Friday, July 5, 2013

“Somebody stop me”

That line from the Jim Carrey movie, “The Mask,” keeps resounding in my head as I stand upon the precipice of buying yet another large, room-filling collection.

First, a little back story.

Back in June, Ella and I attended the Memphis Film Festival, where I became intrigued with the idea of having a vendor booth next year, and selling “western stuff,” for lack of a better term.  The booth price is reasonable, and it seems like an semi-easy way to make a little money while letting Ella attend the festival again.  Of course, the only  problem is inventory, of lack thereof.

So, in our infinite wisdom, we started scrounging around on Ebay, looking for penny auctions with no bids, and cheap or free shipping, as a means to build up a respectable stash of western goods.  It’s a good strategy, I suppose, but what I really needed was to buy a western memorabilia collection.  However, the “Deep South” where we live is about as far from the “Old West” as you can get, so the chances of us finding such a collection, without traveling across country, is pretty slim, right?

Cue the foreshadowing.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, the answer is “no.”  I found an extensive western collection for sale just a few hours’ drive from our house, and we’re checking it out tomorrow.

I’ll provide more details about it once I see it, but the owner claims to have hundreds of books, DVDs, VHS tapes, photos, clocks, John Wayne stand-ups, knives, comic books, native American items, etc.  Sounds like exactly what we need, but the larger question looming in my mind as I contemplate this potential purchase is, “where the heck would I store it?”

As I’ve written before, our house has turned into a warehouse, and we are still dealing with boxes and boxes of educational material acquired in May from the retired school teacher, not to mention boxes and boxes of merchandise acquired from yard sales.  It’s comforting to have so much to sell, but it’s nerve-wracking to see the mess day in and day out.

So, with this large, space-consuming buy looming in front of me, I’m questioning the wisdom of our path.  One voice in my head thinks that I am an idiot for even considering it, while another voice is quoting Thomas Edison, saying, “we often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

The bottom line is that we will view the collection, and probably will buy some, most, or all of it, and worry about storage issues later.  Ella, the western buff, will be in charge of organizing it, and I will add it to my ever-growing list of things to deal with.

Oh, did I mention that I have my eyes on a 1,000 piece Star Trek and Star Wars collection?

Somebody stop me … please.

6 comments:

  1. Ummmm, stop! You are in danger of becoming a hoarder (LOL)... I try to only buy as much stuff as I can list and store. Try being the operative word. LOL again. But to make a commitment to a Western collection, and a Star.... collection, aren't you spreading yourself thin? Of course, I'm a minimalist person, I don't want to live with my stock, I want it to disappear while it's waiting to be listed or stored. ...Of course if Ella approves of this....Good luck

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the pep talk. It's difficult to pass on bargains, but I have forced myself to cut back on day to day inventory purchases. I wouldn't classify myself as a horder quite yet, but I am walking the line.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As someone who has had a booth at a specialized convention, I can tell you that it's extremely profitable. If you price things right, you will move a lot of merch. I think you should try it once and see how it goes. If you don't do well, then I would reassess your inventory. Having just moved to the south and experienced larger than large bugs, I would worry that all that stuff in your house could be a health hazard, harboring unwanted things, including dust, mold, etc. You (or a visitor) could also fall over it and break a leg. Maybe you should consider a storage unit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Forgot to mention that "The Mask" is one of my favorite movies. Boom chicky boom!

      Delete
    2. We do have a storage unit. Large lots are deposited in the storage unit first, then moved to our great room for processing, or at least, that's the way its planned. Ella does a good job of keeping the items organized and boxed appropriately. All boxes are checked for bugs before use. After processing, media goes upstairs for shelving; ebay items go to our guest house for storage. The only flaw in that plan is that inventory usually outstrips listing time, which causes the "hoarder" look in my house.

      Delete
  4. I say go for it. Star Trek/ Wars would do great at a comic con. Also having just watched the whole first season of Toy Hunter, some is worth big bucks. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete