Hunting for treasure (and a bargain): Why budget-conscious consumers are hitting up estate sales
Delaney Lundquist, a content creator and design manager based in North Carolina, loves estate sales for the “thrill of the hunt.” She attended her first one three years ago, at the suggestion of a friend. Since then, Lundquist has discovered all kinds of finds — including a red rug, a frilly-edged planter and a brass clamshell lamp — by sifting through hundreds of items up for sale at people’s homes.
Lundquist, who makes Instagram videos about the pieces she’s nabbed and how she’s used them in her own home, believes estate sales “have something for everyone.” Objects can be “funky,” “beautiful” and/or a “great deal,” she told Modern Retail. “As someone who likes to shop secondhand, you’re always chasing some delightful item at an incredible price, and you’re definitely likely to find those things at estate sales,” she said.
Lundquist is one of many folks flocking to estate sales to find unique, vintage pieces at competitive prices. Estate sales are large, organized sales of someone’s belongings, typically due to a death, a downsizing or a divorce. While estate sales aren’t new, they’ve become popular among consumers looking to stretch their budgets in today’s economically-volatile environment. Many estate sales price items as low as $1 or $2, and older pieces like a dining table or cookware tend to be well-made and built to last, offering an alternative to mass-produced items that can break or warp.
While many estate sales reach audiences through word of mouth, printed flyers or lawn signs, platforms like EstateSales.net, AuctionNinja and eBay are making the experience more digital-friendly. And these estate marketplaces say they are seeing more interest at a time in which consumer sentiment is down and tariffs are driving up prices of new goods.
“We have enough history to show that when there is economic concern, or people are being careful about their spending, or they hear about tariffs, they migrate toward used items and they migrate toward quality,” Ray Fabik, president of Caring Transitions, which runs the online estate-sale auction site CTBids, shared in an interview.
CTBids, which typically lists items from seniors moving into new homes or facilities, sells everything from fine china to tools. Its sales volume has jumped this year, going from 56,000 items in January to 63,000 in February; 77,000 in March; and 87,000 in April. Sales for May were up 29% year over year. The site, which formally relaunched in 2020, has garnered a bigger following through social media and Facebook groups, Fabik said.
Meanwhile, at online estate-sale site Everything But The House, also known as EBTH, business over the last six months has grown by 28%. EBTH also cited “significant daily growth” in its audience, with more than 700 new registered users joining the site every day. EBTH, which was founded in 2008, adds some 500-800 new pieces to its site daily.
Right now, EstateSales.net, which launched in 2002, is “seeing more volume of traffic to our website and more foot traffic at [in-person] sales,” said Marika Clemow, its general manager. She attributed this to good weather for in-person sales, but added that younger people are showing up in higher numbers. “Many are budget-conscious, because they’re just getting started in their careers,” Clemow said. She added that interest in sustainability — which is common among Gen Z — is likely a factor, too.
Younger people are also driving sales at EBTH, particularly those ages 25-35. Both EBTH and EstateSales.net are looking for more ways to cater to this digitally-native cohort. EstateSales.net is map-based, and it advertises some 120,000 estate sales each year. It’s rolling out a new feature in July that allows estate-sale visitors to reserve their place in line, and it allows people to both search for estate sales and buy items digitally.
The economic equation
Historically, older generations have been more likely to frequent estate sales. A 2024 report by EstateSales.net found that the estate-sale industry skews older, with 68% of business owners over the age of 55. Many attendees are also retirees with the time to scope out sales. But now, people of all ages are coming by to score deals, reflecting a larger movement around thrifting.
People tend to enjoy different aspects of estate sales. Lamp designer Rory Shamlian loves learning about the history of certain objects at estate sales, such as vintage coffee-makers or Norwegian pottery. Estate sales are a very “human experience,” she told Modern Retail. “We all collect things. A through line in the joy of [an estate sale] is that people are people, and people love objects.”
Lundquist particularly loves going to estate sales at the homes of architects, fashion designers and other creatives. “It’s like, ‘This person had taste, and this is a collection of their point of view,'” she said. Lundquist recalled going to a sale at an artist’s home in Charlotte two years ago. “I got so many things: a basket, a quilt, some beautiful pieces of art,” she said. “Often, I just pick something up here or there, but I wanted to take everything home.”
For many estate-sale goers, the “treasure hunting” aspect is a major draw, as is saving money. “I’m somewhat cost-conscious, and I do love a deal,” Lundquist noted. Buying something like a sideboard or a chair secondhand — and, in many cases, nearby — allows people to avoid price increases and expensive shipping routes.
Many attendees also treat estate sales as an avenue for flipping and generating income. Clemow has seen this firsthand at EstateSales.net, with buyers looking for clothing to resell on Poshmark or Depop. “That can be a side hustle that could turn into a money-maker for people,” she noted.
Shamlian and Clay Mohrman, who is also a lamp designer, have started using estate sales to source inventory for their online “Will It Lamp?” content series, which launched in November 2024. The duo thrifts objects like bowling balls, cutting boards and painted plates and converts them into light fixtures. “One of our missions is to make this more accessible,” Shamlian said. “People want to be thrifty and they want nice things, and marrying those is actually possible. That’s something we’re showing.”
Social media has also helped drive interest in estate sales. The term “estate sale” hit “peak popularity” in Google Search multiple times in the last few months, according to Google Trends. Creators now take to TikTok and Instagram to show off their estate-sale hauls or share tips for people going to their first estate sales. And estate-sale companies have built their own social media followings; EstateSales.net has some 33,000 video likes on TikTok, while Details Estate Sales has some 23,000.
Estate-sale goers love the different types of pieces they can get at a competitive price, noted CTBids’s Fabik. He mentioned that buyers are snapping up everything from Rolex watches to used cars on CTBids. “We’ve joked about a tagline of ‘Mops to Maseratis,'” he laughed. “You can buy some really nice artwork. Or, you can buy bottles of cleaning fluid and dishwashing soap, if you’re looking to save money on everyday household items.”
It’s an increasingly appealing proposition to shoppers at a time in which many are prioritizing value, which isn’t only about price, but also quality in conjunction with cost. According to Klaviyo’s Consumer Pulse, a weekly survey of shoppers, 39% of respondents surveyed the week of May 26 said that they were being more cautious about their spending. Another 20% said they were focused on value for money, rather than loyalty to brand names.
The topic of tariffs
Concerns around tariffs could also drive more shoppers to hit up estate sales this year. Some resale platforms, like online vintage furniture marketplace Chairish, say they have already seen a boost in sales by promoting the “tariff-free” benefits of buying secondhand.
Estate-sale platforms think tariffs could bring people in the door — although they don’t consider tariffs to be the biggest driving motivator. Rather, they find that shoppers are hoping to save money, in general. EBTH told Modern Retail that visitors tend to like its marketplace because there are “no hidden fees.” EstateSales.net’s Clemow said shoppers are requesting “durable things, with practical value.” And CTBids’s Fabik said users are posting reviews like, “I wanted to get these items before prices go up [at retail].”
Still, some estate-sale platforms are starting to lean into the issue of tariffs more. Earlier this year, EstateSales.net published a blog post titled, “How the 2025 tariffs are shaping estate sales.” In it, it wrote that “estate sales and auctions thrive when consumers look for value.” “By taking definitive steps now to adapt and cater to tariff sensitivities, estate sale companies can seize unprecedented opportunities for growth,” the post reads.
EstateSales.net went on to create a list of best practices related to tariffs for its tens of thousands of sellers. It recommended that sellers partner with resellers and promote high-demand categories like tools, furniture and appliances. New sellers have been receptive to the tips and have started implementing them, EstateSales.net’s Clemow said. “[We wanted to] give sellers some guidance and reassurance — that even though this can sound kind of scary, … there can actually be benefits [for estate sales],” Clemow said.
Estate sales can also be overwhelming on the buyer side, particularly for people who are new to the space. There’s sometimes an “anxiety” and a “buzz” at estate sales, Lundquist said, with long lines snaking around the block. But estate-sale goers say not to fret. Lundquist, Mohrman and Shamlian recommend showing up early, going on the second day, bringing a friend and keeping an eye out for the best deals possible.
“Don’t be afraid to drive two hours to someone’s house in the middle of nowhere, because you never know what amazing things could be inside,” Mohrman advised.