10 Best Things to Buy at Estate Sales

CorningWare

You may remember CorningWare as the preferred delivery vehicle for your mom's tuna noodle casserole. And you can still buy CorningWare today, including the popular Pyrex brand. But keep an eye out for vintage Pyrex from the 1950s through the 1970s, some of which can sell for thousands of dollars. A rare four-quart “Spice of Life” casserole dish is currently listed on eBay for more than $5,000.

Fashion

Vintage women's clothing is much sought-after at estate sales. It's often well made and trendy. What's more, many younger shoppers are mindful of the huge amount of waste in the clothing industry, says Denny. “People now want to buy sustainably and try to contribute to a better cycle in the fashion world.”

Fashions from the 1950s through the 1970s are particularly popular at estate sales, Denny says, although most people pass on the heavy shoulder pads of the 1980s. Look for luxury labels on dresses and purses.

Estate sales are also a good place to get children's clothing, vintage or not. “Kids outgrow stuff so fast that parents don't want to go out and spend an arm and a leg on it anymore,” Denny says.

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Fire-King glassware

Another hot seller is Fire-King glassware, created by Anchor Hocking. “Fire-King was one of the first heat-resistant glasses made for consumer use,” says Waits. “They were used in advertising a lot, so if you went to your favorite restaurant in the ‘60s and were a frequent customer, they might give you a Fire-King coffee cup. A Fire-King coffee cup can go for $100."

Fire-King also made Jadeite glass, an opaque green glass that was manufactured from the 1940s through the 1960s. It's a popular collectible today. Sapphire Blue ovenware, also from Fire-King, is in demand as well.

Furniture

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If you've tried to order new office furniture during the pandemic, you've probably discovered that there can be long delays before that desk actually makes it into the guest bedroom. Estate sales don't have that problem.

Another advantage: Old furniture is often good furniture. “Typically, the quality of vintage furniture is so much higher than even the mid- to high-end stuff that you can buy today,” Waits says. Look for solid wood, not particleboard, as well as good joinery technique. “Even the stains and finishes are more durable,” he says. One brand to look for is Ethan Allen, which has produced high-quality furniture since the 1930s.

One caveat: Be very wary of upholstered furniture, which can reek of tobacco smoke or have pet hair under the cushions. “I avoid anything upholstered unless I'm really impressed by the cleanliness of the household,” Waits says.

Kitchen appliances

If you're looking for a slow cooker or a blender, you can save money by shopping at an estate sale — sometimes. “We sell blenders at almost the same retail price they sold at originally,” Denny says. Mixers that cost $299 at Walmart can often sell for $275 at an estate sale, she says.

Given the small price difference — and the lack of a warranty — you'll want to choose carefully. Like vintage furniture, older appliances can be better constructed than newer ones, Waits says. “They may not be exactly what you want aesthetically, but it will last forever,” he says. And you'll want to be sure that the appliances you buy are good brands, well cared for, and run when you plug them in.

Tools

Tools attract two types of buyers. “There's the guy who's looking for the vintage Stanley hand wood planer, and there's the young guy who's got three kids, and is looking for a power tool but doesn't want to go spend $100 at Home Depot,” Denny says. Vintage planers go for several hundred dollars on eBay, and vintage levels can fetch nearly $1,000.

Estate sales are also great places to get lawn tools, such as rakes, fertilizer spreaders and lawn mowers. Unless your idea of a good time is taking apart a lawn mower on a Saturday afternoon, make sure any power tools work when you turn them on.

Toys

Marc Tielemans / Alamy Stock Photo

Collectible toys tend to appeal to people who played with them when they were little. Star Wars and X-Men figurines are fetching top dollar, as are Pokemon cards. (To get those top dollars, they have to be in pristine, in-the-box condition.) 

Toys also appeal to parents and grandparents who want to save a buck. Lego sets are always popular with kids, for example, and are much cheaper at an estate sale than the local toy store.

John Waggoner covers all things financial for AARP, from budgeting and taxes to retirement planning and Social Security. Previously he was a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance and  USA Today and has written books on investing and the 2008 financial crisis. Waggoner's  USA Today investing column ran in dozens of newspapers for 25 years.