Here an estate sale is considered an indoor with outdoor items perhaps. Almost everything in the house is for sale and tagged. Usually by someone in the estate sale business. Things are clean and as I said tagged. Usually large items will have a sign saying they will take bids on them - if applicable. Prices are firm until the last day and usually on that morning things are 25% off and later in the day maybe after 11 they go half price. on a big sale the place iscleared out before the 1/2 price goes into effect and then people are let back in. The prices range from the perceived value of the item. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. People line up well before the usual 8 am opening to get in. Most of our sales are run by two popular Estate sale agents and their crews. A tag sale might be in the empty house or just items already priced If you have a lot of stuff it might be well to contact an agent in your community. It might be worth it just to avoid the hassles and headaches and they are usually responsible for everything. One of the most disgusting "estate sales" I went to was run by the family and they had their bed ridden aged mother in the living room watching people go thru her stuff while the family sat around drinking coffee.

sally2 - I stumbled across the Scandinavian version of the Pizelle Iron in another cupboard. It's called the Krumkake Iron (kruum - ca-ca) I think we can all agree that it does not sound as appetizing as "pizelle". The one I have is in rough shape....another garage sale rescue. I'm pretty sure that's the reason I have never used it....that and the fact that I am not fond of sweets. Nordic Ware is another local Scandinavian company. The style has not changed over the years. The link is to the one you can buy today. Mine was made in the 40's and looks identical. I think the big difference between pizelles and krumkake is that most often the krumkake is rolled into a cone while it is still hot and soft. Just one more appliance you probably don't want! :-) Teresa Here is a link that might be useful: Nordic Ware Krumkake Iron

I see this posting is now 3 years old however it is still coming up quite high on google rankings so I'll throw my two cents in. I own an estate sale company in Long Island, New York. Henry Laurent Estate Sales. I'm happy that you were able to post your concerns and then follow up with the results. As one poster said you usually read the question - which rarely paints us in a good light - and never hear the outcome. If people stumble upon this post in the future there are some things to keep in mind. Companies should provide you an itemized list. Always. My staff will write "Sheet $1". It is the only way to accurately account for every dollar in and every item out. Also we always have questions of " how much did xyz sell for?". It could have only been a $10 item but it was sentimental so they are curious. Secondly, for a normal household mixed with small and furniture the average sale is around $6k - $10k for a 2 day sale. Lower end for higher amount of smalls, high end with several nice pieces of furniture, jewelry (over $500 a piece). 35% is just around the national average right now and is what we charge. About 80% of that spent towards advertising. While one poster said that you should do it yourself because Craigslist is free ... that is true but only one site out of the 12 that we use and I'm sure others do as well. Out of the 12, 3 are free the others are subscription based with additional fees to highlight or bump your sale to the top spot. Local papers also cost around $300 - $1,000 for a proper 7 day run depending on amount of lines, bolding, placement ..etc. Finally, there is always the concern that we will under price things. Believe me we put the price at the high end of estate sale prices because we know that there will be haggling and bundling. We also know what the market will bare. While chairs might be selling on ebay for $300, it doesn't mean they sold for $300. You are seeing them because they are still available. Average dining room and bedroom sets go for around $500. All in all I'm happy that you posted and that you had a good experience. A good review for one estate sale company is always good for the industry.

Thanks, Ladies. My 1st choice is also the one in PA. It seems to have a vibe I like. And it's only $199.00, less than half the price of the others. Of course it would probably cost $150-200.00 to ship it to South Carolina. I emailed the seller, but have not heard from him. I've been looking for a while and it seemed like all of the interesting pieces are in the northeast - then just today it occured to me that I should go to Charleston and have a look.