With newspaper circulation falling out of favor, we must find local estate sales and auctions in other ways. I have compiled a list of places to find that hidden gem you are looking for.

PICK YOUR SEARCH ENGINE & SEARCH ESTATE SALES ONLINE

Here at Palm Springs Estate Sales, we use this app. To list our sales. You can find estate sales in California on EstateSales.net. All you do is put your zip code in the box and a list of cities in your state will come up. Click on the one nearest you AND IF IT IS OURS, YOU ARE IN LUCK! These estate sales are people downsizing or moving or whatever. There are photos of some items for sale under the individual listings. 

For the most part, the estate sales listed on this site are people like me, professional estate sale companies. We go into the home and price everything. Normally, on the first day everything is full price, on the second day everything is 50% off. That may not be true for every sale.

Garagesalefinder.com is another great online resource. Search in your zip code and VOILA! Find estate sales, garage sales, etc. in your area.

Craigslist is an awesome gem for finding estate sales, auctions, yard sales, and freebies.

I’ve visited enough estate sales in my area to know that some companies price items reasonably, while others are a bit high, we price things just right. 🙂 It takes some time to get used to these individual estate sale companies.

FIND ESTATE SALES AND AUCTIONS ON FACEBOOK

Another app to find estate sales is on Facebook. Search estate sales and your city or a nearby city in the Facebook search box and see what comes up. 

You can also find auction houses on Facebook. The auctions are live and online. You can live in another state but still bid and have your items shipped straight to you!

SEARCH NEWSPAPER ADS FOR ESTATE SALES AND AUCTIONS

I bought a vintage desk at an auction several years ago. This auction was listed in the local newspaper and was being handled by the family, not a company. Family run estate sales are tricky. Usually, the reason for the sale is a death in the family and the relatives handling the sale may not understand the true value of the property and the prices will be way too high or way too low. The relatives didn’t do their homework. When the prices are really low it makes me sad. 

PENNYSAVER & LOCAL ADVERTISING CIRCULARS

We also have an advertising paper that comes out weekly that lists of estate sales and auctions. The paper is free and can be found in stands at local businesses. Your area may have something similar. 

Local antique shops and flea markets are also good sources for estate or auction flyers for one-time sales. People often make flyers on upcoming sales and drop them off at the shops.

SEARCH AUCTIONZIP.COM

AuctionZip.com is a great online app for finding auction listings. Search in your zip code and select the mile range in the search boxes and see what comes up. This site will have a large list of online-only auctions as well as local live auctions. This is great for small items but watch what you’re buying because those shipping fees can get expensive. Listings on AuctionZip.com have photos of the items for sale.

STORAGE UNITS

There are several apps with listings for storage unit sales but most of them to be rather useless. The CubeSmart.com storage auction listings though is not useless. It has the sales listed by state. When you click a state listing it takes you to the StorageTreasure.com website with all the storage listings. I tried going directly to the StorageTreasure.com site and clicking on the state, but it came up with no listings. So, start with the CubeSmart.com website first. You can find listings for online storage unit auctions and in-person live auctions as well.

If you are needing an Estate Sale Company, don’t hesitate to call us. We offer a free consultation. I hope this information helps you, if I’ve forgotten anything I’ll post an update.