Question 1

How does in-home consignment work?

Accepted Answer

Start with photos of a valuable piece or collection. We review the fit, then arrange a visit and written proposal when appropriate. We research comparable completed sales, photograph the approved pieces, list them on suitable channels and handle buyer conversations. You or someone you trust hosts scheduled local handoffs; online packing and shipping are agreed before listing.

Question 2

What does it cost me up front?

Accepted Answer

Nothing. We are paid a share of what sells, after it sells: 50 percent under $5,000 of estimated contents, 40 percent from $5,000 to $19,999, 35 percent at $20,000 and above. We review photos and the practical work before recommending a visit. If a piece does not sell, you owe us nothing on it.

Question 3

Do strangers come through my house?

Accepted Answer

No. Nobody browses. A buyer comes at a scheduled time for one piece, pays you at the door and takes it. You or someone you trust opens the door.

Question 4

How and when am I paid?

Accepted Answer

Local sale: the buyer pays you at the door, first, before anything leaves. Online sale: the marketplace pays us and your share goes out on the Friday after the funds arrive, by check or to the bank you link in your portal. One itemized statement either way.

Question 5

Who ships what sells online?

Accepted Answer

Clients typically pack and ship with a label we provide. In agreed circumstances we pack and ship it, or the buyer sends a shipper. We agree the plan before listing. Postage and our labor are ours. Only the box and wrap, and the insurance and signature when a piece needs them, come off before the split.

Question 6

What if something breaks or gets lost in shipping?

Accepted Answer

Every piece we ship that sold for more than $100 is insured for what it sold for, and anything at $750 or more we pack ourselves and send with a signature. The insurance and signature fee come off the sale before the split, like the box, so you and we each carry our own percentage. If the carrier loses or breaks it, we file and chase the claim and you get your share of the claim money the Friday after it reaches us. If our packing or a missed step on our side caused it, we pay your share ourselves. If a claim is turned down for a reason nobody controlled, the piece counts as unsold. No commission and no costs to you.

Question 7

I only have one thing to sell.

Accepted Answer

Send a photograph. We assess the value, condition and practical handling, then recommend the right level of support.

Question 8

Where do you work?

Accepted Answer

We are based in Kennett Square and work about 30 miles in every direction: Chester County, Delaware County, northern Delaware. For the right house we drive farther. Ask.

Question 9

I am the executor and I live out of state.

Accepted Answer

A large part of what we do. We walk it, send the proposal within a day, you sign on your phone, we sell, and you get the accounting every Friday. Nobody flies back twice.

Question 10

Who empties a house after a death?

Accepted Answer

Usually the executor hires it out. The choices are an estate sale company, an in-home consignment company like us, an auction house for a few very valuable pieces, and a cleanout crew for what is left. We sell the good pieces one at a time to the buyer who wants each one. For what remains, you choose donation with a receipt for the estate, or removal.

Question 11

Do I need an appraisal for probate?

Accepted Answer

Ask the estate's attorney whether the court or the IRS needs a certified appraisal. Our written proposal is not a certified appraisal. It prices every piece against what comparable pieces actually sold for, with the sold listings attached, so you have a documented number for each one. If a certified appraisal is required, we tell you so and point you to an appraiser.

Question 12

How much does an estate sale company charge?

Accepted Answer

The national average is 40 percent of what the sale brings in, and most quote between 25 and 50 percent (EstateSales.net 2024 industry survey). The most common extra fees on top are trash hauling and advertising. Consignment is often the better route when the value sits in the good pieces, because each piece sells to the buyer who wants it instead of at a weekend price. Our share is 50, 40 or 35 percent by the size of the job, with nothing up front and no extra fees.

We sell what is in your house. Two ways.

Good pieces, or a whole house. We handle the selling.

In-Home Consignment

Estate Sales

What people ask before the walkthrough.

In their words.

Start with what you have.

Show us what you want to sell