FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q. What is an Estate Sale?
A. An Estate Sale is the liquidation of personal possessions due to death or move into a retirement community or with a relative. Today, most estate sale companies not only handle estate sales but moving and downsizing sales.

Q. What exactly does Bogard's do?
A. Bogard's is a professional estate sale management company. We manage Estate, Moving and Downsizing sales. We handle all aspects of the sale from start to finish. Our flexibility allows us to do small and large sales!

Q. What sets you apart from other estate sale providers?
A. We have over 20 combined years of antiques and personal property appraising along with retail and professional marketing expertise. We offer FLEXIBLE sale plans to meet any needs you might have. We have an abundance of energy and understand that we are working for YOU to get the highest possible dollar for your merchandise! We also are Certified Personal Property Appraisers certified by the Certified Appraisers Guild of America.

Q. How much do you charge to conduct a sale?
A. We charge a percentage of the gross proceeds from the sale. This percentage is based on the quality and quantity of the merchandise that needs to be sold and is different with each sale. There are no out-of-pocket expenses for you--we deduct our fee from the sale proceeds. With us, you will know all fees up front. We will be happy to provide you with a free estimate and discuss our process in detail.

Q. Do you only do sales in St. Louis? Are you a local company? Licensed? Insured? Bonded? References?
A. We can provide services for the entire St. Louis metro area including surrounding cities. We are a local St. Louis company (not a national chain so we understand the St. Louis area market). We are licensed, bonded AND insured for your protection. We also can provide you with a reference list.

Q. What days do you conduct the sale?
A. We normally conduct the sales on Fri/Sat/Sun. All items are discounted by half price on the last day of the sale. We can do either a 2 day or 3 day sale.  

Q. Can you guarantee a certain amount that a sale will generate or give us an idea before the sale?
A. With any type of estate liquidation, it's really impossible to determine beforehand what a sale will generate and we cannot give any guarantees on sale totals. What we can guarantee is that we will work extremely hard to make sure the sale is successful and that we get as much as possible for your items!

Q. What do you do with the things that don't sell?
A. You can choose to keep all the items yourself or let us dispose of what is left. We normally donate the left over items to various charities in the area, or if there is a good deal of cleanup after the sale, we will trade what's left to offset the cleanout services fees (if applicable) to help keep any of those costs to a minium. The goal is to sell as much as possible without having anything left over.

Q. Can I be present when you conduct my sale?
A. Yes, of course! Sometimes it is difficult for people to see their belongings sell, so it's really an individual choice if you would want to attend your sale.

Q. If I'm needing a moving or downsizing sale, can I be living in the residence during setup and during the sale?
A. No. Unfortunately, setting up and conducting an estate sale is a very disruptive process, so we would not agree to take on a sale where someone was still residing in the residence.

Q. What if my things aren't all antiques? Do you sell all kinds of personal property including appliances?
A. Yes, we sell all type of household items from antiques to tools to appliances and everything in between! We can sell partial estates also! We sell everthing AS IS and do not accept refunds.

Q. Do you provide us with a written contract
A. Yes, we have a complete and thorough contract that we will go through with you before we start the sale process. We want to make sure that your needs are 100% met and that everyone understands what services we will be providing to you and your family. We will also provide you with a sale summary at the conclusion of the sale.

Q. Do you buyout estates or do you buy items yourself for resale
A. No, we do not buyout estates and we do not buy items for ourselves. Our goal is to SELL your items (not buy). Our employees are free to purchase items during the sale if they wish but they pay the same price as everyone else.

Q. How far in advance do I need to contact you in order to conduct my sale?
A. Normally, it takes about 2-3 weeks to set up a sale depending on the quantity of items and how much set-up is involved. We can do a faster turnaround if necessary. We are flexible and can work with most any timeframe.

Q. Do I price my items and set everything up?
A. No, Bogard's will price your items based on local market value. We handle all the set-up, clean-up and display of all merchandise.

Q. Do you take credit cards during the sale?
A. YES! We know that most people do not carry cash in today's world! Accepting credit cards can increase sale volume by 30%. And, since we use the latest in mobile credit card processing technology, no home phone line is needed in order for us to accept credit cards. We do not charge our customers or clients any credit card processing fees either!