Selling your own GLO's badges on EBay

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by OrigamiTulip

I know we've discussed the sale of badges by non-members before, but I came across a couple of ebay listings that got me thinking about this issue from a different angle. How do you feel about people who sell the badges of their own GLO on Ebay? Especially when they are badges that have historical significance to the GLO? For example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lambda-Chi-Alpha...QQcmdZViewItem


Personally, I think that it's really sad that people are so disloyal to their GLO that they would stoop to selling their badges to non-members. Don't most GLO's have policies to deal with such traitorous behaviour?

I would like to point out that the listing for the item I quoted above is WRONG. The chapter isn't Las Vegas, it is from the Reno chapter. The seller has LXA in their name, so the fact they can't even get their own chapter right, and also selling their groups badge is very tragic.

Maybe the person is perping LXA? If they were an LXA with all tese badges why not donate them for an honor badge at a chapter or send them to the Main Office? Very suspect! Either way it is tacky and fraudulent. Of course poor taste isn't an eBay violation, but incorrect item descriptions are.

Caveat emptor!

[1177SSS]

Long time lurker....

I am pretty sure the ebay seller you are talking about is on GC.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by 1177SSS

Long time lurker....

I am pretty sure the ebay seller you are talking about is on GC.

I REFUSE to believe that somebone that's part of THIS community would stoop so low.

[1177SSS]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I REFUSE to believe that somebone that's part of THIS community would stoop so low.

You can "believe" what you choose. However I have first hand knowledge of the ebay seller. I buy badges off ebay and send them to our National Organization. The last one I purchased was from this seller.

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by 1177SSS

You can "believe" what you choose. However I have first hand knowledge of the ebay seller. I buy badges off ebay and send them to our National Organization. The last one I purchased was from this seller.

I think I know the badge you mean and it made me sad that this person was selling off another GLO's pin.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I REFUSE to believe that somebone that's part of THIS community would stoop so low.

hee hee hee


You're a funny man.

[UGAalum94]

IF you didn't know better, I can understand why GLO pins would seem like a cool thing to collect: they are beautiful and historic and often have variety, etc.

But a member of any GLO would have to understand that GLOs have rules about who can possess badges and pins and what should happen to each even after a member's death, so you would understand that your collection reflected failures to follow ritual by as many members as you had pins. That would suck the joy out for me.

(I think you'd have to be a sick little puppy to enjoy having a collection that devalued the rules of the groups that gave the items meanings. You only want it because it's XYZ and XYZ doesn't want you to have it?)

But people who SELL the badges and pins, even after they understand the wishes of the groups, really gross me out, and I think we should all be vigilant that we don't create a market and we fully inform others so they don't contribute.

(In the second case, I'm thinking of moms and dads who might not be Greek, but who think their sons or daughters would like the item. They might not fully understand that even though they are buying the item for a member, there's still a problem.)

[dever860]

For some reason, as a Lambda Chi, this doesn't bother me as much as the majority of people on this thread, so I will offer the dissenting opinion on this topic. Personally, as a Lambda Chi, I would never sell MY OWN pin, never ever, ever. My father gave me his pin, that he got from his mother, and I hope to pass it down myself one day. I am totally against the selling of your OWN pin. I cannot hold it against someone if their faith in their own fraternity, has diminished less then mine, in my opinion its a personal life choice. I hold some things in higher regard then some of my brothers, I plan to be a life long member of LCA, and thats my choice.

Regarding the selling of pins/badges/random swag on Ebay, for a younger undergraduate brother like myself it is a great opportunity. Regardless of the motives of the seller(s), finding a 60+ year old TKN badge for sale only comes around a few times in a lifetime. I love buying items off Ebay, especially older items, and if I had the money I would snatch these up in seconds. The fact that this is being sold by a brother, and I have a good feeling who it is, I will automatically assume these things: 1. He is a life long brother of LCA, hell his name is LCAz1. 2. These are NOT his pins. 3. At some point he either had to buy them himself, or they were given to him. 4. $300 for a TKN pin is a steal, he by no means is trying to rip us off. It is actually worth a great deal more.

As a collector of LCA gear in an age where my fraternity is coming up on its one-hundredth anniversary, it becomes increasingly harder over the years to acquire these old items. This is one of the only avenues to get these things nowadays.

I think the general consensus is that brothers giving away/selling their pins for profit is a horrible thing, I will agree and disagree. Circumstances surrounding these pins are not by any means dishonorable, collectors are collectors. Odds are the money received is going to his chapter, or going to purchase other items he doesn't have. Keep in mind, many people I know buy several pins for themselves. Luckily, I got a very expensive pin from my dad, probably was worth several hundred when purchased, so I am told. Many people start off with cheap pins, and buy new ones when they can afford it. If they want to sell the old one, so be it.

Conversely, I think selling your own pin is like giving up your allegiance to the fraternity. I think I rather have someone sell their pin and it goto a brother who appreciates it, and if it has to be returned to the fraternity by monetary means, so be it. Someone had to pay for it, its priceless and expensive all at the same time.

In conclusion, it doesn't bother me. There are worse things that a person can do their fraternity, this is not one of them as long as the intentions are honorable, in this case I can guarantee they are.

Thanks,
John Dever
High Kappa
Lambda Chi Alpha - Gamma-Tau Chapter
The Ohio State University

[Senusret I]

And you can speak with such certainty.... how?

And the misrepresentation of the ADPi badge....?

And how about if you wanted to sell your own badges, badges of your own fraternity, why must it be done on ebay, where there is no assurance that the purchaser is a member of the org....

Just doesn't make sense.

Are you the seller?

[Jen]

But there's no guarantee that a 60 year old LXA badge will end up with a brother via eBay. Wouldn't you rather see the seller offer them via an LXA group or site and have them go to actual members, than risk the chance they'd end up in the hands of non-members?

It just seems skeevy to me that SO MANY badges are for sale from this person. It looks more like someone buying and selling for profit more than anything, especially since they are not being accurate and selling badges with false information.

[kddani]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

And the misrepresentation of the ADPi badge....?

Somehow fraud doesn't seem to be in line with the ideals that LXA puts forth, at least on its website. If someone is committing fraud while flaunting your letters, that's kinda bad.

[dever860]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

And you can speak with such certainty.... how?

And the misrepresentation of the ADPi badge....?

And how about if you wanted to sell your own badges, badges of your own fraternity, why must it be done on ebay, where there is no assurance that the purchaser is a member of the org....

Just doesn't make sense.

Are you the seller?

I am not the seller. I am pretty positive I know who it is, and the fact that I do, does not bother me one bit.

Secondly, I agree with you that there should be a better avenue about how to go about selling of things like these. I just hate ebay, but unfortunately this is the world we live in and no matter how much I hate ebay it is the most convenient.

I am well aware that this could go to someone who is not a brother, and the only reason it would bother me would be if someone was using it to falsify their membership in the fraternity. There are some honorable people out there that collect badges of this caliber from numerous sources. Does it bother you that someone from any of your GLO's might have a Lambda chi badge because they bought it because it was pretty or they have a collection from several GLO's? History is just that, history, and you cannot fight the fact that some people are historians and they collect items. Personally if someone from a different GLO, or just a regular individual, wants to collect a LCA badge because they recognize its brilliance and beauty I take that as a compliment.

http://www.hjgreek.com/index.cfm?eve...wOrganizations

I or anyone else could go on their website right now, and order official badges from any one of those GLO's, and they don't have to be a member of that GLO. My mother could go buy me one, and she doesn't have to prove that she or I am an Lambda Chi. Our Lambda chi badge was originally inspired by Kappa Sigma's badge in 1912. Ancient history, our founder had no nefarious intentions by owning one of these.

In a perfect world, I agree that those badges should goto a Lambda Chi. I also contend that there are motives other than greed when buying or selling these items.

[dever860]

Originally Posted by kddani

Somehow fraud doesn't seem to be in line with the ideals that LXA puts forth, at least on its website. If someone is committing fraud while flaunting your letters, that's kinda bad.

Sorry, I missed a few posts and skipped to the end before I posted. I cannot speak for members of other GLO's, or other individuals about how they feel about their badges. And to state the fact, these are my individual opinions and don't represent anyone else, nor am I trying to influence anyones faith in their GLO.

I looked at the ebay threads, the highest selling badge was $60, and that was for a 100 year old badge. That isin't a lot of money, if he was trying to profit he could easily have set the reserve to several hundred higher and it would still probably sell. Odds are thats what he paid for it. The other badges are around a few dollars to 20$ ish.

It seems to me that the basis of the argument is people not wanting other GLO's to own their pins, and that people from a GLO should not sell their own pins. I agree with the second with reservations as stated before. He could own badges, and not sell them, and no one would ever know that they still existed. Then it wouldn't be a problem? It seems to me that this collector, hes obviously not just selling 1, is trying to give the badges back to their owners, or whoever appreciates them the most. It is also obvious that he is not trying to profit off the sale of these pins, because almost all of them could go way over the asking price.

I am not trying to inheritantly defend the person selling the items, more to offer an explanation that doesn't involve the individual being a horrible person. I don't think that the other items being sold are being misrepresented. At no point does he say that he is a member of the sorority of the pins hes selling. Its the trade of history, it just happens to be in this case viewable on ebay. It happens each and everyday, public, and private. And most of the transactions you will never ever hear about. Some people honestly like collecting and selling old things. I have accepted the fact that there are plenty of things that are missing from my chapter that will never be seen again. I rather find it on ebay, then never at all. Stealing is a different story, this is not stealing.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by dever860

http://www.hjgreek.com/index.cfm?eve...wOrganizations

I or anyone else could go on their website right now, and order official badges from any one of those GLO's, and they don't have to be a member of that GLO. My mother could go buy me one, and she doesn't have to prove that she or I am an Lambda Chi. Our Lambda chi badge was originally inspired by Kappa Sigma's badge in 1912. Ancient history, our founder had no nefarious intentions by owning one of these.

I believe that part of being the official jeweler for a group involves verifying with the group the membership of who orders the actual badges. I think you can order a lot of the other stuff, but I don't think you can actually get the badges without their confirmation with your national group.

And I think the point about the 100 year old badge is that it couldn't be as advertised because the name ADPi wasn't in use in 1904.

ETA: You have to do more than confirm through IHQ. You have to order through IHQ.

[dever860]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

I believe that part of being the official jeweler for a group involves verifying with the group the membership of who orders the actual badges. I think you can order a lot of the other stuff, but I don't think you can actually get the badges without their confirmation with your national group.

And I think the point about the 100 year old badge is that it couldn't be as advertised because the name ADPi wasn't in use in 1904.

Sorry, I missed that point entirely. I have no explanation for that, most likely a misunderstanding. I cannot comment on the validity of the items being sold, I only know about my own badge. I jumped in too quick into the discussion, didn't read all of the comments.