Moule-Oeufs Marguerite Rod

[BakerAunt]

I was at an estate sale this afternoon and found an odd little kitchen tool. If you google the title name, pictures of it will come up. It is an egg poacher, and the idea was to poach an egg in a flower shape. It is made in France, and the wood handle on the one I bought is a medium light green.

I've never poached an egg in my life, and I don't know that I will, but it is a cute vintage kitchen item, for which I paid 50 cents.

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[Italiancook]

I agree with you, BakerAunt. It is cute. Interesting find for only 50 cents. I prefer estate sales as compared to garage sales. I think estate sales lend themselves to better finds.

[cwcdesign]

Italiancook, when we were selling our house 5 years ago, we hired someone to help us manage our yard sale. After she'd gone through what we were planning to sell, she told us we should call it an estate sale because that indicated we had better stuff (we did). We were selling a lot of furniture as well. So you are correct when you say you expect to find better things at one - it's all in the marketing.

[Italiancook]

Cwcdesign, I smiled when I read your post. Marketing is everything. If you have time, please tell me how you found the person to manage your yard sale. While I expect to live for a long time, I've been cleaning out the house of items I know I can live without. I want to leave written information for the relative about who to call to manage our estate sale after we're gone. I really don't want to look on Craigslist, and I'm unsure I'd feel comfortable with Googling for a name. Is there some other way to find an estate sale manger?

[cwcdesign]

Someone in my broker's office knew this person. I know interior designers who also help with sales. And, check out companies that help elders transition to smaller homes or assisted living. Even attorneys and financial advisors know people who do this. I would check with different sources and see which names come up the most frequently.

[Mike Nolan]

I know there are several companies in my town that do tag/estate sales, I suspect most communities have similar companies. Perhaps the best way to find one is to drive around on weekends looking for tag sales, then go talk to the people running them.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, cwc, for your information. It's helpful. I posted this last night, but it didn't "take."

Mike, thanks for your input, too.

[BakerAunt]

Depending on what kind of items you have, some antique stores have a side business of managing estate sales. That was the case with the one that I attended on Sunday. This wonderful lady was a member of my church and passed away at 99. She was a collector, and she loved to cook and bake. This is actually the second phase sale. I must have been out of town when the first occurred.

You do have to be careful. My family was not happy with the company that ran the sale at my mother's home. Although the company had good reviews, their performance left a lot to be desired. They broke items and let people into the part of the house that was supposed to be off limits, and they left the place a mess.

[Italiancook]

ummmmm . . . BakerAunt I never thought about your family's experience. It's something to ponder as I check around. Thanks for sharing.

On a different subject, I'm going to make the Welsh Cakes (KAF's) tomorrow or Friday. I don't own a griddle. My parents made them in a skillet, but I can see where the work would go faster with a griddle.

[Mike Nolan]

Another thing you need to be absolutely clear on is what expenses you'll be charged for. Ads, tables, staff, photography (where applicable), handbills, sound equipment all get priced in--usually at premium rates, too.

When my wife's step-mother died, the auction company that handled the auction billed the estate for something like $50K in expenses, plus their sales commission.

[Italiancook]

Oh my! Thanks, Mike for this warning. I'll make sure I include this information in the letter I leave. I don't have anything that would warrant an auction, but there will be ads, tables, staff, etc. I went to an estate sale where even unopened toothpaste was for sale. It went for 50 cents.

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