Estate Sales: What are they and how to find them?

General Questions
#1

I went to one estate sale when I was a kid. I don’t know or remember much about them, but I keep hearing about the good stuff that can be found (the kind of things I buy from vintage/consignment stores), and I love bargain-hunting. Help me and other interested dopers clear up some things about them.

  1. It’s like a garage sale for when someone, usually a rich someone, dies, right? A way to liquidate the bulk of a person’s assets that don’t have sentimental value for the family? Correct me if I’m wrong.

  2. How does one find them? I seem to remember just happening to drive by the one I went to as a kid with my mom, and she wanted to stop. I’ve seen internet sites that supposedly list estate sales, but there were zero results for anywhere within 50-100 miles. These things take place in people’s houses, right? So they should be all over the place. I see garage sales advertised on homemade signs all the time, but never estate sales. Do any veteran estate sale shoppers have tips?

  3. Anyone else have an estate sale related inquiry?

#2

[QUOTE=Miss Violaceous]
I went to one estate sale when I was a kid. I don’t know or remember much about them, but I keep hearing about the good stuff that can be found (the kind of things I buy from vintage/consignment stores), and I love bargain-hunting. Help me and other interested dopers clear up some things about them.

  1. It’s like a garage sale for when someone, usually a rich someone, dies, right? A way to liquidate the bulk of a person’s assets that don’t have sentimental value for the family? Correct me if I’m wrong.

That is correct.

  1. How does one find them? I seem to remember just happening to drive by the one I went to as a kid with my mom, and she wanted to stop. I’ve seen internet sites that supposedly list estate sales, but there were zero results for anywhere within 50-100 miles. These things take place in people’s houses, right? So they should be all over the place. I see garage sales advertised on homemade signs all the time, but never estate sales. Do any veteran estate sale shoppers have tips?
    Estate sales are usually advertised in the classifed section of newspapers.
#3

You should also look in the “auctions” section of your classified ads, as the best estate sales I have been to were conducted as auctions rather than as tag sales. Back when I was eBaying a lot, I made a ton of money reselling estate sale finds.

#4

Not necessarily rich someones. I’ve been to Estate sales for just regular people. It’s a good way to clean out a house full of stuff.

In our area, they are advertised in the paper in a special section. For some reason they tend to be on Fridays around here.

#5

As above. Watch the classified ads for estate sales, yard, garage, tag, and other types. There are some folks who cruise the subdivisions where sales are held on a regular basis. Usually Friday and Sat. AM or till about 2 PM at the latest. You have to look close for the good stuff but don’t waste time at any one sale if it doen’t have anything of interest. Some towns have a “Thrifty Nickel” paper adv. items for sale.
Good hunting.

#6

As above. Watch the classified ads for estate sales, yard, garage, tag, and other types.
There are some folks who cruise the subdivisions where sales are held on a regular basis. Usually Friday and Sat. AM or till about 2 PM at the latest.
You have to look close for the good stuff but don’t waste time at any one sale if it doen’t have anything of interest.
Some towns have a “Thrifty Nickel” paper adv. items for sale. Good hunting.
PS Tag sales frequently generate more income for small estates that auctions. Big estates draw enough interested parties for an auction.