LoveToKnow recently had the pleasure of interviewing the two innovative and witty women behind Ex-BoyfriendJewelry.com, Megahn Perry and her stepmother Marie. Together they came up with the idea of a website where people could sell, trade, or give away their unwanted jewelry and gifts and at the same time tell their tale of love gone sour.
About Ex-BoyfriendJewelry.com
Megahn and Marie launched their website by emailing their family, friends and acquaintances letting them know about their new venture. Interest in Ex-BoyfriendJewelry.com grew quickly as newspapers, magazines and an appearance on the Today show helped spread the word of this unique marketplace. From its beginning in February 2008, this upbeat, fun website has grown to more than 9,000 registered users.
Ex-BoyfriendJewelry.com. is completely free to use, no listing or selling fees. Your jewelry does not have to be from an ex-boyfriend either. Jewelry and gifts from all types of exes are welcome.
Ex-Boyfriend Jewelry: Interview with Megahn and Marie
The concept of Ex-Boyfriend Jewelry was born while having dinner together. How did it actually come about? Once you thought of the idea, were you both instantly hooked?
Megahn and Marie: Well, Megahn had some left over ex-boyfriend jewelry. Some necklaces and a wedding set (whoops) and just didn't feel right wearing them anymore. She took them to a pawnshop where the creepy guy behind the counter offered around $70 for everything. She didn't feel right about selling something that had meant so much to her and her exes had spent so much on for $70 bucks on the corner of Melrose and Vine. So she tried a consignment shop. That didn't quite feel right either. It all seemed disrespectful and weird. Over dinner, Megahn brought this up to Marie who suggested that the idea of selling or trading "Ex" jewelry was just begging for a website. We both knew it was a great idea, so we immediately started researching and trying to find the right name, design, etc. We knew we wanted it to be snarky, tongue and cheek silly, etc. We found a designer that we could afford and it just went from there. We were hooked, but we didn't know what the public's response would be and clearly we've been pleasantly surprised.
When sellers list their jewelry on your website, they are encouraged to tell their story about the item. This can be a great way to get out those pent up feelings out. Was that the idea?
Megahn and Marie: Yes, the idea was to get this item out of your life and to let the story go with it. We also wanted a forum for people to start a community. Where people knew where this jewelry was coming from and that it had a history. Pawn shops are weird because the items you buy are nameless, faceless, cold. Exboyfriendjewelry.com lets people know that they're not alone and it's a fun place to help each other out and maybe launder some of that bad juju.
In the section "It Should Have Been Jewelry" sellers list anything else. What have been some of the more "unusual" items listed?
Megahn and Marie: "Gifts that should have been jewelry" is one of our favorite categories. The most unusual items have been: A motorcycle. An outdoor sculpture. A horseshoe. An antique Organ. A cow skull. Wedding dresses. China (The plates, not the country). Hmmm....lots of bags and shoes, but those are the most unusual.
Is there ever a time you feel a certain gift should be returned to the giver?
Megahn and Marie: Yes, of course. We think that if a woman calls off an engagement, the ring should absolutely be returned. There are other cases where that should happen as well. That being said, I have tried to return most of my ex boyfriend jewelry and nobody wanted it back. I suppose I've been lucky enough to date true gentlemen.
Tell us a little about the Susan G. Komen Foundation and your Good Karma Fund.
Megahn and Marie: The Susan G. Komen foundation is a foundation dedicated to the research of finding a cure for breast cancer. I have two aunts who have survived breast cancer and a handful of great aunts who did not. Our Good Karma Fund is a way to pay it forward a little bit. I (Megahn) have donated the money from the sale of my engagement ring to the fund. I didn't feel right about keeping the money and if others feel that way, we want to offer the fund as an alternative. One of my favorite posts asks users to pledge money to the fund and whoever had the highest offer got the earrings.
Do you have any tips for our readers that have recently ended a relationship or have old reminders of past relationships?
Megahn and Marie: I suppose the only advice we have for those who have reminders of past relationships would be to really think about whether or not you want to get rid of it before you post it. Everyone is different and we wouldn't recommend going out the day after you break up with someone and getting rid of everything he/she gave you. I still have a few gifts that I would not want to sell on the site. It took me eight years to figure out what to do with my engagement ring. It's not something I can slip on on a Friday night and feel good about myself, so it was time to let it go. Give it some time. Make sure you're not just selling things because you're hurt right now.
As a selling platform your website is upbeat and fun. You have occasionally been referred to as an eBay alternative. What are your views on that?
Megahn and Marie: You know, we originally embraced the "eBay alternative" thing and while we're happy to be another way to get rid of things from your past that you don't want anymore, but the idea of being an "eBay alternative" is a bit misleading. I mean, do you go to eBay to read the posts? Do you trade jewelry with other people in the same situation as you on eBay? Is eBay sharing their personal views of the world in their blog (please say they're not)? We consider ourselves far more of a community than that. We're the "personal and entertaining" alternative to the everyday, blah, auction sites.
What are your future plans for Ex-boyfriend jewelry?
Megahn and Marie: World domination. Okay, okay, maybe that's shooting a little high. We just want to continue to update the site to make it easier for users to buy/sell/trade/blog about ex jewelry. We want to expand our community to other sites. We want to keep getting the word out as much as possible and let people know they're not alone and they can do something about moving on.
In Closing
Thanks again to Megahn and Marie Perry for taking the time to speak with Love to Know and for coming up with such a great concept.
