For the past few years, I have had a pretty active side business selling Duran Duran merchandise and memorabilia. In the past couple of months, I have decided that it’s time to put this little business to bed. For various reasons, but primarily among them being that PayPal is changing the way it tracks financial records and what would be required to keep going in the future simply isn’t worth it to me to sort through the records and double-check and triple-check transactions the way it will be necessary to do in the future.
Closing down is bittersweet, to be certain. I still have a lot of merchandise, but have marked it all down substantially to try to find homes for most of it before the end of the year. The markdowns mean mostly losing profits on what I invested on what is left in my inventory. But I find myself thinking it is still better than it simply sitting here in my office gathering dust.
I’m still trying to sell a few things on ebay, but ebay fees are largely ridiculous and the rules/regulations are time-consuming to follow. That’s what was nice about the 500 or so followers that my page has enjoyed. I have been able to help people build their collections on, more or less, my own terms. I have a pretty solid international customer base – Norway, Croatia, Australia, the UK, Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy… My collection has been sent out into the world – for real! And that’s really quite a feat, a real feeling of accomplishment, to know how many people now have parts of what used to be mine. And how their collections have grown through a real grassroots effort to create the sort of business environment that made me proud to be a Duranie who was connecting all of these pieces and people together.
For the most part, I will cease operations on 31 December 2021. I may continue to try a little bit of domestic activity, but international shipping and the PayPal regulations will not mesh easily, so that aspect will likely end completely. It makes me sad when I’m sending out these last orders, to know that I will likely not be sending anything else to Croatia. To Norway. To Seven Hills, Ohio. To Industry, Illinois. To Laredo, TX. To so many addresses that I almost know by heart. To collectors that I have a real feel for what they like and might appreciate when I run across it. That the friends I have made over these past few years will likely not call on me now when they’re searching for specific items for their collections. I’ve become a “linker” of items and people. And that has been a truly amazing feeling. One of great achievement. It has been about so much more than the little bit of money that I’ve made or lost in the process.
To everyone who has made it such a valuable learning experience, I say thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I still have things in stock. Check out the page. Make me an offer I can’t refuse. I’m in the mood to say, “yes,” to any reasonable offers. But most of all, I hope you’ll think of me fondly when you remember items that you got from me. I hope that I’ve treated you fairly, like friends and family, for that is what so many of you have become. Thank you for sharing your experiences and collections with me, as we have connected, built, and furthered collections of others around the globe. Saying goodbye is difficult; Goodbye Is Forever.
https://www.Facebook.com/Chrissies-DURAN-DURAN-Items-for-Sale-145671162799431/
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