Keepsakes Packrats Inc

We used Keepsake Packrat's to hold an estate sale for my mom's property in Oct My mom had a 2,500sqft house FULL of stuff and a 1,000sqft detached garage workshop and large shed FULL of stuff dating back to the 1800'sThe property had been in my family for around yearsThere was A LOT of stuffMy mom needed to downsize and retire due to her health and we needed help to do it as quickly as possible We ultimately chose this company over all the others because Keepsakes was willing to hold an actual sale and not online auctions, and because they would get it done the quickest, or so we thought at the time
Our first contact with the company was in June and from then until they finally started, we were in a constant state of limbo and my mom had to change her moving date times because the owner kept giving us different datesEvery time we talked to Keepsakes over that summer they pushed things backAt first it was: we're booked until end of July, we'll call you in AugustIn August it was: we're booked until September now, won't be until OctoberWe were very nervous if it would even happen or if this lady was stringing us along until one day, after many back and forth phone calls about a contract, she called wanting to come tour the property again and get a contract signedApparently they had a cancellation and now we needed to rush and change my mom's moving date AGAIN as they could start Sept 19thEven though the owner had been adamant that my mom needed to be moved out before they could start, all of a sudden it was okay that she was there for Keepsake's first week on the property because they could start in the back garage workshop(We had a day notice they wanted to start (contract was signed 9/and they came in to start on 9/19) and the earliest we could move my mom was the next weekend days after the contract was finally signed) We went from being in limbo to rushing to change moving dates again to be out for Keepsakes, a big red flag, yes, but my mom signed the contract because she just wanted to be out and settled into her new place and be done with it finally
More BIG red flags the next week happenedThey came in and started with guys for the first few days, I went out and checked their progress every night and took picturesWhile I was surprised by how cheap the prices on things were, I figured they know their clientele better than me and told myself they do call themselves "estate liquidators"But on the 4th day a bunch of people came including the owner finallyIt seemed like everyone that came that day took something with themThey hauled out box after box of stuff to different vehiclesKeepsake's owner even left with a packed truck including my dad's vintage red metal tool box that sat on her tailgate all dayThat night when I went out to look I was flabbergasted by the stuff missingTons of tools and vintage toys, the random boxes of unpriced stuff I had been confused by the nights beforewere gone All stuff that could have been sold, now it was goneAlthough we were very upset and nervous as to what was happening, we remembered her saying her employees get first pick and figured that would be her answerWe decided not to say anything to her as we had read reviews about how vindictive she could be, threatening to sue, etcI had also done some research to find that the estate sale industry was largely unregulated and there was nothing we could really do about it anywayWe had already signed her contract
During the next two weeks we were given the date of Oct 14th-16th for the sale, with the explanation that it was taking so long because there was so much stuff(Again, they started on Sept 19th) As we were getting nervous about how much we would owe them for their set up fees Keepsake's answer was always that we'll be fineWe had an issue with some Native American art we left behind with our own prices, which the owner had previously agreed to sell at our pricesThe owner's issue was that our prices were too high and she tried to pressure my mom to sell of the items for way lower than we had them priced at, and lied as well about what we had them priced atWe finally went down the weekend before the sale to take these items back at the advice of a couple Native art galleries we had been dealing withWe left Keepsakes a few things to appease the owner, as she was almost threatening with me about how she had already advertised the Native art and we would make her look bad if we didn't leave anything
While we were there to retrieve my mom's Native art we were surprised as to why they weren't holding the sale that weekendEverything was set up and pricedI wandered through the house and back garage honestly happy the way things were set up and displayedBut I also noticed everything that was missingSo much more stuff was missingMy dad's old Lionel train set (which had been perfectly intact with all the bells and whistles) was missing all of the rarest parts and what was left was priced to piece outMost of the rest of the toys from the 40's were goneMore tools were goneKitchen stuff and household stuff was goneSome of the native art was also goneThere was stained glass missing (There was a ton of stained glass as my parents had at one time owned a stained glass company) The downstairs entry door knob was broken and not working which really made my mom mad that Keepsakes had not called her to tell her about an entrance door knob not workingMy mom's office furniture was outside on the front porchThere was furniture in the house that was not my mom's that they had brought in to sell When we called the owner to question her about things the answers were rude, short and she put the blame on usAnswers like, I told you we may bring in other items to fill the house(She didn't) The door knob was already broken when they got there(It wasn't; the door jamb had issues, but the knob was not broken) My mom called the next week to find out about when they would be advertising the sale, what were the hours on the sale days and asked that they do an inventory of the sales(Something that was in the contract stating they would do for a fee) She was met with yet another rude response from Keepsake's and was given the sale hours and informed by Keepsake's owner that they were having a "preview" on Thursday for "the nosy neighbors", and that there was too much stuff to invoice every sale but that they would write down any sale over $
I went to the sale all days even though they don't want the owners at the salesI was actually fine because Keepsake's owner didn't even recognize me at allOn the first day I made my presence known as I went to the owner's register to pay for some of our own itemsI was mostly curious as to whether she would take my money, but she didOther times during the sales days I stood and watched her and her employees in the back garage sell things over $and not write the sales down which she said they wouldOne customer asked Keepsake's owner about my mom, commenting on how creative my mom was with all the stained glass and books, etcKeepsakes owner talked like my mom was deadAnd when asked if my mom had and kids the owner said yes, she had daughtersThey are in their 50's, late 40's or early 50'sSERIOUSLY? My mom is not dead and Keepsake's owner knew I was an only child and I'm 39! What an insult! Right in front of me, not even recognizing me too! Just astonishing the gall this woman has!
On the last day I was there to retrieve the rest of the Native art and the stained glass that was left at the end of the saleI walked through taking note of the stained glass that was left and then showed my husband what I wanted him to pack up and started packing up the Native stuff myselfThe employee downstairs disappeared from the room I was in which I didn't think much of until I went to pack up the stained glass in another room It was already packed up for me and some of it was gone There were bigger collages just a half hour before and now there was only among other smaller pieces missingThey must think I'm an itJust infuriating and slimy! Stealing out from under my nose
In the end the house was cleared out by the Wednesday after the saleThe new owner of the house (my mom was under contract and the house sold the week after the estate sale) came by on Tuesday to start moving his stuff into the house because Keepsakes had said they would be out by TuesdayHe found an employee in the back garage with the antique table and chairs saying they were waiting for someone to come pick it up for auctionAuction? Taking stuff to auction NEVER came upWe had talked with the owner of Keepsakes about where to donate leftover items to after the sale and she NEVER mentioned an auction onceAnother big red flag
We finally got our check from Keepsake's on November 2ndIt was a packet full of donation invoices, mostly with Keepsake's info on them and not my mom's and one from *** which we had been adamant about NOT usingHer invoice was handwritten and rudimentaryThe math on it didn't even add up correctlyThere was also no inventory or invoices for sales over $100, which the owner said she would documentThere were no receipts or proof of the total amount, I guess we are supposed to take her for her word on it? The owner wrote a note on the invoice saying we would expect another check from the auction once she received the proceedsMy mom was done with Keepsake's owner and insisted I call herKeepsake's owner told me they didn't donate anything to ***, and I asked why she sent a *** receipt then and she blamed her employees for it because she never uses ***She said that she had told us about the auction, (she hadn't) and when I mentioned an inventory or invoices for sales over $and questioned her again about everything that was missing before the sale she said she had the invoices for $sales but forgot to include them and would send them with the auction check and rudely told me that her employees took stuff before the sale and it would all be in the inventory/invoices
We got the check for the auction on Novemeber 18thIt was for $On a scrap piece of paper was written what was sent to auction, which was mostly furniture and six items totalNo mention of the antique table and chairs that had been what her employee had said was waiting for auctionThere was also no receipts or anything from the auction house proving what was sold or for how muchI guess once again, we just take Keepsakes word for it that they only made $minus their fees to give us a $check? Not even worth the effort if that's all they made and it should have ALL gone to charity like we were told it wouldHer invoices/inventory for sales over $was another piece of ripped scrap paper and it had four items listed on itthings!?!?! I watched them make sales over $They had sold signs on antique furniture that was priced over $that didn't end up on her "inventory" or auction listJust the unorganized and unmitigated audacity of this woman is amazingThere was also a note explaining they donated soft cover books to *** as no one else would take themUm, the library, *** and *** ALL took the softcover books that we had previously donated!?!
To make a long story short, steer clear of this company if you need an estate saleThe owner of Keepsakes is shady and a cheatWe have no proof of what she sold or how much money she actually made versus what she paid usThey loot the place of the more valuable items before the sale even happens The more questions you ask the ruder Keepsake's getsShe lies to your face, isn't even truthful to her clients about the person whose stuff she is sellingShe doesn't do what she says she willUnfortunately the estate sale industry is largely unregulated and as a seller contracting with a company, you have no rights or channels for wrong doing to report toI doubt her employees paid cent for anything that was takenIf they did, I wouldn't be surprised if it was under the table to make up for wagesI also wouldn't doubt that many of her "employee's/helpers" are paid under the table, as more people were involved in that sale than what her company has listed for an employee count
Our entire process with this woman and her company was stressful, infuriating and not fruitful enough to have made it worth itI understand she has a big following of happy buying clienteleWhy wouldn't she? She sells things at rock bottom, pennies on the dollar pricingIf I was in that market I'd probably be a happy buyer as wellLike many other selling clients have said in reviews online however, my mom and I could have had a few weekends of garage sales and made more $ with less hassle and no one outright stealing from us like Keepsakes didThere is no way this company deserves an A+ Revdex.com ratingIf there is anything we CAN do, it is to let Revdex.com and other people know what they are getting into with this company and woman if you are in the market to have an estate sale
The ONLY PRO's I would give this company is that they do a great job of setting up their sales and everything is priced and displayed nicely The staff does a great job of managing the numerous people during the sales as wellKeepsake's has a great following of buyers and I can honestly understand that and I understand why I just wonder if any of them knows how she treats the sellers
-An angry mother and daughter

I have just had a very positive experience with owner *** of Keepsakes & Packrats
An estate sale was carried out and the whole house emptied that is something hard to do with a loved ones house as it is hard to let things go Many people have told me that they really liked going to her sales and the turnout was quite impressive from her following With all the work of setting up the event in a professional manner and the conduction of the sale, I was impressed with the net return on proceeds from the sale Also, the house was completely emptied when all was said and done Also, items of personal nature that were missed by the family, were boxed up and kept from being in the sale and returned

I have known of Keepsakes for many years as a customerRecently, I know families who have selected them to sell their family estatesEveryone was more than pleased with the results of every phase of what can be a difficult time and situationKeepsakes is a good group of folks, and the owner, Jo is a good, kind and honest personWould recommend them without hesitation

Jo and her crew did a super job in merchandising all our household goods that we left behind when we moved and got us top dollar!

This company was a perfect fit for our needs. My elderly mother was moving into an apartment and needed to empty her 5 bedroom home filled with saved "stuff". [redacted] and her staff took care of everything. Not only was my mother pleased with the financial results of the sale, but my family was saved the hassle of clearing out the house.

The Keepsakes Packrats did a wonderful job running my Aunt's estate sale. In spite of weather conditions, the sale went beautifully. Very organized, clean and professional. Will recommend them to everyone!

My wife and I have been attending Keepsake Packrats estate sales for many years, and consider them to be the "Premier" weekend activity to fill our retirement years. The owner and her staff are always friendly, courteous and knowledgable and they strive to make the shopping experience enjoyable. The items for sale are clean, organized and the prices well marked; as a bonus, most remaining items are discounted 50% on the last day of the sale. We hope to do business with Jo and her staff for many more years, and always encourage our friends who are ready to locate or down-size to use this excellent company.

** was very precise in how she handles estate sales, very easy to understand. She reassured us that the estate sale would be handled with compassion and respect for the person we lost. Her staff.... I absolutely cannot say words good enough to describe our experience. FABULOUS STAFF. They set up for the sale in amazing and quick fashion. Everything very professional. The sale days were done in a very friendly and professional manner. The results of the sale were far and above what we could ever imagine. The remaining items were taken to the agreed up places. The house, as promised, would be left empty. This was done in two days after the sale. ** and staff exceeded our expectations in such a compassionate and professional manner. BEST EXPERIENCE !!! Thank you ** and staff. [redacted] and [redacted]