Selling off to save up

[rockymtngirl]

I am considering selling off large amounts of various glassware and dishes, many of which I inherited from family. Many of these items hold a lot of emotional attachment, but when I really think about it I never use the stuff - milk glass, beaded goblets, luncheon snack sets from the 50's ( I have about a hundred). At one point in my life I thought I would save all this stuff and open a B&B, but with times as they are I really don't see this happening and I think I could get a good little stash going if I could sell this stuff at a decent price. If SHTF we obviously couldn't take this stuff with us!

Anyone else ever struggled with getting rid of family heirlooms? Guess I'm just feeling a little guilty and hoping my grandmother isn't looking down thinking - how could she sell all those things?

Kirstin

[GoodDaughter]

Yes, I do know the feeling of trying to sell things that were passed down to me. I once had these very rare enamel on steel gasoline signs, worth quite a bit, very colorful and extremely collectible, had come from a grandfather of mine. I kept them proudly displayed. Then I went through a very painful time of loss in my life, and I was completely broke. So I sold them for quite a bit of money, which helped greatly to carry me through for a while. You know what I thought? That my grandfather would be looking down on me saying 'Sell that stuff!" I believe my grandparents were practical enough that, while they could appreciate family heirlooms, they also understand that material things are often just that--material things, and even though we attach great value to them because they came from loved family members, sometimes you just need money, plain and simple. And that they would want me to sell them if it would be of real benefit to me to do so.

That's just my opinion, but it's what I believe of my grandparents. If you left material things for your kids or grandkids and they hit hard times, wouldn't you be looking down on them saying 'sell it, girl!"

[rockymtngirl]

Thanks for making me feel a little better about this! I think I will start small - I don't really 'need' the extra money to make ends meet, but I think it will be easier for me if I sell a few things at a time.
I think the reason my grandma treasured this stuff so much was becuase she was very poor growing up and then 'married up' so to say, so these were things she had never had before. And honestly the most important thing she valued was to make sure my kids had good fitting shoes when they were little! She always had a shoe fund and would send me $$ to buy the kids shoes each school year!

My best to you!

Kirstin

[Cil]

Kirsten,

Not knowing exactly where you live, but I'd take a few samples to an antique appraiser and see what he/she says. I wouldn't want you to get cheated.

[tufhelp]

A quick search on eBay will also give you an idea of the relative value. eBay may not be the place to sell them because sometimes items like you are describing are very numerous and therefore don't garner much in the auctions, but you can see what is selling and for what.

If you're near and population areas you might check out consignment sales through an established "antique" store. They have the traffice and the knowledge and will usually not bother with stuff that takes up space and not sell. That way you'll garner more for the item than selling in a smaller venue and imediately find out if you have valuable items that folks are clammering for.

[Rock]

I love the "shoe fund". With all that goes on in our world, only a Grandma could make that seem logical ;-)

[livinlite]

I'm not selling off hand-me-downs, but rather getting ready to sell off all the "luxury goods" I've accumulated in my brief stint of middle-class-dom post college. :-/

Fancy bicycles and accessories/gear, fancy stereo, image-books from my English major past (that I can get from the library down the road -literally and figuratively-), superfluous camping gear (the ultralight, but not so practical crap), select CD's and DVD's, and when we finally move...a decent amount of furniture.

The good news? We moved in a small u-haul, so we really don't have that much stuff, but why not get ahead of the game and unload it before the value for this stuff plummets with people needing more important things? Plus, I figure if I have one cent of debt, then everything I own that isn't used that could be sold is really something I'm paying interest on...if that makes sense. So if I can sell a few grand worth of stuff I don't "need", then I save the 5-6% interest off my student loans I can lower the principle on...or put in my ING account for the "cash handy" if SHTF fund.

On the furniture front, we sort of instituted a rule that we'll furnish the house off craigslist only with things we can reasonably expect to sell at the same price when we move...see how that works out in a few.

[ryanmercer]

Always keep a few good pieces to pass on, it will make the rest easier to part with.

[rockymtngirl]

I'm getting ready to have a garage sale next weekend - most of the nicer stuff I will probably not put out - don't think I can get a decent price - although you never know - if someone is looking for a particular piece sometimes they are willing to pay a little more. I am saving some of my most cherished items to pass on to my kids - someday!

[zachweiss]

I completely agree with GoodDaughter!

I have an old clock that belonged to my great-grandparents that I have thought about selling a time or two...the sentimental attachment has stopped me every time!

Sometimes I like to imagine some of my deceased relatives "on the other side" sitting and laughing among themselves.

"He's still got that old clock......I hated that thing!"

"I traded a cow for that clock....it's still ticking!"

"I wish he'd get rid of that old thing.....it looks horrible in his living room!"

hahahaha

ZW

[rockymtngirl]

Hey Zach - that's pretty funny. I know I have a lot of stuff that my grandma would by at the 'rummage' and she was a notorious bargainer - so I'm sure a lot of the stuff I have she paid little for. I do have a pretty cool couple of magazines - one I think is 'Sports" magazine with Mickey Mantle on it and I have some with early Apollo missions - probably not worth much unless someone is really into that particular era/icons.

The clock sounds lovely! I would probably always keep it myself....