Return to Estate Sales

I'm normally a yard sale kinda gal. But every so often I see an estate sale that I just can't resist. I found one last week that was on Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. I couldn't do the Sunday at half off. We were having a birthday dinner for January that was postponed from last week due to the lack of running water here at the "palace" and I knew I couldn't get to the Sunday sale so I hit the sale on Friday. So did lots of other folks.

You couldn't sign up until 3:30 and the doors opened at 4. My reasoning was that I didn't want the items that were so prominently featured in the EstateSales.com listing. They had high end furniture, Kitchen Aid, Caphalon and lots of Oriental china and the like. I figured I would just concentrate on the smalls, which were out the wahzoo. So when I rode by the address just after 4pm, there were still about 30 people in the yard waiting to get in the door. I had to park almost a block away. Something was telling me that this was going to be a good sale.

When I got to the door they were letting 3 in at 5 minute intervals, and I could see that the house was already packed. When I did get in it was wall to wall shoppers. One lady in the garage was commenting that she felt dizzy and might pass out. Being the sensitive person that I am, I jokingly said to her if she did pass out with all the people in here she would never hit the floor. We laughed, because it was true. Almost all of the big items that were featured in the pictures on line were already taken when I got in. Sony Handycam DCR DVD, Bose headphones, video games and flat screen TV's. You could tell the things that were priced "just like ebay" because they were still there.

So I headed off to the bedrooms to find some gems. Most things I either wasn't interested in or were too high priced. I don't need furniture, knick knacks or golf clubs. I did find two pair of Foot Joy golf shoes that will bring me about $50 and these plushy gems.

I found a basket in one of the kids bedrooms that yielded these Pokemon plush. Three of them are sorta rare.
These two big ones and the little round one at the bottom. The two big ones are available only in Japan as prizes for tournaments and were never sold in stores. The blossom one, NWT, is currently on ebay for $39. The yellow one with gray stripes I haven't found yet. More research needed. And the little round one is a Pokeman poke ball. The poke balls that are available now are plastic and open up. This one is all plush with a zipper and flips inside out. More research needed.

See what the plush is sitting on? A Ralph Lauren Polo Bear blue striped sheet set! I have found these sheets before and had good luck with them. But never a complete set. And never a Queen size. Ebay is filled with twin sheets and a few twin sets. King sheets, a single one, will go for $100+ consistently. I had no idea how to price these. Worthpoint had a pre-owned Queen set last year sell at about $80. I crossed my fingers and listed them on Sunday for $95. They sold in less than 6 hours.

Since I only spent $25 at the estate sale, I have nothing but profit left. I think it was worth the 45 minute drive to the "other side of the tracks".