Selling your own GLO's badges on EBay

[DZRose]

I can only think of a few reasons why someone would sell their own badge.

1. It has no special meaning to them.
2. They had a falling out with their sorority.
3. They were in some dire straits and needed the cash.

For us, the fees we pay to HQ actually are more like a rental. Our badge actually doesn't belong to us, even though we are in posession of it, it actually belongs to the sorority. When we die, we're supposed to either be buried in it, or it's supposed to be sent back to HQ (yes, they actually have a vault at HQ with a huge box of badges in it) and there are very specific guidelines for disposal of a badge upon a members deactivation or death. When we initiate, we have to pay for a badge, there is no option to purchase badges no longer in use by other sisters.

Now, I will say that my mom is also a DZ, and I am not sending hers back when she dies. It was the badge I was initiated with, and I intend to hang onto it. If they want it, they can come and get it...lol.

On a brighter note, there are some sisters I know who devote a serious amount of time and resources to retrieving badges off e-bay. They buy them and send them back into HQ, who reimburses them up to about $50. I have also known of a woman who had her badge stolen in a home-theft years ago turn up on e-bay and she was able to get it back. So while the whole thing kinda sours my stomach, there are some bright spots in the whole thing.

DZRose

Originally Posted by DZRose

I can only think of a few reasons why someone would sell their own badge.

1. It has no special meaning to them.
2. They had a falling out with their sorority.
3. They were in some dire straits and needed the cash.

For us, the fees we pay to HQ actually are more like a rental. Our badge actually doesn't belong to us, even though we are in posession of it, it actually belongs to the sorority.

What you just said is great and all, but I really think some of you are missing the point.

This individual is NOT selling his own badge on eBay. He's selling the badges (or pins...whatever LXA calls em) of his own organization in addition to badges belonging to other organizations.

Alpha Gamma Delta members purchase a lifetime lease to the Badge when they are initiated because the Badges are the property of the Fraternity -- to be buried with the member or returned to the Fraternity upon her death.

I'm guessing that several organizations have a similar policy.

I don't know what LXA's rules are regarding their badges. If it's a-ok for their members to re-sell them online on eBay for a quick buck -- then so be it. However, I think we should all be cautious of this LXA possibly selling property that doesn't even belong to him. I mean, look. He can't even get his descriptions correct.

He should be reported to eBay.

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

That's something I wonder about...the legalities of selling a badge that is actually owned by an organization. Can we get their auction taken down because of that?

I always wish I had the money to buy one from them...at the least I could give them to our chapter...there's some girls that could use the break. When they're paying dues and new member fee and initiation fee, even $35 more can break the bank.

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl

That's something I wonder about...the legalities of selling a badge that is actually owned by an organization. Can we get their auction taken down because of that?

Nope! There's nothing that can be done legally. The various GLOs have looked into it and it's a dead issue. If someone buys a pin at an estate sale...they own it and they can do with it whatever they want (i.e. sell it on ebay). Whether or not our organizations approve is irrelevant.

Originally Posted by ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl

I always wish I had the money to buy one from them...at the least I could give them to our chapter...there's some girls that could use the break. When they're paying dues and new member fee and initiation fee, even $35 more can break the bank.

You'd be better off cutting a check to the chapter so that the money can be used to buy Badges for these girls.

Giving your $$$ to these eBay sellers just keeps them in business and leaves the door open for them to buy even more of our Badges.

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

Originally Posted by OTW

You'd be better off cutting a check to the chapter so that the money can be used to buy Badges for these girls.

Giving your $$$ to these eBay sellers just keeps them in business and leaves the door open for them to buy even more of our Badges.

Loaning money isn't a problem...well...it is but...not if they really need it. I just hate to see them sell them to non members.

Leslie Ann: That sucks. What about people that sell their own bages though? Even though that's probably not the majority of the sellers.

[Trey_P-I_47]

Ok I think that it is time for me to step in on this nice little conversation. I too know the seller personally, hell we have a phone conversation at least once a week, if not more. So if there is one thing that I know, it is A) Who this person is, B) what he has paid for the items that he sells (LXA) , and who has ended up with most of them. As a matter of fact, as far as the LXA badges are concerned, most have gone to Brothers, and several items to myself, both through ebay, and through personal set-ups.

Now take for instance this TKN badge that is on ebay right now from LXAZ1, he paid well over $400 for it (If I remember correctly over $500), and I was actually going to buy it for myself, but came across a slightly better opportunity. ($675 for a founding member's badge). So to say that he is 'ripping' people off is absurd. His biggest delight when selling these badges is that they end up in a very fortunate Brother's Hands. Now sure, if there was some better way to do this, it would be done, but to even advertise it up here, probably isnt going to get it very far. Most of the LXA brothers either have one already (TKN or LXA, doesnt matter) and lets face it, not too many people know or make use of GC. There is a larger chance that a brother happen across it on ebay, than the much smaller world of Greekchat.

Now I happen to know that this particular gentleman is 'mature' to say the least (A little research will show that the Lambda Chi Chapter was founded in the 60s), so this person is no spring chicken, so to make a mistake such as a date on an Organization that isnt even his, can hardly be called fraudulent. (But hey everyone up here knows absolutely EVERYTHING about EVERY GLO)

Now lets look at the reason why he is selling some of these, this man has over 60+ LXA Badges, he feels that by putting them on ebay he has a much better chance of getting them into a deserving Brother's hands, and hardly ever for more than what he paid for them. Now y'all suggested that he donate them to IHQ, that would be a marvelous idea, IF they didnt already have a massive collection, of much rarer badges. So they are pretty much just gonna put them in a nice little box, say Thank You, and then deposit them in the basement. So I ask you now, what good is that for an item of such beauty?

Now lets look at donating them to a new colony or what have you, again this man is well into his 60's and may not have the means to get them into the proper hands.

So I think I pretty much covered all of the bases, and if you have any questions about them, just post up here and I will get back to you. Oh and feel free to test me on who actually got what badges, I will be glad to verify if in fact they are a brother (about 90% are and obviously trey_lca_pi47 would be me)

Oh an one more thing, would you rather pay a little more for a slightly older, better made badge, or one of the newer plastic like ones from Herff-Jones. The quality now-a-days sucks, and I will leave it at that.

[Kevin]

It doesn't bother me that much. I mean sure, it's a symbol and symbols mean a lot, but that's it.

Come to think about it, while it may be a symbol to us, if you haven't lived it, it's just a pretty piece of metal, maybe with some rocks in it... big deal.

Unless I'm a collector of my organization's own badges, if I have a couple of hundred bucks, or $600+ burning a hole in my pocket and needing to go to something fraternity related, then that money is going to be either donated to the active chapter to help with rush costs, or it'll be donated to the alumni chapter to help with long-term goals, or it'll be donated to the HQ Educational Foundation which will provide a nice writeoff.

Before dropping that kind of coin on a symbol, think whether you'd rather pay that much money for a badge, or if you'd rather make a pretty significant contribution to your organization/chapter's future.

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

It doesn't bother me that much. I mean sure, it's a symbol and symbols mean a lot, but that's it.

Come to think about it, while it may be a symbol to us, if you haven't lived it, it's just a pretty piece of metal, maybe with some rocks in it... big deal.

Unless I'm a collector of my organization's own badges, if I have a couple of hundred bucks, or $600+ burning a hole in my pocket and needing to go to something fraternity related, then that money is going to be either donated to the active chapter to help with rush costs, or it'll be donated to the alumni chapter to help with long-term goals, or it'll be donated to the HQ Educational Foundation which will provide a nice writeoff.

Before dropping that kind of coin on a symbol, think whether you'd rather pay that much money for a badge, or if you'd rather make a pretty significant contribution to your organization/chapter's future.

I mean yeah, it's not exactly the end of the world or anything. But it does suck when you know you earned the right to wear the badge and someone else is buying it because it's shiny. I don't see myself ever having the money to buy them, just wish I could, that's all. I think I'm gonna have to donate some good ole free time of mine instead of the moolah.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl

I mean yeah, it's not exactly the end of the world or anything. But it does suck when you know you earned the right to wear the badge and someone else is buying it because it's shiny. I don't see myself ever having the money to buy them, just wish I could, that's all. I think I'm gonna have to donate some good ole free time of mine instead of the moolah.

Your time isn't going to make a down payment on a construction project

But I get what you're saying.

As far as collectors go, I'm reasonably certain that they don't wear the badges out in public. Most would display them in cases or keep them in boxes, whatever it is collectors do.

Even so, not only did you earn the right to wear that badge, you learned what it stood for. Unless that collector has also come across what your badge stands for, they have just paid a lot of money for a pretty rock. And frankly, if someone values my badge enough to spend serious bucks on it without even knowing the meaning behind that, it sort of strikes me as a form of praise.

It's always good to know your badge is aesthetically pleasing to the uninitiated.

[ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Your time isn't going to make a down payment on a construction project

But I get what you're saying.

As far as collectors go, I'm reasonably certain that they don't wear the badges out in public. Most would display them in cases or keep them in boxes, whatever it is collectors do.

Even so, not only did you earn the right to wear that badge, you learned what it stood for. Unless that collector has also come across what your badge stands for, they have just paid a lot of money for a pretty rock. And frankly, if someone values my badge enough to spend serious bucks on it without even knowing the meaning behind that, it sort of strikes me as a form of praise.

It's always good to know your badge is aesthetically pleasing to the uninitiated.

Yeah but so far I have not found a major that interests me that will translate into a generous income. That and I doubt we will ever get houses down here, but that is a whole different complaint.

I know what you are saying and it is true, but I just feel like pouting about it sometimes.

[Trey_P-I_47]

Excellent point on it being just a piece of metal, with maybe a few jewels. Yes it is our symbol, and something that you have to live your life through to really appreciate. So in reality, only a handful of people are really going to take the time to buy them.

1) A brother, with whom it has meaning to (And if he's not selling for a profit, whats the crime, and also for the record, most of us on ebay dont bid against known brothers, and we do make a realistic attempt to keep it in the fraternity)

2) A genuine collector who is going to appreciate it for its value and beauty, not wear it to try and pretend to be a brother.

3) A seller who is obviously trying to make a 'quick buck'

http://www.fratpin.com/lambdachialpha.htm

asking price for an all sapphire white gold badge = $450
price I paid from LXAZ1 for an 8 sapphire 3 diamond white gold badge = $189.00 (Cheaper than what Herff Jones charges for a similar badge with emeralds instead of sapphires and yellow gold)

and in fact there arent too many of number 3's out there. So realistically what is the harm?

Kevin it seems to me that it was I who was being referred to on the $600 plus point you were making.

I am almost 20 years old, and greatly appreciate our history. Our merger with Theta Kappa Nu, was, and still is the largest in fraternal history. Not to mention the fact that they were only around for approximately 15 years. So with me being so young, and paired with the fact that TKN badges are becoming more and more scare, to pay that much money for a Chapters Founding Father's Badge is but a pittance in my opinion (everyone has their own), and lord willing there will be plenty of time when I get a little older to make better charitable donations to the organization itself.

Also I would NEVER sell my original badge

[Leslie Anne]

I've got some serious problems with all of this.

Originally Posted by Trey_P-I_47

Now take for instance this TKN badge that is on ebay right now from LXAZ1, he paid well over $400 for it (If I remember correctly over $500), and I was actually going to buy it for myself, but came across a slightly better opportunity. ($675 for a founding member's badge). So to say that he is 'ripping' people off is absurd.

I'll agree that he isn't ripping people off.

Originally Posted by Trey_P-I_47

Now I happen to know that this particular gentleman is 'mature' to say the least (A little research will show that the Lambda Chi Chapter was founded in the 60s), so this person is no spring chicken, so to make a mistake such as a date on an Organization that isnt even his, can hardly be called fraudulent. (But hey everyone up here knows absolutely EVERYTHING about EVERY GLO)

What, you turn 60 and suddenly become a doddering old fool? Serious collectors or anyone who's been in contact with a lot of fraternity and sorority pins could tell in a nano-second that that ADPi pin was not a hundred years old! And I know plenty of collectors who actually do know just about absolutely EVERYTHING about EVERY GLO.

Originally Posted by Trey_P-I_47

Now lets look at the reason why he is selling some of these, this man has over 60+ LXA Badges, he feels that by putting them on ebay he has a much better chance of getting them into a deserving Brother's hands, and hardly ever for more than what he paid for them.

I doubt the reasoning here. More likely, he's been collecting them for a while and now has a lot of valuable ones so he's selling off the less valuable ones. I'm in the same position. I've bought so many KD pins that now I realize that some aren't as valuable (in terms of age and genuine gems and gold). BUT, you will never catch me selling those KD pins on ebay.

Originally Posted by Trey_P-I_47

Now lets look at donating them to a new colony or what have you, again this man is well into his 60's and may not have the means to get them into the proper hands.

This is WEAK! Again, just because he's in his 60's he can't figure out how to get pins to a new colony? Pfft!

Originally Posted by Trey_P-I_47

Oh an one more thing, would you rather pay a little more for a slightly older, better made badge, or one of the newer plastic like ones from Herff-Jones. The quality now-a-days sucks, and I will leave it at that.

Here, I actually agree with you.

[Trey_P-I_47]

Ok I guess where I was specifically going with the age thing was computers. I consider myself blessed to be able to remotely keep up with computers, and I actually grew up on these things. So to take an older gentleman who probably didnt even have an idea of how to turn this thing on 5 years ago, and ask him to know everything about them in such a short time. It can be very mind boggling, and lets face it, this day in age, computers are by far the easiest resource in researching historical items or gathering info. Now in some aspects I agree with you, but you said something very interesting that kinda stuck with me.

You know the value of your pins, but would never sell even the 'cheaper' ones on ebay. Well look at what he has for sale right now, A White Gold, all emerald badge, one that is not that common to come by, and a Theta Kappa Nu Badge, with Pearls, and an Alpha Guard (1st Chapter in that particular state). So he is in fact trying to share some 'better' items with the world. So I guess the point I am trying to make, is most likely a brother is going to end up with it, or someone who appreciates its true value. What is so wrong with that?

Even though you have several more expensive badges would you just donate it to HQ to be stored away, or give to someone you barely know that may not appreciate its true value/history. Now it would make a little sense more sense if he found someone who could afford to pay a fair price for it (what he paid or a little less), if they appreciated it, but most of the people he is that close to, already have one or several of their own. He is at least letting someone he may not know personally, but whom may be very deserving of it have a chance.

[Trey_P-I_47]

Oops forgot to give my spiel on 'knowing everything about every GLO'. What if he happened to be an amateur collector, and appreciated the pin for its beauty and not because it belonged to a particular group, then lets say he either had a project (collecting GLO badges that were at his school when he founded his local and then became LXA), now lets say he slowly upgraded to better ones (with jewels) now what is the harm in putting the less valuable one back on the market. He doesnt have to know the entire history behind every organization to accomplish his project, just that the organization in question was on his campus. So he made a mistake, it happens.

Now you are absolutely right about some people knowing everything about Greek-Lettered Organizations, but lets face it they are few and far between, and it cant be expected out of everyone (even though I am studying my butt off to learn as much as I can about them)