It's that time of year that we all adore. Spring! Estate sales, yard sales, garage sales, tag sales and more. Just sales! Vintage is being cleared out, homes are decluttered and estates are settled.
As a shopper, you need to be prepared. We all think we are, but there are a few things we all forget from time to time that would have made our shopping trip easier.
First, the basics. Addresses mapped out, either via paper or GPS. Doing this ahead of time has saved me so much time. Business cards, enough to hand out if necessary. This is especially important at Estate Sales held by the heirs. Most estates hold the high end items back in sales, hoping to find a more profitable avenue to sell them in. If you chat with the heirs and establish a quick connection, hand them your card. Let them know you're interested in either buying other pieces or selling them for them (if you do consignment sales). I do consignment and for high end items it's a great way to offer your customers a wide range.
Continuing on. Bring water, a snack or two, sunglasses, bags, boxes, bubble wrap, notepad and pen. The snacks will save you from a last minute trip down the lane of fast food regret. The sunglasses will help prevent a headache and wrinkles. The bags, boxes & bubble are for transporting your finds. And the notepad and pen are for keeping records.
It's vital that you keep track of what you bought, where you bought it and what you paid. Depending on what state you live in, it's a good idea to keep these records in case you are ever audited. I received a notice a couple of weeks ago stating that since I had claimed business deductions in my 2008 taxes, that the state was assuming I owed more. They assumed that I must have purchased items out of state and avoided state tax. We realized they were fishing and had likely sent this letter out to thousands, hoping for some sort of payload. We went back through my receipts and found some money that was spent via the web out of state. We had to write a check to the state for the tax. (Don't get me started on this-I do believe the Constitution states inter state taxation is illegal) The point is, keep records. You never know when the law will change and someone will come knocking looking for your data.
If you have an iPad, smart phone, or any device that you can hop on the web with, bring it. I've used my iPad for double checking on a piece that I think is the one I saw for $500 and quickly realizing that I was wrong. It's also helped me score great items that I normally wouldn't know about. I never do web searches in front of anyone. Be private. Obviously this won't work in a packed Estate sale. Save it for those slow times.
Bring your camera. Estate Sales are a great way to capture priceless Blog and/or Facebook photos. Your clients want to see what you saw: the treasures, the hunt, the mystery of what's around the next door. Again, do this quietly or get permission. Sometimes people can be squirrelly about photos.
Most of all, bring a sense of fun. Don't come with a high set of expectations about what you'll find. Just let yourself enjoy it and you'll have a good time even if your dream haul doesn't come through. And don't forget to bring a big enough car!
