Design mockup for Kate's Estate Sales — sale listings, photos & reviews are samples showing where live data would go.
New sales drop every weekApple ValleyVictorvilleHesperiaPhelanWrightwoodDoors open 8am sharpNumbers at 7Half off SundayNew sales drop every weekApple ValleyVictorvilleHesperiaPhelanWrightwoodDoors open 8am sharpNumbers at 7Half off Sunday

Home  /  The Guide

The Hunter's Code

How to shop a sale

Whether it's your first sale or your four hundredth, here's exactly how ours run. No insider track, no secret handshake — just the rules, written down.

01

Numbers go out early

Most sales run a numbered list — first to show, first in. Numbers usually go out about an hour before doors. On a big one, people are there at dawn. That's not us being dramatic, that's just the sport.

02

Bring cash

Cash moves fastest and settles fastest. We also take credit, Zelle, CashApp, and PayPal — but on a busy Saturday morning, cash is the shortest line.

03

Day one is selection, day three is price

Best pieces go Friday. Best deals come Sunday, when we discount to clear the house. Pick your side — you can't have both.

04

Locked cases open on request

Jewelry, coins, and small valuables live in locked cases. Ask any staffer and we'll open it and put it in your hands. No hovering required.

05

Haggle late, not early

Day one prices are researched and firm. By the last day we want the house empty and we're listening. Make the offer, be kind about it.

06

You haul it

If you buy the armoire, the armoire is yours to move. Bring blankets, straps, a truck, and a friend. Same-day pickup unless we've agreed otherwise.

First Timer?

The 60-second version

Show up early

Take a number an hour before doors. You can leave and come back — the number holds your place.

  • Numbers out at 7am
  • Doors at 8am
  • Bring a chair if it's a big one

Walk the whole house

Garage, shed, back bedroom, top of the closet. The kitchen is picked clean by 8:30; the garage rarely is.

  • Ask for locked cases
  • Check maker's marks
  • Look up — shelves get missed

Decide, then commit

If you're holding it, it's yours. If you set it down to think, it's somebody else's. That's the whole game.

  • Cash is the fast lane
  • Haul same day
  • Come back Sunday for the rest

Buyer FAQ

Questions from the line

The things people actually ask us at 7am, answered so you don't have to.

Depends what you want. For a hot sale with a specific piece you're after, an hour before doors is normal and people will be earlier. If you're browsing, mid-morning day one is pleasant and still well-stocked. Sunday afternoon is where the bargains are, but the pickings are thinner.

We put out a numbered sign-up before doors open. You take a number, you can leave, and we call numbers in order at open. It keeps the line civilized and means you're not physically standing in the cold for two hours to hold your spot.

Cash, credit, Zelle, CashApp, and PayPal. Cash is fastest and always welcome. For anything large we'll write it up properly.

On the first day, yes — pricing is researched and it's fair. As the sale goes on we discount, and by the final day we're actively negotiating to clear the home. Reasonable offers get a real answer.

No. Everything goes out at the same time to everybody. Pre-sales aren't fair to the people who showed up, and they're not fair to the family whose estate it is. No exceptions, including for us.

Sold items can be held until close of that day with payment. We don't hold unpaid items — if it's not paid for, it's still for sale.

Bring the truck, the blankets, and a friend. Our crew is running the sale and can't lift furniture for you, but we'll get out of your way and hold doors.

Very. Flippers, pickers, dealers, shop owners — you're a big part of why these sales work, and you know how to move volume. Buy well and buy a lot.

The alert list. We post to EstateSales.net, EstateSale.org, Craigslist, and social, but the email list goes out first and includes the preview photos.

Whatever's tagged and on the floor, yes. Occasionally a family keeps a few pieces back — those are marked NFS (not for sale) and we can't be talked out of it, so please don't try.

Now go get something good

Sales post every week across the High Desert. The alert list is how you hear about them first.