Today we’d like to introduce you to Pam Meister.
Hi Pam, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Both Tim and Pam are long-time treasure hunters! Pam’s love of vintage started in college when she would haunt the local thrift stores for vintage clothing. Tim’s Mom and sister are avid vintage and collectible hunters so he grew up around it. When he met Pam, it was a match made in vintage heaven! Soon enough they started selling vintage wares and collectibles on eBay and Etsy, buying alot of their vintage and collectibles for resell from estate sales and auctions. Because we were resellers and still are collectors, we know our buyers really well. One day, Pam had the idea of ramping up the business and it wasn’t a big stretch to start hosting estate sales and auctions. We no longer resell, as we see that as a conflict of interest, but still collect and love to treasure hunt! Now in 2026, we are a licensed auction house with a regular staff of 2 people and others who work as needed.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest challenge we have is educating people that about the value of their items. Every item is full of memories for the estate owner, but prospective buyers don’t have those same memories. Also, sometimes estate owners use Google Lens to help determine the value of their items. They might forget to look at sold prices when doing us, and even if it’s a sold price – that item might have been on Ebay, for example, for months before it sold. An estate sale has the constraint of time. In most cases, estate owners have the goal of emptying out a house so that it can be sold; so we teach them to look at it this way. There are days, not months to sell everything in the estate. An item is worth what someone will pay for it at the time.
It’s been a relatively smooth transition because we were long-time resellers before we started this business. Many of our buyers are resellers and we understand what they are looking for in terms of the ever-changing “hot” items on the resell scene as well as the price constraints they are working with. We have years of experience of evaluating what an item is worth in terms of worth on the market and how it price it accordingly.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Our goal is to provide a sale that aligns with the estate owner’s goal. Some estate owners have the goal of getting top dollar for their items. Other estate owners want to empty a house as quickly as possible. Most estate owners want to empty a house as quickly as possible and walk away not having to do the heavy lifting of emptying a property and with a little money in their pocket.
We know this is an emotional process for the estate owner and we are here to act as a buffer between that emotion and getting the job done. We are sympathetic and empathic about what the estate owner is going through. Many of our customers are moving into assisted living due to dementia. My husband’s father had dementia, and we can walk with the family.
Also, our customers should know that most estate companies are booked months in advance. We are regularly booked at least three months in advance. Plan ahead. You will get the most out of your sale if you can book early and let us walk you through the process.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Happiness and what make you happy.
We are happy when we can efficiently relieve the stress of emptying a house from an estate owner. We are also happy when we rehome a treasure to another person who will love it! Recently, we had the pleasure of rehoming a music box to someone who had lost it eleven years ago. Somehow it had come to the estate owner and the original owner recognized it. That was awesome!
Pricing:
- We have two options for liquating an estate – an in-person estate sale and an online auction. In an online auction, come into the estate, put things into lots and take pictures. Then we put it on an online auction site. The items are available to buyers across the country for seven days. People can shop from their couch 24/7. It’s kind of like Amazon for bargain hunters and collectors. Local buyers pick up their winning item or we ship them. We have shipped items all over the country – even to Hawaii. Most of customers are choosing an online auction because people are not walking through the house and the audience reach is very broad. Our auction site has 5 million registered users, for example. As of January 2026, Illinois passed a law that all estate companies have to have a license – no matter if they are conducting an in-person estate sale, or an online or in-person auction. We are licensed and believe it is a good thing as it brings the next level or professionalism to the industry. Our company is licensed in Illinois -that involves a background check and passing a test.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.metroestatesales.net/
