in short term rentals feeling burnt out. did you sell or just push through

I’ve been chatting with a friend of mine and we have been really thinking of putting together some type of Estate Sale Convention. Is this something that you guys and gals would be interested in? It’s still super early in all the logistics but I’m just curious if any of you think this would be a good idea or are we just wasting our time? My new website for estate sale companies would sponsor the event but not sure if anyone would show up 😭. What do you think?

My mom recently passed and left behind a ton of vintage and antique rugs, furniture, art, etc. I was hoping someone might be able to recommend a trusted and fair appraiser who can make a house visit at some point. This all pretty overwhelming, so any help would be a huge relief. Thanks in advance.

Hello all, i currently have a vintage clothing business doing around $300k revenue yearly and frequently come across opportunities to do partial buy outs on estates where the original owners have passed. Im already getting the opportunities to be inside these homes and work with the executors, real estate agents, etc. and i figured its time to branch out and start offering more services than just being able to buy out the closets. The services id like to provide are hosting estate sales and total property clean out. My main question is how exactly do folks get started? How did you take the idea and turn into your first hosted estate sale or property clean out?

I found a ring in a desk drawer. I’d like to know how people feel about whether it’s mine or if I should return it. It’s not costume jewelry. It’s worth about $250 (based on jewelry store estimate).

I’d like to hear from both customers and estate sale professionals.

What do you all think?

Hello! My name is Grace, and I'm a reporter with The Wall Street Journal. I'm working on a story about the intense subculture of estate sale shoppers and secondhand thrifters.

If you're someone who regularly goes to estate sales, plans your weekends around them, lines up early, travels across the city for the best finds, or has memorable stories from the hunt, I'd love to hear from you. I'm especially interested in people who see estate sales as more than just shopping—whether it's a hobby, a side hustle, or a lifestyle.

If you're open to chatting, please feel free to reach out here or email me at grace.yoon@wsj.com. Thank you so much and looking forward to connecting!

My clients will occasionally ask me to keep my eye out for a missing treasure such as jewelry, coins, etc. I was once photographing the contents of a bedroom for an online sale. I moved the TV cable box out of the way so it wouldn't be included and found a gorgeous diamond watch under it. I called out to the client and asked jokingly if I could sell the diamond watch. She let out a shriek and came running upstairs to claim it. She told me that her husband had given it to her as a 25th wedding anniversary gift and that she had misplaced it. She had never told him that it was lost and was terrified he'd ask about it one day. She was quite relieved that I had found it. Have you ever found a treasure for one of your clients?

I grew up around the estate sales industry (my aunts/uncles are all in the business), and the longer I've been around it, the more I've realized that nobody ever tells the owners & operators stories. Everyone sees the sale part, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nobody hears about the time spent comping/staging, tagging the 500th item with way more to go, the families you've quietly held together, those finds at houses you came across that still make you laugh, or the one estate (or several) that nearly broke you.

I'm starting a small podcast that’s built entirely around that: just telling the real stories of the people running estate sale companies and how they got here. 

It’s one of the most human, under appreciated trades out there on multiple levels, and I want like-minded operators in the industry (you reading this) to be the ones talking

What I'm hoping to hear:  
-Origins- how you got into the estate sale business, maybe a family or legacy behind your company (or maybe it’s a new one). 
-Lived experience in the industry/genuine stories- maybe your impact on your local area/families, a sale(s) that changed how you see the work, or something else entirely. When I sit down for coffee or on chats with other estate sale owners, the stories are awesome. I want it to feel like that.
-What outsiders completely get wrong about what you do (“it’s like a garage sale, right?” or “an estate sale seems easy. We could just do it ourselves” lol jk)

As for how it works (podcast), it’s a very casual format. Short video conversation (or audio only) if you prefer. No prep, you talk as much or as little as you want. I’ll make it super easy and can even send over few questions ahead of time. If your company gets a little shine from it which it will, great, but that's not the point. The main goal is to help share stories with other like-minded owners & operators that are also in the trenches in the space. 

I might be biased here (maybe you agree), but I believe every estate sale company has a story to tell.

If any of this resonates with you, drop a comment or can send me a DM. Even if you're on the fence, message me and we'll just chat first. I always enjoy meeting estate sale owners whether you’re a smaller operator with a lean team or even a bit larger company.