The Worst Estate Sale Shopping Experience

Reselling

May 30

Well before I entered the estate sale scene, I was a regular shopper of them. My organizing business was still in its early stages so I would supplement my income with reselling on eBay.

Thrift stores were my go-to but they were hit or miss. In an effort to find another route to buy secondhand items, I decided to shop estate sales. Pouring over the listings each week to determine which ones to shop and which ones to bypass.

I would create a list (much like our Estate Sale Weekender) and hit the road each Saturday morning.

One of my favorite items to resell at the time were men’s neckties. They were easy to photograph and very cost effective to ship.

And depending on the brand, you could make a nice margin on them.

Vineyard Vines ties were still gaining popularity with a resell value around $30-$40 depending on the print.

I stopped by a Lake Norman estate sale one day and spent 30 minutes or more searching through the packed closet. There wasn’t much organization to the room or the closet and no price information to be found.

I lucked up on a vineyard vines tie and made my way to the checkout.

“How much is this?” I inquired.

The lady running the sale whipped out her phone and pulled up her eBay app. After a few taps on the screen, she looked at me and said “$30”.

I was a little baffled at what just happened.

So you’re telling me that the price for this tie is $30 (the resell market value) that I had to dig and find in a closet stuffed full of dusty clothes.

I turned around and walked away. Never to set foot in one of her estate sales ever again.

Since opening our doors, I have vowed never to make a customer feel like I did. The type of service we offer is the type of service we would want to receive.

Our hope is that you enjoy shopping estate sales for secondhand goods and deals, especially sales that are organized, clean, and priced …. well. ;))))