Don’t throw anything away yet. Not the junk drawer, not the garage shelves, not the box of old Christmas stuff in the attic. Until we’ve walked through the house, almost everything has a chance of selling. We have a saying around here: trash can’t be sold, but junk can. The hard part is that most families can’t tell which is which. Honestly, that’s our job.
Why shouldn’t you throw things away before an estate sale?
Because the stuff that looks worthless is often what buyers line up for. We ask every family not to start tossing things until we’ve evaluated the estate, since a box that sat unnoticed in a basement for years may have a market you never knew existed.
Things To Keep Before Estate Sale
We get why people do it. You walk into Mom’s house, it’s packed, and the instinct is to grab trash bags and start clearing. We understand. But every bag that goes to the curb before we see it is money you can’t get back.
You also don’t need to clean out, organize closets, or price anything before you call. Staging and pricing are part of what we do. Our What’s Included page walks through it.
Which everyday items have resale value at an estate sale?
Kitchenware, tools, jewelry, artwork, vintage clothing, books and plenty of things people call clutter. Everyday household items sell at estate sales, not just antiques. Buyers go straight to kitchen drawers, closets and garage shelves.
Here’s what we look at first:
| Item | What to look for |
| Silverware and serving pieces | A “Sterling” or “925” stamp |
| Jewelry | Karat stamps like 10K or 14K |
| Kitchenware | Full sets, everyday pieces in good shape |
| Tools | Hand and power tools from the garage or basement |
| Vintage clothing | Older pieces and labels |
| Books | Shelves and boxes nobody’s opened in years |
| Artwork and collectibles | Anything framed, signed or displayed |
Will all of it make you rich? No. A lot of it goes for a couple of bucks. But a couple of bucks, times a whole house full of stuff… it adds up. And every so often the dusty box everybody ignored ends up being the best thing in the sale.
How can you spot value in everyday items?
Look for marks. Stamps, signatures, labels and maker’s names tell you more than how something looks. A “Sterling” or “925” stamp on silver is a good sign, because federal rules say a piece marked sterling has to be at least 92.5% pure silver.
That’s the Federal Trade Commission’s jewelry guides talking, by the way, not us. Same guides cover “coin silver” (at least 90% silver) and karat-marked gold like “14K.” So you flip over a fork. You see the stamp. Set it aside. It does not go in the donation pile.
Then comes pricing, which is really where 43 years of combined experience in antiques and collectibles pays off. We go by what buyers are paying right now. Not what it cost new. Not what Grandpa swore it was worth.
What should you set aside before the sale instead of selling?
Paperwork, family photos and anything the family wants to keep. Pull these out first, before a single item gets moved or priced.
Start with the paperwork. Wills, deeds, car titles, bank statements, old tax returns, all of it, because whoever’s handling the estate is going to need it. The IRS says records tied to property should be kept until the period of limitations runs out for the year the property is sold. Translation: that dusty file box of closing papers stays.
Photos and scrapbooks? Different story. Priceless to you. To a buyer walking through on a Saturday morning, not so much. Take them home.
After that, let the relatives pick what they want and get it tagged or out of the house before we start staging. Spread out across the country? We cover that in How to Handle an Estate Sale When Family Members Live Out of State.
What can you actually throw away?
Real trash. Spoiled food, broken items nobody could use, piles of junk mail. Old paint, cleaners, pesticides and motor oil shouldn’t go in the trash or the sale, though. They go to the county’s hazardous waste facility.
Around here, that means the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 3255 Akers Drive in Colorado Springs. Free if you live in El Paso or Teller County (bring proof). The county’s 2026 hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 AM to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 PM. No appointment unless you’ve got more than 50 items, which, after cleaning out a garage, you might.
Anything else? Leave it. Once the sale wraps up, we help sort out whatever’s left, whether that’s a cleanout, a donation run or a trip to the dump. The full timeline is in How an Estate Sale Works in Colorado Springs: Timeline From First Call to Final Cleanout.
Frequently asked questions
Should I clean out the house before calling an estate sale company?
Please don’t. Organizing, staging and pricing is our part, and the earlier we get in there, the less ends up in a dumpster by mistake.
What happens to items that don’t sell?
We help line up a cleanout, donation or disposal. You’re not stuck hauling it out yourself.
Should I donate clothes before the sale?
Hold off. Older pieces can be worth real money, and a consignment shop may pay you more than a donation bin ever will.
Can we still live in the house during the process?
Sometimes, yes. We explain how that works in Can You Hold an Estate Sale While the Home Is Still Occupied?
Staring at a full house and not sure where to start? Don’t start. Call us first. Mike and Stacy Fischer’s family has been doing this in Colorado Springs since 1995, and we’d much rather see that box before the trash truck does. Reach us at 800-906-8450 or through Sell With Us.
