How To Advertise An Estate Sale
In order to have a successful estate sale, you have to know the best way to advertise for it.
In order to have a successful estate sale, you have to know the best way to advertise for it.
If you want to get a lot of shoppers and foot traffic, you should use multiple channels to advertise your estate sale. Using estate sale websites such as EstateSales.net and EstateSale.com is a good start. Also, consider social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Posting street signs with arrows directing drivers to the home at major local intersections and in your neighborhood will also be key in getting shoppers to the estate sale. In this article we will show you how to hire an estate sale company correctly. So you know you are working with someone you can trust.
Your estate sale advertisements should include the date, time, address and simple directions to the home. When you advertise the estate sale on estate sale websites, high-quality photos and descriptions are a must to give potential shoppers the ability to browse the sale items in advance. While some ads list prices, most estate sales wait for the day of the sale to reveal how much items cost. There is a lot to consider when holding a successful estate sale:
Canvas your home and make lists of everything you plan on selling and including in the estate sale. You may also want to create a list of items you won’t be selling as well – just to stay organized. You can even go a step further and categorize everything by room, item’s condition, etc. This will help when you start to research prices and determine where things will be set up and staged during the estate sale.
Most of what you sell will be “as-is,” but a quick polish or some super glue can take some items from “unsellable” to “worth a couple of bucks.”
Knowing what you have and pricing it accordingly is very important in having a successful estate sale. You can start by going online and looking at sold listings on sites like ebay and liveauctioneers. This will offer an idea of the fair market value. Google lens/photo is also a great resource. Just keep in mind, like garage sale shoppers, estate sale shoppers are looking for a deal. If you’re considering two reasonable price points, it’s not a bad idea to mark your item at the higher of the two prices. You’ll see that whatever the price, most people will try to negotiate you down. See what the average proceeds are for an estate sale in our guide. Clearly mark each estate sale item with a price tag or sticker. If you have multiples of an item or like-priced smaller items, you can group them together for bulk sale. You can also display everything together on a table, shelf, in a box, etc., with a sign such as “all stuffed animals – $1 each.” this insures you get the most for your items.
Traffic flow is an important consideration. You want shoppers to browse each room at their own pace without any crowding or bottlenecks forming. Try to keep items to the perimeter or center of each room, allowing people to move around freely. Don’t clutter display tables or shelves with too many items; shoppers should be able to glance over your things and move on if they’re not interested. You also want enough room for a few people to stand and consider items without holding everyone else up.
You may have several items that you’re not interested in selling; it is important to clearly mark these items. Place a large “not for sale” sign on any items you don’t want people to try and purchase. Sometimes this isn’t even enough to deter people from trying to buy items. If possible, put all off-limit items in one or two rooms, and keep those closed off from shoppers to avoid any issues.
Unfortunately, like in many other retail environments, you must consider theft and misconduct at your estate sale. Don’t leave an entrance or exit open and unattended. You should maintain a single entrance and exit for the sale, not multiple. This will control traffic flow and mitigate the opportunity for theft by allowing you to monitor everyone who comes and goes. Be sure to secure off-limits areas and have someone available to enforce those restrictions. Close, lock and tape off doors to rooms you don’t want people entering. Keep your cash in a secure lock box under constant supervision. High-value small items, like jewelry, are best kept in constant site at the cashier’s table.
When advertising an estate sale, great advertising pictures are critical. Take pictures of the items most likely to interest people to help drive traffic to your sale. Big-ticket items like furniture, appliances, collectibles, antiques, comic books and sports memorabilia always garner interest. Make sure your photos are clear, well-lit and visually appealing.
How will people know about your estate sale and all the available items? Simple, you have to advertise the heck out of it!
Here is how to advertise an estate sale
Estate sale advertisements take many forms, but most successful estate sales typically include the following methods:
It takes a village! From cashing people out to loading big items into customers’ vehicles, it’s best to have lots of helpers to keep you from being pulled in too many directions the day of the estate sale. Offer to pay them in cash, food and beverages, etc., and maybe even throw a party at the end while everyone pitches in to clean up. Go estate pros is an excellent alternative to friends and family when you are thinking about how to advertise an estate sale.
Even the most successful estate sales will have leftovers. It’s inevitable. You may want to contact local charities and donation centers ahead of time to find out what their policies are on large donations and pick-ups. If you have a lot of unsold items, you may be able to arrange a truck to pick them up at the end of the sale, or you can assign someone to take them to a drop-off location. Never leave large piles of garbage or recycling on your curb without calling your town’s waste management provider first for permission so that you don’t incur a fine. You may even need to consider a junk removal company.
The Estate Pros are the most professional estate sale company in the area, serving homes like yours all across southeast Michigan. We are consistently ranked amongst the top estate sale companies in America, recognized by EstateSale.com and other industry authorities.
Posting your estate sale listing on estate sale finder sites and publications will drive traffic to your sale. You can advertise for free on social media, Craigslist, NextDoor App, etc. If you’d like to spend a few bucks, you can even spring for some ads on estate sale industry websites such as EstateSales.net and EstateSale.com.
These sites are tailored specifically to individuals looking to shop at Estate Sales. It may cost you $100 or so to list on each of these sites, but it’s well worth it as they are highly targeted to individuals looking for Estate Sales.
Doing all of the above on your own is certainly feasible, but if you’re pressed for time or planning and logistics are not your passion, you may find it worth your while to pay for professional help. An estate sale can be a highly emotional experience for people, but it’s important to remain unsentimental in the face of your shoppers.
Especially if you are helping to sell a deceased loved one’s possessions, as you may have no idea what these items were originally purchased for or what they’re truly worth. Hiring a professional estate sale company like the Estate Pros can make your life much easier, as we specialize in advertising, planning, organizing and operating estate sales.
Go with the Estate Pros!
We specialize in assisting families and individuals who are in need of residential liquidation, donation, clean out and personal property appraisal services. The Estate Pros are an estate-sale industry authority with hundreds of years of combined experience between our ownership and staff. Our owners, sale teams, and support staff are held to the highest standards of professionalism and experiential service. We treat each of our clients and shoppers with the utmost care, compassion and respect, and educate them on what an estate sale is and how to successfully host one. The Estate Pros pay meticulous attention to detail for advertising your estate sale as we handle every aspect of the estate sale process from start to finish. Our experts will work with you from the initial free consultation to the complete execution of your event and everything in between.
The Estate Pros have been proudly serving Oakland, Macomb and parts of Livingston, Genesee, Lapeer & Wayne counties for the past 15 years. No matter what your situation calls for, the Estate Pros are here to help!
Over 15 years of service with more than 5,000 successfully completed estate sales, liquidations, donations & clean outs.
Our team has the qualified appraisers and industry leading liquidation experts needed to get the job done right.
We are licensed, bonded & insured. You can feel confident knowing our services are private, safe and secure.
Ranked in the top 50 estate sale companies in America, delivering millions of dollars in estate proceeds to our valued clients every year.
The Estate Pros are here to help! No matter what your situation is – big or small estates, estates with older or outdated items, estates with location restrictions, etc.
We can handle any situation, location type, or size – GUARANTEED!
The Estate Pros are a professional estate services company that offers full-service donation & residential junk removal services. While we work with many local charities to donate your unwanted items and junk, the Estate Pros are NOT a charity or 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
As much as we love our customers, unfortunately, are services are not free. The Estate Pros donation and clean out program is a paid service that offers full-service residential donation & junk removal. Please contact us for details and pricing.
As soon as you know you need service! You can book an appointment with us through our website via our “book online” option or by calling us at (248) 266-9817. We are generally pretty booked up so the sooner you can get on our schedule the better. It’s best to plan ahead!
Our team is typically asked to haul away mattresses, furniture, electronics, etc. We try and take as many of your unwanted items as possible and can take away most residential items as long as it’s not toxic or hazardous. Here’s a list of items we commonly take for donation:
Items that can’t be donated will be either be recycled or discarded. Such items may include oversized pieces (pool tables, ping pong tables, large china cabinets, large armoires, etc), holiday decor, toys, etc.
Yes, as long as it can be lifted and loaded into the truck by two people. Additional labor for large item removal such as deconstructing furniture, exercise equipment, carpet removal, etc. may be billed at an hourly rate (please contact us for details).
Our mission is to re-purpose, re-home and donate as much of your unwanted items & junk as possible, assisting others in need while minimizing what needs to be discarded. We donate your furniture and other household items to charities such as Habitat For Humanity, Furniture Bank of SE Michigan and others, providing you with all the required tax documentation for your donations. Items that can’t be donated or recycled will be discarded.
Yes, the Estate Pros are fully bonded and insured. We have liability insurance, general performance bonding, workmen’s compensation, and insurance coverage for all of our trucks and teams. Your home is fully protected in the rare event that damage should occur.
Liquidation Value: $38,000
May 14, 2025
Liquidation Value: $35,000
May 13, 2025
Liquidation Value: $14,500
May 8, 2025
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