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What if you had something...

1944GPW

1944GPW

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
810
Location
Brisbane, Australia
...that was reasonably scarce, and took some effort and expense to get.

And someone on this forum at a non-profit museum overseas then asked you

"You could send everything to me, and I would happily take care of everything. ;-)"

and later:

"Would you be willing to part with them, and ship them to <country>?
I would, of course, pay for your time and expenses."

And you reply back that you'd consider trading your something for something you're after, and as there are four forum members who are CCd in, there would be no point eBaying, I would prefer to avoid that.

Is my request for trading unreasonable? The reply back I received seemed to indicate it is, and that I'm not the only source of these somethings, and their suggestion is to just put them on eBay and see what I can get for them.
 
It depends on who is running the museum, and how the museum is structured -- if it's a proper nonprofit, they may have procedures in place that make a trade difficult. Otherwise, no, it's totally reasonable, I've done similar trades in the past with various museum-like groups. Most real museums purchase things when there's something they really, really want and no one has been willing or able to donate it. I'm not sure where the idea of, "everyone should 'donate' stuff to us because we're a museum" comes from. Doubly so if it's not an actual incorporated nonprofit: in that case, it's a private collection. Even if it's a private collection on display to the public, it's still a private collection.
 
Ah, good point glitch. I have no idea how their museum is set up, and if they have such restrictions. According to their site they are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and they say they do not purchase objects unless full funding has been secured and the purchase price represents value for money, or words to that effect. I'm loathe to sell, but happy to trade.
 
legalize said:
Probably because most museums are broke and/or run on a shoe string budget with volunteers and not paid staff. :)
Click to expand...

From folks who have pestered me about "donations," I get the impression that it's not even a public exhibit of a private collection, but just some guy who has a lot of old computers looking for freebies.
 
1944GPW said:
Is my request for trading unreasonable?
Click to expand...

Absolutely not! I prefer to do trades, as this is a hobby for me and I feel that when money gets involved it takes the fun out of the experience.

I trade items I have for items I want, and if I want something that is only available by spending money, I will do a trade with someone that is willing to buy that item for me and trade for that.

I have been doing this for 30+ years and have been able to get everything I want this way. Hold your ground, if the museum does not want to trade someone else out there will.

Rick
 
1944GPW said:
...that was reasonably scarce, and took some effort and expense to get.

And someone on this forum at a non-profit museum overseas then asked you

"You could send everything to me, and I would happily take care of everything. ;-)"

and later:

"Would you be willing to part with them, and ship them to <country>?
I would, of course, pay for your time and expenses."

And you reply back that you'd consider trading your something for something you're after, and as there are four forum members who are CCd in, there would be no point eBaying, I would prefer to avoid that.

Is my request for trading unreasonable? The reply back I received seemed to indicate it is, and that I'm not the only source of these somethings, and their suggestion is to just put them on eBay and see what I can get for them.
Click to expand...

Not following this: Are you saying the "museum" offered to pay for the item but you don't want cash and rather get another item in trade? I can see how that could be an issue. Many times when things are donated to a museum it is with the express understanding they stay with the museum and not to be sold or traded away. Sometime they are temporary loans. Sometimes the museum may want to keep the "other rare thing" for their own collection and sometime it is a trust issue (they ship but you don't or vice a versa)... You get the idea. Also there is the issue of worth - you may consider your item worth equivalent to the museum's item but they may not (and in reality it may not be or it could be worth more, etc...).

Honestly if it was me I would approach it as two transactions (assuming they are willing to part with a part of their collection). You pay for the item you want plus S&H and they pay for your item. This way it takes a lot of the trust, and ancillary problems out (e.g. your item is damaged during shipping the museum gets their money back and you still get the item you wanted). If you are trading item for item it makes solving problems much harder. Of course if you can trade in person that is a different story...
 
Scarce doesn't mean valuable in this hobby.

People donate to a museum because they get the tax writeoff of the items full value (or at least did no idea what taxes are like in that currently). Now this would have to be a legal museum with all the correct paperwork and appraisal documentation.

Trades are OK for common stuff but anything of major value should probably be done through a service with protection for both parties.

Unless you are on welfare and are selling an Apple I and don't want to have conversations with the government on how/why you had $100K+ in a bank account for a while I don't see the aversion to cash.
 
The thing that kills me about these "museums" so called is when the operation dries up for whatever reason all the proceeds become the saleable property of one person usually. A lot of times so called museums are just individual collectors who are looking to get things for free. I love getting things for free. But I never called myself a museum to get things.
 
On the other hand, when I'm approached by someone with a piece of equipment that's not useful to me and fairly rare, I'll provide suggestions as to museums or organizations who might be interested. I'm at an age now where collecting things just for their novelty is a nonstarter. I have to keep asking myself "so what would I do with that?"
 
I think for some reason many people think all museums are open to the public and not-for-profit. Many are only one or the other or neither.
 
The ultimate reasons for donating something are pretty simple:

a. To be rid of it, no matter the eventual disposition.
b. To preserve it for future interest or education.
c. To get the tax write-off.

Can anyone think of any other motives?
 
Chuck(G) said:
On the other hand, when I'm approached by someone with a piece of equipment that's not useful to me and fairly rare, I'll provide suggestions as to museums or organizations who might be interested. I'm at an age now where collecting things just for their novelty is a nonstarter. I have to keep asking myself "so what would I do with that?"
Click to expand...

I think at a certain age you probably don't want to adopt a kitten, but obsolete computer stuff I will collect until I croak.
 
Chuck(G) said:
The ultimate reasons for donating something are pretty simple:

a. To be rid of it, no matter the eventual disposition.
b. To preserve it for future interest or education.
c. To get the tax write-off.

Can anyone think of any other motives?
Click to expand...

Fame I would imagine if the item(s) and valuable enough to get your own wing at a museum. Large well know collections like say of coins end up having the owners name attached to the rarities even after the owners are long dead.
 
Chuck(G) said:
The ultimate reasons for donating something are pretty simple:

a. To be rid of it, no matter the eventual disposition.
b. To preserve it for future interest or education.
c. To get the tax write-off.



Can anyone think of any other motives?
Click to expand...

Yes. To experience that warm fuzzy feeling.
 
Warm fuzzy feelings are very transient.
I suspect that fame only matters if you're too full of yourself or your forebears.

I wouldn't have the nerve to saddle my wife the disposal of a large collection. She'll have many other things on her mind. cf. Don Maslin
 
tipc said:
mu·se·um
/myo͞oˈzēəm/

noun
a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited.
Click to expand...

Really should include fakes. I've been to at least one museum with some really spectacular fakes.
 
Your wife will have to ditch all the rest of your stuff anyway (cars, clothes, test equipment, toiletries). I am sure you could leave her the name of some recycler who will gladly take it all and resell or scrap it without too much effort on the wifes part other then being around when they come to haul it off. The real issues are if the collection has a large enough monetary value to even bother to sell pieces of it or if the vultures come out of the woodwork to try and snag it when your name hits the obituaries in the local paper.
 
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