Experience the White Elephant Sale
The Oakland Museum of California’s White Elephant Sale (WES) has been an east bay institution for decades. As professional organizers they are one of our valued resources for donation pickups (and one of the few organizations still offering actual pickups!)
Dana finally attended the actual warehouse rummage sale – which only happens once a year! Here are some pro-tips and observations from that visit.
Shopping the Sale
The massive warehouse is organized into nearly twenty different departments. It can be a bit overwhelming at first sight!
If you want to see a lot of the sale, plan for at least 2-3 hours. There may be some waiting in line to enter as well.
There are maps of the department locations to help you zero in on your interests.
When you choose items, make sure to get an itemized receipt from the volunteer at the front of that department before heading to the next one.
When you’re all done shopping you’ll take all your department receipts to a cashier (there are several throughout the space) to tally everything up and pay.
I was surprised by the range of things I saw there that I wouldn’t have guessed they take in donation, including: medical equipment, office supplies, and tools/hardware
It’s not too late to go! There are 2 weekends left for the 2025 sale. The 2025 White Elephant Sale dates are:
Preview Sale: Sunday, January 26, 10:00 AM — 3:00 PM.
Open Warehouse Days: Select days between January 29 and February 22, 10:00 AM — 2:00 PM.
· Week 1: Wednesday, January 29 through Saturday, February 1
· Week 2: Wednesday, February 5 through Saturday, February 8
· Week 3: Wednesday, February 12 through Saturday, February 15
· Week 4: Monday (Presidents Day), February 17; Thursday, February 20 through Saturday,
February 22
Clearance Weekend: Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2, 10:00 AM — 3:00 PM.
Donating & Volunteering
Wondering what you can donate? Lots! Before scheduling a pickup, preview their do not take list.
WES utilizes over 1000 volunteers to organize the donations year-round in preparation for the big sale. Interested? Get involved!
