FAQ - From the Client's Perspective

Hello everyone,

Wow! What a busy couple of months! Our HUGE Rockaway sale is finally over, so we have a little time to catch up on our website, blogs, etc.

The purpose of this post is to educate potential clients on what to expect before, during, and after a sale. Whether you use In the Bag Estate Sales or another liquidation company, this post should give you a general idea of the process and how you can prepare for it:

1.) How much time do you need to set up my sale?
-- It depends on how much work we need to do to get the house set up. If the house has been occupied and is in good shape, figure that we'll need access to the home for about 3 to 5 contiguous days before the sale date. If the required work borders more on a cleanout, plan to allow us closer to two weeks. In any event, the more notice we have before you need your sale, the better!

2.) Where should I be during the sale?
-- Estate/moving sales companies STRONGLY advise you to make plans to visit friends, go to the movies, etc. during all but the last 30 minutes of each sale day. Why? There are several reasons: 1. customers are uncomfortable if you're in the house. Even if you don't make your presence obvious, they will pick up on the fact that you're not a customer and you're not with us, and they WILL spend less time (and ultimately, less money) at your sale; 2. Homeowners are often more attached to their belongings than they initially think. Seeing strangers in your house, handling and buying "your" items can be startling if you've never been through the process before; 3. Some customers may assume that you're with us. This can be a source of unnecessary confusion for everyone involved.

3.) What should I do with the "stuff" that I want to keep?
-- Simply place ALL of the small items you wish to keep in a separate room or rooms. We'll mark those as "Off Limts" and keep customers out. Larger items can be tagged, "Not for Sale." You need not move that heavy oak table; just get the little things moved. This needs to be completed BEFORE we come in to start setting up. If you're not sure whether you want to sell or keep specific items, set them aside and discuss the situation with us; we're very flexible, but we need to know before we begin setup what is and what is not for sale.

4.) May I add or remove items once the setup period begins, through the end of the sale?
-- Adding items is welcome until the end of the setup phase. Once the sale begins, we don't have time to properly research, evaluate, price, and display items. Please make sure that the items you're adding are things that you would purchase at a sale; moldy or broken item pulled out of the basement at the last minute won't sell, and they'll make your sale look like a garage sale...
-- As far as removing items: we simply cannot allow items to be removed once the setup period starts. Our commission is based on an inspection of the items present in the house; it is this figure that gets written in the contract. We estimate what we'll earn for you (and us) based on what is in the house when we inspect the contents. We also photograph and list specific items in advertisements. It hurts our reputation and your profits if the advertised items aren't there. Other companies have the same requirement, except for a few that charge such high up-front fees ($2500+) that they don't care what's left for the sale.

5.) What happens to my leftovers?
-- Any reputable estate sales company will offer several options:
1.) Most companies have business relationships with cleanout companies. Generally, these companies will charge a nominal fee if your leftovers are worth very little (but will charge nothing if the leftovers have a decent resale value). If you have many items of little value left over, be glad that you had such a successful sale, and consider option 3.
2.) Many estate sales companies are willing to do a partial buyout after the sale.
3.) Charities are glad to take your leftovers and many can supply the paperwork needed to take a tax deduction based on the value of the items. Call early (we can provide a list for your area), since they get booked up. Also confirm with them in advance what types of items they will and will not take.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact information is available on our website: In the Bag Estate Sales

First Post -- About us, what we do, etc.

Welcome to the first post in our new blog. Our goal is to use this forum to present interesting, informative, and useful articles related to our business. We'll use this first post to introduce ourselves.

Who are we? If you arrived here via the link on our website, you already know; if you navigated here by another means and you don't know about our company, we invite you to visit our site at www.inthebagestatesales.com! We conduct estate, tag, moving, and downsizing sales throughout northern and central New Jersey.

Why use a professional? There are several compelling reasons to hire a professional: money, time, and resources. Money: a professional will generally be able to sell your items for 2 to 3 times more than you would get selling them on your own. Why? Because we have the knowledge and experience to correctly appraise your items. Time: Folks nearly always underestimate how much time is required to properly set up a sale. It often takes a week of full-time work to prepare for a sale. And it not just the physical set up of the house to consider--it's also issue like obtaining permits, advertising, appraising the value of unusual or rare items, etc. Resources: We do this full-time; we have the time and resources to dedicate to each and every sale to make sure that everything--from cleaning and displaying items, to crowd control--is done right.

I've decided to hold a sale. Now what? Whether you're bringing in a pro or planning to hold a sale yourself, the most important rule is this: don't throw anything away. No, we're not joking. Someone will buy that broken mirror for an art project. That table with a missing leg can be given new life as a workbench with some 2x4 legs. The broken electronics? Some folks know how to repair them (one of our owners has a background in electrical engineering; when he shops at sales as a customer, he looks for such bargains). Tools? Never throw them out. Even if you're not sure what they do.

We invite you to visit our site, www.inthebagestatesales.com to learn more about us and what we do.