There are many great places where are you will find some old yet valuable editions including the family’s bookcase, thrift stores and online. However, estate sales are probably the best place on Earth where you can acquire great books, regardless of whether you are a collector or a well-established online book reseller.

Believe it or not, many online book stores and thrift stores get their rare, valuable or signed collections from estate and garage sales. All that for very good reasons: they know exactly what to look for, have a large budget at their disposal, know how to manage their time and eliminate the middleman.

Believe it or not, many online book stores and thrift stores get their rare, valuable or signed collections from estate and garage sales. All that for very good reasons: they know exactly what to look for, have a large budget at their disposal, know how to manage their time and eliminate the middleman.

3 reasons why you should look for books at estate sales

There are three principal reasons why I consider estate sales such an awesome place to find great books:

1. Books are rather expensive these days, whereas at an estate sale you can get a life-time collection for around $500, if you are lucky. Yes, that’s right, you can get a great collection for the price that you normally spend on two or three valuable books online.
2. What are the odds of you finding an old title at the local library or book stores these days? They are nearly impossible get your hands on and even if you do find a rare title at the local library, chances are they will not let you take it home with you.
3. The third reason is a rather personal one: finding a rare book at an estate sales is like having an awesome treasure hunt from time to time.

What you should know about the “stuff” sold at estate sales

Well, I have to admit that I had some nasty experiences at certain estate sales, particularly at the ones that involved couples who were getting a divorce. You could literarily feel a murderous atmosphere in the air and every time someone picked something up, it was snatched back immediately and followed by endless ownership arguments. So, my advice is to go for the estate sales that are organized by professional agencies and spare yourself the awkward moments.

Another type of estate sales that created some headaches – well, not the extent of the sales held by couples who were getting a divorce – are the ones organized by families alone. Not all are like that, but in some of the cases you will see what differences of opinion regarding the prices can lead to. The estate sales organized by agencies all undergo several steps and you can be certain you will not encounter any issues if you set your eyes on a book that you have been hunting for a while.

The DO’s of going estate sales book hunting

Before I provide some tips that I learned during my book hunting from estate sales, I would like to clarify the “cheap books” issue. When I say cheap, I actually mean affordable and less expensive than the books you regularly find online or in thrift stores. So, do not expect to find a very rare signed edition at less than $10. When participating in an estate sale that includes books, you should:

• Bring cash and a checkbook, as everyone takes cash and in the vast majority of estate sales checks are acceptable alternatives. Credit cards are useless here and you can leave them at home.
• Even though most estate sales provide grocery (green) bags, you can never be certain of this fact. Therefore, don’t forget to get a tote bag with you.
• I know that collectors and librarians alike have their doubts due to the low price. However, keep in mind that in the end, the purpose is to get rid of the stuff auctioned there and hence, the authenticity is not really the issue.
• It may sound painful, but you should expect to see books in all sorts of conditions, from never opened to editions that practically falling apart. It is normal for very old books to look deplorable, considering that the glue in the bindings will dry over time.

While the estate sales are the finest place to find rare, collectible editions, you shouldn’t expect too much with respect to the new titles. In other words, if you are going to an estate sale hoping to find the Stephen King’s latest book, you will leave disappointed.

Byline

Hi, I’m Chad and I love reading. Many of my precious book collections are found at estate sales!