Thread: Holding onto VS. selling unique and/or special costumes

I was just wondering what everyone's opinion is.

Is it better to sell off things in the present day or hold onto to them and sell them when you retire completely from dancing? Are they more valuable now or later? I am mostly talking about one of a kind, commissioned made for me costumes or the ones that I made myself.

I have some really special costumes that I really do not wear anymore, and I doubt that I would wear them again. I still love them and they are amazing but I realize I still have them around for sentimental reasons, especially the ones that I have designed and made myself.

Opinions?

If you feel ready to let them go, post them at your happy price, and hold on to them if you don't get it. I think the odds are against an increase in value for most costumes. But if you don't need the money (or the space), there's no reason to let them go until you feel ready to.

ETA Disclaimer: This comes from a costume addict whose first thought was 'oh, are you considering selling the ivory sim?'

there's no price on sentimental and i do regret selling off some of mine ..

Personally, I am probably not the person to ask. As a Coach, this is my feedback: Are you ready to let them go? My experience is that there comes a moment where it simply makes sense to let something go. If we do this too early or have resistance, chances are waiting is the right thing to do.

Now, there are times when it's necessary to be brutal. I did this with a couple of costumes last summer. I know that I'll either get them back or get something better. Because I wasn't really done with them. But, if you check in say in 6 months and there is something which you have been holding into which your feelings for have shifted, then see what happens when you attempt to let it go.

{{{HUGS}}}

For the most part, I don't think that most self-made costumes or those made by non "big name" designers tend to become more valuable with time. Unless you have some rare Bella or Abla (etc) in amazing condition, I woudn't think holding onto them in the hopes of them going up in value would make much sense.

However, vintage costumes are in right now, so if you have really well-made or unique costumes this might be a good time to sell, if the money you get for them is a factor to you.

Sentimental value is different. As someone suggested above, you could post them for sale at your "happy price" and just keep them if they don't sell. On the other hand, maybe you would be happy to pass them on to happy new owners who will love them and dance in them?

Well, we all hang on to some things for sentimental reasons, but I'm of the opinion that if you aren't really wearing them anymore, why not spread the joy?

Which reminds me, I have a costume I need to sell. :-)

Costumes are a bit like cars. There are a few people who collect them for historical or investment value (for example, costumes owned by famous dancers or that have unusual artistic value), but most people buy them to use, and they use them or sell them to others until their value gets run into the ground. There's nothing wrong with this--costumes are meant to be worn and loved.

If you have the storage space and enjoy saving your old costumes, there's no reason to feel guilty about keeping them. If they are your own creations or bought pieces that have wonderful memories associated with them, it would be natural to be protective of them. People invest a lot of emotion in their costumes, so there will always be at least a little fondness for even the craziest, most dated looks--and in a world of cheap, cookie-cutter two pieces, having the moxie to rock a vintage costume never goes out of style, especially if you can bring the retro dance style to match it.

OTOH, if part of you wants to sell your old costumes, but you can't move forward because guilt and "what if..." fears associated with letting go are holding you back, that is a different issue. If your family feels your costume collection has gotten out of hand and it has become an unjustifiable burden on the family's finances or living space, that is a problem. Otherwise, save them if you like them. As long as you are making a reasonable attempt to store them properly, the option to sell them in the future won't go away.

Originally Posted by auraevans

I was just wondering what everyone's opinion is.

Is it better to sell off things in the present day or hold onto to them and sell them when you retire completely from dancing? Are they more valuable now or later? I am mostly talking about one of a kind, commissioned made for me costumes or the ones that I made myself.

I have some really special costumes that I really do not wear anymore, and I doubt that I would wear them again. I still love them and they are amazing but I realize I still have them around for sentimental reasons, especially the ones that I have designed and made myself.

Opinions?

I have a couple that I am holding onto until the market is better. I paid a lot, put a lot into them, they are unique and beautiful, so i don't want to sell them for peanuts.

And another, that I LOVE to death, I know I'll never sell, cause no one will want to pay anywhere near what I paid, because it's such a... distinctive one

Zenubia's snake costume, in silver, that looks like the snake fell into a pit filled with sequins and beads and is finished off in miniature DISCO balls, for heavens sakes!

I it!

You never really know. Especially when you consider how much belly dance costume fashion changes. Consider the past decade, where the desirable costumes have changed from fringe monsters to sleek minimalist lycra designer costumes. On the other hand, retro or vintage costumes that have that certain timeless quality to them could increase in value. But most older costumes will just look dated IMO.

Video and music media can also change value rapidly. I sold some amateur-filmed workshop shows on VHS for around $80 each on ebay over 10 years ago. This was pre youtube and before DVDs and other media had completely taken over and become cheap or free. The videos would be next to worthless today. Similarly, rare OOP music ripped from cassettes or vinyl albums might be valuable today but could be remastered and re-released tomorrow.

There is lots of great input on this. Bhuzzers always offer up great advice!!!

I am debating about this costume. The bra is a little to small, so I would need to remake it or make the existing bra a little larger.

Originally Posted by auraevans

I am debating about this costume. The bra is a little to small, so I would need to remake it or make the existing bra a little larger.

For me it really depends. I think we are all attached to our costumes for different reasons but that can change over time. I have a few that I will never sell but others I thought I would never sell and I have. Sometimes I have to sell out of necessity when emergency expenses come up. (a few are listed right now that I love but have to part with for car repairs)

A rule I've gone by is if I haven't worn the costume in a while or even over a year or more, I try it on again, see if it still fits, see if it still "feels right", dance in it a bit in my studio and see if it even still looks good on me. Styles may change but your style of dancing may change too. Maybe you used to like the sleek Egyptian style and now like full skirts & bedlahs or vise versa. It also feels really great when I do let go of something even if I loved it when I see how excited the next dancer is to have it and love it as much as I did or maybe more! They can carry on the legacy.

As for the green you just posted? What are the measurements & price? It's STUNNING and I LOVE IT!!

Originally Posted by auraevans

I am debating about this costume. The bra is a little to small, so I would need to remake it or make the existing bra a little larger.

This is STUNNING! You said the bra is a bit small. What are the measurements? Have you thought of a price? I love it!