Have You Been Lied To About Estate Sales?
Many newcomers to the world of antiquing have a habit of avoiding estate sales as a source of antiques that are new to the market. Often this is because they have been misled with some common misconceptions and out-and-out lies about estate sales and how they work.
As an example, some people believe that the person or company hired to handle the estate sale goes in and picks through everything before the sale, taking the best things for themselves. In reality those who handle these sales are in the business of selling items, not acquiring them. It’s true that the heirs of the person that has passed on from the estate may go through their things and take some items or mementos that have personal meaning, but they too are not typically interested in taking the vast majority of the items there. If there were not items worth selling then there would not be a sale.
Another common misconception about estate sales is that they’re very expensive; too expensive for the part-time antique dealer or average everyday buyer. In reality, again, the heirs of the estate are interested in getting rid of items, not in keeping them around. They know that while they may expect a fair price for them, overpricing them will result in no sales - and then what? Again, if they wanted to keep all the items then there would be no use in having a sale. And too they realize that most people who show up for estate sales are just average everyday citizens - not wealthy investors with tons of money that they are able or willing to spend at estate sales.
Most of those that are new to the world of antiques are really handicapping themselves by avoiding estate sales, for whatever reason. These sales are a real treasure trove of antiques that are new to the market and that are typically very reasonably priced. Many times these antiques are being sold by the original owners or those who have had them for just one or two generations. This means that they’re usually in very good shape and very well maintained.
So if you are new to the world of antiques and have been avoiding estate sales, it’s time to set your fears aside, ignore those misconceptions, and start getting some really beautiful items for yourself.
