This is part two of a multi-part series of questions you should ask before hiring an estate sale company.  Go here for part 1.

When the time comes for you to liquidate an estate, whether because of downsizing, divorce, or a death in the family, holding an estate sale is usually the easiest and most expedient option.

Hiring an estate sale company (sometimes called an estate liquidator) may be your best option if you want to save time and earn more money.  Estate sale companies will do all of the hard work for you; and, because they know the local market, will price your items in a way to get them sold.  A correctly priced, sold item puts more cash in your pocket than a premium priced, unsold item.

But, just like any other professional, you’ll want to talk with them (in person tends to work best) and ask several questions before deciding which company to hire.  Here’s another question you will definitely want an answer for.
 
How Much Will an Estate Sale Cost Me?
Most estate sale companies are paid out of the proceeds from the sale, so it’s not like it is money coming out of your pocket.  However, it is critical to understand what you will be charged because this is money that won’t be going INTO your pocket.
 
And notice what I said… MOST companies… There are some companies that will charge you an up front fee or deposit, and that DOES come out of your pocket.
 
The most common way that estate sale companies are paid is to charge a percentage of the gross sales.  Other methods include charging a flat rate, a flat fee plus a percentage, or the greater of a minimum or a percentage.
 
These are all legitimate ways for an estate sale company to be paid.  You will need to compare them and determine which will work best for you.  But whichever method the company uses, you will also need to find out what that method includes for the price.  Does it cover set up, security. labor, permits, advertising costs, taxes, credit card processing fees, and other required costs that go into a successful sale? Or do they charge extra for these services? 
 
In addition, you will want to find out if they provide any optional services (and how much they charge for them) that you may need such as professional cleaning of the house, clearing out unsold goods after the sale, providing you with donation receipts for tax write offs, selling the house, etc.?
 
And finally, ask if you're required to pay a deposit.  This is where that “out of pocket” expense I mentioned earlier can come back to bite you.
 
At A2Z Estate Solutions, for a basic estate sale, we follow the flat fee (we call it a set up fee) plus a percentage model.  The percentage we charge is on a sliding scale, meaning the more we sell, the smaller the percentage we charge.  We also offer several extras such as the cleaning, clear out, and home sale for reasonable fees as well.  And we never charge you anything “out of pocket.”  We don’t get paid until the sale is over.

​Are you new to estate sales?  Want to find out what they’re all about?  Then this is the blog post for you!
 
Who Hires Estate Sale Companies?
People who want to sell large amounts of possessions quickly.  This can be due to a death in the family, moving, or downsizing.  Another name for estate sale companies is estate liquidators.  We turn personal property into liquid assets (cash).  For a probate estate, this makes dividing the estate amongst several heirs far easier.  For moving or downsizing, cash may be needed for a variety of reasons as the person moves on to a new phase of their life.  Regardless of the reason, because we take an “everything must go” attitude, prices tend to be far lower than what you find in stores, antique shops, or even eBay.
 
Are the Prices Really that Good?
Many of our customers at estate sales own their own resale businesses.  We price things so that THEY can make a profit.  Usually this means setting the price around 50% of what they should expect to get.  However, in addition to liquidating as much as we can, our other goal is to maximize the return for the estate sale client for whom we are working.  That means we will set our prices higher than you would see at a yard or garage sale.  Most sales take at least two days, and prices generally start to fall the longer the sale lasts.
 
Can I Negotiate?
Of course!  The only caveat is that most liquidators hold pretty firm to their prices the first day.  On the subsequent days, we loosen things up.  Most of the time you can expect 25-50% off the prices on subsequent days; AND we’re more likely to negotiate from there!  If you show up during the final hour or two, many of the sought after items will be gone, BUT not all… and we are practically letting you name your price at that point too!
 
So What Kind of Things Can I Find at the Estate Sale?
Most estate sale companies sell pretty much anything the owner has.  This can be super cheap items like half a box of staples in a desk drawer or an unopened box of mac and cheese, to low cost items like towels, dishes, common clothing and shoes, books, DVDs, etc.  Or it can range to high end, expensive items like antique furniture, gold jewelry, cars, art, pianos, etc.  Basically, you can expect to find anything you might see in someone’s home.  There are some exceptions.  At A2Z, we don’t sell opened food, medicines or drugs, guns (we sell these direct to dealers), or alcohol.
 
A Few Tips for the First Timers
Buying items at an estate sale is a new and different experience.  It’s not like walking into a retail store, browsing neat display shelves, paying retail, and asking for your items to be delivered to your home.   
 
First of all, while we may set things up neatly, it won’t stay that way very long as people start digging through, and second, circumstances are often such that making nice displays just isn’t feasible, and you’ll wind up digging through a box.  Books are a good example… yes, they can be displayed neatly on bookshelves, but books are usually less than a dollar each on average.  We get better use of that display space for higher value items. 
 
And you know those big bulky items that you normally have delivered such as furniture, freezers, washer/dryer, etc.?  Make sure you have a vehicle large enough and bring the muscle you need because most companies don’t have the spare manpower during a sale to help you move things, and its very rare to find a company that delivers. Sure, you can buy it now and come back to get it later, but everything must be gone by the end of the sale.
 
Finally, keep your eyes peeled for buried treasure!  If you find something that looks like we missed, there’s a good chance we did!  People put small items especially in very odd places that can be overlooked.  Odds are, it’s still for sale, just ask for assistance, and we’ll give you a good price.  We even had someone find gold jewelry (real treasure!) one time.  We try to mark everything that isn’t for sale, but if you can’t tell, ask; it’s better to be safe than sorry.
 
One last tip, while A2Z Estate Solutions takes credit/debit cards, not all companies do, but cash is always welcome, so hit the ATM and stop on by!
 
Estate sales can be great fun and you can make great finds.  So if you’ve never tried one before, now would be a great time to start!

We do everything... So you don't have to!  It's more than a slogan... It's what we do!  That's why we named our company A2Z!  In holding to that theme, we are starting a blog to provide everyone with information as well as our services! 

Holding an estate sale can feel overwhelming because people believe that they have to do a whole lot to prepare for it.  But the opposite is true!  You don't need to do anything!  We'll do it all if that is what you want.  Obviously, most people want to go through things and remove a few sentimental items, and that is perfectly fine, but if you just want to be rid of everything (even selling the house!), we can handle that.  Our goal is to free you up to deal with more important matters during an already difficult time.

So join us in this information sharing endeavor.  We hope it helps you, even if you never need or use our services!