No More Estate Sales

Years ago when I first started out in this business, estate sales were the best way to find inventory to sell at our shops and shows.

When we lived in a Chicago hi-rise--I would get up early--and make the reverse commute to a news stand in the near western suburbs and get the local papers and scope out the estate sales.  This was before the internet--so the only way to find out what sales were happening was to check out the classifieds.  I would spend a happy morning  doodling around Oak Park and environs and get treasure to sell.  There was some competition--but not much--and I never came home empty handed.

Nothing stays the same.  Fast forward to my life way west of the city now twenty years later.  Sales are published on special websites,  in online papers and on craig's list.  Thrifting and repurposing in are in vogue now--and competition for the treasure has increased many fold.  More hands and feet are mining for gold.  The gold is still out there--just not at estate and garage sales for me.

Oh sure.  We all have seen the tv shows where the person has found a $50,000 widget that they bought for a buck at an estate sale.  I have a few incredible stories I think I have shared on this site.  Like John Wayne's high school yearbook that I found at a local estate sale for $30 bucks and I sold for four figures.  Really.

But no more.  Maybe this realization comes because it is my birthday today and I am becoming more profound in my old age.  No more estate and garage sales for me. 

The antiques trade is truly a food chain-garage sales on one end and high end auctions or antiques shows on the other.  Over time--Dear Husbola and I have purchased at these two venues and all in between and found items that we can sell onward. A dealer has to buy right.  If we buy items at retail and try to sell onward--our inventory will get old and stale and not move on.  Savvy shoppers know these days what items are worth.  It just boils down to how much time I want to spend  looking for things.  I get no pleasure anymore from stopping at 15 garage sales or estate sales and finding little of interest.  In this case I do not enjoy the journey because the rewards have become more scarce.

So what am I saying?  I would rather pay a bit more and buy my inventory a little higher up on the food chain than at a garage or estate sale.  I will let someone else stop at those 15 sales, find it, clean it up, repair it, futz with it--and I will buy it room ready and sell it on.  I will just be more selective--so there is a fair profit in what I buy--certainly not as large a profit--but my time is worth something, right?

So--my fellow Way West of Chicago Antique Dealer Competitors can breathe a big sigh of relief.  We will not run into each other in front of a house at 5am for an 8am sale.  I will not be sitting in a cold car waiting for a sale to open.  I will no longer show up at a sale that is advertised to open at one time with no early birds and then has opened early to a few pushy dealers.

  But let's keep in touch--I'll come visit your shop or show and become one of your better customers.