I've never had to hire an estate sales service before so before I started calling estate sales businesses, I did some research to find out exactly what to expect from them. I found out from one source of information among the other sources that I read, that estate sales businesses work in many different ways. One way, which interested me, was a team would come in *after* I've marked what I want to sell to distinguish it from what I wasn't selling and the team would come in behind me and gather the sellable items to take to another area of the estate/house to place on tables or shelves to be sold. Another source said estate sales professionals would clean items to be sellable. I have 3 cast iron skillets that need some touching up, and some items that need to be moved from the back yard storage into the garage to keep the sale inside the house. But the owner, Karen, made it clear they weren't going to do this. Since I'm still living in the house until it is sold, the method of the estate sales team would be to separate my items. This is what estate sales teams are supposed to do, but this particular business wont. I was needing to have items separated because I need certain furniture, kitchen and bathroom items and my clothes to continue to live in the house until the house is sold. I spoke with Karen, the owner, on the phone on Tuesday of this week and asked her to come to my house to look at the items that needed to be sold to get an idea if I had enough property to make it worth her time. When she showed up with her two assistants I took them through my house to show them all of the items I wanted to sell. I felt like there was a great deal of property to be sold, but I noticed that as soon as I let these women into my home, their demeanor changed. After I showed them my property, I was told it would be my job to set up tables and shelves and to place the items for sale on the tables and shelves so that she could just put price stickers on the items. She was not in a pleasant mood and didn't care to give me any information as to why the change in her attitude from Tuesday. Tuesday, she had told me that she had a cancellation the last part of this month and that I could have the spot, but after looking at my items to be sold she told me I didn't have a spot because I wasn't ready. I was very shocked. It isn't my job to make the estate sale ready, it's the estate sales team's job to make the sale ready. The first room I showed her was a dinning room stuffed full of nice furniture; a glass dining table, a huge mirror, pictures, 9 chairs 2 couches and glass ware along with a stero and albums from the 50's and 60's. None of the items had stains or tears, cracks or chips! I showed her numerous items throughout my house many of which were new and never taken out of their boxes. Some were; dishes, bread maker, food dehydrator, new bedding, bed spreads never taken out of their boxes or used. Again, I was shocked and angered by her telling me it would be my job to set up tables and shelves and place the items on to sell so that all she and her team had to do was put price stickers on the items. Sorry, I have news for you, Karen, if I'm going to do all of that, I'll work my own estate sales and keep the 35% you asked for along with the $45.00 for advertising. Very disappointed. read more