The Reseller's Glossary: 40 Estate Sale and Auction Terms You Need to Know

From 'tag sale' to 'as-is' to 'pickers' day,' here are the 40 terms every estate sale shopper hears constantly — and what they actually mean for your wallet.

If you've ever stood in a stranger's living room and heard the staff use a phrase like *"this one's a buy-it-now"* or *"day three is by appointment"* and quietly nodded while wondering what on earth they meant, this glossary is for you.

40 terms. Plain English. The whole vocabulary.

The Sale Itself

Estate Sale — A whole-household liquidation, usually professionally run, often because of death, downsize, or move.

Tag Sale — Same thing as an estate sale in much of the Northeast US. Items have price *tags* (vs. an auction where prices are bid).

Garage Sale / Yard Sale — Casual driveway sale by an individual family. Smaller, less curated, wildly variable pricing.

Moving Sale — Like an estate sale but the family is alive and downsizing. Often has more recent items.

Liquidation — Broader term. Includes business closeouts and bulk inventory clears.

Auction — Items are bid on rather than tagged. Can be live or online.

The Schedule

Preview Day — A paid early-entry, often Friday evening. Gets you first look before Saturday's crowd.

Day One / Opening Day — Saturday morning, usually 8 or 9 a.m. Highest prices, best inventory.

Day Two / Half-Price Day — Sunday. Most items 50% off as the *opening* offer.

Day Three / Cleanout Day — Less common. By appointment or last-minute. Aggressive discounts.

Pickers' Day — Informal term for an early reseller-only entry, usually paid.

The Pricing

Tagged — Has a price written on it.

As-Is — Sold in current condition, no returns, no warranties. *Always* the rule at estate sales.

Best Offer — The price is open to negotiation. Make a polite offer.

Firm — The price is *not* negotiable. Often used on the rarest items.

Buy-It-Now — Pay full price right now and the item is yours, no waiting on potential other offers.

Bundle / Lot Pricing — Multiple items grouped at one price. Common with costume jewelry, books, glassware.

Half-Price — Standard discount on day two. Almost never the floor.

Make Pile — A spot near the register where you stack items you want to bundle and negotiate for.

The Items

MCM — Mid-Century Modern. 1945–1970 furniture and design. High demand.

Atomic — 1950s–60s style with starbursts, boomerangs, geometric patterns.

Brass Era — Heavy brass-fittings furniture, lamps, decor from late 1800s.

Sterling — 92.5% silver. Marked "Sterling" or "925." Always worth at least scrap value.

Silverplate / EPNS — Plated silver, low value. EPNS = Electroplated Nickel Silver.

Bakelite — Early plastic from the 1930s–40s. Heavy, often colorful. Tested with hot water (smells distinctive).

Depression Glass — Mass-produced glassware from the 1929–1939 era. Specific colors and patterns are highly collectible.

Carnival Glass — Iridescent pressed glass. 1908+. Specific colors (red, ice blue) are valuable.

Pyrex — Borosilicate glass cookware. Specific patterns and colors are major collectors' items.

Cast Iron — Old skillets, especially Griswold and Wagner pre-1960.

Studio Pottery — Handmade pottery, signed on the bottom by the artist.

Hallmark — A maker's mark stamped on metal items (silver, gold, pewter).

Maker's Mark — General term for a stamped or printed maker identifier.

First Edition — Books from the first print run. Significantly more valuable than later printings.

The People

The Company — The professional firm running the sale.

The Family — The owners or heirs of the contents.

Pickers — Resellers and antique dealers who hunt sales for inventory.

Regulars — The same shoppers who come back week after week. Often friendly with the company.

Day-Trippers — Casual shoppers who come for entertainment, not to buy seriously.

The Etiquette

Numbered Tickets — A list-management system at popular sales. First-come, first-served entry order.

The Line — The crowd outside before opening. Get there 25–40 minutes early for popular sales.

The Hold — *"Can you hold this for me while I keep shopping?"* Most companies will hold an item near the register for 15–30 minutes.

No Re-Stocking — If you change your mind on something at the register, the staff won't put it back for you. You leave it there.

Showing Around — When staff offer to *"show you the basement"* — accept. There's almost always more.

The Tech

Listing — The online posting of the sale, usually with photos and details.

The Map — The map view of all sales in your area, the way most resellers actually plan their weekend.

Wishlist Alert — A notification when items matching your saved keywords appear at any nearby sale.

Route Planner — A tool that orders your stops geographically so you're not zigzagging across town.

Ai Photo Appraiser — Tools that identify items and provide market price ranges from a single photo.

What to Do With This Glossary

Bookmark it. Reference it when something at a sale confuses you. Send it to a friend who's just starting.

The fastest way to feel comfortable at estate sales is to understand the vocabulary. Once these 40 terms are familiar, you'll stop feeling like a tourist and start feeling like a regular.

Keep going: read the full Buyer's Guide for the rest of the system, or browse this weekend's sales near you and put your new vocabulary to work.