Greek Pin Website

sigmadiva · #1 08-07-2006, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

Her website is a business and the idea of any business is to sell things for more than you paid for them, otherwise you'd be out of business.

Anyone can spend hour upon hour searching ebay and perhaps getting something at a lower price. But if you don't want to do that, you can go to her site, where all the pins are lined up and ready to go. Naturally, you will pay a premium for the convenience and for her doing a lot of the work for you.

I suppose if I went into any store and demanded they sell me merchandise for what they paid for it, I'd get an "attitude" also.

I see your point, but how difficult is it to order your pin through your HQ? At least you know what you are getting and you are not paying a premium price.

I remember the excitement I had when I ordered my pin through my HQ. Waiting for it made it that more exciting, and when it finally arrived!!! OH!!!! I was the happiest girl in the world!!

SmartBlondeGPhB · #2 08-07-2006, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

I see your point, but how difficult is it to order your pin through your HQ? At least you know what you are getting and you are not paying a premium price.

New members HAVE to order through our IH unless they get an exception to wear a relative's badge.

JonoBN41 · #3 08-07-2006, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

I see your point, but how difficult is it to order your pin through your HQ? At least you know what you are getting and you are not paying a premium price.

Wrong. I recently made the mistake of ordering a Lambda Chi Alpha badge from the Balfour/BurrPat/MastersofDesign/Herff-Jones monopoly for $120 and received a piece of junk that looks like plastic and tested at only 8 karats.

It's absolutely deplorable the crap they're pawning off on our new members, and that company serves (and I use that term lightly) 98 fraternities and sororities.

I'll do my shopping on ebay where you can find a nice vintage badge in 10 or 14K, often for $50 - $75. You will not find workmanship like that today.

You all should be glad that sellers on ebay are listing older pins. It's the only way you're going to get a quality badge. Stop griping and whining about it for crying out loud, and buy one to give to a new member.

Jono

sigmadiva · #4 08-08-2006, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

Wrong. I recently made the mistake of ordering a Lambda Chi Alpha badge from the Balfour/BurrPat/MastersofDesign/Herff-Jones monopoly for $120 and received a piece of junk that looks like plastic and tested at only 8 karats.

It's absolutely deplorable the crap they're pawning off on our new members, and that company serves (and I use that term lightly) 98 fraternities and sororities.

I'll do my shopping on ebay where you can find a nice vintage badge in 10 or 14K, often for $50 - $75. You will not find workmanship like that today.

You all should be glad that sellers on ebay are listing older pins. It's the only way you're going to get a quality badge. Stop griping and whining about it for crying out loud, and buy one to give to a new member.

Jono

Ouch!!! Well, this is your opportunity to make an important change in your fraternity. For a brief time in my sorority we had a similar problem with our badges. Who ever we contracted with were sending out these wafer thin pieces of gold that barely held the pearls. Many members complained and we changed companies - after the membership spoke up about it!!! Do the same, make some changes.

33girl · #5 08-09-2006, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

the Balfour/BurrPat/MastersofDesign/Herff-Jones monopoly

So this is all the same company? Who bought who? Why don't they just go under one name and be done with it?

MysticCat · #6 08-09-2006, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

So this is all the same company? Who bought who? Why don't they just go under one name and be done with it?

So far as I know, Balfour and Masters of Design are still separate companies. Herff Jones bought Burr Patterson & Auld and maintains that mark for its Greek Division.

SmartBlondeGPhB · #7 08-09-2006, 05:33 PM

Masters of Design bought someone else but I can't remember who it was. But it was the company who used to do our badges (did my 1988 one) which is how we now have MoD. Burr is separate but I thought there were only two companies who did them.

But I am far from an expert.

MoD bought Pollack........(my brain hasn't completely failed)

Tom Earp · #8 08-09-2006, 05:54 PM

All have been bought up over the years, and the quality has gone down!

Balfor has of course been bought out, Burr-Patterson and Ault has also been purchased and now, it is down to I beleive Herf-Jones in Providence, R I.

I cannot remember all of the Pin Companys, but the quality has gone down and the price has gone up!

Of course The GLOs make a % but I am not sure how much, maybe you can help me out with this?

JonoBN41 · #9 08-09-2006, 06:15 PM

The way I understand it MoD bought the remnants of Balfour (hence the "Legacy" division) and you say they bought Pollack too. Herff-Jones bought BurrPatt and MoD. So now it's all one. Check out their website. It's Herff-Jones - Legacy - Burr Patterson.

http://www.hjgreek.com/index.cfm?FromSite=ld

Jono

sigmadiva · #10 08-09-2006, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmartBlondeGPhB

MoD bought Pollack........(my brain hasn't completely failed)

When I got my badge in 1988 too! it was from Pollack. I still have the original case it came in from the company, somewhere......

jadis96 · #11 08-10-2006, 12:00 AM

Sigma uses MoD and when I got my badge in 97 the quality was pretty good. I have never lost any pearls. I am not sure how the quality is these days, but I have not heard any complaints.

susan314 · #12 03-08-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

You all should be glad that sellers on ebay are listing older pins. It's the only way you're going to get a quality badge. Stop griping and whining about it for crying out loud, and buy one to give to a new member.

Jono

I don't know about the policies of anyone else's organization, but it is completely in violation of Alpha Gamma Delta's badge disposition policy for these badges to appear on eBay.

Badges are property of Alpha Gamma Delta, and we as members purchase a lifetime lease on the badge - not the badge itself. Upon death of a sister, there are two options - badge can be buried with the deceased, or badge should be returned to IHQ. Anyone who sells an Alpha Gamma Delta badge is selling something that is quite simply not theirs to sell. (No one other than IHQ has the right/legal ability to sell an Alpha Gamma Delta badge, because only the sorority truly owns the badge.)

I'm sure the problem arises primarily when a sister passes away and the family is not aware of her wishes (to either be buried w/her badge or in the alternative have the badge revert back to IHQ). Which is, of course, why any member should be aware of their own GLO's badge disposition policy and make sure that family members are aware of what to do upon your passing.

(Our official policy is here, on the public portion of our website: http://www.alphagammadelta.org/content/about/badge.htm )

ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl · #13 03-08-2007, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan314

I don't know about the policies of anyone else's organization, but it is completely in violation of Alpha Gamma Delta's badge disposition policy for these badges to appear on eBay.

Badges are property of Alpha Gamma Delta, and we as members purchase a lifetime lease on the badge - not the badge itself. Upon death of a sister, there are two options - badge can be buried with the deceased, or badge should be returned to IHQ. Anyone who sells an Alpha Gamma Delta badge is selling something that is quite simply not theirs to sell. (No one other than IHQ has the right/legal ability to sell an Alpha Gamma Delta badge, because only the sorority truly owns the badge.)

I'm sure the problem arises primarily when a sister passes away and the family is not aware of her wishes (to either be buried w/her badge or in the alternative have the badge revert back to IHQ). Which is, of course, why any member should be aware of their own GLO's badge disposition policy and make sure that family members are aware of what to do upon your passing.

(Our official policy is here, on the public portion of our website: http://www.alphagammadelta.org/content/about/badge.htm )

Ebay will take down auctions that are objectionable. I wonder if pointing out that those badges are essentially "stolen" property would get them removed from ebay?

susan314 · #14 03-08-2007, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ???SquirrelGirl

Ebay will take down auctions that are objectionable. I wonder if pointing out that those badges are essentially "stolen" property would get them removed from ebay?

Hmmn...that's a good point. Regardless of whether the seller got the pin through what they thought was a legitimate business deal, they really didn't. It does make you wonder what eBay would do in that situation.

(If I were leasing a car or a house and tried to "sell" it to you, we'd both certainly end up in hot water. Of course, there's more of a paper trail on that sort of thing with registered titles and such.

)

I wonder if any other GLO's have a similar policy to our life lease vs. ownership?

Tom Earp · #15 03-08-2007, 07:06 PM

While some may not, some go get them through legitiment purchases.

What ever any GLO professes, they can become available, and they can come on eBay.

Threats to a person is not a good way to promote Greek love!

I have had some and will not put up with it!

I normaly try to buy My Fraternity Badges as I have those for History sake for My Chapter.

I have also found homes for some of the others that I purchased and put them on ebay at a decent price to be returned to those members. At least what I paid for them which is and few between.

Some may complain, but, it is not going to do much good!

Either buy them or do not complain.

Sorry.