It seems like the love of collecting may have become an activity of yesterday. It used to be that you couldn’t walk into someone’s Raleigh residence and not find Comic Books, Cookie Jars or a Pooh Bear collection.
Raleigh baby-boomers were obsessed collecting things. The trend these days is to be a minimalist.
So when you’re ready to scale back or sadly when a collector relative passes away where do you go with their Salt and Pepper Shakers, Paper Weights or Pooh items?
You could try to sell the Pooh Bear Collection online. Some of the hurdles you might face when selling online include: setting up a payment account, writing appealing 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. Mother may have paid $100 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 plenty of time.
You can give it to a place like a Raleigh Goodwill. They will take it. However, some people struggle with the thought of their Grandma’s adored collectibles being separated and sold for .99 cents. The plush could become a dog toy.
You could donate any plush to a Raleigh kids place. However, many places only accept items that are new, in the original boxes and are 5 years old or newer. Plus, your Grandma really took care of the plush and displayed them. Some people have a hard time with a plush collectible becoming a plush child toy.
Over the years I have been approached by family members and asked if they can donate and if I will take Winnie the Pooh Items.
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 Raleigh collector and owner I let them know which numbers their items will be in the Guinness World Record Largest Pooh Collection. Their collection becomes part of history vs. being sold for a buck at a rummage sale. I let them know I will showcase their donation of collectibles along with mine. I consider their collection as THEIR collection in my database.
When someone donates Winnie the Pooh Items 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 family members. 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 purchased 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 stuffed animal or statue 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 entact and the memories are still there too. In fact, if the collector wants, they can even visit their items when traveling from Raleigh to Wisconsin.
If you have collectibles of Winnie the Pooh items to donate, feel free to message me and we can coordinate adding your Mother’s Pooh Bear Collectibles to history and the Pooh Bear Museum.
Deb Hoffmann - 414-708-0633