THRIFT YOUR WAY
Estate sales
A company prices everything in a home and opens it to the public, usually for two or three days.
Before you go
- Good for
- Furniture, art and frames, kitchenware, jewelry, whole collections
- When to go
- First morning for the best pieces, last day for bargains
- Paying
- Ask first: many take cards, some cash only
How it works
- Photos go up a few days ahead. Many sales share the street address only the day before.
- People line up early on the first morning. Some sales hand out numbers before the doors open.
- You carry what you want to the checkout. Bigger pieces get a sold tag and a pickup time.
- Prices drop as the days pass. The last day is often half off.
How to do well
- Go through the listing photos first and note what you’re after, so you head straight to it.
- Go the first morning for the best pieces. Go back on the last day for bargains on what’s left.
- If they hand out numbers, get one early, then come back for the opening.
- Check every room, including the garage, basement and closets. Small things hide in drawers.
- On bigger pieces, ask whether they’ll take an offer on the last day, and leave your number.
What to bring
Where to find them
EstateSales.NET
The biggest list of estate and tag sales, with photos a few days ahead. Sign up for its email of sales near you.
Go to EstateSales.NET (opens in a new tab)EstateSales.org
More estate sales, often from different companies.
Go to EstateSales.org (opens in a new tab)Estate sale companies near you
Your map app, on the companies around you. Many post only on their own sites.
Open your map: estate sale companies near you (opens in a new tab)
How Thriftcraft helps
Your assistant
Before you go, ask which listings look worth the trip. At the sale, snap a piece and ask about it before you decide.
- Open the find and tap ChatGPT, Claude or Muse under Ask about this find. It opens with a question about the find already written.
- Send a detail photo of any mark when it asks. Ask it to save the answer and its sources with the find.
- Saved research keeps its own words and sources. It changes the find’s details only when you approve the change.
More ways Thriftcraft can help
Framing Bench
Check a frame’s opening right there and see which of your art fits it.
- Save both dimensions of the artwork and the frame’s usable opening. Unmeasured pieces can be kept, but cannot be matched yet.
- Use the Framing Bench to compare your saved art and frames. Both orientations are checked.
- Confirm depth, condition and the physical fit before buying; the size comparison cannot inspect the frame.
The sites here belong to other companies. None of them pays to be listed.