It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Prairie County house and not find Hummels, Paper Weights or a Winnie the Pooh collection.
Prairie County baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting stuff. The trend today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to downsize or sadly when a collector relative passes what do you do with their Comic Books, Paper Weights or Winnie the Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Items online. Some of the problems you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, thinking up appealing listing descriptions, locating postage, packaging materials and weighing each item, answering question messages from potential buyers, dealing with returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Grandmother may have paid $40 for an item but the online going rate is only $2.79. You need to ask yourself the question “is my time worth just a few dollars”? Online selling can take a lot of time.
You can give it to a place like a Prairie County thrift store. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s much-loved collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Prairie County kids place. However, many places only want items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Mom really took care of the plush and displayed them. Some people have a hard time with a plush collectible becoming a plush child toy.
Many times I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Pooh Bear Collection.
My answer is yes! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Prairie County collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their collectibles becomes part of history vs. being sold for a buck at a rummage sale. I let them know I will showcase their donated collection along with mine. I consider their collectibles as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Pooh Collectibles I think it makes people feel better which I am happy for. Letting go of “things” can be hard for a collector and owners and even sometimes for relatives. As much as we don’t want to be labeled as “materialistic” – things we buy and collect can have sentimental attachments and it’s those feelings that we are attached to probably more than the items. People remember where they were when they received an item, who they were with or even where in their life cycle they were. They don’t want those memories to vanish with the items. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or jewelry but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Winnie the Pooh Items to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the owner wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Prairie County to Wisconsin.
If you have a collection of Pooh items to donate, feel free to call me and we can coordinate adding your Great Aunt’s Pooh Items to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633
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