Sad sad news

[Potsofgreen]

Fellow bonsai enthusiasts, I bring sad news that one of our fellow bonsai enthusiasts is at the end of his journey in this mortal coil...he might not have ever been a part of this group but a bonsai lover he was...he is passing due to cancer and has 70+ plants...his wife, in her 70s as well, has no idea what there worth and simply posted a single add on her local offer up, I feel so bad for her I’ve been affected by cancer in my family more then a few times as I’m sure a lot of you have been....to try and provide a service for this poor woman and her ailing husband I’m helping her care for her plants and sell them off to make sure she gets what they are worth...if anybody is interested let me know, I’m going over this weekend to take a look at the stock and condition of each plant but from what she says her husband has thousands wrapped up in them and probably has some that are worth some $$ and want to make sure she gets every penny they are worth I would hate to see some con artist low ball her and re sell them for 5x what they paid, I want these sold to individuals who will cherish each one and understand the back story on them...please PM or comment if interested

 

[Cadillactaste]

Contact the local bonsai club...they surely can offer up maybe some advice on helping sell them off as well.

 

[SizeXtraMedium]

Sad news indeed. Good on you to make sure shes getting what they're worth. Can't wait to see what there is though

 

[Bonsai Nut]

There are plenty of clubs in the area, and quite a few bonsai shows. Here's what I would recommend:

(1) If the trees are advanced ($500 or more), sell them at auction on Facebook Bonsai Auctions with the stipulation that you won't ship. The Southern California market is large enough that someone will pick them up and drive to go get them.
(2) If the trees are more moderate ($100-$500) I would consider taking them to a bonsai exhibition or show and selling them there. Much easier than having strangers come visit and cherry-picking your best trees, while leaving you with 75% to deal with after the fact.
(3) If the trees are pre-bonsai or beginner ($100 or less) I would contact your local club and see if they can pull together a deal to purchase the entire lot.

Be EXTREMELY cautious about letting strangers come visit and look at the trees. Sadly, that is usually an invitation for someone to come steal some trees. For that reason, I highly recommend you stay off Craigslist.

Take some photos when you visit, post them here, and people can help gauge the value of the collection.

 

[Adair M]

Sorry to hear of someone’s passing. It’s a an all to frequent reminder of how little time we are each blessed with.

So, for selling, Another approach is to place a few on consignment at your local bonsai shop.

If the owner is well known in the local bonsai community they will often buy a tree to have a <Insert Name Here> tree.

Many of my trees have Provenance. Which I think makes them more valuable to knowledgeable buyers.

 

[sorce]

Wow...threw a random Zip and found Santa Monica on Offer up...

Mad Bonsai stuff!

Lol! We got like 2 fake things in ours here!

Best!

S

 

[Potsofgreen]

Thank you all for your interest, after I went over there yesterday and took pictures and talked with them I went to the headquarters of the chino bonsai club and talked with memebers and was told to bring pictures to the next meeting which is the first Sunday of the month and then i relayed this info to the owners and I guess they decided to price all the trees and post them all on the chino offer up so if you’re in the area check them out there are some good prices, I tried

 

[Jim G]

Sorry to hear about this. I can just imagine the enjoyment his trees provided him while he was caretaking.