They are the best excellent qualities. I love Guy and Monica the whole crew. They are considered family. Great prices as well.

Quality First Estate Sale has always been a joy for me! It has been my guilty pleasure as a hunter for unique items. Monica and Guy never disappoint with their sales. read more

Thomas did a very nice job setting up the estate sale for my friend who was selling his condo. A lot of foot traffic was generated.

In my opinion, this company is amateurish, disorganized, and operate First in its own self-interest. They seemingly pick through estates before sales to stock their own storefront on 14th & Noe. I stood in line, waited outside, wasted way too much time picking through the disorganized mess, and then got charged practically retail at the register. Pricing is always way too high and based on nothing other than whim. Don't waste your time. read more

QFES is my favorite estate sale company and I have bought everything from china to rugs and clothing from them over the years. I love to see the well organized houses and appreciate that prices don't rollercoaster day by day, creating "game the system" ruthless behaviors. I also appreciated an honest assessment of our own estate sale potential. Knowledge of current customer expectations helped make difficult choices. read more

Fantastic people and prices. Always a great deal. They sell quality things and have many repeat customers.

The operation staff are very cold ! Not friendly at all . Treasure hunting is supposed to be a fun experience! read more

We showed the owners what NOT to sell, and they sold the consignment anyway . Not to be trusted. Although they for tried to lessen their percentage, these items could not be replaced. Do not trust anything they say. Hold the sale yourself or with trusted friends. read more

Guy showed up at our parents house and agreed to do the estate sale. We signed and faxed the contract. Everything was set to go and then radio silence - he just disappeared. he left us in lurch. weeks later he called back and then slinked off again never to be heard of. If you don't have at least $12K in tangible items to sell he will probably dump you too. Low points for personal integrity, business communication, and reliabiltty. eeek. me thinks not. read more

I had an estate that needed to be cleared out on short notice, and was referred to Quality First by another company who did not have availability. He agreed to meet, but when I showed up at the house, he never came. I wasted four hours of driving time and two hours of waiting. He never responded to my multiple attempts to contact. I had to scramble to find another liquidator. read more

I am ONLY giving Quality First one star because Yelp won't post a review with NO Stars!! After reading several reviews and seeing their Estate Sales around town, I called Guy to come over and view my garage which I organized and was chock full of items, mostly new. He arrived promptly and said he would get back to me "in a couple of days" to see if he was interested in purchasing any or all of my items. I knew he didn't want to have a sale in my basement as the venue was too small and they usually do their sales in a home atmosphere. After four days passed and I didn't hear anything, I called and left a message on the answering system explaining all I wanted was a call back with a "Yay or Ney". I never got the courtesy of a response. My family has been in business for over 70 years as an upscale retailer who prides themselves with stellar CUSTOMER SERVICE. While I have no problem with the fact that Guy was obviously not interested in dealing with my items, I DO have a problem with the way he goes about it. As part of the baby boomer generation, I have alot of friends who have lost either parents or loved ones and need a venue to dispose of their items, some antiques. Based on the treatment (basically being ignored), I would NEVER recommend Quality First, no matter how they may be when having a sale. read more

I am still wondering about what happened to one of my mom's items that was valued at $17K. It never even hit the sale floor. But as they kept no receipts, I will never know. I did witness a backroom cash deal of some of the belongings that I was never compensated for. I regret the day I decided to do business with this company. Just awful. read more

These people are the dinosaurs of estate sales. We went to one of their sales and were very disappointed. The estate was NOT the disappointment. Quality First was. Pricing was amateurish. Fragile antique frames had ordinary masking tape slapped across the corner with the prices sharpied on.When we asked for pricing on some items the first person gave us prices for a number of items and then ran into one she didn't know. Fair enough. Only the person she directed us too began from scratch, instead of just looking at the item in question. When she doubled the price on one item that we already had a price for she pretty much dismissed it, and then was annoyed my husband objected. Only after spending considerable time looking and collecting up the items we wanted did we discover that they DO NOT TAKE CREDIT CARDS. I particularly object to the stealth nature of the policy. They do not reveal the cash only policy on the Craigslist post, or on the street signs they post, or at the door when you enter. They (wisely) wait until you have invested time, energy and attached to an item before you find out. And seemed smugly proud of the fact. "We have NEVER taken credit cards" as if it was some badge of honour. Really?? Welcome to the new millennium. These days I have been to garage sales that take plastic. This lovely home had a $65,000.00 painting on the wall and was filled with significant antiques. I was purchasing enough that a quick stop at the ATM was not going to produce sufficient funds. I was going to have to go in on a Friday afternoon and stand in line. I don't think so... I felt bad for the family that had hired them. It is a cold hard fact that sales such as these make more when credit cards are accepted. Purchases are not limited by what you have in your pocket and shoppers are likely to spend more when a card it an option. Especially when higher end items are in question as was the case at this particular sale. I was pretty annoyed and made my feelings known pretty bluntly. I thought it was funny, in a sad way, when the woman behind the cash only bar said "There's nothing we can do about it." As if their company's policy was beyond their control. As I left I heard a customer who had been waiting to purchase a small item commiserating with her about how "Uncalled for that was." Which is odd. Because I thought it was far more uncalled for that they had wasted my time and annoyed me, along with many others. I was not the only person to bail on their selections and leave when they found out they were in a plastic free timewarp. And I hope when that inappropriate masking tape on the frames comes off, the gilt and finish and fragile plaster doesn't come with it... read more

I wish these people were more friendly and have some sort of personality. You are helping people to sell their stuff they inherited for years. Be nicer! We normally prefer to Sweet Home over this. Sweet Home also nice personable folks. Quality First always show an attitude. Especially the ones at the cashier. Be nice! read more

I met Guy Thomas at an estate sale in the Castro where he was attentively seeing to the needs of passers through. Though I had little money to spend, he was very kind and helpful. I put a deposit on a chandelier, and when I came back he had polished it up for me. Unfortunately, I realized that it was the wrong size for my room. He gave me my deposit back, with no frowns or sighs, just an invitation to come to the show room to see if something would suit me better. Perhaps he was so easy going because he had given me way too good a price... Well, a week later I wandered into the showroom and fell in love with a lamp. It needed rewiring, which he offered to do for me at no additional cost. Eyeing another chandelier, I showed him some photos of my studio which I said I had taken for the consideration of a cheap vintage piano. He pointed out a little mahogany number, also a spinet, in the corner, and said that he would make me an offer I couldn't refuse. Well, I couldn't, especially when he threw in complimentary delivery! The easy-goingness, the attentiveness, the follow up and the warm feeling you get when talking with Guy make this business a place to bring your business. Pay them a visit! read more

It is really sad how the employees at their sales have such disgustingly unfriendly attitudes. They really act like they're above you and are doing you a favor to acknowledge you or help you in any way. Their prices are also the highest of any estate sale company in the Bay Area. And here's the most ridiculous thing they do on a consistent basis. If they have vintage items in the original box ... they take the original box for the item and throw it in a trash pile in the garage!!!! Even "new old stock" vintage items. The perfect condition box from the perfect condition vintage item gets tossed in the trash!!! They are just an all around bad business. Customer service is what fuels a business and they have none! read more

If you are a buyer and willing to dig and do your own research, you are going to be happy. If you are the estate owner, I would be more concerned as their research methods are somewhat questionable (aka ebay). I will give them recognition for proper descriptions in their ads. When they say "modern", they define it and you know what to expect- unlike some companies that that throw the word around if they see an Ikea bookshelf. read more

I've been to several of their sales. I stopped going. I always look at their current listings to see if I might be interested in going, but they always leave only the heavy furniture or the sterling silverware that generally doesn't sell. Then more often than not, they have their own sale on the 14th street warehouse location where I believe that they have already bought up the good stuff and then upsale it to you. These aren't the left over pieces, but rather the cherry pick of all the estates with their own retail markup. And when you do find a good sale, there is a lot of stressful yelling across each other, only cash conversations...and usually a let's get out of here fast feeling. read more

Having been a buyer at the estate sales at qfes, I have learned to trust them for their fair prices and respect for the product and property. I eventually in 2013 needed their services for a death in the family. Guy and Monika were even more kind and sensitive to my needs as the seller. They didn't pressure me to sell things I didn't want to and again gave me a fair and honest price for their service. they took the stress out of my hands to handle. I thank you again for your kind service to me while I was in mourning. That kindness is priceless. read more

My brother and I were absolutely DELIGHTED with Quality First Estate Sales! Our estate sale was a total success--we received significantly more than we had expected or hoped for from the sale. Quality First came highly recommended to us by our real estate agents at Barbagelata Realty. The proprietors of Quality First, Guy and Monica, were very fair and generous with us regarding their commission, and afterwards with a few of the leftover items they purchased from us. Guy went above and beyond the call of duty by taking time to repair an old piano in the basement that sold for $1,500. Their pricing seemed accurate, as there were a couple items we thought would sell for higher that didn't move until the very end, which suggested they weren't under-priced. Their advice regarding the value of books seemed accurate after I double-checked the prices of some books online. Their advice regarding the value of furniture seemed accurate after I consulted with a highly regarded auction house to double-check. Their advice regarding the value of jewelry seemed accurate after we had taken the jewelry to San Francisco Gold Buyer to get a quote from them--in fact, we undoubtedly received more for the jewelry from Quality First because the items were sold RETAIL at the estate sale, rather than to a wholesaler who would offer us a lower wholesale price so they could mark them up to retail price to make a profit. I had carefully inventoried our jewelry. A few days after the sale, Quality First produced a comprehensive sales report itemizing not only the jewelry but many, many other items. I went over this report very carefully, and all their numbers added up correctly, which was extremely reassuring! Guy and Monica were skilled, but also kind, in good humor, and calm throughout. It was a pleasure to work with them and get to know them. They brought coffee, fruit, and bakery items for me in the morning, which was nice for them to do, as I was staying at the house at night for security purposes at to keep an eye on all the property and couldn't leave or make breakfast with everything set up for the estate sale. Guy also went above and beyond the call of duty by mailing me a personal item after the sale that I'd mistakenly left at the house when I left town. By the end, Guy and Monica felt like good friends in addition to good business partners. The Quality First staff was nice and friendly, and also appeared very competent. There were lots of them on-site to keep an eye on things and prevent theft. There was also a quarrel between two customers that their staff resolved very quickly and competently without further escalation. They also kept certain areas of the house off-limits so we could store some things undisturbed by the customers. One of the most MIRACULOUS things Quality First did was totally clear the house out of every last item. We needed to put our house up for sale quickly after the estate sale, and Quality First cleared the house out COMPLETELY of every last remaining item. That alone would have been an overwhelming task for my brother and me. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend Quality First to anyone! read more

Horrible service. The prices are high. Workers seemed stressed out when asking for prices. Put the tags on if you don't want people keep asking you questions. They have a warehouse at 14th st. All of the left overs from previous sales are there and they won't even negotiate to get rid of them. Why do they bring a dog to the sales? If you are allergic to pets don't buy stuff there, you'll just be sneezing and scratching. read more

Truly awful people. I went two days in a row. The first day the old lady complained that the price quoted to me by the owner (their client) was too low to give them a decent cut of the profits. The second day she accused me of trying to walk out with a book that I actually brought in myself. Both items were probably worth $1 a piece..definitely not worth all the antagonistic and unwelcoming paranoia.... I actually decided NOT to splurge on a more expensive item because I was so annoyed that didn't want to give them any more of my money. Why so grumpy? read more

If I could give no stars I would. Every time I attend one of their sales, I'm reminded why I normally avoid them. First off, they are a mess. The only stuff priced is what they must consider the "good" stuff and everything else is still in drawers or in shambles in closets, etc. They don't actually want to put any work into their sales and it shows. It is disgusting and disrespectful to the deceased and their family members that their wedding dress, photos, and other cherished items are being stepped on, ripped, thrown around, etc. It's hard to shop because you have no idea what they're even going to charge for something. So you spend your time digging through the stuff that THEY should have gone through already and then when you're ready to pay, you're shocked at how much they decide charge you. Usually the people working are rude and short with the customers and appear to be completely annoyed to even be there. Today I attended one of their sales and it was a disaster. In the laundry room was boxes of personal greeting cards and family photos that everyone was rifling through. I wanted to purchase a souvenir photo folder and was told at the register that I could not because it was a personal family item. Um, don't you think that should have been addressed BEFORE the sale? Those items should have been removed from the premises rather than just left for people to destroy. When I brought this up they acted as if it didn't even matter. So I can't buy personal stuff, but you're not going to remove the stuff from the sale either? Whatever. This is just one example of the stupid things I deal with when shopping from them. I ran an estate company in the Bay Area for a few years and I have to say that Quality First makes everyone look bad. Most estate companies come in to the home, treat the items with respect, price and display as much as they possibly can, and have great customer service. We always made sure we'd gone through the whole house before the sale to ensure for our clients that nothing was un-turned before the public was allowed to enter. This helped to discourage theft and promote sales, in turn making the most amount of money possible for our clients (which is the whole point right?). With Quality First they have no idea what could be stashed in cupboards and closets because they don't even want to put in the time to look. There is also no supervision whatsoever in most of the rooms, making it very easy for people to steal and no one would ever know. The entire operation is unprofessional and sloppy. I will not be shopping at their sales again. Today was the first I'd been to in quite some time and I will not go back. If you are a person looking for someone to hold an estate sale for your family, do yourself a favor and DO NOT HIRE Quality First to hold it for you! There are MANY other companies out there who will do a much better, more profitable job for you and won't let your loved ones personal possessions and home be disrespected. read more

Unfriendly, bordering on rude people run this sale (including the owner). The energy level needs a blood transfusion. Prices are ofen surprisingly high. This may be the last place in the SF where you will be charged $2 for a single vhs tape. I wrote a review years ago (it's no longer listed here) when that awful, old-lady Charlotte with the huge beehive hairdo and her mealy-mouth husband worked for QUALITY. They truly were the pits. Unfortnuately, the place hasn't improved since. They can call their business "QUALITY" but it doesn't mean a thing. (The only thing about their business I like is the dinosaur-sized, cream-colored dog that lays in the middle of the living room at each sale.) Sept 2017 update: I have recently found out that Charlotte's mealy-mouthed husband is dead. Charlotte's huge beehive hairdo is going strong. read more

the fancy old lady with the white bouffant hairdo who works here is always staring, and watching making sure no trouble makers come in and swipe some stupid antique that nobody in hell even wants. While I'm there searching for a boss swingin' 60's item I sometimes see her staring at me with my peripheral vision, and she looks like a fucking ghost! She looks to be about 100 so i'm sure she will be a ghost soon and so i'll be going to her estate sale. luckily for me she won't be there alive anymore watching to make sure I don't swipe anything so I'll be able to steal any of her priceless antiques I want! That said most of the time Quality first has a pretty shitty selection of items but once in a while you find something good. read more

My review is only for the quality first estate sale on 419 Baden on 7/19/2013 specifically The sales Lady Upstair my Hubby said her name is Susan, ya you Lady with The attitude problem. We were interested in Olympic juicer that apparently missing a critical component and we did try to look around and we couldn't find it, so my hubby try to bargain. But instead of try to accommodate the bargaining process she just gave my hubby a dirty look and told him "It's $60, I told you before " she was just super rude and unprofessional not like the other staff. We've been to estate sales by Quality First but this is the first time we encountered unprofessional treatment. read more

We try really hard to be economical and ecofriendly all the time. Well, here is a multi-category great idea! - Going to Quality First estate sales! We try not to miss any of the Quality First sales. They are always easy to find with great signs. By going to Quality First estate sales, we are able to consistently purchased pre-owned objects in good shapes, from antiques to decorate our house, to garden objects that are mature, to art supplies, wood, cleaning supplies, tools, etc. anything we need. The Quality First team is a professional group of folks that make sure they do right by their visiting customers (like me), but also by the original owners of the estate. They achieve a common ground between the desires of the original owners and giving the new owners of the items a good deal. I personally know several families that have chosen them as the liquidators of an estate and were happy. (As happy as you can be when you need to have an estate sale, that is...) The best thing about estate sales (unlike garage sales where people dump the stuff they dont want), these are some of the best objects people owned until they did not need them anymore available at decent prices. Estate sales are the killer application for getting rid of things your family treasured but need new homes, and for the average person to buy time-tested items at good prices. They are also the right events to visit for shopping entertainment and filling your home with treasures. SOME OTHER PLUSES: PLUS: buying these objects does not pull on the ecological chain the same way new objects do. There is some serious collaborative consumption stuff going on at these sales, etc. PLUS: It is a fun and interesting adventure on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. You never know what you are going to find. ( It is like a socio-archelogical study of what people do and find interesting throughout their lives.) PLUS: it is fun to get to take a peek at San Francisco area real estate before it goes in the market. If you are looking to liquidate your estate, want to optimize the cash for your family while sending all of these unwanted objects out to good homes... I really recommend these folks. I can't say enough good things about the ecologically responsible, great value phenomenon of exchanging quality objects in this format - and, again, these folks have been doing this so long they know exactly what they are doing. So, go to the sales frequently to buy stuff, and if you need to sell a house filled with important items that need to move on into the World, use these guys... -SF resident & client read more

I have furnished two flats and a restaurant with estate sale purchases, and Quality First is the best when looking for higher end merchandise. They are discerning about the estates they manage and it shows. The staff are kind and professional, and will work with you on pricing when buying multiple items. They even remembered a silver pattern I bought and put some aside for me when they came across the same pattern months later. They do not take BS from cheap-ass f'kers wasting everyone's time complaining about everything being priced, "too high, whaaaaa!" Go Friday if you are discerning and will pay for quality. Go Sunday if you are looking for leftover bargains. Like all bay area sales, bring your cash money. read more

Guy and Monica are wonderful people and I've had the pleasure of purchasing items from them on many occasions. They have reasonable prices and beautiful, unique items that are truly treasures. They make estate sales truly high quality and I will be a lifelong customer of theirs. read more

Wonderful, wonderful people - what a staff: Guy, Monika, Susan et al. I have been going to their estate sale for years and have purchased many, many items from them. Monika knows what I like and when I come in - greets me with a hug and a lovely smile and will point the item out to me. I have seen them display amazing tolerance, patience and courtesy with some of the most challenging and rude customers. Their prices are extremely fair - know that you're dealing with an exemplary estate sales organization. I just can't say enough positive things about them! Linda H. read more

I am shocked by some of the reviews below. On two occasions I have used Quality First. My 93 year old father had a stroke and had to move into a nursing home. We contacted Quality First. Guy Thomas, the owner, arrived, on time, to discuss the estate sale. He estimated what we should expect from the sale of his antiques, silver, furniture, nick-nacks etc, and went on to say; don't worry about anything, we will take care of everything. Pricing, sales and clean up. Quality First...they live up to their name like no other. Can I recommend them? Without question. I would trust them with my life not to mention the sale of all my household goods. read more

Quality First is one of the 3 Estate Sale companies we follow. Charlene who is often mentioned below is very sweet and really does try to help you. She gives great prices too. Lately their sales haven't been all that great. But it's not really their fault I suppose. No, they don't take Credit Cards so bring cash. I've never been to an Estate Sale that DID take Credit. read more

Ive been to multiple sales coordinated by this company. I have always been impressed by the quality of the items, how clean and organized the sale was and how reasonable the price. Also excellent customer service especially by Monika. Always a pleasure shopping with Quality First. read more

I've been to a lot of estate sales with a lot of different estate sales companies , and QFES remains my favorite. Most estate sale companies portend to know everything which consistently leads to higher and inflated prices and leaves little room to make money for those of us who do this for a living. Not only are their prices well priced but their employees are always willing to work with you and are reasonable in their price valuations. To sum it up, QFES has the best sales, nicest employees, and most of all best prices read more

I have been to a number of their sales, when I realize it's them I'm always disappointed. Their pricing is all over the road and usually high. The sale they started yesterday in Los Altos Hills was to start at 10:00. We arrived at 10:03 to see people loading up their cars with furniture. Apparently if they are ready early they will open early. This is what I heard Guy telling a customer that was complaining. My real problem here is that they were not ready, I found at least 5 boxes and drawers FULL of personal banking, health records and bills for anyone to go through. Clearly they didn't go through everything as I also found some expensive camera and movie equipment in drawers as well. Bottom line, I would never hire them to take care of a loved ones estate. read more

The sales are frequent and the prices are very good! I love the older woman (with white hair) very nice and helpful. Some of the houses they liquidate can be a little on the rough side, but the frequency of their sales and their prices are very very good! I would definitely recommend their estate sales! read more

Staff were friendly and seemed to go about the business of estate sale liquidation with care and respect for recently departed. Prices seemed on the high side but we were still able to find some deals and we walked away happy. read more

We have known Quality First for years and years and can certainly recommend these folks in 2 ways: On the consumer/customer front: - we are lifelong clients. Quality First has been a key part of our strategy to not purchase new products from stores and use furniture, artwork, decor items, food, paper towels, lumber, etc. that were already in someone's home and might end up at the dump. We are frugal people and estate sales help us succeed. In addition to the good deals we get, Quality First estate sales offer excellent sociological entertainment as you get to experience first hand how people in San Francisco Bay Area lived or live. Also, you get to see all kinds of real estate in the area. But most of all, you can get extremely fair prices for ecologically correct, beautiful, unique objects and consumables that you might need. All in all, going to estate sales --- and in particular Quality First's estate sales--- is simply a multi-category great idea. What these guys do make us happy... On the other side of things, we have recommended friends to use Quality First for their estate sales. It worked out each time. Two words: professional and dignity. If you are looking for a place that can professionally take care of important end-of-life or moving matters with dignity... look no further. More than anything, I think these folks can both send your loved ones' items out into the world so everything ends in the right home and also maximize the revenue that the family can receive from the sale. The people that run it are good businesspeople and good friends... read more

We used Quality First for our estate sale. They were able to work within our timing constraint and having contractors starting work the day after the sale was finished. We attended the first day of the sale and the material was well organized. Their staff is able to move furniture around very quickly and efficiently. We had many high end items and also allowed them to showcase some of their inventory in our home as well. They realized a good profit for us. They were responsive and careful with our possessions and their removal. I would recommend them. read more

read all thier terrible reviews before you use quality first! directly arranged for guy to get an estate , with the promise of a finders fee. they did not pay it. dishonorable people....do not trust read more