Question about an eBay badge...
 

An older badge was listed on eBay today and the seller listed the name, chapter, and university that are engraved on the back. When a seller is making a claim that a badge came from a specific individual, I always look up that person's name on the Sister Search to see if the seller is giving factual information. (Yeah, I'm a dork. :o But some of them have made claims that turned out not to be true - ex: stating that a badge was from a chapter founder, and when I look up the member's name I see that she initiated 6 years after the chapter was chartered, etc.)

Anyhow, most of the time when a badge is old, the member has entered Chapter Grand. This time, the woman has not. (Or, at least, I should say the site hasn't been updated to reflect that.) She's showing a relatively recent address update (within the past 2-3 years), so I'm assuming its not a matter of her simply having lost touch with Alpha Gam.

Do you think it would be inappropriate to contact her to let her know that someone is selling her badge on eBay? Sure, its possible that she herself sold it to someone else. But what if it was lost or stolen, and she has been missing it all this time? What if she had planned on being buried with her badge, and was very upset that it turned up missing?

My intent would be something simple like sending a note (via postal mail, as that's the only contact info she has listed) simply stating that I see that her badge is for sale and I wanted her to be aware of it. But I don't want to be "creepy" either - I just want to do whatever is the appropriate sisterly thing. If there's any chance that she lost this badge and has been sad about it disappearing, I'd certainly want her to have the opportunity to get it back! (I'd buy it and send it to her myself, but money is a little tight right now and I don't have the $90 to spare. :o )

I would contact her.

If she is still alive and had a recent address change, could she have moved to a nursing home or in with a family member and they are selling this "for her". Just a thought?

I think that it would be a great idea to contact her and let her know. That way if her family is selling it, then they might think twice about it. Also I would contact the seller and let them know a few things about how we want our badges treated. I did this once and the woman took it off ebay and sent it in to IHQ. It had been her mother's and she didn't know that it should have been sent in to IHQ.


I still think that we could get a law passed or a legal document about how badges are "rented" from IHQ and really are not legally anyone's right to resell. It might not do any good but so do a whole bunch of other laws. It is just the point.