wrote:
If you're trying to declutter, I'm going to guess that a few hundred greeting cards are the least of the clutter. No insult intended, it's just that I've seen sellers who make a beeline for their greeting cards, get cold feet over sentimentality, yet meanwhile have boxes and bins and shelves and cabinets full of 'future projects' that are really taking up space and yet have still got the idea that they will eventually get to/finish the projects that they envision and for which they have materials to complete more projects than they could finish if they lived to be 300 years old, or that they'll make a great thing to pass along to a younger relation (who sadly will likely take it straight to the thrift shop or the dustbin).
No offense taken. I do come from a long line of "savers" (not hoarders). We had to get rid of a lot of stuff when we moved to a smaller space a few years ago, via a couple of yard sales, giving stuff away, and donating to thrift stores, but there were things that I just couldn't part with at that time. I never knew that people threw away greeting cards, until I heard one of my sisters-in-law say that they had done just that. At the time, it blew my mind. I had always kept my cards, it had never occurred to me to get rid of them. It never seemed to be a problem, until I didn't really have a place to keep them any more, but I kept them anyway. But now I wonder why? They just sit in boxes taking up space.
I was talking with my aunt about this today, and we were basically saying the same thing, that the younger ones really don't seem to be interested in the old photos, family mementos, souvenir postcards, even the kids old drawings from when they were little, etc.
If any of the cards are not written on separate them out
I do have a few of those in a separate box, because I used to buy cards ahead of time. I know that I have one old Peanuts Halloween card, with "pumpkin carols" I bought and kept for myself, just because I liked it. I also have an old sheet of vintage valentine cards.
If any of the cards also have envelopes that aren't written on, separate them too
Those 'reusable' cards can be collectible but unless they're REALLY old, they're most likely best listed in groups by theme (e.g. cartoon, floral, type-of-holiday, children, etc etc) Take a look at lots that other sellers have offered and check out the SOLD, not the listings that are still running. SOLD tells you much more what's really likely to go for any kind of #
A few may be collectible either unwritten-on or not, because they're super old, foreign, have an interesting feature such as being 3 dimensional, or because the artist is desirable.
Otherwise, they're mostly desirable only to scrapbookers or for decoupage in which case, selling them in a lot is likely the best way to go.
I think that most of mine will probably be in the scrapbook / decoupage category, but I won't know for sure until I get to the boxes with the older cards. I appreciate all of the tips, thanks. I did look at several "sold" listings, but I didn't see much information in the original listing descriptions. I should probably look at some more listings before I do mine. It's been a while since I've sold anything here, but I do try to include as much details as possible.
Thanks again everyone for your help. I'm more determined than ever to get rid of these boxes of cards. I will probably take the advice given by someone here, and hang on to a handful of them, but I'm hoping that with all this encouragement, that I will be able to do this. I'm still debating about the envelope situation, but I will have to make that call as I proceed.
That's how I'd go through them and sort them out for consideration to sell.
