Why are you selling off all your precious collections?

[HungaryTom]

Gents,


What is this panic? It is so sad to see all the custom made treasures (custom made beaver felt hats from all the great hatmakers, Montecristi panamas) sold off at the fractions of the prices!

Does the 20% of the original price save anyone from financial breakdown?
Really?


What do you think?[huh]


EDIT: As far as I could observe from ladies in my famailies the beautiful gender has a different approach to collecting and paeting themselves from clothes.
The turnover is much higher (more stuff in the wardrobe) while men stick more to individual items of their wardrobe. This is why I did initially adress gentlemen.
Naturally ladies observations are also more than welcome!!!!

 

[MattJH]

When times are tough, you do what you need to do to get by.

If you need food, water, and shelter (which all carbon-based human beings do) and you're having problems procuring it, then everything else is expendable, especially things like vintage clothing. If it's not the above three items, then it's a want and not a need.

Know what I mean?

 

[Subvet642]

If you need food, water, and shelter (which all carbon-based human beings do)

Are there any other kind?

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm just selling some hats because I have too many and they're sitting around gathering dust. No alarm indicated.

 

[carter]

Are there any other kind?

Of human beings? Not that I'm aware of. [huh]

I'd toss everyday (non-vintage) clothing into the list of necessities.

I have far too many hats that go unworn so I'm selling those I'm not-likely-too/never-will wear.

 

[KittyT]

Does the 20% of the original price save anyone from financial breakdown?
Really?

No, but in the end it's just stuff, you know? Also, it may not save anyone from financial breakdown, but for those with smaller debts like taxes owed, credit card debt, or unpaid bills (as opposed to mortgages, for example), it can help lower the total amount that is accruing interest or help buy you another month before that bill is sent to collection.

For example, the last time I sold a lot of my stuff in one fell swoop, I was trying to raise money to pay off a loan that I took out against my retirement account. As long as I was paying it off, I was tied to my job and had no freedom to really look elsewhere, and I was considering a move out of state. Selling off many of my vintage items (that while highly valued, were really just taking up space) allowed me to raise a large chunk of that money to pay off my loan months in advance, which was a huge weight off my shoulders.

All this really to say that in tough times like these, I'm not sure this is the proper place to call into question anyone's choices regarding their personal financial matters, or to ask people to account for the choices they make regarding their personal belongings.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

If it's gone, will I miss it? If the answer is no, why keep it?

 

[Fletch]

No, but in the end it's just stuff, you know?
[...]
All this really to say that in tough times like these, I'm not sure this is the proper place to call into question anyone's choices regarding their personal financial matters, or to ask people to account for the choices they make regarding their personal belongings.

You are entirely right.

In view of that, I want to apologize to everybody for using the opportunity to go off on a personal screed about American Man and His Money, which nobody really needed to read here. I've deleted same.

 

[HungaryTom]

Dear All,

Thanks for the inputs. I was just asking this since I have seen many cases where elderly people have kept some items of clothings or other personal belongings out of sentimental reasons for decades which they never used any more but still it reminded them of their youth their own 'Golden Era' and who went through more harsh times, Great Depression, WW2 incl being bombed, eating dead horses, becoming internally displaced, hyperinflation etc.

What I meant that at least a few favourites should be kept whatever tough times come.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

When I get into a collector's mode on something, it's usually one-way: Buy. But recently, I've been eyeing some of my hats that might go up for sale. Nothing at all due to finances but just that I've got more of them now than I can get my head around let alone into on a regular basis. Now that I've accumulated the number I have, I am able to determine the favorites and consider that the rest might be more appreciated elsewhere. In my typical fashion, it's an idea that will probably simmer for quite a while before I give vent to it. But if I do, don't worry. Not a sign of panic.

Also, I have gobbled up a great many vintage shoes, pocket squares, ties and braces, as well as a handful of miscellaneous sweaters and jackets. Some of these I had in mind that they'd make good items to sell when I procured them. Just dragging my feet on it, but I might get that in gear at some point.

Personally, it doesn't strike me as anything new or alarming that someone should sell vintage items. It's how I've obtained all of the ones that I own.

 

[KittyT]

In view of that, I want to apologize to everybody for using the opportunity to go off on a personal screed about American Man and His Money, which nobody really needed to read here. I've deleted same.

I actually found it rather interesting. It's nice to be called to look at things in a larger context sometimes!

 

[Feraud]

Personal collections waxy and wane with the economy, desire, and a host of other reasons.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Personal collections waxy and wane with the economy, desire, and a host of other reasons.

Including conjugal strain.

.

 

[Michaelshane]

It's just stuff....and as they say "you can't take it with you"

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Its just stuff...you can't take it with you....and if one needs -food- or gas for the car.......

sorry...that's a no contest sort of decision, and if you have never had to make it, then feel lucky and blessed.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I'm not selling off my stuff right now, because the market for it has dipped more than 40%.


Now is the time to buy, if possible. In a few years, once the men's vintage clothing market has recovered (cross fingers!), I'll sell off as much of my stuff as I can.

.

 

[Elmonteman]

King Tut

It's better if the owner sells it at 20% off rather than someone else after your demise for even less. Surely Tutankhamun built his tomb because he knew that if he didn't properly stash his stuff, the missus and kids would have a yard sale and let his treasures go for 25 cents a piece once it got close to dinner time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm not selling off my stuff right now, because the market for it has dipped more than 40%.

That's sort of the situation I ran into a couple years back when I was in rather desperate circumstances -- but I couldn't get decent prices for what I was trying to sell because none of it was good enough to suit the discriminating Collectors. Apparently the fact that I actually *use* my various items on a daily basis makes them far less collectible and worth far less than items that have been heremetically sealed and put away on a shelf, untouched by human hands.

Well, fine. After I die, my creditors can have one heck of a yard sale, and there will be 25 and 50 cent bargains for all.

 

[Fletch]

I actually found it rather interesting. It's nice to be called to look at things in a larger context sometimes!

Thanks very kindly. But I've found people on bboards tend to take that kind of musing personally - as if I'm talking about them and people like them. Big picture talk is best saved for blogs, and bboards for comments of less broad scope.

You may ask, "then why not blog?" I'll tell you: I love the idea of blogging, but I hate the reality. A blog is a blank sheet of paper with your name at the top - it depends totally on you, from content to features to drawing traffic. And traffic depends entirely on a) constantly fresh content or b) intuitive understanding and use of feeds, diggs, trackbacks and the like.

In contrast, posting to a bboard is like a conversation at a meeting place. Almost always something doing, and at least a few will look in, even months later. Maintaining a blog is like inviting people over to the house - whoever comes, comes. There might be nobody. And old content slips off the bottom of the screen and goes stale - which might actually be a goal for a digital society always chasing the new.

I will likely be on bboards till the last dog dies, and there's no one left on the corner.

 

[Dr Doran]

Thanks very kindly. But I've found people on bboards tend to take that kind of musing personally - as if I'm talking about them and people like them. Big picture talk is best saved for blogs, and bboards for comments of less broad scope. .

That's interesting as a distinction. I never thought about that axiom, and perhaps I'll start applying it. But I hope that long screeds don't disappear entirely from the Flounge because I find them quite invigorating.