Oftentimes we are asked by clients, “shouldn’t we wait and hold the estate sale in the summer?” It’s a good question. Timing is an important factor, especially when planning an estate sale. So why not wait until the weather is warmer fo an estate sale? The logic seems sound, but estate sale companies in Overland Park, KS would suggest otherwise.
While it might seem counterintuitive, winter is one of the best times to have an estate sale. In fact, some of the most successful estate sales have taken place right before a snowstorm when the roads were a mess.
Why Hold an Estate Sale in Winter?
While there are a few estate sale goers who will only attend a sale when it’s 80 degrees and above, they are in the minority. Most folks are willing to participate in sales all year long. This is more so the case in states where people are accustomed to snowfall, like Kansas. In addition, many folks who attend estate sales are resellers and they must visit them all year long to keep their stock replenished.
Concerning the Weather
But isn’t winter weather a concern?
It’s important to remember that we can’t compare estate sales to most types of outdoor venues. With estate sales, we don’t have to worry about cold and dampness turning buyers away. Buyers can shop indoors in peace and comfort without having to deal with the weather outside.
Now, here are five reasons why winter can be the best time to have an estate sale near Overland Park, KS.
1) Summer Is Great for Buyers, but Not so Much for Sellers
Many people associate summertime and spring with yard sales and garage sales. This is both because of the warmer weather and the fact that people are often cleaning out their garages, attics, and basements.
Since the weather is often more stable and pleasant during summer and spring, people will be outside on the weekends. They can enjoy the weather and maybe snap up some good deals at yard sales and garage sales. This is great for buyers, but for sellers, not so much. For sellers, summer and spring mean increased competition when trying to sell their wares, which means that sellers can’t sell their goods for as much as they can during winter.
Also, since winter sales are less common than spring and summer sales, sellers have a psychological advantage. Because winter sales are rare, buyer enthusiasm, interest, and excitement during these sales will be much higher. And think about it, what better way to break up the boredom and monotony of winter weather than with some bargain shopping at an estate sale?
2) Less Competition Means More Sales
Winter might possibly be the best time to hold an estate sale. Since so few estate sale companies are doing business in the winter, that leaves you (and us) at an advantage. When you hold an estate sale during the winter, you’ll get the maximum amount of buyers, buyers’ interest, and cash for your items, period.
Buyer interest is higher in the winter because they will have fewer places to look for great deals. Consequently, more people will attend your sale and you’ll be able to sell your items faster and with less haggling. Something else worth mentioning is that kids are in school during the winter, so it’s worthwhile to hold your sale on weekdays in addition to weekends.
How do summer sales compare to winter sales? Well, during summer there can be more than one hundred sales going on each weekend. That’s a lot of competition, not to mention the thousands of garage sales going on as well. All of these other sales can cut into your own profits. During the summer, it’s not as easy to get estate sale goers through your doors.
During winter, pretty much all garage sales stop, and the number of estate sales tends to go down about ten-fold. And when you consider that only an insignificant percent of estate sale goers choose not to go to winter sales, winter turns out to be one of the best months to hold your estate sale.
3) Better Buyers
Don’t forget that there are many dealers and resellers who go to estate sales. Many of them make their living just from buying and selling from estate sales and other similar places. Selling your wares to resellers isn’t such a great idea if you’re looking to get the most money that you can for your items.
Resellers tend to come out in force during the summertime when many sales are going on at once. In fact, during summer, you may only find three or four “high-quality buyers.” On the other hand, during the winter, you’ll be able to attract these high-quality buyers searching for big-ticket items more easily.
4) Holidays Bring Out More Shoppers
During the holidays, people are always on the lookout for good deals on gift items and discounted products for themselves. In short, people are in the mood to shop, and you can capitalize on this by holding your estate sale during the winter.
5) Now is the Time
For the majority of our clients, an estate sale is held based on need. Some of their reasons included the loss of a loved one, changing jobs, going through a divorce, or some other kind of enormous transition in life. These transitions can’t be put off for a “better time.” It’s very likely that you need to hold this sale now. The reason why we created this list is to reassure you that winter is just as good a time as any to hold your estate sale. No matter what you’re going through right now, our purpose is to reduce the stress for you as much as possible and to help you get the most value for your items that you can.
If you want to hold a successful winter sale, it’s critical to work with a company that will not close their doors right after a snowstorm. Many companies won’t hold sales if the roads aren’t open. However, this also means that you can get more people going your way if you keep your sale open.