It is really important to go to the estate sale prepared to take care of your purchases. Most places do not have enough boxes or paper or bubble wrap to protect fragile purchases. I always take a couple of boxes or Rubbermaid Totes and enough paper and bubble wrap to pack up anything that I may want to purchase so that it makes the rounds with me safely for the day and of course makes it home in one piece.
It is so disappointing to find that gorgeous figurine or piece of depression glass got bumped up against something else when you hit that last bump in the road and got a nice little chip or crack! If things are important enough to pay for, then they should be protected for the ride home!
I have a travel pack that goes with me to most Estate Sales. It fits into a tote bag and I can carry it with me while I am shopping. I have even had to stuff things in the bag in order to carry it all to the lady who is accepting money for sales. Sometimes I feel like I need 4 arms instead of 2!
It is important to really look over pieces prior to purchasing them. A few things that will help in that matter are a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe. A quick look at small pieces or for identifying marks will help you immensely. A small portable black light is great as well if you can carry one to pick up really small cracks in figurines or to check out Vaseline glass for example. I try to carry a tiny flashlight as well. A lot of the homes don't have great lighting. The flashlight will save you the time of carrying a piece out into the daylight or to another room for inspection.
Your two hands are very important when examining items. Taking the time to run your fingers over rims and edges of glass or porcelain will quickly tell you if a small chip or flea bite as they are called are present. You can also feel any type of roughness or difference in seams on glass as well.
Remember to pace yourself when going to a huge sale. You can become junk drunk (overwhelmed) quickly if not careful in these situations. I try to go to the areas that I want first then work my way from there. This way I am not tired when I am looking at the best pieces in the place or the ones that I came for.
I keep some reference books (travel sized) in my car or truck too. If I run into a pattern or piece I am not real sure of, I can run out to the car and see if I can find it in my books. It gives me a better idea if I want to purchase it or not. A smart phone with Internet access and Google can help here too in a lot of cases but my handy books have come through much quicker than anything on most days.
Now that you have found what you want how do you get the pieces at a good price? We will discuss some negotiating tricks in Part 3!
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