How To Shop Estate Sales For Home Décor
Confession…before I went to my first estate sale, the entire idea of it kinda creeped me out. I thought it was weird to go through and buy someone’s things right out from their house. ( It’s still a weeeee bit weird when you let yourself stop and think about it.)
But after trying my first estate sale, I was hooked.
It has quickly become one of my favorite ways to source home décor and furniture for my own home because you simply cannot match the quality, history and character of the pieces you can find, with the incredible deals that you will find them for. And once you get used to it, there is such an excitement that comes with it. It’s truly an adventure and I am so excited for you to try it out for yourself!
Why Shop Estate Sales?
Estate sales are a beast of their own when it comes to the thrifty, secondhand world.
Where thrift stores are filled with more basic items that someone no longer wanted and are re-sold for super low prices, and antique stores are filled with super unique valuable treasures that people specifically collected and intend to resale for higher prices…estate sales fall in the beautiful middle ground.
They are filled with unique and quality pieces that someone collected over a lifetime in most cases, but now it needs to be cleared away from the home, and most of the time, there is an urgency to clear it out.
This means, you can find antique store quality treasures, for thrift store prices, and it’s pretty incredible!
What To Expect
Last Minute Address/Info
The first thing that I didn’t really expect when I first started but that makes total sense is that they will almost never reveal the address of the sale until the day before the sale. This is purely for safety. So scope out ones in your area or zip code and then make sure to circle back the day before to plan out your exact route and addresses.
Crowded Houses
Something that takes a second to get used to is that you are shopping inside a house. As in an everyday residence. While sometimes the houses are large estates, often times they are your average two bedroom home and things can get a litttllle tight once you let a whole bunch of strangers start roaming around.
Most companies running the sale will do their best to create traffic patterns and to also maintain a reasonable occupancy in the house, but it can still get super crowded. So be prepared.
Competative Collectors
Because of the incredible deals and treasures you can find, estate sales have come to really draw a crowd of devoted collecters, thrifters and re-sellers.
So you can expect that especially on day #1 of a sale to have a potentially long line out the door of collectors and die hard thrifters already staking it out. And while you know I looovvvee a good thrifty shopping trip, I promise you I got NOTHING on these avid thrifters and collectors. They take it very seriously. So be prepared for some very competative shopping crowds. Think like a mini black friday frensy. Especially on a day #1 of the sale.
But don’t let that intimidate you. Chances are they are looking for something different than you are. And most of the time, once the sale starts, the line disapears instantly. Just do your thing, enjoy shopping around and let them go on their way.
Different Deals on Different Days
So you might have seen me reference “day #1”, let me explain a little more about that.
Most of the time, estate sales run anywhere from 2-4 days depending on the size of the estate. And while each company runs things slightly different, majority of the time, you can expect the price to drop each day, but you will also gamble that their won’t be much left to pick from.
For example one of my favorite estate sale companies ( I’ll share more about them later in this post ) typically runs their sales like this;
Day #1 - Price as marked.
Day #2 - Everything 25% off.
Day #3 - Everything 50% off.
I’ve shopped each one of those days and they allllll have their pro’s and con’s, so it’s just important to kinda know what to expect depending on the day you go.
Day #1 - First pick of everything, prices are still usually good compared to retail but there are no discounts, crowds are high, but usually can find the best/most goods.
Day #2 - Things are picked over and most furniture will be sold, but still lost of home decore to choose from, everything will be discounted slightly ( usually no more than 25%) and crowds will be a little less.
Day #3 - Things are really picked over and the house will be pretty empty, the crowds should be very sparce but if you do see something that you love, it will most likely be at least 50% off the price as marked making it a steal! ( I found a beat up wooden armoire that was hiding in the garage for $12 this way)
What To Look For
Like I mentioned before, estate sales are the beautiful middle ground between thrift shopping and antique shopping. Which means you can find alllllllll kinds of treasures. But the catch is, you have to keep an open mind, because sometimes those “treasures” is not so much valuable priceless relics as they are simply super cheap household items. Here are some of my favorite things to look for when I go to an estate sale.
Furniture
If you are looking to furnish your home and you don’t want to fill it all with flat pack, cheap Ikea or Target furniture, you need to go look at some estate sales. You can find everything from cabinets, dining sets, outdoor furniture to bedroom sets and everrrryyyything in between. And usually, you can get super high quality, expensive furniture for a really affordable prices. I’ve found an armoire for $12 and a side table for $10 for myself and a full on artists desk for $35 and shelf for $6 for a friend before. Seriously, it’s worth at least looking before heading to any retail store.
Unique Decor ( From Travels or Handmade Pieces)
One of the most fun things about estate sales to me is to see the different styles and collections that each house has. I’ve been to some mid-century ones, I have been to some that had antiques galore, I went to one where the previous owner was a potter and had tonnnnnss of handmade pottery pieces and I even went to one that was owned by a travel agent and the home was FILLED with treasures from around the world. Super cool.
I love finding old books, handmade pottery, art work, frames, decorative pieces and sculptures. The list goes on. If you are looking for that super cool decor piece to make your home feel really high end and unique, you should go see what catches your eye at an estate sale.
Plants & Faux Plants
Large scale faux plants can be sooooo expensive. But at estate sales they get looked over for furniture and often times they get priced at almost nothing. I got a full size faux tree for my dining room ( easily a $100-$200 faux tree ) for just $5.
I’ve also gotten smaller real plants already potted for a dollar or two a piece.
It’s something most people don’t really think about looking for here and THAT is why it’s a great deal.
Unopened or Unused Everyday Items
This was an unexpected perk that quickly became one of my favorite things to look for. Unopened household items. I have found everything from unused wrapping paper, to boxes of taper candles to costco sized packs of brand new toothpaste ( not even kidding haha). Sometimes it doesn’t have to be special or unique to just be a really great deal.
Pro Tips
Bring a Buddy
When you can, bring a buddy, it can get a little wild and competative and having a buddy where yall can split up and find more things quickly, or hold something while you go claim it ( and visa versa) can be the difference between walking away with something you love or someone else beating you to it.
Come Prepared to Shop Big
Always bring a good sized vehicle for big ticket items. Because the day you don’t will be the day you find the PERFECT piece of furniture for an incredible price and then can’t get it home.
NEVER Skip the Garage… Ever
Just trust me. Just like your garage is a collection of random items, so are most peoples. You never know what you will find in there. From tools, to unopened wrapping paper and Christmas decor, to furniture that is hidden in the corner. Some of my favorite finds at estate sales have been in the garage so just trust me and don’t ever skip looking here.
Do Your Research Beforehand
Research the estate sales policies before hand so you know what to expect. Most estate sales run over a weekend between 2-4 days, and typicallllyyy the price drops each day ( but so does the amount of items available!) so make sure to understand which days work best for you, do you want first pick? or the deepest discount? I have found the best way to get the most of of the sales is to be first in line when doors open on day #1 , or to get there an hour before they close on the last day to get THE best deal ( sometimes they will literally give things to you!)
Where To Find Them
Believe it or not, it’s easier than you would think to find them, and there are soooooo many. If I wanted to, I could find one within a thirty minute drive of my house almost every weekend with a simple Google search.
But there are a couple of websites and estate sale hosts that I prefer to shop through and usually look to first when looking for the estate sales I want to go to so I suggest starting there.
Blue Moon Estate Sales
Hands down my favorite host. Their website is clean and easy to navigate, their sales are typically the best organized and so far every single time I have gone, the people who work the sales are amazing and so helpful.
They also have really fair pricing I have found.
Annnnnddd you can create an account with them and earn points every time you shop that stack up to earn you rewards. So I highly suggest doing that. Plus then you can get the emails letting you know when sales are happening in your area.
Here is the link to get you started: Blue Moon Estate Sales
Estate Sales. Org
This is a HUGE estate sale search engine that will help you find a sale in just about any area you wanna be. It includes photos of the potential goodies inside so you can scope out the sales before you go.
If I can’t find a Blue Moon sale near me, I’ll search here.
Here is the link to get searching : Estate Sales . Org
I hope this was really helpful and made you confident to take on your first estate sale! I know once you try it you’re gonna love it and I cannot WAIT to see what you find!
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