Quote:
Originally posted by CatStarESP4
My question is that how do these sellers on ebay acquire the pins? I know that when a member of a GLO passes away, at times the family members don't think much of the pins/badges and give them away or sell it. Or if it is lost and somebody finds it, still thinks nothing of it and sells it on ebay. It would be better to return to the IHQ or the chapter. I don't see what joy these people take in selling the pins/badges.
Kudos to the GLOs and individual members who are doing their part in retrieving these pins/badges. These items should be in the right hands!
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Most members don't tell their family what to do with their badge and they end up in an estate sale OR they have been lost or stolen and the dealer/collector ends up with it down the road.
The money our Task Force uses to purchase historically significant badges off of ebay comes through pooling the funds of many women and not from our organization either. We bid in a very methodical manner and keep an eye on the bidding to keep from driving up the prices. We first try to locate the original owner and give her the ability to purchase the badge and newer badges we pretty much leave alone. Any others that are purchased are done so by individual members many of whom are trying to replace a badge that they lost. As KappaKittyCat said, we are one of those orgs who sells returned badges to our members looking to replace a lost one (for a lower price).
And just to dispel a myth that seems to be perpetrating, the women (at least in my org, I would assume Kappa as well) who buy these badges are already heavy contributors to our Foundation and this is simply one more way that they can preserve our history, for our future members. I get irritated when I hear insinuations that seem to say otherwise.
However, Gamma Phi is very well aware that buying the badges is not the answer and the fact that they show up for sale really isn't the true problem. The problem is a lack of education on the proper disposal of a member's badge as well as a simple lack of caring on the part of members.
Melanie
Chair, Badge Task Force