"I call it the tsunami of stuff. It's cresting. There are a lot of baby boomers. America's over-65 population reached 55.8 million in 2020, and an additional 42.4 million are in the 55-64 age group. This adds up to nearly 100 million people who have amassed a large amount of possessions - stuff they bought, stuff they got from their own parents, stuff their kids stuck them with."
"They kept everything. Boomers were the first American generation to come up in an era of mass production and blatant consumerism, and many of the things they bought were built to last. When we go into these houses of the boomer generation, they're packed to the rafters with stuff from the mid-century to current."
"The golden age of boomer estate sales is upon us, and while you probably don't want all the wedding china that's about to flood the market, there's a lot of other neat stuff you can pick up. Think knickknacks for Gen Z maximalists, midcentury modern decor, and so much silver that one estate seller says the weighing it all makes her team feel like drug dealers."
Baby boomers, numbering nearly 100 million people in the over-55 age group, have accumulated vast quantities of possessions throughout their lives. As the first generation to grow up during mass production and consumer culture, they purchased durable goods built to last, resulting in homes packed with items from midcentury to present day. This massive inventory is now entering the estate sale market as boomers age. Estate liquidators describe this phenomenon as a "tsunami of stuff" that presents significant opportunities for younger generations. Rather than viewing boomer accumulation negatively, younger people can benefit by acquiring quality vintage decor, midcentury modern furniture, and other valuable items through estate sales over the coming decades.
#estate-sales #baby-boomers #generational-wealth-transfer #vintage-and-midcentury-decor #consumer-culture
Read at Business Insider
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