Half of being good at estate sales is showing up at the right place at the right time. The other half is showing up prepared. The list below is the consensus kit of every collector and reseller who's been doing this for more than a couple of years.
In the car
Heavy-duty moving blankets (two minimum), a cargo strap or two ratchet straps, a small dolly that folds flat, an empty milk crate or two for ferrying smalls, and a roll of contractor-grade trash bags for awkwardly shaped objects. If you drive a sedan, accept that the back seat is going to be a furniture warehouse and put down a tarp before you start.
In your bag
A 25-foot tape measure (the small ones run out at the worst possible moment), a 10x jeweler's loupe, a small black-light flashlight (cheap on Amazon, indispensable for spotting old vs. new repairs on porcelain and glass), a small magnet on a string for testing silver vs. silver-plate, painters' tape and a Sharpie for tagging items you've claimed, and a soft cloth for wiping dust off potential purchases. Cash in small bills — at least $200 — for the inevitable "is twenty okay?" moments.
On your phone
WorthPoint or eBay sold-listings access for quick comp checks. A note app open to your "wishlist" — the categories, makers, and patterns you actively collect, so you don't talk yourself into something you won't love next week. Photos of any open spaces in your home (the wall behind the couch, the empty corner in the dining room) so you don't bring home a piece that won't fit.
Before you walk in
Read the listing carefully. Categories matter — a sale tagged "fine furniture, sterling, oriental rugs" is going to be priced and attended differently from one tagged "garage, tools, kitchenware." Look at the published preview photos closely; if a photo shows a corner of something interesting, that's the liquidator telling you to come early. Note the address relative to the parking situation; some estate sales are in tight neighborhoods where the only legal parking is three blocks away.
Once inside
Move fast through every room first, before you commit to anything. The temptation to start examining the first interesting piece you see is the single most expensive habit a beginner can have — by the time you finish your slow examination of the writing desk, the Eames chair in the next room is already in someone's truck. Walk every room, mentally tag what you want in priority order, then circle back and start tagging in earnest.
The negotiation
On day one, prices are usually firm. On day two, polite offers of 10–15% off are usually accepted. On day three, the standard discount is 50% off marked, and the liquidator is genuinely happy to make a deal — it's better for them to sell at half-price than to coordinate donation pickup. If you're buying a furniture piece and a few smalls, bundle the whole stack and ask for a number; it almost always saves more than negotiating piece by piece.