Estate sale lines are usually a time for scrolling, and for the couple behind @FloridaPickers, that habit paid off before the doors even opened. Stacy and Travis, who resell on eBay, shared a morning in Florida that started with a stained glass pumpkin she had wanted for a long time and took an unexpected detour into free designer clothes. It is a story about timing, a little nerve and knowing what a find is worth.
The pumpkin in the photos
The night before the sale, Stacy says she spotted something in the photos that she had wanted for years: a stained glass pumpkin, probably a lamp, partly hidden among Halloween decor and visible only from the eyes up. She did not want to pay $100 for it. She joked that she thought about wearing her Halloween shirt and pumpkin earrings but decided not to give herself away: “I got to be cool. I can’t blow it.” They arrived second and third in line.
A free find in the line
While they waited, Stacy scrolled Facebook Marketplace and saw a post listed just ten minutes earlier. Someone was giving away a bag of Lilly Pulitzer dresses and Stella McCartney sneakers, with porch pickup and first come, first served. Travis left the line and drove over, and got there first.
The bag held nine Lilly Pulitzer dresses in excellent condition, all the same size, which she thinks is extra large. There was also a pair of Stella McCartney sneakers that had been worn only a couple of times. Neither of them had ever gotten anything free on Marketplace before, and her advice is simple: check Marketplace while you wait in line. Free listings tend to disappear quickly, so speed matters, and the price of being quick is a short drive.
A confusing opening
Things got confusing at 9:00. Staff said they would open the garage door and the front door. The couple chose the front door line, guessing from the photos that the pumpkin was in the living room, but only the garage door opened first, and some people left their line. For a few minutes Stacy feared it was over and that she would not get the pumpkin. The front door finally opened after a few minutes, and the garage turned out not to be connected to the house.
She got the pumpkin. It had no light inside, and the bottom says Made in Portugal. The price was $20.
The rest of the sale
They moved through the house with their usual eye. A Crayola collector’s tin was used, and since a new one sells for about $20, they passed on it at $4. Two Pioneer Woman baking sets were interesting, because the Sweet Rose pattern sold for $40 recently, and they bought a new one at $12. A Christmas village house with stained glass was missing its light kit and, as they pointed out, breaks easily. Luminara candles were new but would resell for $20 at best. An Anchor Hocking refrigerator dish at $8 was borderline, with a resale of $20 to $25.
They also looked at Holiday Time reindeer and an angel from Walmart, made in 2024, and passed. They had hoped these were Cracker Barrel pieces, which sell better. They plugged in a star light and nothing happened, so it stayed behind. Their checkout came to $33 for the pumpkin at $20, the Pioneer Woman set at $12 and a candle set for $1.
What the pumpkin is worth
Back home, they gave the pumpkin a close look. It is perfect, with no cracks, and it is missing only the light, though the holder is still there. They describe it as candy corn colored. Stacy plans to put it in the living room as a place of honor, even though it is not Halloween yet.
On value, they found only two listed, at about $140 and $250, while the last few sold for between $130 and $150. They said the house was only a living room, kitchen and garage, with no bedrooms, and that a “phase two” of the sale was still to come. They were there for only half an hour.
A second sale and a few recent flips
Travis took over at a second estate sale. A Nintendo Wii U was priced in two pieces, $50 for the console and $50 for the gamepad, and with no power supply it was a pass. A tree for $25 with no base was a pass. A $150 Lillian Vernon mug was a no. A Santa and reindeer set in the style of Christopher Radko had damage in three or four places, and they decided it was trashed even at $10.
They finished with a few recent sales. A Santa sleigh and reindeer planter bought alone for $10 sold for $120, though it was hard to pack. A cat face pottery string holder with the scissors missing sold for $50 after costing about $4. Three neck cushions from a rummage sale, taped together for $3, sold at $30 each for two of them, with one left. The moral they offered: old stuff with original logos can be good, and “there’s money in everything,” but you have to decide how much time you want to put into it.
Takeaways for your next line
Study the photos. Many estate sale companies post pictures the night before, and a hidden item can be visible if you look closely.
Have a ceiling. Stacy did not want to pay $100 for a lamp whose last sales were around $130 to $150, and that margin guided her.
Know the entrances. If a sale has more than one door, ask staff how people will be admitted before you commit to a line.
Use the wait. Checking local free listings can pay off, but be ready to act fast.
Check condition before you buy. A pumpkin with no cracks, a village house with a missing light kit and a damaged figurine all call for different prices.
Be willing to walk. Passing on a dozen things is how you afford the one you came for.
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