Estate sale regulars know the trick: if a pricey item survives the first day, wait for the half off day and the price drops. That was the plan for a reselling couple on the floridapickers876 YouTube channel, Stacy and Travis, who spent a Saturday morning working a community garage sale and then an estate sale with everything marked down by half. Their big hope was a stained glass pumpkin lamp they had missed the day before.
The day started with good energy. They had not been to a community sale in months, and Stacy called it a breath of fresh air. With fogged-up glasses and a few jokes, they pulled into the neighborhood and headed for the first sale.
It was an early morning in every sense. The sellers were still setting up, which is often when the best stuff is easiest to grab, and the couple planned to circle back later to see what got put out. The estate sale ahead would hand them a pleasant surprise and a small disappointment in the same morning.
The Garage Sale Warm Up
At the first stop they shopped for golf clubs, rainbow sandals and a few other things. The seller priced drivers at $20, smaller woods at $10 and some other clubs at $10 and $5. A pair of rainbow sandals that looked like they had barely been worn went for $8 for both pairs, and the couple walked away with a total of $38 for the clubs and sandals.
One of the drivers was a Nike Sumo model that the couple figured sells for over $100, and it cost $20. The other was a Ping G5 driver they figure is worth about $50 to $60, and it cost $10. Stacy sat out one purchase: Rainbow High dolls priced at $30, which she thought was steep for only a few dollars worth of accessories. She did note the dolls are gaining popularity, so it is worth keeping an eye out for them.
After a quick drive around, they bought a pair of earrings for Stacy’s mom at another sale and decided the morning had been a nice taste of garage sale season getting started. They noted that a community sale sounds like 20 or 40 houses, but in real life they are lucky to get about 10.
Half Off Day At The Estate Sale
At the estate sale, they arrived about ten minutes before the doors opened and were the only ones there. The staffer setting up told them yesterday had not been very busy, and that gave the couple hope. When Stacy asked about the stained glass pumpkin, she was pointed toward the holiday rooms, where every season had its own space.
The pumpkin was not there. She asked again, and was told it had sold the day before. According to Stacy, it had been cracked and priced around $8. The couple decided it was not a big loss, since they already own a jack-o’-lantern style lamp with a face and this one was a plain pumpkin.
The first thing Travis grabbed was a ceramic Christmas tree priced at $75. At half off, that came to $37.50. The couple said such trees tend to go for $75 to $100 depending on size around the holidays, and that it was a surprise to find it still there. Stacy added a thought that many sellers will recognize: if the company had priced the tree at $50 or $60, it likely would have sold the first day, and they would have made more than the $37.50 they got on the half off day.
The Longaberger Baskets
The real twist was the baskets. Before the sale started, a staffer announced that all Longaberger baskets were 75% off. The couple said they normally skip Longaberger because it is always priced too high, so this was a chance to learn something new.
They picked three holiday baskets in unique shapes: a Christmas collection falling snow basket from 2010, a stocking basket from 2014 and a drum basket from 2012. The sale had them marked at $65, $60 and $45, which the couple said was close to what such baskets usually sell for. At 75% off, a $45 basket works out to about $11, so the margin looked good.
The stocking basket still had the plastic on it and the tag tucked inside. Stacy pointed out that the basket name is printed right on the front or inside, which makes comps easy to look up. She also mentioned each one comes with a plastic insert and a fabric liner. Overhearing the checkout, they heard the staffer say she thought they had just sold all the Longaberger baskets to the other lady.
Smart Passes And Small Wins
Not everything made the cart. A set of Vaseline glass candle holders priced at $8 each glowed nicely, but the couple checked and found they were worth about $10 apiece, or about $20 for the set. That was not enough profit, so they left them. A lighted igloo Santa house at $6 sold for around $30 elsewhere, but there were too many of them available. A Longaberger Silver Bells piece was listed at $35, and they passed.
The cheap finds, though, added up. A little embroidered reindeer tablecloth marked at $5 came to $2.50 after the discount. They also picked up an assortment of mini feather tree ornaments, some vintage Santa wrapping paper, a pizzelle maker with its original styrofoam insert and a craft book, paying a flat $12 total, which Stacy said was better than half off.
What Sold Recently
At the end of the video the couple shared some recent sales. A vintage light blue genie bottle sold for $155. A dark blue one with a chip had a buyer who offered $80 against a $90 listing, but the buyer never paid, so it is still listed.
They also sold an 11-piece set of large teal Jim Marvin ornaments for $200 on Poshmark. They had listed the set at $300, and Stacy said they paid about $20 to $25 for the whole thing the year before. Two matching filigree frames with pink gems, bought for a dollar each at an estate sale, sold for $25 together.
Takeaways For Your Next Sale
Their morning offers a few easy lessons. Go on the last day for the best discount, but expect some favorite items to be gone. Check comps before you buy, pass when the profit is thin and look for matching pairs and sets, which Stacy says sell well. Most of all, enjoy it: they came home without the pumpkin, but with a tree, three baskets and a good story.
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