Every reseller has a wish list, and the couple behind @FloridaPickers walked into a big Florida estate sale with two items at the top of theirs. Stacy wanted a large Blue Sky Clayworks Christmas house called Santa’s Place, something she had never found in a big size. Travis wanted a Cracker Barrel stained glass, Tiffany style turkey lamp, ideally with its original box. They sell on eBay, and they shared the whole outing, from the first look inside to the final reveal at home.
Why the turkey lamp mattered
They say they knew about the lamp because of a lucky find at an estate sale a couple of months earlier, when they came home with the small version of the turkey lamp. That purchase taught them that a bigger version is very popular, and Travis went into this sale saying he was on the hunt for it.
The house itself had an unusual layout, and they say it was large but the stuff inside was thin. They lined up, went in at opening, and started calling out prices as they went. Thirty and forty dollar items came up quickly. A tree at $30 was grabbed by someone else, an elephant planter at $30 was gone too, and a lamp at $50 struck them as a little high. When the Santa house turned up, it was in two pieces, with one small piece, the bottom of Santa’s scarf, broken.
What they passed on
A good part of their story is about what they left behind, which is how resellers protect their margins. Mercury style plastic garland had sold for around $22 for others, but they wanted to pay about $7. A yellow quilt at $30 stayed on the shelf. Nocona ostrich boots at $60 looked a little high next to comparable sales of roughly $100, and a stamped number turned up nothing, so they passed. Coasters at $4 each did not work either, since comparable sets of four had sold for about $15 to $20 per box. A handmade embroidered blanket with a stain and no known pattern was out as well, and so were Madame Alexander dolls, because they say they have had poor luck with that brand.
Their rule is a useful one for any beginner. If they cannot find comparable sales, they will take a chance when the price is low. If the price is high, they walk.
The haul
At home, the reveal went item by item. The Cracker Barrel stained glass turkey lamp came in its box, packed in styrofoam, for $25, and they say it was originally about $40. They also mentioned a Cracker Barrel Halloween witch hat lamp priced at $150 that they would not pay. A Blue Sky nativity with only Mary and the baby, no wise men, cost $20 and was marked Blue Sky on the back with no chips.
Then came Santa’s Place. The jumbo house came with its base and three ceramic Christmas trees. The little scarf piece was broken but included, and they believe it can be repaired. To check the value, they used Terapeak, eBay’s research tool. By their account, the last one sold in February for $350 and the one before it in November for $100, with none currently listed. Their plan is to price it high and wait for offers. Their advice is that bases alone are worth buying, and that not every Blue Sky piece is valuable, since many sell for around $20, but the big pieces are desirable.
Small buys that add up
A spider ornament that looks like Blue Sky but is not marked cost $1, and Stacy bought it, she says, just to make sure. Two rolls of the mercury look garland cost $3 each, and they were found in a box of wrapping supplies under a table in the holiday room. Her reminder: “Always got to dig in the boxes.”
They also bought five long sleeve work shirts at $4 each and two heavy duty Ralph Lauren button downs in the same size, which she estimates at $25 to $30 each. The tip is to look for the unusual, such as three ponies, crests, big logos or denim. They say regular lightweight Ralph Lauren shirts sell for about $15, but a vintage denim one sold for $100. A pair of size 11 Merrell hiking shoes cost $10, and they say a new pair is about $150 to $160.
The most interesting surprise was a pair of art glass angels with stripes and gold in the wings, bought at $3 each. Nothing turned up in their first search, but they later added an update: the angels turned out to be Fornace Andromeda Murano pieces, with a green one that glows. They say few have sold and none are available, so they are rare. As Stacy put it, they turned out to be something pretty exciting.
Lessons for your next estate sale
Know your target. Having two clear goals, as this couple did, keeps you focused when a house is full of tempting extras.
Set a ceiling before you go. They agreed on limits ahead of time, and that discipline helps when a price tag looks a little too high.
Check sold prices, not asking prices. Search completed sales for the exact item and condition. If the data is thin or garbled, as it was for the angels, be careful about assuming a big number.
Dig deeper. Boxes under tables, closets and holiday rooms often hold the best deals, because shoppers tend to skim the top layer.
Do not dismiss damage automatically. A small repairable break did not stop them from buying a piece whose last recorded sale they put at $350. But weigh it against how easily the item will sell and how well it will survive shipping.
Pay attention to unusual details. Unusual logos, maker marks and unfamiliar materials can separate a common item from a collectible.
The couple wrapped up with a quick update on recent sales, including stacked Halloween clowns listed at $200 that sold after an offer of $150, and a Lucite jewelry box listed at $75 that sold for $65. It is a reminder that offers are part of the business, and that patience, not just luck, is what turns an estate sale into a profit.
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