Mike and Lance are helping our hospice shops raise money in an innovative new way. Based out of our Newlands Hospice Shop, they power our Trade Me online store, and they couldn’t be a better fit!
“I wanted to do something meaningful when I retired, so I decided that volunteering at the Hospice Shop was a great way to do that,” Mike shared. “It was a way for me to give back because my family has received care from the hospice over the years. I’m also a collector of anything and everything, and I’ve always been a big Trade Me user, so I was excited to become the Online Store Manager.”
“I’ve been helping the hospice out for 15 years as a professional photographer,” Lance said. “I also collect cameras, so one day I saw an opportunity and I reached out to the hospice. I told them I could turn the $20 they were getting for donated cameras into $200! Now I volunteer, coming in at least once a week, helping to find cameras and other collectable items for Trade Me. It’s a way I get to both support the hospice and have fun.”
Our Trade Me store has grown a lot in the last few years, and we now have around 400 items for sale at any given time. We focus on anything collectable, unique, or high-value. It also allows us to reach the entire country, and you’d be surprised what sells well!
“Wooden box cameras and film cameras are always popular – from the compact style right through to 35mm cameras,” Lance explains. “But digital cameras are in huge demand right now – particularly among 20-30 year olds. I think this is because younger people are sick of just ‘clicking away’ on their phones. By using a digital camera, instead of ‘taking’ a photo they are ‘making’ a photo.”
When a camera is donated to us, Lance cleans them, sources new batteries and a charger if needed, and tests them. It’s also OK if items aren’t working, as the team has lots of tricks to get them going again. We can then sell them for $150-300.
In recent times, with the cost of living, we’ve noticed that lots of people have shifted their focus to second-hand, and buying items or gifts from the hospice has a feel-good factor. Something with value is not going to landfill, and instead it’s helping us keep our services free for people and families during a really hard time.
“I also think the appeal of collectables is that people are buying nostalgia,” Mike said. “That could mean buying an item that someone couldn’t afford before, or even something that they have lost along the way. And I suppose that loss is a bit like how we lose loved ones in life, too, often after having an experience at hospice.”
There’s a buyer out there for everything. Anything can be valuable, old figurines, comics, toys, New Zealand pottery and of course, Crown Lynn! It doesn’t have to be in perfect condition either for us to fix it, or for someone to love it as is.
“We love working together to find value in items that people may not be aware of,” Lance added. “We rely on our wider team of staff and volunteers to always keep an eye out for collectables, and one of our drivers, Jason, is particularly talented!”
Our Trade Me store is run from our Newlands location, but you can donate any items for it at any of our shops. You can also visit the official Mary Potter Hospice online store on Trade Me, where we try to have something listed for everyone!