Selling your own GLO's badges on EBay

[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