Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about having or attending an estate sale.

Questions? Contact us today:

Yes! We welcome anyone to attend our estate sales. The list of our upcoming sales can be found on the upcoming sales page.

What are street numbers?

Street Numbers is the number system that we use to let people into the home at the beginning of the sale.

How it works is the first person that arrives at the estate sale has the option to be number one. That person then makes his own numbers keeps number one and passes out the rest of the numbers as more people arrive at the sale. The person that is handing out numbers has to stay at the sale location and pass out numbers until we open. Everyone one else can go do whatever they would like until we open. We always open the doors at ten o’clock sharp.

What is your Aaron’s - Early Access Program?

Our Aaron’s – Early Access Program is the first of its kind in the estate sale industry! You can join by clicking here.

All members of AES Early Access get 15 minutes early admission to every day of every sale! You sign up on our website and once logged in you can browse our sales and click the “sign up for early access” button on that sales page.

Do you pre-sale or let people in before the sale day?

No, we do not do any presales. Everything in our photos is in our sales unless the client pulls an item. The only way to get in early to Aaron’s Estate Sales is to sign up for our Aaron’s Early Access Program Here.

Do you usually have a line to get in on the first day?

Yes. Most of our estate sales are fairly busy, especially on the first day. Please be prepared to arrive early and dress appropriately for the current weather conditions. Don’t want to wait in line? Click here to join Aaron’s – Early Access Program.

If an item is pictured or in the description, is it for sure going to be in the sale?

99.9% of the time the answer is yes. We have had a few incidents where the owners have pulled an item from the sale the day before it opens. We always try to update our description and photos in that event.

What is your refund policy?

We offer a same-day refund to customers with a receipt for an item that they have purchased and found to be in a non-working condition. We check all of our electronics and try to only offer items that are in working condition. If an item is marked as-is we will not be offering a refund.

Do you accept credit cards and /or check at your sales?

We accept credit cards, cash, cash app, apple and google pay! We never charge a fee on credit card purchases! We no longer accept checks.

Do you deliver large items?

At this time, we do not offer any delivery service but we do work with several local movers and we will provide you with those names and numbers upon request.

Are any of the items available for purchase after the sale is over?

No, they are not. All the items in the estate are available for sale during our open sale hours only.

Do you discount your items as the sale progresses?

Yes, we do. Our first day is always full price. We will offer a reduction in price throughout the sale. We always post the following percentage reduction on our website at the closing of each day.

Do you have a store?

No, we do not have a store. We offer the entire contents of someone’s home for sale at their location. You can find the information for each of our sales on our upcoming sales page.

Can I call or email to ask for the price of a specific item?

We have an Item Request Text Hotline, that during the sale you can text us about items at the estate sale. We are unable to answer pricing inquiries for our customers before the sale opens. This is due to the high volume of requests and pricing not being finalized until we open.

We are more than happy after the sale has opened to answer any pricing or availability questions. The best way to reach us on a sale day is to TEXT US on our Item Request Text Hotline: 248-988-9824

Do you accept offers on items?

Yes. We encourage our customers to share their offers while they are shopping the sale with one of our staff members. If we cannot accept the offer on that day the staff member will give you an offer card to fill out and leave your name, number, item name and offer.

Do you have a frequent shopper program or loyalty program?

Yes! We have a star program! Every transaction $50.00 or over get you a star! When you accumulate 10 stars you will get an email with a $15.00 off coupon! Sign in at our registers using your phone number to log your transaction for our star program!

If I purchase a large item, am I able to pick it up at a different time or day?

Yes, you can. We will give you a pickup receipt for you to pick up the item. We require you to pick up items during regular sale hours.

Can you hold items for me if I call ahead?

No, we do not hold any items before the sale begins, during the sale you can call and we will accept payment over the phone and hold items for you to pick up that day.

Do you provide help with carrying large items?

We do have staff available at each sale to assist in carrying light items to vehicles if needed. The main role of our staff is to ensure the home is protected, prevent theft, and sell merchandise. For this reason, we ask that you bring assistance for any large items such as appliances, sofas, mattresses, large cabinets, etc. If you are unable to bring assistance, our staff will help to the best of their ability!

When I’m at the sale, how do I purchase an item I want?

Any smaller items you can pick up and are available to place on hold behind our register area. Larger items have a large price tag. Pull the tag off the piece of furniture and let a staff member know so they can mark the item sold. When you’re ready to check out, take the tag to the register area.

Where do we begin?

The first step is to have us come out and do a walkthrough with you. You can schedule that consultation here. At our meeting, we will walk through the house with you and come up with the best plan for your estate sale. At that point, we will also talk about dates and your timeline and show you our entire process from start to finish.

How far in advance should I call you?

We would like you to call as soon as you believe you might need our services. We often have sales lined up for several weeks in advance but by calling as soon as you are aware of your needs, we may be able to fit you in at the last-minute.

How long does the process take?

Our estate sale process is usually 1-2 weeks from start to finish! There is the occasional project that can take weeks to get set up and organized and our team is set up to be able to handle simple to complex projects.

Do I have enough for an estate sale?

That’s a great question. You can give us a call at 248-915-8888 and we can talk through your situation and we can help see if you have enough to have an estate sale!

What will it cost me for Aaron’s Estate Sales to execute my estate sale?

There is no up-front or out-of-pocket expense to you. We charge a percentage of total sales (35% – 50%), and simply deduct that from the proceeds at the end of the sale. For a full list of what is included in the percentage visit the “Estate Sale Services” tab under the “About Us” section of our website.

Should we donate all the old clothes, towels, linens and sheets?

While that is charitable, these items are completely sellable at an estate sale and bring in additional profits to benefit the sale. Please refrain from discarding or donating any items within the home as these donations can be made after the estate sale.

If you feel that you must discard or donate any items please contact us to receive a professional opinion to make sure the item is not of high value. We would be happy to help!

Are there any upfront costs?

There is no upfront costs when having an estate sale.

What is your fee for come to the house and assessing It for an estate sale?

Our consultation and meeting with you are free of charge.

Are you bonded and insured?

Yes, we are fully insured and bonded.

If the executor lives out-of-state, can we still have an estate sale?

Yes. We handle everything through email, faxing and registered mail so living outside of Michigan during the process is no problem. This process is simple and we have been handling out-of-state residents for many years. If you’re working with a local realtor or with a lawyer, we can work through them as well.

What is the “setup” process like?

First, we set up our display tables throughout the home and re-arrange furniture to maximize retail space. We then unearth any drawers, boxes and cabinets throughout the home and clean items as necessary. From there we separate sellable from non-sellable, research antique and high valued goods and finally, affix prices to all the displayed items.

Throughout the process we often find personal effects such as social security cards, bank or tax documents and other sensitive material which we set aside to be gone through by the owner of the estate.

How do you protect our home?

Homeownership is the largest investment for the average American. This is why maintaining the condition of your home is our highest priority when having an estate sale. We work in homes of all sizes and identify the measures we need to take to make sure the home is left in as good or better condition than when you turned it over to our team.

This includes everything from carpet and wood floor covering to making all customers take off their shoes. We have team members stationed throughout the home to help carry larger items to ensure no damage gets done to the home.

I am worried about theft. Do you offer security precautions?

Theft can be prevalent among estate sales as people think there is no surveillance within a home. We have solved this issue in a few different ways:

Limiting the number of customers allowed in the home at one time
Wireless security camera system that we bring to each sale
Glass cases for expensive jewelry and small items
Strategic placement of costly items near the register for constant monitoring

You’re more expensive than other companies in town, why?

We are a team of professionals who set the standard in our industry and we get the job done right. We like to think of ourselves as the most cost-effective way to have an estate sale as our process and marketing produce the best results for our clients. Our clients hire us because they get the confidence in knowing their sale will be handled properly. There is no second chance when having an estate sale.

To read our essay about the quality levels of estate sale companies please click here:

I have valuable items; how do I know you’ll price them correctly?

Pricing and the knowledge of the correct price on the second-hand market for an item can be one of the biggest challenges an estate sale company can face.

Aarons has certified appraisers for staff and a quality control team that checks the price of every item that we sell. We have countless hours of research and expertise under our belt. Using a combination of pricing resources and experts within our network we can correctly identify, price and market your valuable pieces.

Can I be living in the house when you do the estate sale?

Unfortunately, we are unable to work in a home that someone is living in. If this is a challenge for you, we can brainstorm with you during our initial consultation.

How do I prepare for the estate sale?

We require one thing before our team can come into your home and start the estate sale process and that is that everything that is not for sale has been removed or placed behind a locked door. The only thing you have to do to prepare for having an estate sale is just removing anything that you want to keep!

How do you advertise?

We have a Sales and Marketing division of six people that are responsible for advertising our estate sales. All they do is focus on marketing and advertising through social, digital, email, and print and get about 500,000 views on our sales each month! We like to believe that we have hands down the best marketing team on earth and in addition to them, we also put our 20-30 street signs for every sale in contrast to the 3-5 other estate sale companies put out.

How many people come to an estate sale?

We often get 200-400 people through each of our estate sales per day!

How many days will my estate sale last?

The average estate sale is open to the public for 2-3 days (between Thursday and Sunday). A typical estate sale can be completely set up, advertised, run, and completed within a one-week time frame.

Do you offer discounts during your sales?

Every situation is different. The short answer is yes, we offer discounts on the second day of a sale (upwards of 20-30%) and may increase the discount on the following days (upwards of 50%).

Our pricing begins slightly below retail value and as we discount, the prices become more enticing to secondary market customers. Any discounting after the initial price drop is done to ensure liquidation of the contents of the home while keeping fixed prices on items of high value.

How will I be paid?

Every Wednesday our Treasury Division cuts checks. We do all the accounting for your sale on Monday morning so our client services team can update you with exact figures and coordinate any post-sale services such as a final clean out.

What is your VIP program and how will it affect my sale?

Our Eary Access program is brilliantly designed to drive sales for our clients. Our Early Access program allows people who pay a monthly fee to get into our sales 15 minutes before everyone else. This results in several advantages. The first one is that since people are paying a monthly fee to come to our sales, they are more invested in coming to every single one of them, this results in higher attendance from our best buyers.

The next bonus is that all of our Early Access members are serious buyers. They are Collectors, Dealers, Antiques, and Vintage enthusiasts and spend tons of money every week shopping at estate sales. The last main benefit for our clients is that we have a better connection with our customers. We know who buys what and what they are looking for, we control both sides of the process, the selling, and the buying.

To find out more about our Early Access Program click here.

What happens with left over items?

We also offer cleanout services after an estate sale. We can help donate and trash any unsold items. We also have an option to hold a “blow-out sale” on an additional day which helps clear out a lot of the remaining items keeping them out of a landfill.

What if there are items I don’t want donated?

All items included with the estate sale are always your items. After the sale, many of our clients take a look at what has not sold, or we send them photos so they can decide if there is anything that they would rather keep than donate/trash. The post-sale cleanout is also an optional service that can be canceled at any time before we start.

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We always respond in a timely manner, and we look forward to working with you soon.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Get in touch

Want to get news and events from us?Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Register for Early Access

Single Sale Access

Monthly Early Access

Yearly Early Access

Want to get news and events from us?
Subscribe to our newsletter here!