Collecting Karma.

A cold, January morning found a little over 50 people waiting outside for entry to an estate sale. I was among those standing outside of a home that looked to have been built during the late 1800s, early 1900s. The estate sale opened at 9am and a small crowd had gathered outside, numbers in hand, to go into the home to find treasures but also to get out of the cold.

I was the youngest person there amidst a crowd of ages that spanned from late 40s to late 60s. I am a shy person so usually will stand back and listen to conversations as well as people watch, which I love to do. Conversations erupted between those that were waiting to look inside, with topics ranging from children to what a person did for a living. Eventually the topic of estate sales came up and this was when I started to listen more closely. Being a newcomer to picking items in attempts to flip them for a small profit, it's always good to listen to those that are older, wiser, and have been dealing in the picking business for longer than I've graced this earth.

A man spoke about a variety of different estate companies and which ones he has had better luck with getting cheaper prices. He mentioned that it's best to go to estate sales that aren't run by large estate companies and if possible, stick to those that are headed up by families and friends. Estate sale companies often know what they have, as in the appraisal values for items. Add that to the profit that estate companies have to make from using their services and the prices can be set higher than actual value. This isn't true for all estate companies, however. Some work a home where the owner/next-of-kin just wants to get rid of everything and thus prices are lower than actual value.

Sales run out of a house by family/friends are obviously going to be cheaper for a variety of reason:

• "Just get rid of it." Families/friends that inherit homes through deaths & illnesses often just want to get rid of everything and anything in the home to move on, move forward, and often get ready to put a house on the market. They remove the items they want and then are left with a considerable amount of other items without knowing how to get rid of it. They might not want to involve an estate company to be able to save money, keep all of the profits, or have more control of the sale. If they have 3 cabinets full of dishes, chances are they are willing to part with the dishes at a lower cost than pricing them at a higher cost and risk still being left with 3 cabinets of dishes.
• They don't know what they have. Unless someone is interested in antiques and vintage items, the chances are high they will not know what the value/history of an item is. Plus, the lure of making a buck and getting rid of an item adds to the "Just get rid of it" mentality, whether or not the item is worth more than they realize. The amount of time it would take to research boxes full of antiques, compare prices on Ebay, look in newspapers for certain collectors, is not worth it to the seller. This makes the chance for a picker to pick up good items for a low price at a family run estate sale higher versus a company sale. Again, this isn't always the norm but just a viewpoint.
• The Haggle. Haggling is easier to partake in at a family estate sale because the sale is pretty much a glorified garage/yard sale. Bring a pile of items to the money taker and he/she will probably just take a look at the items and give you a bulk price. Companies usually have everything marked, look at each item, and tally it up. Some might do a bulk price, but that depends on the cashier & the items you are purchasing. 

Conversation turned to what each person was interested in & what they collected either for themselves or to later re-sell. By this time, many of us had been waiting over half an hour to get into the home and some people voiced their frustration. An older man who had been discussing his collections and flea markets that he sold at, piped up at those who were complaining about the long wait to look at items. The man said that everyone needed to have some understanding and patience, that everyone would eventually be able to have their turn inside. He stated that if there was an item inside that you were meant to have, it would still be there when you got in, that it would wait for you. If the item wasn't there and someone else purchased it, then it wasn't supposed to be yours. The man then stated that things always work out, that if God wants you to have the item, you will. Another man piped in with a chuckle and said "I don't think God visits estate sales. He has more important things to do." The original man laughed back and said that maybe using God's intervention wasn't exactly using the right words, but that he firmly believed that things always would work out at sales if you believed in the thinking that if you are meant to have it, you will.

I wanted to tell the man that I completely agreed with him. I have always believed that in antiquing, going to the flea market, and picking that if you are meant to have the item, you will. The price will be right and haggling can be done. Call it being "green" or call it conjuring up the romantic notions of antique collecting, it is just a way that I have always felt about collecting. These feelings become tenfold when I end up stumbling upon something that I had been searching for for years or when an object appears that seems like it was just meant for me...like when I found a 1950s day dress for $5 that fit me like a glove. Call it collecting karma or just pure luck, whether you believe that the Lord above has a hand in estate sales or not, I do believe that if it's meant to be, it will be.

~ Flea Fact ~

Listen to conversations for tips and pieces of advice. Sometimes words that are spoken can be helpful bits of knowledge to add to your picking skills. Other times, words can be affirmations of what you have always practiced - collecting karma.

An Estate Sale Newbie ~ Part One

Estate sales are something that I always read advertisements and listings for, but never really bothered to check out. I don't have an exact reason why, it just never crossed my mind that an estate sale is like a flea market/antique shop/thrift store all wrapped up in one convenient location. A few months ago, there was an estate sale in my town so I figured that I would finally go check out this form of sale and see what I had been depriving myself of for all of these years.

There are different forms of estate sales. Some sales are conducted in the actual home, other seclude the sale to a garage or outside building, and at others the items are removed from the original home and sold at an auction house.One needs to go to an estate sale fully prepared for a variety of reasons. 9 times out of 10, there will be a great listing of photographs of items that are going to be sold on the listing's website. Checking out the photos beforehand ensures that you will be attending a sale where there are items that you are potentially interested in. Also, some sales have a number system where those that arrive first prior to the sale are given numbers for admittance. If there is an item that you must! have, then get there early enough to secure a number and make sure you are one of the first in.

I wasn't fully prepared for this estate sale. Not so much prepared as in I didn't look at the pictures of the items for sale listed online before the sale or made sure to get there as soon as the home was open for business. Prepared as in I didn't realize that I would have the liberty to open kitchen cabinets, sift through bedroom dresser drawers, open up closets, and meander through the home like I was visiting family...

The home was built probably in the 1920s/1930s. I had arrived at the house around two hours after the start of the sale, so I was able to walk right in. The previous owner left the home in the style of the 1970s, with the mustard yellow furniture and rugs that were a lovely shade of split pea soup green.The estate sale employees encouraged all visitors to look throughout the entirety of the home, open up drawers, sift through cabinets. I was shocked and somewhat uncertain about this... I almost felt like I was invading the personal space of a family, that I was breaking into the home of an elderly couple and ransacking their house. It was awkward.

A mass of people were in the small living room dismantling an old entertainment center, complete with a record player and 8track system. This odd looking man was talking to a woman, either his business partner or girlfriend, about how much money they could get for the furniture. The lady replied that the style of furniture was "hot" right now and she was sure they could sell it. Later on, after I had made my purchases and was leaving, I saw them loading the furniture into their van... loaded down with an assortment of furniture pieces, artwork, etc. No doubt they were pickers and dealers.

I briefly looked through the dining area. 2 chairs and a table filled with jewelry and watches. I do purchase/wear vintage necklaces, but did not see anything that caught my eye when I looked at the table. Onto the kitchen where cabinets were filled with coffee mugs, crock pots, dish towels, and silverware. An old calendar was still pinned to the wall and a bottle of dish soap remained near the sink. I turned to look at the items displayed on the kitchen table and my eye immediately fell on a nesting hen.

Over the last year or so, I have become aware that I have started a small collection of roosters & hens. Heck, I should just say birds in general. I have no idea why these items catch my eye, but they do. When I go to flea markets and antique stores, roosters and birds are not on my list of things to be looking for, but I do find them and if the price is right, will purchase. This was a Hen on a Nest, made by the Indiana Glass Company.          
This company started making the nesting hen in the 1930s. The earlier birds do not have beading on the top portion of the nest, while the later more current birds do. The company continued to produce the nesting hen up through the 1990s.

 The hen that I found at the estate sale was of the early variety, with no beading. The sticker price on the hen was $4 - a complete steal! I had seen this type of nesting hen at flea markets and antique stores, all priced well above the estate sale sticker price. Listings on Ebay and other Internet sites have going prices anywhere between $12 to $20. The $4 was a price that I wouldn't find again.

I ventured outside to a small garage that was used basically to store tools and gardening equipment... and a large model of a circus. Yes, a handmade model of a big top circus. I'm not talking some little tent with a few plastic lions thrown in. What was in this garage was amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. On a board, probably at least 8ft in length, maybe 5ft wide, was a big top model circus. Three tents, complete with the red and white stripes and lights. Surrounding the tents were an assortment of everything you would picture at a circus - clowns, carnies, the old-fashion animal cages on wheels, elephants, tigers, monkeys, trapeze artists, cotton candy vendors, balloons, a water station... everything that a circus would need.

I wish I would have taken a picture because my words do not do this piece justice. The men that were in the garage looking at the tools all at one point made their way over to the circus to admire the work. It must have taken months, perhaps years, for the person who made this to have it complete. I envisioned an old man spending hours outside in this garage, carving the tigers, painting the lines on the circus tents, and assembling this work of art. It broke my heart when I saw the price tag of $50 on it. I thought to myself that someone in this person's family must have wanted this - why wouldn't they?? I wondered what would happen to it if no one bought it that day. I didn't want to think that it would end up as rubble in a garbage can. I made sure to look at the intricate details and admire this labor of love. It wasn't in my budget to purchase it, though the $50 was such a low price for all of this work. Also, I had no place to store the circus and no need for it, besides wanting to save it from being thrown away.

That's what was the hardest part about the estate sale. I was going through someones home. I was looking in their cabinets and shuffling around their silverware drawer. The people that had owned this home most likely were deceased, maybe for a few months, maybe for years.The family had gone through and taken what they wanted and needed to get rid of the rest. Or, there was no close relative left and so all of the contents of the home were up for sale. Regardless, this form of picking is unlike a flea market setting or an antique store. 

At the flea or store, you are removed somewhat from the original owner of the item. You can always wonder where the item came from, what the owner was like... at an estate sale, there's no need to wonder about the owner because you are in the owner's home. You see what they collected, see their magnet collection on the refrigerator, know what kind of clothes they wore. It's a totally different experience...