Selling Things You Didn't Want to Sell

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the emotional and practical aspects of selling personal items that one does not want to part with, particularly in the context of financial necessity. Participants share their experiences and feelings about selling various belongings, including telescopes, music gear, and cars, while reflecting on the attachments they have to these items.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Personal reflection

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses regret over selling telescopes and related equipment due to financial needs, seeking to understand others' experiences with similar situations.
  • Another participant humorously offers to buy the telescopes, indicating a willingness to help.
  • A participant shares their experience of selling music gear when in need, emphasizing the importance of weighing pros and cons and finding comfort in the idea of eventual replacement.
  • Some participants suggest that selling items can lead to new opportunities or replacements, with one noting a positive experience after selling a mixer and acquiring a different piece of equipment.
  • A participant reflects on their fortunate circumstances, having never been in dire straits, but expresses nostalgia for cars they have sold in the past.
  • Another participant acknowledges the emotional difficulty of selling astronomy gear but notes a lesser attachment compared to musical instruments, highlighting the potential for future upgrades.
  • One participant discusses the broader implications of selling items, suggesting that it is not solely about financial necessity but also about managing possessions and avoiding excess.
  • A participant shares a personal attachment to their digital piano, indicating that some items hold significant emotional value that makes them irreplaceable.
  • Another participant reflects philosophically on the nature of loss and future gains, suggesting that sacrifices made now can lead to future happiness.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of emotions regarding the sale of personal items, with some finding solace in the idea of replacement and others feeling deep attachment to their belongings. There is no clear consensus on the emotional impact of selling items, as experiences and feelings vary widely among participants.

Contextual Notes

Participants discuss the emotional weight of selling items without resolving the complexities of attachment versus necessity. The conversation reflects individual circumstances and perspectives, with no definitive conclusions drawn about the best approach to selling personal belongings.

Drakkith
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I just finished putting all my telescopes and related equipment up for sale to help pay for bills and school. It pains me to do so, but I simply need the money too badly. I'm just wondering what are some things you've had to sell that you didn't want to. Things which pained you to sell, perhaps even brought a tear to your eye. Cars? Knick-knacks? Firstborns?
 
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Ack! Where do you live? I can be there in a few hours!
 
DaveC426913 said:
Ack! Where do you live? I can be there in a few hours!

Tucson, Arizona. It's a bit of a drive from Canadia Land. :biggrin:
 
Not for very large values of few...
 
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I have sold my music gear for when I really needed the money. It really sucks, but you just have to weigh out the pros and cons. Things (usually) can be purchased again, so don't worry about it so much. It can help if you sell your items to someone that you know or who will take good care of it, and just think of the benefits of why you are selling it. You can also "replace" your loss with a gain somewhere else, for example when I sold my Xone DB2 mixer for 600 Euro, I replaced it with a 20 Euro 90's video equalizer "mixing" board. I've grown very attached to my new video equalizer, tand I don't really feel I have lost anything, but more like I gained something "new". I don't waste time on what I have lost, but the new things I have gained :)
 
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+1 mishka. I console myself that things can be purchased again, but also by trying give it away "free to good home with loving family".
 
I can't remember ever being in such dire straits that I had to sell something, for which I feel very fortunate. And there have been times that I have been very poor, living in two places without running water, one of them also without electricity. Even so, there are some things I've sold that I wish I still had, mostly cars.
  • '48 Ford Tudor Sedan - cost $100 (?)
  • '40 Ford Sedan Delivery - cost $250
  • '41 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery - cost $65
  • '53 Chevrolet Pickup - traded straight across for a '64 Honda CB250 motorcycle
  • '49 Ford Tudor Sedan - cost $75
  • '56 Ford Sedan Delivery - I forget the price, but probably around $300
  • '60 Chevrolet (Biscayne?) - cost $75 - not running when I looked at it, but after putting in new points ($5), I drove it away, to the chagrin of the seller
  • '60 Austin Healey Sprite - cost $600?

The way it works is, once you sell something, you can conceivably buy it back, but the price might be much higher. To get any of the vehicles listed here would likely set me back at least $10,000, and for some, maybe a lot more.
 
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Mark44 said:
I can't remember ever being in such dire straits that I had to sell something,

First time doing it myself. And of course everyone is right in that you can always either buy it back or buy a replacement. I hate selling my astronomy gear, but I'm not as attached to each individual piece as a musician might be to their instruments. Especially since I can buy some very good upgrades if I graduate and get an engineer's salary.
 
Drakkith said:
Especially since I can buy some very good upgrades

:frown: It will turn out fine. You are working towards being in the position of never having to struggle to such a degree again! You can replace the items or upgrade later on like you said. There is nothing wrong with having to sell or live below your means afterwards either. Using loans and credit cards to live comfortably like so many others is worse.

Having to get rid of things isn't always about affordability. There is such a thing as having too much of a certain item (like guns, guns, and guns or as I'm told books, books, and books). You are leaving yourself at least one right? However, I wouldn't get rid of anything that couldn't be easily replaced later on!
 
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  • #10
Drakkith said:
First time doing it myself. And of course everyone is right in that you can always either buy it back or buy a replacement. I hate selling my astronomy gear, but I'm not as attached to each individual piece as a musician might be to their instruments. Especially since I can buy some very good upgrades if I graduate and get an engineer's salary.

Oh yeah, the one piece of music gear I could never sell was my (digital) piano. It has been with me through my deepest highs and lows, that it feels like a part of me. It has lasted longer then any of my relationships at least :-p
 
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  • #11
Drakkith said:
I just finished putting all my telescopes and related equipment up for sale to help pay for bills and school. It pains me to do so, but I simply need the money too badly. I'm just wondering what are some things you've had to sell that you didn't want to. Things which pained you to sell, perhaps even brought a tear to your eye. Cars? Knick-knacks? Firstborns?

Everything.

But, as the saying goes; "I've seen things, you people wouldn't believe..."

Better to have seen things, and lost the tools with which to see them, than to never have seen them, in the first place.

Once you retire, I'm sure that you will find really cool ****, at garage sales, that will make you very happy, that you gave up your "knick-knacks", long ago, to get to to where you wanted to be.

And, at that point, 20 years in the future, you will see a post like this, by some other sorry young soul, and say; "hmmmm... Om was right."

But, it appears you've already figured this out.

So, never mind.
 
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