Though estate sales happen for many reasons, all my clients share one characteristic: sentiment.
There are some possessions that are valued far greater by their owner than anyone shopping at their estate sale. Sometimes that is because the owner is misinformed, but more often, the reason is sentiment.
I can’t sell sentiment. And though this is an easy concept to understand, all of my clients experience the same brick wall of wanting to sell an item, but only if they profit many times more than that item is actually worth.
Clients are sometimes horrified by how little I expect to get for items which were once expensive or highly collectible. A common example of this is glassware.
Visit any American home with midcentury possessions (most of my clients) and you will find various collections of cut glass, red glass, milk glass, china sets, and other once-popular household necessities.
It’s this very saturation of these items that decrease their value. A quick eBay search will show you just how saturated the market is.
So here’s my advice: Keep it!
One day your sentiment for that item may decrease and you’ll be ready to part with it. Untile then, enjoy it, save yourself the heartache of selling and me the embarrassment of overpricing.
Sometimes, you have a household full of sentimental possessions. I understand this as well and have seen (and personally experienced) how difficult letting go of a loved one’s possessions can be.
For this, my advice is different: Take a vacation! And let someone else handle the cleanout.
Cabinet of Curiosities 