Tammy's Recipes

I'd let the boys keep it. Or you could send it me and I could play with it. It sounds so cute--sleeping bags and a camp fire!! :-D

I would let them play with it!! Hours and hours of imaginitive play! Those things are usually very sturdy and shouldn't break! I would keep the original box though and when they tire of it, then sell it! It may need a good washing, but its already used, so why not use it some more before you sell it!

I say let kids be kids, why sell it to some adult who just wants to look at it, besides, now that they have it, how could you take it away!?

Let them keep it if they are enjoying it. If you sold off everything in your house that would bring you a profit, you would be left with a house of junk and that's not the stimulating environmetn you are trying to create for the kids.

I'd definitely let them keep it and play with it. The enjoyment they'll will be worth much more than the $$ from e-bay, even if it does wind up broken.

However, if you do choose to list it for sale, let us know. I know one almost 5-year-old that would love to play with this.

Azul

I'd do the same - it's already used - use it some more then sell it!

Have fun boys!!

My husband bought it because he loves camping. We won't sell it because it's something that we appreciate. I garage sale a lot and I hold on to the things I like and sell the stuff that I don't like. Sometimes when we're done using something, we'll sell it on eBay - of course it may not be worth as much b/c it's not mint anymore, but with the box it will still sell. And I agree with the previous poster that it's pretty sturdy and should hold up okay. Enjoy it!

Michele in Northern Virginia

I'm not very sentimental I guess, but I think toys are toys and are meant to be played with.

My husband, on the other hand, collects old toys and has GI Joes and Star Wars figures from when he was a kid, not to mention the boxes upon boxes of sports cards we have piled in our garage. He would probably want to put the toy up for "safe keeping."

and they cost a fortune. they are so well made and like you said, no batteries or sounds! that is so hard to find these days. those sets are pretty darn tough so i'd let the boys play with them and then sell it after a couple of years. those are the toys of my childhood and i just love them. ebay will be there. it's harder to find quality toys for kids than to make a little money on ebay. you got a STEAL!

I would make it a special 'closet' toy after a couple of days, meaning;
I would put the set in a special box or container, keep it up in a closet, and get it down only on 'special' times...like when you are having dinner guests and need them to play while you cook--it will be like 'new' to them even longer, keep it in better shape, keep the pieces together so you don't have to fret everytime they drag it out, and keep them busy on those special times when cooking or cleaning or even a needy baby, require alot of attention!

Doing that will also be a lesson to them on responsibility and taking care of 'special things'.
You got a great deal!
Great shopping you guys!:-)
-Donna-

Let them play with it then when there done clean it and put it back in the box. when you seel it say its used but some collector out there will be desperate and won't care.....I speak from experience:)

Was it a town-wide "rummage" sale? A few years ago (we used to live near there) Dan and I were driving through your state and happened upon signs for this huge rummage(it's what they called it) sale so we stopped in for a peek. We got there kind of late and people were putting things away but we haggled for and got a few good items. We also walked in their parade, haha. It was pretty neat to see so many garage sales in one place though. I haven't seen anything like it since.

Congrats on your purchases. Sounds like you did quite well! :) Hope the boys enjoy their new toys.

--
But you shall be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her], and your land be called Beulah [married]; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married [owned and protected by the Lord]. --Isaiah 62:4

I'd let the boys keep it just because decent toys are few and far between nowadays, at least, affordable ones. But if you need the $25, well, sometimes that's more important than a thing, no matter how cool the thing is.

Hey Tammy. I would let them play with it for now. For $25, it is not worth the trouble of E-Bay. You would have to repackage it, retrieving the box from the trash, photograph it, post it, and then prepare it for mail and bring it to your post office. If it was in mint condition, still in the original UNOPENED box, and worth like $200 that would be different. Let your sons enjoy it. They will love it and you'll more than get back the $1.50 you paid for it. I love garage sales, too, and hope to hit a lot of them this summer. :]

I would look at your needs. Do you really need money right now? I have sold things that I had that we could have used, played with, needed, because we needed the money more then the item. If you are in need of money, sell it, otherwise, keep it, but keep it safe and resell it as they get tired of it.

I can't tell you how many times that happened to me and my husband would "encourage" me to put it on e-bay.

I always kept the item. I figured it was God's way of giving me something wonderful at a cheap price.

That $25.00 would be long gone before the delight in a child's eyes would be over.

Keep it! Those are wonderful toys for imaginative play---that's why they are so popular! You will bless it over and over. We have toys I tried to keep in vintage condition and just worked myself in a tizzy. I finally relaxed and just enjoyed their enjoyment. Much better.

I'm in the keep it camp too. If it was worth hundreds and you could use the cash for more cool toys/experiences, I'd say sell it, but to be honest we would spend more than 25 dollars on a toy that the children loved and that met our standards - they look happy with their "loot"! Lucy x

I'd say..... keep it! :) Looks like a great find and your boys will ahve lots of fun with it. If you are afraid of it getting broken, keep it as a special toy. :) ~Tanya

I'd let them play with it gently for a while as long as you're good about picking up the little pieces and then sell it later.

My two oldest boys who are 15 and 13 had that exact camper and loved it. They never broke it. We bought it new so I'm surprised to hear vintage since they had a new one about 10 years ago. I would definitely vote with letting your boys play with it.

Well, I decided to make the camper "Mommy's special toy" which I will share with the children at certain times while supervised. :) Otherwise, they'd leave pieces out to get stepped on... oh, and they already started picking off one of the stickers!!!! :P Seriously, children seem to find a way to ruin anything!! :)

I let the boys play with it this afternoon... it kept them busy ALL afternoon, and they were having SUCH fun! :)

We don't "need" the extra money any more than we "need" another toy... I guess I am not used to the children having toys that are actually worth very much money -- toys that I don't want to get broken... But I think the "special occasion toy" idea is a good one! :)

I'm glad you decided to keep it- we have the exact same toy, also bought at a garage sale! My kids played with it for years and were not exactly gentle with it :-) but it stood up very well- we did lose a few of the pieces, but it remains a favorite in our house.

Laura

Looks like some cute girls clothes/shoes that will be put to good use in the future! =) This weekend (Sat) we are going to a big neighborhood wide yardsale(20-30homes anyway). I can't wait and I hope we can find some things we could use for a good price. If not, the exercise will do us good and we will probably be seeing some friends there as well.