People can’t get rid of their Junk

I don’t see much future in collectibles. My daughter and her friends value a virtual / online life more than stuff like precious moments figurines. People older than me laugh when I tell them things like the price on Hummel figurines are going to tank. What’s odd about my kid’s generation is they’re wanting to save the planet, but really have no desire for hiking and getting dirty.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Most would assume I’m a girly girl, but deep down I must have been a gay man in a past life.

thanks, that made me laugh

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: putnam6

I started asking people for plants or trees for gift giving occasions. Surprisingly people really don’t like to give that as gifts. I have no clue why. I like that it’s something I can enjoy, the animals, the bugs, neighbors etc.

Now when I visit places instead of souvenirs, I pick up a packet of seeds or a book on that areas gardening culture.

I used to also say food gifts, but let me tell you. Some food gifts are downright terrible and way way over packaged.
Do we really need 100 little boxes for three servings of nuts?

We finally stooped giving gifts on birthdays and Christmas except for the kids, a while back. Not because we couldn't afford it there was too much, and definitely finding something somebody really needed or wanted is hard as hell.

Have no doubt it's perfect for collectors and such though, my Dad had tools galore for a home or automobile, in really great condition. Would have loved to keep them all but hell my garage is filled up now with stuff we don't use or have the time to use.

Food products really depend on their quality, LOL though I've got beef jerky as a gift which I completely loved, hot sauces, etc. Something thats not easy to find or something they wouldn't usually get for themselves.

It it were up to me I'd live in a dark gloomy medieval castle , complete with a dungeon and graveyard
Or some old Victorian era mansion with lots of nooks and grannies, lots of stairs and off course a big old dusty attic
Or maybe a Skyrim inspired home, the older the better. And I love the darkest wood possible!

a reply to: JAGStorm
Not sure where you get your information but in my state there are garage sales and estate sales every weekend and tons of people are at them, same with thrift and antique shops…

a reply to: JAGStorm
Ive managed to buy some absolutely insane antique furniture simply by asking if the seller would take payments. I havent much income but got some incredible furniture this way... got a teak Indian opium bed for $1500 because it was in a remote area and the catch was I had to take all the furniture to make the move easier for the seller. For this deal, I came away the bed plus a huge mahogany canopy bed, a baby bed and two twin beds, and much more. All beautifully carved stuff the seller brought from India for her b@b, which is what I was going to do at the time. Then covid happened and I lost my drive to do it.

From the same area, got a chinese sideboard with carved dolphins all over it. Sounds tacky but its really old and well made.

Due to needing to take ferries to remote areas around here, there are amazing deals though a bit more costly to get there and masses more time consuming. An adventure though if you love a deal and the fun of getting there.

Editing to add... Ive actually seen a lot less for sale around here but I wonder if people just go in cycles with it as you say. Could also be the crazy cost of living. So many are looking for motorhomes here to live in full time that even old clunkers are snapped up immediately and carry a hefty price. Its whats hot at the moment.

Noting this... I fight the urge to go look for more furniture, but I have no more room in my house.

originally posted by: WhatItIs
I don’t see much future in collectibles. My daughter and her friends value a virtual / online life more than stuff like precious moments figurines. People older than me laugh when I tell them things like the price on Hummel figurines are going to tank. What’s odd about my kid’s generation is they’re wanting to save the planet, but really have no desire for hiking and getting dirty.

This reminds me of my childhood with all the modern boxy, fall colours of the seventies. My parents told me that plastic boxy stuff was so popular back then that people would paint antiques in primary colours to hide the wood if they couldnt afford the new style or put the antiques out on the streets for disposal. What a waste but Im an older person and value these things for all the layers it takes to make them, from the milling of the best woods, the designs, to the carpenters skill in cabinetry or other wood working skills, the turning, the carving, the finishing etc. To the best of my knowledge most of the plastic furniture never made it through time like the old wooden stuff. I know the young have different values but realistically, quality natural materials that are looked after and treasured through generations are so much better on the environment than short lived plastics.

I bought my own fathersday gift, I get what I need when I do that. I got a pair of fisker hedging shears for$3.99 after 11% rebate and a twelve inch hundred tooth carbide saw blade for $9.99 after the rebate for my miter saw. Menards has some super deals occasionaly

It is a bummer going to garage sales when you already have everything. No fun shopping for tools, I have so many I can't see buying anymore. I gave away so many tools and antiques to my kids and brother and some friends that they would fill a 24x24 garage completely. Also gave away my canoe, couple of boats, and some lawn mowers and snowblowers. Got rid of a big shop I had and didn't feel like selling stuff, so I gave away about three grand worth of stuff.

Not going to buy anymore stuff unless it is going to be needed. Got an almost new vaccum packer at a rummage sale for five bucks, works great and it is a spare. bought an extra bread machine for mixing dough at a rummage sale for five bucks too...like new....another spare if the one we got now quits...got that last one we are using at good will for close to seven bucks about fifty loaves of bread ago. We do go to sales and buy some stuff we do need, but we usually just look around and then leave. Oh, the place we got the vaccuum packer from, the woman gave us six almost new life vests for free, about forty to fifty bucks apeace new for four of them...I told her i will give them to the brother and kids I gave the boats to...also got an anchor and rope, and some boat roaps for free too.

I have too much stuff already and it will likely take me years to get rid of a lot without using up a lot of my vacation time and or weekends. It doesn’t help when it’s a book and I wonder, I’ve forgotten this book, maybe I want to read it again? However I don’t even have time to handle all the clutter from moving. There always seems to be something more important to me instead of unpacking all the boxes. Relax, watch a favorite tv show. Sleep, play a game. Visit relatives. Do taxes. Etc etc. it’s just clutter or things and won’t go anywhere without working on it.

I found out one painting I have might be worth over $1000. That is a lot more than I paid for it. Clutter can be worth something. I have no idea right now how to go about selling it or getting it appraised. Supposedly done by a British painter. Probably no one remembers seeing the painting because I’ve had it myself for over 20 years.

The market has been flooded with the things belonging to elderly covid victims. China doesn't do well as today's people don't appreciate or collect it like grandma did. I stopped selling for now. reply to: JAGStorm

originally posted by: BlueBaby
The market has been flooded with the things belonging to elderly covid victims. China doesn't do well as today's people don't appreciate or collect it like grandma did. I stopped selling for now. reply to: JAGStorm

Even non-Covid victims, a lot of boomers are just passing away from old age. They sure did love to collect everything!

originally posted by: JAGStorm

I’ve followed fashion and home decor for as long as I can remember and it is all cyclical. We are heading into a time that I believe will be similar Mid century modern. People are craving sleek lines, less clutter, and no frills. Housing is already leaning this way. Goodbye farmhouse decor, hello empty and soulless just like we feel inside! Haha

We have like 25 to 30 Lladros from my mom. Most are big ones that we had to get a big curio to hold. My house right now is 4700 sq ft, but my next one will be 2500 or less as the kids are now finally out of the house. We are going to trash/give away much of what we have except for the master bedroom, dining room, a few dressers, etc. We will buy new ones, smaller ones when needed. Our stuff is nice like 4000 dollar leather couch, but it's 14 years old so what do you do...

I remember, mainly Asians, walking into their house, and every wall is covered with shelves holding little nick knacks of junk. I don't see that much anymore...

a reply to: Xtrozero

We have like 25 to 30 Lladros from my mom.

Those were really pricey, but also a little weird (IMO) long stretched out bodies in muted tones.

My mom collected a little bit of everything, Hummel, crystal, china, etc.
Too much of everything.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
I’ve seen several posts this season about nobody attending garage and rummage sales.
I’ve seen antique and vintage shops begging people to stop by.

Now I’m seeing estate sales where it is donation only and people still don’t want to go.
I’ve heard thrift stores are trashing china sets because nobody is buying them. Yes you know the one Mimi paid a fortune for and never used.

What’s the problem? People are sick of consumerism and too much stuff. I think we all know a hoarder.
We’ve seen relatives, neighbors. The Knick knacks of yesteryear are totally not desired by todays crowd (I’m generalizing, of course there are still some people that enjoy that stuff) The other thing is that space is very expensive now, and storage is at a premium.

I’ve followed fashion and home decor for as long as I can remember and it is all cyclical. We are heading into a time that I believe will be similar Mid century modern. People are craving sleek lines, less clutter, and no frills. Housing is already leaning this way. Goodbye farmhouse decor, hello empty and soulless just like we feel inside! Haha

Remember this, it will circle back. If you are into antiques, now is a great time to pick up a few. I’m talking quality real antique. Some are still high, but you can snag a good deal if you look. Art, lamps, wood furniture if it hasn’t already been adulterated by white paint!

Back to those Knick knacks, even in the 70’s & 80’s I thought some collections were weird like Precious moments, Lladro, Hummels, and other creepy figurines. Our moms and grandmas spent a bloody fortune on those hideous things (sorry if you love them). Even on my moms death bed she snuck one into my house!!! So now I have a little figurine of two German boys with little chubby bent knees looking at me every day.

A little about me, Most would assume I’m a girly girl, but deep down I must have been a gay man in a past life. I love unapologetically masculine decor, colors, textures. Mahogany, check, rich velvets, deeply carved wood, some animal prints, tassels, leather, oh yes we can’t forget the leather. Not just any leather. You know that expensive leather that is hard and soft at the same time, the one that you envision sinking into while reading a mystery novel and smoking a cigar? I hate mysteries and cigars, but you get the picture!

There’s just too much stuff in the country accumulated over decades.

Combine that with Boomers dying and Gen X being much smaller population wise and you have a glut of older products with not enough people to use or buy them, regardless of whether they are useful/fashionable/desirable products.

This does create an opportunity for arbitrage though — millennials are as large a population as boomers and are much more likely to want boomer products than gen X (who are nearly universally boomer’s kids).

Figure out what millennials will buy now or in the future, use the depressed / give away prices to accumulate quality goods and products, store cost effectively, sell at scale to millennials online.

What we as adults, many of us baby boomers who grew up poor and lacking in material possessions, think is valuable or collectible is....to us. But our values are different, our lifestyles are different and our priorities are different than the younger generations. Lets face it, we grew up wanting to have the best of everything for our offspring. It was also for our creature comfort but I remember it was mostly for our children. We were saving treasures, creating memories, attempting to give our children all the stuff we thought was important.

But our lives can't compete with the new digital, fast as lighting exciting new world. What we treasured is now either mass produced and basically has no sentimental value or is no longer necessary for regular use in this disposable world. Us, our treasures, our memories, our values have been replaced. Maybe not every item, every value etc. but yesterday is the old and tomorrow is today. It's simply the way mankind progresses. For thousands of years things may have stayed mostly the same and then things changed rather suddenly, or suddenly faster I guess. I can say from what little I know of history that the last 200 years have seen the most change in such a short amount of time, in forever. We can barely keep up with modern technology and it isn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon.

My own personal inherited items have no value to anyone else but me and my siblings. We all have what we got which isn't really much, and with all I have accumulated I will burn or bury myself. I have a big bonfire site on my property and would rather do my own personal private celebration and reminiscence memorial than have it thrown in a dump somewhere. In fact my sister is coming to visit in July and I think we will do a joint celebration of our lives and our history in a nice private setting. We are both in our 60's, our children are the complete opposite of us in almost every way and it's something I want to do. I will donate what I deem 'recyclable' and hope it finds a home. But I want to do all this as an active participant not have someone else handle it. A friend of mine lost her husband 3 years ago and she has went through a material cleansing and I didn't agree with it at first because she did a complete wipe out. But now I'm older and see how she is managing her life it was a great decision. She is in her mid 70s and has severe RA so her life is dedicated to staying as pain free and healthy as she can. She has the memories and doesn't need the clutter.

Talking over two decades ago, but my brother said when they first got to Australia, they furnished their first apartment with stuff they found on the sidewalk.

(Lol, and I'm being totally honest when I say that according to the thread title, I initially thought it was another "transgender-issues" thread.)

a reply to: JAGStorm

Been noticing this for years and with covid era deaths it is only going to get much worse , a few years ago I noticed a online store put up 20 writing desks for auction 5 or 6 we high end and in fantastic condition including the roll top desk which I would have handed over $1500+ for easily , they never received one bid on any desk and had to pay to get them dumped at the landfill ..

Ànd now the deaths are really taking a hold Jagstorm, a few months ago I actually sent a message to a Ebay seller that the stuff she had up was well underpriced for the condition it was in ,Her rely was that it was her late fathers stuff they were clearing out and it had to go quick or it was going to the dump , what she was trying to sell for 5 bucks was in perfect condition still in its box with paperwork and sales receipt and back then took nearly 2 weeks wages to buy .

I have noticed in the last year nothing in the vintage era is selling even when you are basically giving it away on Ebay , kids have been brainwashed to believe old is bad and needs to be got rid of , books are old and smelly just like Nana .

You will own nothing and be happy

I sometimes feel what's considered "junk" depends which side of the family it came from.

So mum's like raging at the silverware: "How will I ever get rid of this junk"?

But burn one smoke-hole in the 1989 placement - "Oh that beautiful plastic placement - how dare you"?

Although it started much earlier - that grandma gets only that spoon and knife.

They harked just two streets apart, and their offspring got married, but they never considered each other equal.

What to do with all the heirlooms, and knickknacks, these historic materialisms?

The one time I actually yelled, "I should have become a heroin junkie - I could have cleaned the house out in a week"!

Nope, they don't want that either.