Brown Tag Estate Sales

The Brown Tag team are just great. I am an estate sale "digger" and I found all kinds of cool stuff at a recent sale in North Seattle. You'll sometimes see a sour review here--but for the rare customer who got their signals crossed, you'll see hundreds of happy fans who just keep on coming back. I got all my stuff gathered up into a box and Jen and Barb gave me a screamin' deal. It's always a good time with Brown Tag Estate Sales.

From our first contact with Brown Tag Estate Sales and all throughout the project, we were impressed. We had been clearing a 30-year accumulation in a "hoarder house" and had been working at it for over a year. We called to get advice about what to do with the massive amount of usable items that remained, and Jan arrived the very next day, walked through the house, and told us the best course of action was to have an estate sale. We communicated for a couple of days. Because our schedule was chaotic at the time, Jan met with us in various places. She explained the process and what we could expect. We signed a contract with Brown Tag, and then there was nothing more we needed to do. Nothing!
Jan and Jeanne traveled from North Seattle to the Renton Highlands everyday for two weeks sorting, cleaning, and organizing everything. They brought in display tables and staged the house. They researched many of the  items and we were surprised at the value of much of it. They advertised, posted on Facebook, and sent information out to hundreds of their "followers" for a 2-1/2 day sale and the response was incredible. They charged a percentage of the proceeds, settled the account quickly, and provided us with a check within a week of the sale. We were pleasantly surprised that the check far exceeded what any of us had estimated; and it would have been significantly more if we had contacted them the year before when we first started the project. Over the course of that year had held yard sales, sold some jewelry, and donated many, many things to make space enough to allow people to move around in the home. When we first met Jan she stressed that we should keep everything and let them determine whether it was suitable for sale or not.
We stayed away from the sale but met with Jan and Jeanne when it was over. We couldn't believe how "bare" the house was. This was a difficult sale. There were some unique, heavy pieces of furniture and cabinetry that we would not have been able to sell. Jan researched the area and found buyers for these items. The results of the sale far exceeded our expectations due completely to their experience, contacts, integrity, and energy.
What could have been a total disaster turned out to be one of our best memories of "things that went well." I can't say enough about them. Anyone considering an estate sale would be well served to hang on to everything, contact Brown Tag Estate Sales, let them determine what will sell and at what price, and then relax. Signing the contract with them will be the last thing clients need to do.
The week after the estate sale, we were able to sell the house to a developer who intended to rehab it and resell it. That work has been completed, it looks great, and the neighborhood is pleased with the change. Again, what could have been a stressful time wasn't.

I have never been treated so rudely at any sales or retail establishment, and that includes Black Friday! I thought I overheard Jan telling a customer that they charge tax on coins. I asked her if this was correct, knowing that it is illegal to tax coins in the state of Washigton [web link removed]. She got right in my face and proceeded to scream at me, telling me that only licensed dealers were exempt from that tax (which is inaccurate). I was so blown away by how rude she had been toward me I went back to her a few minutes later and asked her name, and let her know I was offended by how I had been treated. I though maybe she was just stressed and overwhelmed and would apologize for treating me so horribly, but instead she replied just as rudely, "well you don't have to shop at our sales the. And you're wrong." What ever happened to treating paying customers with a little courtesy and respect? Needless to say, I will not be going to one of their sales again and strongly encourage anyone who expects decent courtesy to avoid them as well.

Update 9/23/15:
Wow, how incredibly sad that this company feels the need to respond to my review with a lie in an attempt to save face. The whole point of Angie's list is to give honest reviews so that someone who is considering doing business with that company can do their homework first. That is exactly what I did. I thought it was only fair to others to share my personal experience so that anyone considering doing business with them has a heads up. I am not saying she always treats her customers with such blatant disrespect, but she did treat me that way and I have the right to share that. She was right about one thing--I was not technically a customer because I DID put my items back and refused to buy from a company who would treat their customers so poorly. In fact I very clearly told the lady working the cash box that I would not be purchasing what was being held there and that she could put the items back. I did this as a courtesy (despite the lack of courtesy and respect they showed me) so that if someone else wanted the item they could purchase it and it would not sit on hold on day for nothing. And it was in fact Jan who made a scene in front of her customers, by yelling at me in front of them when I simply asked her why they would charge tax on coins (since again it IS illegal in WA- they won't allow links on here but it's very easy information to find). They can say what they like though, the other customers who were near Jan and I when this happened know the truth.

Jan and Jeanne of Brown Tag Sales are AWESOME!  They know their stuff! We HIGHLY recommend them!! They helped us with my father-in-law?s 3 floor Seattle house full of 60 years-worth of family treasures. We got to know them as we went through an accumulation of family papers and memorabilia and they sorted and organized items for the estate sale. It was an emotionally tough week for us, but their cheerful good humor and down to earth friendliness were a great relief as we all worked in close proximity. We enjoyed them tremendously. They are very professional, knowledgeable, personable, organized and just plain HARD workers! They know their business!! Jan, Jeanne and Paul were very thorough, looking into every nook and cranny (of which there were many) and found, organized, priced, advertised and displayed our family treasures (of all kinds) to the best effect for a very successful estate sale over three days that far exceeded our expectations and hopes!

 

We can?t say enough about Brown Tag Estate Sales' professionalism and hard work and can?t recommend them highly enough!! They earned every penny! We could NEVER have organized an estate sale like they did!! They took the pressure off us and we made $$$ in the deal to boot!

 

Thank you so very much Jan, Jeanne, Paul and Angie?s List!!

My wife and I were presented with a short time frame opportunity that required us to move to Central America. We needed to sell our house and our accumulation of "stuff" from 35 years in the house.
Jan and Jeanne just took care of it all. Everything. It was painless and we walked away with over $5,000 in cash from our stuff, and we really had no real collectables or valuable jewelry (or at least we thought).
First Jan did a walk through and told us the process and what we needed to do, which was basically move out 2 weeks before the sale, and answer a few questions.
Over 2 weeks they inventoried and set up the house for the sale. In the process they uncovered value we had no idea existed. Then for 3 days with lots of advertising and MANY people going through and buying stuff they used their process to maximize what we got out of our stuff. My wife had already left the country and I mostly stayed away that weekend.
One week after the sale we got our check. I cannot imagine how it could have gone better.
I have recommended them to our friends and recommend them to anyone who needs to empty a house of personal items and get the best price.

Great. Came to the house, assessed the items and told me how to sell them for the most money, purchased some items, and left her card for further questions.

Excellent sale,  many people even though we had typical rainy weather.
Do
Put down paper or carpets to protect your floors or provide
Do, keep toilet paper, soap,  and paper towels on hand
Do make items that are not for sale or remove them from the house... everything goes.

The decedent had lived in the house since 1971 and had accumulated lots of things. I just could not believe how incredibly organized and hardworking the two agents were! They found all the treasures and made sure they were appropriately priced. Everything was displayed to its advantage, even things I would never have thought could be sold. I appreciated what they meant that "anything might sell" when I saw one Dad with two small children buying all the partially used cleaning supplies at a very good price!
I had definitely felt overwhelmed in dealing with the contents of the house. They told me to relax and let them handle it, so I did, and so they did. And what a shock was the large amount on that check they handed me!
I talked with several estate sale people before settling on this company. I had many reasons for selecting them (price, experience, competence, and professionalism) but I want to emphasize a couple of others - their ethics and service. I really appreciated that they did not attempt to "set aside" any items for themselves, friends, or cohorts. I knew that every item in that house was safe in their hands and that those who came to the sale would all have an equal chance to buy anything there.
I was also impressed that they had recently done a sale at a local senior center, giving the seniors a place to sell some of their things themselves and letting the center do a bit of fundraising. Likewise, when they cleaned up for me, they boxed items so they could be donated to charity. I know my neighbor would have been so pleased that unsold items would go to help others.
One final compliment: from start to finish both women kept calm, cheerful, and upbeat. It was a pleasure doing business with them.