Vivian's Blog

We are in the midst of an estate sale in Austin TX.  Like many things, estate sales are a little different in Austin.

We had a nice crowd and as always had a lot of fun.  It was a great sale and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Just for fun I did a little research on the Internet, checking out the web sites of other Estate Sale Managers in the area.  There are a lot of people who do estate sales here, as you would expect.  There were some interesting differences.

One thing that was surprising is that some local companies charge a "Setup Fee".  For example, one company apparently has 3 principals.  When they have an estate sale, they charge in excess of $100 per person "Setup Fee".  This means several hunderd dollars are taken off the top of the estate sale proceeds.  They also take off the advertising costs.  Then after they have deducted all of that, they do a 60/40 split.  Wow!  Why would anyone put up with that?  What do they think a commission is for? 

Looking around I saw several other references to Setup Fees including on one website that proudly proclaimed they do not charge those fees.  Good for them.  They understand what fair business practices are and do not try to disguise their fees by  calling labor costs Setup Fees, charging the clients for it, and then charging a more than a full and reasonable commission on top of that. 

We work on a commission basis and never add an extra fee here or an extra fee there to try to pad our return.  Working on a straight commission is the the best incentive one can have to provide the absolute best service you can provide.  

Austin is fun.  We love doing sales here. I know there are a lot of good, hard working, fair minded, and honest estate sale companies in Austin.  It is a pleasure working alongside of those professionals.  The efforts of the good professional companies working together can help change the bad image that many people in Austin (and elsewhere) have of the Estate Sale industry.

Come check out our sale in Austin Texas.

Well, I watched another episode of Cash & Cari on HGTV.  I'm afraid that my opinion took another hit.  Let me add to my previous review of the show.

For the show's principal, Cari Cucksey, this was a high end sale.  She kept talking about the great antiques and how nice a sale it was.  Looking at the estate, I thought it was nice as well.  In this area, it was probably close to a $30,000 sale on a good day; $25,000 on a not so good day.

There were a few differences that I noticed in this episode from the others I have seen.  HGTV has added a few detail inserts into the show.  All at once there is a bit of information about a particular antique or maker.  While the information was good, it was a little intrusive and I couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't an attempt to add to the shows "authority" after so much negative publicity on the Internet.

What was really interesting about this episode was how she set up the sale (the same way she has in the previous episodes but those sales were not as "high end").  For example, she had some rather nice sets of china and there was a lot of conversation about them.  They talked about the makers and gave a little history.  She expressed some concern on being able to get a good price for them.  So how does she display them?  She sets them on a card table....  Yes, that is right, a card table.  No table cloth, fancy covers or plate stands or anything else, just on a bare top of a card table.  As is evident in many ways, she really doesn't follow some of the basics for getting the best results from her sales.  Did she actually think that was a proper display for such a beautiful set of china?  Did she think putting nice china on a card table helped people see their beauty or enhanced their value?  I am absolutely amazed.  Does she not understand the very basics of displaying merchandise so they will not only look great to a perspective buyer but enhance their apparent value?  Again this is Estate Sales 101.

Professional estate sale specialists understand the value of merchandising and setting up displays.  When you properly display the merchandise, people see the merchandise as being more valuable and they raise their expectations about the value.  That means they are likely to expect to pay more for the item.  That is why department stores do it.  That is why the little corner mom and pop shops do it.  That is why anyone who has a clue about holding estate sales does it.  When you display items like you would in a garage sale - in other words, just toss them on a card table, you are not likely to get good value. 

This very nice estate sale was set up like a garage sale and guess what?  It got garage sale prices.  She seemed thrilled that the sale brought $17,000. 

I really think that Cari means well and tries hard, but the show does not give a good indication that she knows more than the basics of the business.  On the HGTV website, it says that she has 10 years of experience.  In ten years some people add to their knowledge each year and others add ten years of doing the same thing they did the first year.  I see very little that looks like someone who has ten years of experience in handling estate sales.

I love HGTV and have for many years.  I am usually impressed with the quality of their shows.  In most ways, they provide quality programming.  To me this show does not live up that quality.  I will say again that Cari is probably a very nice person and is likely working hard to do a good job.  Unfortunately she just seems to have missed many of the things that make sales a bigger success.  Has she not been to estate sales that are being held by professionals?  I certainly don't blame her for taking the opportunity that was offered to her by HGTV.  She chose the spotlight and now is attracting the criticism from the people in her industry who are experienced and see the things she is yet to learn.  The blame for all this is on HGTV who made this choice and promoted her as if she were an expert who is respected in her field rather than find someone who really does an outstanding job.  Looks like HGTV took cute and personable over experienced and respected.

Perhaps in her area, this is the way estate sales are conducted.  Maybe she is absolutely the best in that part of the country.  I believe she works hard for her clients and she definitely seems to take a personal interest in the proceedings.  But overall, I believe she needs to spend more time checking on how professional estate sale managers operate.  She could greatly improve the quality of her sales and in doing so generate a much better return for her clients.

Comments on her page on the HGTV website and changes in the program would lead me to believe that she and HGTV are listening somewhat to some of the criticism of the show.  That is a good thing.  If you search the Internet, you will find plenty of criticism.  Some of it valid and helpful; some of it vile and nothing short of ignorant.  Criticism can make you better.  You don't learn much in a vacuum. 

I may talk about some of the criticisms in another post later, especially the ones that are unfair.  They should be addressed and she really may not have the platform to do so.  Those posts negatively affect the industry as well and should be be ignored completely. 

With all this would I recommend Cari's services to anyone in her area who happened to read this review of her show?  Absolutely.  My impression from her show is that she works hard, has her client's interest at heart, and is honest.  Those are three primary qualities that are sometimes hard to find.  I always suggest checking out others who offers the same services in the area, but I would not hesitate in suggesting that she be the first one you call.  Her following has probably greatly increased due to her show on HGTV and that is a very good thing.  She also appears to be very sharp and I am sure she is dedicated to improving her business to provide the very best service possible.

I don't have time to watch much TV, but Michael records things for me and let's me know when there is something I need to see.

Recently he finally got me to watch two reality tv shows, "Cash & Cari, Treasure Hunter" and "Big Brian: The Fortune Seller".  Both of the shows are entertaining to an extent but overall, I am not sure they make a positive statement about estate sale professionals.  In fact one might go away with a bad impression and, sometimes see some actions that help perpetuate some negative stereotypical impressions that the average person has about people who handle estate sales.

This is a review of those two shows.

I find "Cash & Cari, Treasure Hunter" particularly distressing in that regard. 

The principal of that show has some charm and can be somewhat entertaining.  From her actions in the show, she really does not seem to be knowledgeable about antiques and collectibles to me; fairly knowledgeable at best, but "fairly" is as high an adjective as I can give her.  Most of the time she really doesn't seem to know much about the items that pop up on her show.  Of course, you don't have to be an expert in everything.  No one can be.  On the show she does some research on the Internet, but I haven't seen much evidence that would make me think she is good at it.  From what we see on the show, I believe that many times she does the client an injustice with her pricing which could be due to either lack of knowledge or not enough research. 

In my opinion she is not much of a negotiator.  It is almost funny at times to see how some of her customers "work her over".  Of course, being a poor negotiator is not what I am talking about as far as giving a negative impression.  Most customers at sales don't want to deal with a good negotiator (like Big Brian).

In some of the episodes, she makes note of the fact that not everything is priced.  That is Estate Sales 101.  I firmly believe and have seen time and time again that if you do not price the contents of the sale, you do not make as much money.  Many people will not ask for a price.  Those who will ask, will rarely ask for many prices.  In other words, they might ask for a few prices but they start feeling like they are bothering you if they keep asking.  To say nothing of the fact that if the sale is busy, there is no way to help each customer with prices on unmarked items.  I believe it is a major injustice to the client not to take the time to provide the best estate sale possible and that certainly includes pricing everything. 

In several episodes, she and, sometimes members of her sales team, buy items before the sale.  She also sets her own price for those items and since she usually has a client who is in desire of her services, they take whatever price she has named. Is that taking advantage of the clients?  Are those prices fair? Would the items bring more money for the client if they were sold at regular estate sale prices during the sale?  Those are certainly things that should be considered. 

The really important thing is the message that it sends to the viewers - that estate sale professionals buy the "good stuff" before the sale.  It doesn't matter that the things she and her workers buy are not the best things in the sale.  It is the impression it gives and the stereotypical belief by the public that it reinforces.

In my opinion, buying things before the sale is open to the public is inappropriate.  It may not be fair to the client.  It is certainly unfair to your customer base.  I, personally, do not ever want to go to a sale that has been picked over.  I know the practice is common among some people who hold estate sales. That still does not make it right. 

And then there is how she sets up a sale.  Goodness....  I don't know where to begin.  Maybe more about that later. 

I watched several episodes but I really don't care to see any others.  When people see something on televsion, many of them will think the person they are watching must be an expert or they wouldn't have the show. It would be a shame for them to get that impression in this case.  While mildly entertaining, in my opinion she serves more often as an example of what not to do when holding estate sales. 

Big Brian is very entertaining.  He is certainly in the right environment for his personality.  I do not think he would be successful in this environment.  I don't think his attitude and behavior would work well with Texans.  I will talk more about him in a later blog.  The bad part is that I believe his show to be mostly fake in so many ways. 

I have a different list of complaints about Big Brian.  No one can really be successful with estate sales and act as he does.   No one in their right mind would use his services as seen on his TV show.  Perhaps more on that later.

Michael watches every episode of both shows. 

Many of the people who come to our sales are looking for antiques and collectibles.  I would venture to say that most of the people who line up to be first through the door are looking for things to add to their collections or looking for another treasure to add to their houseful of antiques.  It is fun to hear their little expressions of pleasure when they find something especially nice.

I forget sometimes that not everyone thinks that way about "old stuff".

I have to tell you about a conversation that I overheard at a recent sale.

We had a Civil War rifle that was used by a confederate soldier.  It was in great condition and a wonderful find.  The rifle is highly prized by collectors.  They are highly valued and usually do not last long at my sales.

They are also of interest to Civil War re-enactors. Many of the re-enactors would rather have an authenic Civil War rifle rather than a reproduction.  (There is a big industry making reproduction Civil War rifles for the re-enactors)

As soon as we opened the door, there was a crowd of men around the rifle.

I heard one of them giving the particulars about it; about when it was made; and the caliber.  Another man asked how much it was and when the man read the price off the tag, the man who asked said "Goodness.  I could buy a new one for that".

Now, only those of us who collect or value antiques will understand why that is funny.

I couldn't help it, I laughed outloud.

See you at a sale soon.

Just in case you missed it, we have a new feature.  We are selecting a choice item from some of our estate sales and are offering it as an auction item. 

We started that a few weeks ago with a Ladies Rolex Watch and it was a lot of fun.  High bid reached $4501. 

We aren't doing it for every auction, but will try to do it often.

It is very simple.  All you have to do is click on the auction item in the top right corner of the Current Estate Sale Page or the Home Page.  The Auction Page will open and it will include a brief description and a picture.  To bid you need to log in using the Log In box on the right side.  If you have not registered before, just click on the link that says "Create an Account".  Then log in and place your bid.  It is easy.  (The auction items will not be on the site all the time, only when we have special items from selected estate sales.)

Hello, everyone!  Check this photo out I took early Sunday morning of one of my signs on this corner at Pecan Place. 

This sign was originally placed at the liquor store on the corner of Gladys & Major last Thursday pointing to my sale on Manion.  Somehow it magically appeared on this corner on Friday pointing to a sale on Rosewood that some people from out of town were holding. 

OOPS!.  Did someone forget the signs for that sale??? No worries, I always have plenty! 

They didn't even know how to set the sign in the ground properly so when the storm came it blew over.  

What can I say except, "My signs are so popular, every OTHER estate sale companies want to use them!" 

Have fun, Vivian 

P.S.  After photographing this I did take my sign back!

We are doing a wonderful sale in Dallas next week.  I was so pleased to be selected to handle this sale.  As you know Dallas is 5 hours away. With so many people offering estate services in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, it was such a tremendous honor to be choosen.  The family could have picked any of the fine local estate sale services, but instead they trusted me to handle their needs.

I really can't tell you how that makes me feel.  My estate sale team and I work hard to provide the very best service we can provide. We take great pride in our dedication, work and the successful sales we have produced. We see the results of that hard work and dedication at every sale with our wonderful customers and with the appreciation of our clients.  But, it is so nice to see how far our reputation has spread.

It is surprising how many sales inquiries we receive from outside of our area.  Unfortunately, we are only able to accept the very best of these sales.  Still, the attention is appreciated.

Many of these non-local contacts come from our web site which ranks quite high in the search engines thanks to the efforts of our webmaster  whose Search Engine Optimization skills are fantastic.  (http://antiquewebsovernight.com - he does all types of web sites and specialzes in antique related). 

I am so thankful for our wonderful customers who follow our sales so faithfully (2368 on the email list as of this date), and, of course, our clients who trust us to take care of their needs in what is usually a very difficult time in their lives.

Thank you for your patronage and your trust.

Bargains, bargains.  Don't we all love bargains?  Isn't that why estate sales are so popular?  Of course it is.  For most hardcore Estate "Salers" getting a bargain is the most important reason for getting up at the crack of dawn to stand in line so they can be among the first to get through the door.

But how can you get even a better bargain?  How can you save even more money?

Actually it is very easy.  I am going to tell you how to get the best bang for your buck at my sales.  The same techniques will work at most of the estate sales you may find.  Of course, there are a few people who handle estate sales whose prices are so high and whose policies are so restrictive that any kind of a bargain is hard to find.  These techniques may cause them to find something else to growl at you about.  (Aren't estate sales supposed to be fun?)

TIP #1: Buy on half price day.  This is the most obvious, of course, but the last day of the sale is usually 50% off.  Most savy shoppers are there early on Saturday to grab the bargains.

TIP #2: You can place bids on items.  Your bid can be for the end of the full price day, in which case, it must be significantly above 50% of the full price.  You can also bid for the end of the sale.  Your odds are not good that the item will still be there at the end of the sale, but it does happen.

To make a bid, write down the item description and your bid.  Give the bid to one of the estate sales team.  That's all there is to it.

TIP #3: Come late in the day on half-price day.  Shortly before the sale ends, items that are left are often offered at very low prices.

TIP #4: Buy in bulk.  On the full price days, we do not normally discount at all.  However, if you are buying large quantities, there is a chance of getting a small discount.  Now with this, I am talking about buying merchandise worth several hundred dollars or more.

On half price days, we are much more apt to discount when buying in bulk.

TIP #5: Make an offer.  It never hurts to make an offer on higher priced items.  We are not likely to accept an offer on full price days but have done so if it was a very good offer on higher priced items.  We normally will not accept offers on full price day on merchandise of lower value (under $300 or so).

On half price days, we are more likely to take offers, but only after the sale has been open for at least a couple of hours.

TIP #6: Be the first one in line.  Even at full price, we have some great bargains.  That is why so many people show up so early to be one of the first ones in line.

There are plenty of bargains at estate sales - especially at mine.  We want our customers to find lots of bargains and fill their arms with their new treasures.  The more bargains we have for you, the more you will buy, and the more money is generated for our clients.  It is definitely a win - win situation.

See you at a sale soon.

Hi, Everyone,

I was asked how we are able to handle so many sales especially doing more than one at a time.

Thankfully, we have a terrific team of professionals who help us.  Unless we had this volume of business, I could not afford to have them.  That is what makes us our sales so successful.

While we are thankful for our many years of experience as antique dealers, that is a very small part of what makes a successful estate sales service.  Merely being an antique dealer for years does not come close to preparing someone to handle estate sales. Most estate sales have few if any antiques and there is a lot more to it than having knowledge of antiques.

Our team is very experienced in many areas of business, sales, marketing, liquidation, appraising, etc. Being knowldegable about antiques is a plus but not near as important as other aspects of the business.  That is the difference between an amateur and a professional.

Of course, many antique dealers who talk about their twenty or thirty years of experience don't mention that the experience is from renting a space in an antique mall where they were antique dealers as a side line just as they now try to handle estate sales as a side line.

We don't handle estate sales as a side line.  It is our fulltime occupation.

For more information about our team and how we handle multiple sales read this article.

As it says in the article, "Every sale is given my devoted personal attention.  Our proven success is the proof of that.  Whether we are handling one sale or many, our efforts and results are second to none.  We prove that with each sale and that is the reason that family after family turn to us to handle their estate sale needs."

See you at a sale soon.

Vivian

Hi, Everyone,

Since I want this blog to be informative and educational, I would like to tell you about another recent request.  Actually, it is a rather common one that I receive fairly often.

Someone called and said they had some items for sale but not enough to have an estate sale.  They wanted to know if I could take their items, which they described as "fine antiques" and add them in one of my estate sales.

I told them that we do not do that and referred her to some antique shops which might purchase them or place them on consignment for her.

I realize that "stuffing" items into estate sales is a very common practice.  As a matter of fact, some estate sales services use that as a method to sell items that they purchased just for that purpose.  While it might make for a house that is more full for the sale, I believe it is deceptive and unethical.  Nor is it fair to the client.  We are there to sell the client's items and we should not be competing with them to sell items we brought in.

Our estate sales contain only the items that were in the home when we began preparing the estate for sale.  When the sale begins, all of the items that were in the home when we began (that were suitable for sale) are still there and nothing is ever added.

We like to operate only in a straight forward and open manner.

See you at a sale soon.

I thought I would include an interesting email that I received. Actually it is rather typical and it deserves publishing here. I do want everyone to know what our policy is about pre-sales. We do have it elsewhere on the web site and we mention it quite often at our sales. I just want to state it again.

<<<<<<<<<<<<

From: Bonnie This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:05 PM
To: Vivian Duplant
Subject: Re: Estate Sale by Vivian - GREAT ONE!

I am a decorator/dealer. Do yall ever let us shop before you open to the public? Bonnie

<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hi, Bonnie,

Thanks for the email.

Unlike most estate sale services we do not allow anyone to shop early. We have a mailing list of nearly 2,000 customers, many of whom are dealers. We have to be fair to everyone – which is a big reason that our sales are so popular. All of our customers know if an item was in the sale when we got the key to the estate, it will be there for sale when we open the door the day of the sale.

We do give out numbers one hour before the sale starts so it is a good idea to come early.

Have fun.

Vivian

Hi, Everyone,

Almost from the beginnings we have handled sales outside of the southeast Texas area including sales in southwest Louisiana, Houston, and the Dallas area.  Now we are offering our services in Austin.

Since I am frequently in Austin spending time with my sons, Morgan and Logan, it was only natural that I would look for opportunities in that area.  Logan was one of the first members of our Estate Sales Team and will be helping with sales in Austin.  We have several other experienced local workers to assist.

If you need estate sales services in the Austin area, just let me know.  Our Austin phone number is 512.692.6884.

See you are a sale soon.

Vivian

Still looking for a present for that hard to please person on your list?  How about a Gift Certificate?

You can buy a Gift Certificate at the Antique Mall of Beaumont and it can be used at our estate sales as well as at the Antique Mall of Beaumont or the Tattered Suitcase. 

You can also buy them online - Click Here.

The certificate can be in any amount between $10 and $1,000.

Buy them at:

The Antique Mall of Beaumont/The Tattered Suitcase

2490-4 Calder (Address updated 06-01-11)

Beaumont

832-4500

What a great gift!!

Vivian

Just a quick note about the mailing list.

If you are not on the list you should join. Our Mailing List Members get the latest information and pictures for the next estate sales AND we occasionally have SPECIAL SALES just for the members.

Each Wednesday night we send out an email to the Mailing List Members that has the information about that week's sale including a list of major items, times and dates, directions, and pictures.  There are also links back to the web site where there is more information and LOTS more pictures.

To join the list, go to the Home Page and click on the button on the left side that says "Click Here to Join Our Mailing List".  Then just follow the instructions on that page.  When you email your request, you will get an email from us to confirm that you want to be on the list.  When you open this email, you need to click on Rely and then Send.  That will place you on the list.

If you join the list and still do not get emails from us, then try to join again.  If you still don't get emails from us, then you may need to add us to your "White List" or "Approved List" with you email provider.  That is especially true with anyone using AOL.

If you don't want to be on the list, don't forget that we have a HOT LINE.  You can call 409 893-8888 after Wednesday evening and hear a recorded message about that week's sale.

We hope to see you soon at one of our sales.