It seems like the interest of collecting may have become an activity of days gone by. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Redington Shores house and not find Art, Snowglobes or a Pooh collection.
Redington Shores baby-boomers really enjoyed collecting stuff. The craze today is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale down or sadly when a collector family member passes where do you go with their Hummels, Cookie Jars or Winnie the Pooh collection?
You could try to sell the Winnie the Pooh Collectibles online. Some of the issues you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, creating attractive listing descriptions, locating postage, packaging materials and weighing each item, answering question messages from potential buyers, handling returns on damaged items, etc.
Also, figuring out pricing can be challenging. Great Aunt may have paid $80 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 significant amount of time.
You can give it to a place like a Redington Shores Salvation Army. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Great Aunt’s treasured items being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Redington Shores 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 emailed by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will accept Pooh Items.
My answer is with great excitement! I am always honored and humbled to – in my words – “to take care of their collection”.
If I am talking to the Redington Shores 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 collection as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the 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 collectibles. You can put a price tag on a T-Shirt or pair of socks but you can’t put a value on happiness.
By donating Pooh Bear Collectibles to the Guinness World Record Pooh Collection the collection stays together and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the relative wants, they can even visit their collectibles when traveling from Redington Shores to WI.
If you have collectibles 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