Estate Sales Then and Now: Finding Information in a Changing World
Recently, I posted on Facebook that we had a website. My thought process was to let people know of all the places where they can find the information for our estate sales. There was a comment on that post that got me thinking. Here is what the person said,
“If I’m on Facebook, I don’t want to go to your website. Sorry. Make it easy or I won’t be there.””
Well, that comment got me thinking. “Make it easy or I won’t be there.” We are making every effort to make the information for our estate sales easy to find. From the business owner’s perspective – it’s challenging. Each sale is in a different house, a different city, a different date, different items. And people have so many different ways in how they interact with technology and how they like to get information.
Here are all the places where you can find us and get the information about our estate sales.
Facebook - current posts and stories
Instagram - current posts and stories
Website – upcoming sales
Email – direct to your inbox
Pinterest - curated inspiration and info
Youtube - longer form videos and info
We know your time is valuable but have we gotten that lazy where it’s too much effort to click between websites?
I remember when I first started attending estate sales. I had never heard of them before. My husband and I were looking for something fun to do during the day while the kids were at school. At that stage in our lives, I was a stay-at-home mom, and he was working for a trucking company in logistics. He had a tough working schedule where he was working the night shift – 3 days on, 3 days off, 2 days on, 2 days off. We were always looking for things to do during the hours the kids were at school so we could be home when they were home and he could still maintain some sort of “regular” sleep schedule. If you have ever worked the night shift or lived with someone who worked the night shift, then you understand how your whole life revolves around sleep in some way. We would check the NEWSPAPER on a certain day – I think it was Tuesdays when the garage sales would be listed.
Then we would get out a PHYSICAL MAP and look up the addresses where the sales were happening. There were no pictures of what was at the sale. There were no credit cards accepted at the sale. You had the cash in your pocket and a hope that you would find something great at a price you could afford. We would make a route ON A PIECE OF PAPER and then the day came- one person would drive and the other would navigate. We would find the sales by looking for PHYSICAL SIGNS on the corner and know we would be getting close. And yes – we still use physical signs in yards but it’s a supplement, not the main strategy.
It was SO MUCH FUN!
It was an adventure! We found neighborhoods we never knew existed. We saw houses we would never otherwise be invited to. We met people that were interesting. We were exposed to styles and things and quality that were outside of the homes we grew up in. And it didn’t always go as planned. The navigator and the driver didn’t always communicate the best. We missed out on some things because we didn’t bring enough cash. (It was all we had.) We witnessed people at their best and at their worst. Ourselves included. Those experiences are part of our shared history. Little did we know at that time that we would one day be running our own estate sale business. Times have changed SO MUCH since then. Doesn’t every generation say that??
Back to the comment. Make it easy or I won’t be there.
WE WANT YOU to come to our estate sales! We want you to have the information you need. We are constantly learning and implementing new ideas to get the information to you.
But the truth is –
If you aren’t willing to work for something – does it have much value? If everything is easy, where is the growth? Don’t we get stronger when we do hard things? Don’t challenges help us learn? Is it always easy? Nope! Is it worth it? Absolutely! And I know estate sale shoppers are some of the best! You show up. In the rain. In the cold. In the heat. You shop a crowded house. You treat the real estate with respect. You help each other with heavy loads. You share the love online. You support local. You support small business. YOU make it EASY to be THERE!