Learn More About Estate Sales

One Saturday, I drove into Charlotte to meet my friend for a cup of coffee and a chat. I had drafted a list of things to do after our coffee chat, one of those being “stop by estate sale”.

I had always wanted to go to an estate sale to see what it was all about and to possibly score some good stuff at a great price.

I looked up sales in my area that day and noted one that was close to our coffee meeting.

After we hugged and said our goodbyes, I got in the car and glanced at the to-do list.

“Estate Sale”

I looked up the address on my phone and fidgeted nervously for a few minutes, unsure why I was so uneasy.

I sat there for a few more minutes making up stories about how awful it would be to shop and how awkward and how mean the estate folks were. All completely false, but nonetheless I had successfully talked myself out of going. I closed the map and went on about my day with grabbing groceries and going for a walk with Cody.

A few years later, my friend Cheryl and I decided to give it a go. Neither of us had ever been to a sale so we figured, why not try it together.

We decided to make a day of it with several estate sales, any yard sales nearby, and plenty of trips to the Habitat ReStore and the local Goodwill.

After that fun day of deal hunting, I remember thinking, “Why in the world was I so nervous about going to an estate sale?!”

Have you ever felt that anxious energy when considering a fun Saturday of deal shopping?

The story continues as one of the estate liquidators called me up after our shopping day and asked if I wanted a job. He explained how organizing was not his favorite thing to do and he felt it would be helpful for his sales if they were organized.

I distinctly remember not having a full client load at the time so I said “sure” with a why not mentality floating through my brain.

Little did I know that the opportunity would turn into an additional option to our menu of services. In 2015, we hosted our first Pure & Simple Estate Sale and never looked back.

The vision for bringing these two services together came from the notion that one supports the other.

Making it a mission of mine to visit other sales for ideas on what to do and what not to do, several things stuck out to me. Our goal was to make the shopping experience as pleasant as possible for customers (probably because of all my nervous energy around that first sale). :P

Our mission & values are:

Organized estate sales are much more fun to shop than messy ones
Knowing the price of each and every item for sale takes the awkwardness out of asking “how much is this”
Accepting debit & credit cards makes it so much easier for customers who don’t always carry cash
Creating a store environment and tending to all details like soft music and scented candles is inviting rather than offputting
Customers shop online with their eyes before ever stepping foot into the sale, so high quality photos are a must

The most consistent feedback we’ve heard since that first sale is something like this:

“This is the most organized estate sale I have ever been to”

cue me bowing

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Estate sales are a great place to score good deals on everyday items (like K-cup coffee pods) to beautiful furniture and everything in between.

We take pricing just as serious as we take our organizing, striving to find that sweet spot of not too high and not too cheap. Our Clearance Days are always a hit with everything marked down 50%!

The estate sale industry is unregulated meaning that companies have freedom to do what they like when it comes to pricing, organizing, marketing, etc. Auctioneers on the other hand are regulated; if you’ve ever been to an auction then you know that buyers usually pay a buyers premium on anything they purchase.

Auctioning off the contents of a home is not my idea of fun, so instead we create a store, price everything (and I do mean everything), set up a table, light some candles, turn on the music, and open the doors as if we were hosting you at our own home.

I would love to hear your comments and experiences with us (or other companies)! We are always striving for better and best; tell me below in the comments!