Before you tag a single item, do a full pass through the house. Your only job in this first phase is to separate everything into four categories:
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• For sale — anything that stays in the house for the sale

• Keep — family heirlooms, personal documents, items going to relatives

• Donate — things with little resale value but still usable

• Trash — broken, unsalvageable, or genuinely worthless items

 
Don't start pricing during this pass. You'll second-guess yourself constantly and slow everything down. Sort first. Price later.
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Pro tip: As you go room by room, photograph items with Valuable to identify them and get an early read on what might be worth real money. You'll be surprised what turns up.
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Pricing is where most people either leave money on the table or price themselves out of buyers. The secret? Use real sold data, not your instincts.
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• Search eBay's sold listings (not active listings) to see what items actually sold for

• Check Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, and local auction results for regional demand

• Use Valuable's AI pricing tool — point your phone at any item and get a comparable price range from recent real-world sales in seconds

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A general baseline: estate sale prices are often around one-third of retail replacement value. But antiques, collectibles, and in-demand brands can far exceed this. Don't guess on those — look them up.

Most estate sales run Thursday through Sunday, with the highest traffic on Friday and Saturday morning. Give yourself at least two weeks to prepare properly — rushing setup leads to underpriced items and a chaotic sale floor.
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• Check with your local city or county — some require permits for estate sales

• Let neighbors know in advance; they'll appreciate it and often become your first customers

• Consider weather if you're staging items in a garage or on a porch

People buy more when they can browse comfortably. Group items by category — kitchen together, tools together, linens together — and create clear pathways through every room. Use tables, risers, and racks to get things off the floor and visible.
 

• Label every item with a clearly visible price tag

• Highlight your best pieces near the entrance to draw people in

• Keep fragile, high-value items in a supervised area or behind a table

• Good lighting matters — open curtains, add lamps, make it easy to see condition clearly

Traffic is everything. The more qualified buyers who show up, the more you sell. Post your sale at least a week in advance across multiple channels:
 

• EstateSales.net — the most trafficked estate sale listing site

• Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace — great for local reach

• Nextdoor and local neighborhood Facebook groups

• Instagram if you have standout pieces — a single viral photo can bring hundreds of people
   

Photos are non-negotiable. Sales with photos get dramatically more views. Use good natural light, clean backgrounds, and photograph your best 10–20 items individually. Valuable can generate item descriptions automatically if you need help with copy.

On sale days, have at least two people on-site — one to manage traffic and one to handle transactions. Bring a cash box with change, a card reader (Square or similar), and bags or newspaper for wrapping fragile items.

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• Be prepared to negotiate — expect 10–20% haggling and decide your hard floors in advance

• On Day 2 (or the final day), reduce prices by 25–50% to move remaining inventory

• Keep a simple log of what sells and for how much — it's useful for taxes if you're managing an estate

• Have a plan for large item pickup — offer same-day or next-day pickup windows

There will always be leftovers. Don't let the end of the sale feel like failure — it's just the next step.

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• Call a local charity for a pickup — many will take almost everything for free

• Offer a buy-out to a dealer or junk removal company for the remainder (usually a flat fee)

• List remaining high-value items online through Valuable's marketplace integrations

• If needed, schedule a dumpster for true junk

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Pro tip: Valuable's inventory export feature makes post-sale donation easy — you can print a full list for tax receipt purposes in one tap.