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Stuff I know I should get rid of but just can't quite make it happen

(36 posts) (19 voices)
  • Started 1 year ago by shebolt
  • Latest reply from jsights
  • RSS feed for this topic
Overall Rating: votes

Tags:

  • collection
  • donate
  • ebay
  • emotional attachment
  • overwhelmed
  • toys
« Previous12
  1. bandicoot
    Member

    best of luck shebolt!
    i hope they sell for you...it seems like the right time of year for this.

    i'm always pondering the "stuff".
    perhaps we all need this particular lesson....the lesson of having obtained the stuff that we had to have.
    and then we find we don't want it.
    and then we find how hard it is to get rid of it.
    the stuff sticks!
    perhaps the harder it is to get rid of it...the more cagey we become about ever allowing it to happen again.
    having been there and done that, my first thought when considering a purchase these days is: how hard/painful/expensive will it be to get rid of this?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  2. shebolt
    Member

    Next step is done. Ebay auctions are live. Now I'm just going to cross my fingers I get some bids.

    It's actually a lot easier to list than it used to be. And I noticed that ebay now offers ways to block certain classes of bidders (like those with 2 or more unpaid item reports). I don't know when they implemented it, but that makes me feel a little more in control. Part of what made me dump ebay was the way sellers could get raked over the coals by crappy buyers, but buyers could bid on stuff they knew they shouldn't (like international bidders bidding on U.S. only auctions) with impunity.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  3. Claycat
    Member

    Please keep us informed, shebolt! I was doing eBay and quit, too, because of all of the unfair rules. I will be anxious to see how you do. I still have a lot of things to get rid of!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  4. shebolt
    Member

    Just noticed bandicoot's fabulous post.

    I certainly won't be "collecting" anything again. I also won't ever buy anything thinking it'll be valuable someday. Although I may still jump on the HOT TOY NOW craze (think Furby, which I made a killing on the year they were hot), I will no longer allow these things a permanent residence in my home.

    I'm grateful I didn't fall for the Beanie Baby frenzy. I stuck to toys that spoke to me.

    I still like the toys I bought, but I will keep my true collection to the pieces that are most meaningful, and I will display them proudly. It's not a collection if it's stuffed in a closet or stacked in boxes in the basement. Then it's just clutter.

    I think about all of my purchases carefully now. Gone are the days of buying something just because I like it. Now I ask myself if I have a use for it, or a place to display it.

    And Claycat, I'll keep everyone updated. My biggest challenge now will be refraining from checking my auctions every 5 minutes to see if there are any bids.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  5. Claycat
    Member

    I was just visiting Seller Central at eBay, and things don't look good, shebolt! I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Some long time sellers have just gotten the boot, because of some 1s and 2s on their DSRs, and these are people with high positive ratings and good DSRs. eBay is saying that First Class Mail and Priority Mail are forms of expedited mail, which they are not! This is causing the buyers to expect the packages sooner, and they are downgrading seller's DSRs. Be sure to let your buyers know the Post Office estimate of time!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  6. shebolt
    Member

    Claycat, I've long since resigned myself to the fact that ebay is far more concerned about placating buyers, good or bad, than sellers, and that ebay's expansion into a "global marketplace" is actually killing it. That's a whole 'nother topic.

    One of things I did with my listings is be realistic about the price. There are a ton of Simpsons figures listed, but sellers are clinging onto values from the height of the frenzy. Starting prices are high, and no one's bidding. I started my lots of 6 at a lower bid than most sellers are starting their individual pieces, and am crossing my fingers this helps me get bids and move this stuff. I no longer care about getting a premium price.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  7. themusiclivez
    Member

    Claycat - that's terrible about the eBay sellers getting the boot because of the DSRs. I agree with you, wholeheartedly - eBay is more concerned about the buyers than the sellers which is really quite sad. However, I think they have lost a lot of business as well due to the economy. They have been offering a lot more "Free Listing" Promotions. Maybe they need to be more concerned that there will be nothing to buy on eBay once they alienate all of the good sellers!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  8. shebolt
    Member

    Everything sold! I can't believe it. Most of it is going to a guy in Argentina. It's going to take several boxes and I'm going to get a crash-course in international shipping, but I'm so pleased that everything sold.

    My next step is to donate the items I didn't list, get through Thanksgiving, then start tackling the legos.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  9. bandicoot
    Member

    congratulations on the sales!
    stuff out, money in.... could it be any more perfect?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  10. tmichelle
    Member

    Yay, how freeing!!!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  11. trillie
    Member

    That sounds great, shebolt! I bet you feel great now :o)

    This is another great example of the phenomenon "I've kinda already made my decision, but I think I need a little nudge". Yay Unclutterer forum! :o)

    Posted 1 year ago #
  12. shebolt
    Member

    The Simpsons figures are all gone. I took the ones that weren't worth listing to a local Toys for Tots drop off location, and it caused quite a stir with the staff when I filled up the box.

    Now I'm moving on to the legos. Ugh. I have boxes and boxes of loose legos of various themes. But I also have many sets, with box and instructions. I figured I'd start with the boxed sets. The first one I picked is a pirate ship, and there were a couple of important missing pieces. So I went to my boxes of loose legos and found all but one piece. The last piece is key because it attaches the sail to the mast, and it happens to be a fairly specific piece. I've been going through my loose legos, starting with the boxes that looked like they had ship pieces in them. So far, no luck. I haven't finished looking, but it's getting a bit silly. Hopefully I just chose poorly for my first set and the rest won't be like this.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  13. shebolt
    Member

    All day and the end result? 6 sets listed on ebay. I also didn't fully realize the extent of my lego collection until I started pulling boxes out of the closet to find that one missing piece (which I did find eventually).

    I think I'm going to try to sell the few boxed sets I have left, hopefully without too much more time lost looking for pieces, and then the rest is going to go into large lots by theme.

    Now I know why I never did this before.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  14. jbeany
    Member

    I'm hoping to get a similar happy reaction to the bag o'bears I have to donate as Shebolt got with Simpson figures. I sorted out most of the ones I had packed away with tags still on them. I think I'm still having trouble jumping that mental hurdle to letting them all go, though. I can't quite get why, either. I don't want them out, except for 3 or 4, and most of those are minis and one is an antique that belonged to my great-gram. So I'm hoarding this box of stuffed toys that serve no real purpose, even if I put them out for a couple of weeks for Christmas, but when I open the box to look at them, all I hear in my head is "MINE!!!" *sigh* Ah well, 8 bagged to go. Maybe next year. I have gotten rid of dozens of them in the last two years, so I am getting better.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  15. SunshineR
    Member

    jbeany: imho, you could keep/display the stuffed bears that are the most special to you; box up the rest, labeled and dated, to reconsider in 6 to 12 months. As you said, you have already decluttered many bears...

    Posted 1 year ago #
  16. jbeany
    Member

    I have been - I guess I was just surprised at not being able to let most of them go, even when I know I don't want them out.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  17. jsights
    Member

    shebolt, one thing about the Legos. About 4 years ago I sold all my Legos from the 80s on eBay, not thinking I'd get a large amount of money for them. Boy was I wrong!! They were a HUGE hot item in Asia. Most of them sold to various people in Asia...even after I told them shipping would cost $50-60. Just be sure to insure these.

    Internationally shipping isn't that hard, it's just an extra form to fill out. I wasn't going to do it until I saw the bids, and realized international buyers would pay even more, so bit the bullet and was glad I did. Good luck!

    Posted 1 year ago #

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