KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bill Christie of Mockingbird Estate Sales and Auctions in Kansas City, Missouri, put it plainly: “We all have stuff.”
The company he works helps families answer the question of what to do with all that stuff.
Whether you inherit items from a family member who’s passed away, or moved to a smaller home, or from a business that’s closed, you have options.
Christie says garage sales are a quick way to unload items. He recommends estate sales for household items.
If someone doesn’t want to open their home to a sale, Christie suggests an online auction. He says rare, collectible and high value items should be sold at an online auction.
Mockingbird Estate Sales and Auctions has worked in the field around Kansas City since 1994. He says most agencies work on consignment deals.
He said don’t be afraid to negotiate your consignment percentage with an agency.
Christie also suggests preparing for a sale while your relative is still alive so they can help you describe certain pieces and find related documents.
Staff at Mockingbird can assist research and clean items prior to a sale.
“That’s what magical to us, when we discover all these wonderful things and it comes together in a beautiful situation that we’re very proud to represent both the profession and the family,” Christie said.
Mockingbird is currently hosting an online auction full of Belleek pottery and Waterford crystal the Quinn family collected after numerous trips to Ireland, among other items.
The auction runs through Sunday, August 28. Christie said the appeal of an online auction is that people from all over the world can bid on items.
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