Opening the Doors
People often ask what happens during the sale itself.
The short answer?
A lot.
Day One is excitement.
Collectors arrive early.
Regular customers often know exactly what they’re looking for.
Dealers want a deal and we work with them while making sure the owner gets a good price too. Dealers can sometimes access collectors or have locations where they charge a premium or they are willing to wait to get a higher price. We want a win-win situation.
The best pieces usually find new homes quickly.
For a recent sale in Palm Springs one dealer spent $1500 in about ten minutes! Then they came back in each day to buy more. They knew what they wanted.
Day Two is strategy.
Most items receive about a 25% discount.
Buyers who hesitated yesterday suddenly become much more decisive.
People begin bundling purchases.
“This table would look great with those lamps…”
“Oh… and I suppose I should take the vase too.”
By Day Three we’re focused on finding homes for as much as possible.
Typically, discounts increase to around 50%.
It’s amazing how many empty shelves appear during those final hours.
One of my favorite parts of every sale is seeing familiar faces.
Many customers return all three days.
They become part treasure hunter, part friend.
They’ll tell us about previous purchases, ask what new sales are coming up and occasionally help us identify something we’ve never seen before.
Estate sales build communities.
Not just transactions.
Every sale writes its own story.