imashooter2
Member
Shipping a single piece wouldn't be terrible, but the entirety of the set would be a packing nightmare. We did find a place that specializes in replacements that would buy it… after we shipped it to them. So it sits in the attic.
It's all just stuff...
- Thread starter Shrek Of The Arctic
- Start date
Shipping a single piece wouldn't be terrible, but the entirety of the set would be a packing nightmare. We did find a place that specializes in replacements that would buy it… after we shipped it to them. So it sits in the attic.
imashooter2
Member
My daughter had no interest in MomMom's china. My wife and I use a beautiful set that she inherited from her mother (which was inherited from her mother before her). I doubt my girl has any interest in that set either. As you say… a shame.
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Interesting to read people's perspective on "stuff". When we were first married my wife would respond to the loss of some treasured material item with a shrug and "someday it will all burn anyway". We both lost sight of that along the way and are now slogging through making our son's burden lighter with daily trips to the thrift store and the trash. Not only are the thrift stores becoming particular about what they will take (e.g. only " smart" TVs) my LGS will no longer accept any gun they value at less than $500 on consignment. That's shocking for a guy who used to shop at the town dump.
When my MIL passed, my wife and her sister hired an auctioneer to get rid of everything except their mother's jewelry and memento's. They priced everything and came to the house everyday and sat at a table for a week. Everything was catalogued and a list was made.
Big selling items were clothing(yep), costume jewelry, yard tools, and small pieces of furniture. No one wanted any of the large pieces of solid wood furniture, so it went to Salvation Armory.
Someone had sticky fingers as some items were unaccounted for, either the auctioneers, shoppers or both helped themselves as we were not there all day watching.
In any event the girls were happy with what they netted, and they kept what was important to them.
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Big selling items were clothing(yep), costume jewelry, yard tools, and small pieces of furniture. No one wanted any of the large pieces of solid wood furniture, so it went to Salvation Armory.
Someone had sticky fingers as some items were unaccounted for, either the auctioneers, shoppers or both helped themselves as we were not there all day watching.
In any event the girls were happy with what they netted, and they kept what was important to them.
.
My in-laws are in their early 90s.
They have stuff like you would not believe. Huge house & 2 barns. My mother-in-law threw large parties, hosted her bridge club etc. She has every piece of glass, serving trays, punch bowls, etc known to man.
I know my wife is going to want to keep that crap because it was her mother's. It's going to be a nightmare.
They have stuff like you would not believe. Huge house & 2 barns. My mother-in-law threw large parties, hosted her bridge club etc. She has every piece of glass, serving trays, punch bowls, etc known to man.
I know my wife is going to want to keep that crap because it was her mother's. It's going to be a nightmare.
imashooter2
Member
I tried to help a friend dispose of his brother's estate firearms. None remarkable, all quality names lightly used. I was shocked that none of the local shops were interested in either consignment or buying them outright.
imashooter2
Member
The auction houses here asked for a 50% fee and then wanted us to pay for 2 men and a truck to haul their half of our stuff to the auction house so they could rape us. I told them no thanks. I'd rather pile it all up in the driveway and burn it than take that screwing.
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When my Mother passed I had to clean out the house. English basement ,2 floors and floored attic. Took 3-5 of us 6 months to clean out everything. Imagine a 4 floor old antique shop filled with everything. Much went to big antique auction house, lots to local salvation Army and others. Much was junk and had 3 30 yard dumpsters. Wife picked lots of very nice china and sterling silver flat ware. Daughter and son got what they wanted and finally was able to sell house and farm. When wife passed last year daughter took most of what I didn't need. At my age I really don't want much " stuff". These days not many want antiques and are hard to get rid of.
Theirs was done in their moms house. 20% was the fee. Both girls were happy with what they received.
imashooter2
Member
I would have done business at 20%. I might have gritted my teeth and paid the 50% just to be done with the hassle. The pay for a truck and 2 men was a bridge too far.
flash60601
US Veteran
Don't know if I fit in here at all, but . . .
In 1980, after being on my own since 1955 and then with the second wife of fifteen years and our four children, we moved home (Mother & Dad's "dream house that they had been planning since they became engaged - a four br. brick Colonial "full" basement and attic, with a two-car, two-story garage) to take care of Dad in the closing years of his life. My forty years accumulation added into his eighty made quite a large pile of stuff. Three years later when he passed, my only brother and I had to divide his stuff. He took what he wanted, which was minimal, because he had his own fifty years of stuff. Following that, wife and I began giving things away (dining room suite to our daughter, china set to HER daughter, Mother's bedroom suite to our other daughter, the other dining room table to one son, and so on). The auctioneer then took out a sixteen-foot box truck carefully crammed and after that, it still looked like nothing had been moved.
In 2002, taking care of the ancestral castle was just too much for the two of us, so we moved into a 3-br rancher and had another 16-foot box truck go to auction, after sending a bunch of clothing, blankets, etc to the Animal Shelter Thrift Store.
This summer, it was time to declutter/downsize again and our son hauled my pickup with eight loads to the dump, metal recycler, and such. Our daughter took two full loads of blankets and clothing and furniture to the Animal Shelter Thrift Store.
We really are NOT hoarders, but there is still 15% of the stuff left in the basement virtually untouched and my garage is still full (but now organized into an ongoing garage sale).
The moral here is "It is awfully easy to add a bit to any amount of stuff. It then takes a concerted and willful effort to divest, which can become traumatic if approached imprudently. And in the end, it is only material stuff. Better to accumulate good memories, good friends and family."
In 1980, after being on my own since 1955 and then with the second wife of fifteen years and our four children, we moved home (Mother & Dad's "dream house that they had been planning since they became engaged - a four br. brick Colonial "full" basement and attic, with a two-car, two-story garage) to take care of Dad in the closing years of his life. My forty years accumulation added into his eighty made quite a large pile of stuff. Three years later when he passed, my only brother and I had to divide his stuff. He took what he wanted, which was minimal, because he had his own fifty years of stuff. Following that, wife and I began giving things away (dining room suite to our daughter, china set to HER daughter, Mother's bedroom suite to our other daughter, the other dining room table to one son, and so on). The auctioneer then took out a sixteen-foot box truck carefully crammed and after that, it still looked like nothing had been moved.
In 2002, taking care of the ancestral castle was just too much for the two of us, so we moved into a 3-br rancher and had another 16-foot box truck go to auction, after sending a bunch of clothing, blankets, etc to the Animal Shelter Thrift Store.
This summer, it was time to declutter/downsize again and our son hauled my pickup with eight loads to the dump, metal recycler, and such. Our daughter took two full loads of blankets and clothing and furniture to the Animal Shelter Thrift Store.
We really are NOT hoarders, but there is still 15% of the stuff left in the basement virtually untouched and my garage is still full (but now organized into an ongoing garage sale).
The moral here is "It is awfully easy to add a bit to any amount of stuff. It then takes a concerted and willful effort to divest, which can become traumatic if approached imprudently. And in the end, it is only material stuff. Better to accumulate good memories, good friends and family."
