How Estate Sales Really Work in BC

An estate sale is a supervised, professionally managed sale of a household's belongings, usually held on-site at the home over 2–3 days. Buyers walk through, pick items, and pay at a central checkout. The estate sale company handles pricing, staging, staffing, advertising, and disposal of unsold items.

It's different from a garage sale (informal, low-value items) and different from an auction (competitive bidding, typically for higher-value single items).

Estate sale companies typically charge 35–60% of gross sales. That range depends on:
- Size and quality of the estate (higher-value estates get lower commissions)
- Location (urban BC typically at the lower end)
- Required preparation (sorting, cleanup, staging)
- Whether haul-away of unsold items is included

For a typical BC family home estate sale that brings in $8,000–$15,000 in gross revenue, the family usually nets $3,500–$9,000.

An estate sale typically makes sense when:
- There are 500+ items to disperse
- Many items have modest value ($5–$200 each) but are too valuable to throw out
- The family doesn't have time or energy to sell items individually online
- The home needs to be cleared quickly for a real estate listing
- Family members live far away

It's usually not worth it if there are fewer than ~200 sellable items, items are almost all very low value, or if a few truly valuable pieces would be better sold through a specialty dealer or auction house.

Look for:
- Member of the American Society of Estate Liquidators (ASEL) or NASMM (National Association of Senior Move Managers)
- Written contract specifying commission, what's included, insurance, and payout timeline
- Verifiable references from recent BC clients
- Transparent pricing (beware of anyone charging upfront fees AND a high commission)
- Clear plan for unsold items — donation receipts, haul-away, or return to family

Red flags:
- No contract or vague contract
- Pressuring you to 'just trust them' on pricing
- Reluctant to provide references
- No insurance/bonding
- Asking for cash upfront with no commission reduction

A reputable estate sale company will research comparable sales on platforms like eBay, LiveAuctioneers, and Worthpoint before setting prices. Well-run sales typically have 3 pricing phases:

This structure captures the maximum value at each tier of buyer motivation.

Do:
- Remove items that are NOT for sale (label the room or remove to another location)
- Take keepsakes, family photos, important documents, jewelry
- Remove prescription medications and personal identification
- Let the estate sale company do the staging and pricing (resist the urge to help)

Don't:
- Pre-sell items to family or neighbours beforehand (breaks trust with the sale company and the buying public)
- Throw things out before the estate sale company has inspected — they often see value you don't
- Invite family to 'shop first' — this undermines pricing and commission

If family members want items, have them take those items before signing the contract and exclude them from the sale.