Huge collection of Jim Barrett Pots wanting to start selling

[jessbentley1112]

My fiance is was incredibly close to Jim Barrett. Over their 30 yrs of friendship he has purchased crates of pots. We were lucky to visit with Jim one last time the summer before he passed. We would like to start selling his collection of Jim's pots, but we don't know where to even begin. We have 100's and 100's of them. Where would be a good site to start selling these pots? The majority have never been used. My fiance was at one time wanting to build a huge public garden, but as he is now getting older in age we are wanting to do something smaller and enjoy life. So, when I say we have a huge collection, I'm not downplaying the amount of his pots that he has collected.

 

[liltrees]

Post some pics and prices here. I (and many others) would be interested.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I would take out a selection of eight or ten and set them on a table and snap a few pics to give people an idea what you are talking about.

You would make the most money selling them individually, but it is a LOT of work to pack and ship a bunch of pots individually.

I would start by inventorying the pots by size:
(1) Under 6" (largest dimension)
(2) 6" to under 9"
(3) 9" to under 12"
(4) 12" to under 18"
(5) 18" to under 24"
(6) 24" or over
Do not get hung up on being too specific about it, just get a count. In general (with photos) people could give estimates for wholesale/retail prices for each size category - so you could decide whether you would want to bother with selling individually. Yes it would be more money, but it would be a lot of work and could truly take years... versus selling wholesale to a single online bonsai retailer might save you a lot of hassle.

 

[rockm]

Definitely do an inventory of what you have. I’d look into selling them in lots to established bonsai retailers for them to resell. You don’t say where you are but I assume given Jim Barrett’s location it is west coast you’re out there as well.

local Clubs also might be interested. You might inquire about setting up sales tables at their events. Club here has organized sales of collections after a member has passed so local clubs might be helpful.

FWIW some bigger retailers across the country also might be interested. Wigerts resells older pots. I’ve seen Barret pots for sale there and at places like Mew England Bonsai and Bonsai Learning Center in NC resell older pots from well known American and European potters

Barrets name sells. He was well known and those interested in buying them are experienced bonsaists.

 

[hemmy]

I’d love to buy some for my twisted pomegranates that I got from Jim! I only have some of his shohin pots. But I’d echo BonsaiNut that selling and shipping a large collection piece by piece would be a real hassle. You could seen if Nate is still buying and selling pots (https://www.instagram.com/bonsainate?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) or maybe Jason at Eastern Leaf in Chino. I noticed he has some pots from what I assume are locals.

If you find a wholesale buyer, let us know so we can snap them up quickly!

Cheers.

 

[ForrestW]

I would love a Jim Barrett pot in my collection, but I agree with the folks above-- shipping lots of individual pots can take a lot of time. Let us know what you decide to do so we can try and order from someone.