Why online marketplaces have not killed the estate sale
Is it easier to get people to buy old junk in person?
In a house on a cul-de-sac in Arlington Heights, a nondescript suburb of modest 1950s homes north-west of Chicago, Deborah Fossett is counting hundred-dollar bills. Holding each one up to the light, she examines nine in total. Satisfied, she writes out a receipt, and hands it to the customer, who picks up his purchase—an antique set of silver Tiffany cutlery. Similar sets online sell for thousands of dollars, she tells him. But this one is missing several pieces, and in any case, everything in the house must go, and it is past two o’clock, so $900 is enough. He eyes his bargain again and quickly leaves.
Explore more
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Good stuff”
United States May 11th 2024
- America’s federal district courts may soon be harder to manipulate
- Plenty of circumstantial evidence at Donald Trump’s trial
- American pupils have missed too much school since the pandemic
- How Kristi Noem missed her shot to be vice-president
- Why online marketplaces have not killed the estate sale
- Will unions sweep the American South?
- Why the Republicans will convene in a forge of American socialism
Discover more
Does Donald Trump have unlimited authority to impose tariffs?
Yes, but other factors could hold him back
As Jack Smith exits, Donald Trump’s allies hint at retribution
The president-elect hopes to hand the justice department to loyalists
Democratic states are preparing for Donald Trump’s return
But Mr Trump will be more prepared, too
Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard are coming for the spooks
The president-elect’s intelligence picks suggest a radical agenda
Checks and Balance newsletter: Trump is embracing a shift in Republican priorities
Will he follow through on his policy commitments?
Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration as America’s attorney-general
Will the Senate be brave enough to block Donald Trump’s other outlandish nominees?