I'm selling the Cabbage Patch Dolls my grandmother has collected for years. There is a whole truck full, I'm talking a semi truck full. They are all in the original packaging and some have birth certificates. I have accessories in the original packaging as well. My question is what are they worth how much do I sell them for? Where do I sell them?
You have a few choices to sell them. Considering you have so many of them I would consider selling them locally. You can list them on Craigslist, hold a garage sale using an app that can be download and installed on your phone, or you can try your luck on eBay. Before taking the next step to sell them I would contact an appraiser first. You could have some dolls that are more valuable than others ones. Normally these average around $25 a doll online. Check your local area for appraisers to see what they have to say. They might even help to hold auctions for you to help sell these dolls.
WOW!! That is a whole lot of CPK if you have a semi truck's full of them. That is huge and amazing!! I would love to see them all as they are so much fun!!
My question for you is are you an experienced seller (either on eBay or Etsy or Facebook Marketplace) and do you have 6-12 months to sell these off on your own?
If not, I strongly recommend getting a professional estate sale company in and having them sell off the lot for you.
Yes, they will take a percentage of the sale for their time and they do this because of what's involved which is:
--their time
--researching to make sure you have no dolls that have a higher value (most sell for less than $10, but there are a few (NOT MANY, but a few) "ringers" out there that are quite valuable
--listing the items or holding an in person sale
--if selling online, they have to take photos, find boxes and packing materials, and then when the item ships, wrap it, take it to the post office and tell the buyer it is on the way
The above is why I suggest having a professional estate sale person hold a sale for you and sell them. First, they can probably get it all done in a month or less (depending on their schedule and how they work their sales) and second, it will get this off your plate and you will still get some money back for the items.
You need to assesss if there are other things of your grandmothers you need to sell too and do this as one LARGE estate sale--probably best over 2 days or if you truly have a semi worth of dolls--2 different weekends or 4 days.
Estate sales are not just for people who have died...people who are living and moving or downsizing have estate sales also...really the biggest differnece betwen and estate sale and a yard sale is that an estate sale is usually INSIDE someone's house or a hall where a person's belongings have been moved and are being sold off vs a yard sale which is held OUTSIDE or in a garage and is just a small selection of person's stuff.
Where I am, estate sales get huge crowds and a lot of antique and vintage dealers and pickers come out, vs. yard sales where people who need something may stop by to see if you have the do hickey they need.
Ask friends and family for recommendations for reputable estate sale companies in your town and get 2-3 bids from them before you proceed.
They should give you an easy to understand contract.
The contract will tell you exactly how the sales will go and what percentage they get and you get and when you get the money.
They will also need to tell you what happens to what is LEFT from the sale, because there will be a lot left no matter how big or long or good the sale is. I have never held or been to and estate sale where everything was gone--ever--and I am not a spring chicken in age.
In the contract you will need to work with them on how they will "clean up or clean out" after the sale.
Be aware that estate sale companies that charge you to remove items after the sale are doing so for a reason--again--it is their time and energy...here is a little behind the scenes of why they do this....
So first off, YES, MOST take the unsold items and sell them on their own and YOU DO NOT GET the money from those sales...BUT, what everyone forgets is you got their TIME UPFRONT to clean out the place and take all the stuff away.
They had to get people, trucks, then a place to store the unsold items. Most good estate sale companies also offer to do minor repairs (like pull up ratty carpet or paint the walls), most also do a physical cleaning of the place at the end--meaning vacuum carpets or broom sweep non carpeted areas, leaving the place empty and clean.
They charge you a fee to do this because they have to pay all of this upfront (people, supplies, trucks, dumpsters, etc.)
So yes, they make up the balance of their money if they sell the items off on their own
An example of the math is a clean out costs the company $3,000 for everything (see above)--they charge you $1,500--take everything left and hope to make the other $1,500 to make the $3,000 cost back at the end. If they make a little more, they are happy, but most barely make back the money needed to GET TO that $3,000.
You can help have a successful sale and less left for the clean out if you work with the estate sale company to promote the sale IN ADDITION to how they promote it.
For example, you can post about the sale on your social media, you can join Facebook groups that allow self promotion and promote the sale there, etc.
If you need help understand the contract when you get one with an company, post back and I can help you!!
Wishing you all the best with your sale!! I think you will feel much better about things if you leave it to a pro!!
Otherwise, you are going to have a full time job selling these that may last a year or so and not give you a really good return on your investment of time.
Best wishes and prayers for success!
WOW that's incredible. In your case, I feel they would sell better as a huge batch to a shop that prides themselves on vintage dolls. I've seen them sold individually around $25 but I think you can go further by doing the above. Good luck. That's so awesome.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
These belonged to my mother. I would like to get rid of them, but have no idea what they are worth. They are all new in the box.
Any help appreciated.
Your dolls are the Cabbage Patch Kids and these were sold before 1990.
Some of these may be worth more money but you will have to research each doll and that is very time consuming as many of these did not have a name and many people selling these dolls do not know the name if the doll did have one.
This just means you may have to do a 'visual' search and eBay is the best place to start. You can narrow the search by using the eBay tools shown on the left side of the screen - size - boy or girl - ethnicity - year.
Still - all sellers do not show all of this so you may miss some but if you find one of your dolls you can place a 'watch' on the listing to see if it sells as only a sold item can give you current value (asking prices are just prices a seller would like to receive for their doll).
Here is a link to Cabbage patch Kids presently located for sale on eBay.
Be sure to check the side bar to narrow your search.
www.ebay.com/
Here is a link to dolls sold over the past several months and if one of your dolls are in this group then you will have a 'current value'.
www.ebay.com/
Generally it is best for an inexperienced seller to list dolls on local venues like Craigslist, OfferUp, LetGo, Facebook Marketplace as you can list these as 'pick up only' and not have to ship.
You can start prices high and lower them if no one shows an interest.
CPK are fun and the values are all over the place. For example,
it looks like your twin infants without the box just sold for $22 with free shipping. With the box, they would fetch more, most are selling upward of $60 with the box (never opened).
The twin girls in the blue dresses are getting $26-$50, in the box, never opened.
The single dolls are all over the place, but typically much lower, like $10-15 in the box never opened.
Best to take each and match year and style and condition with eBay solds. SOLD price = value. Asking price is just what a seller wants to get for something.
The boxes are very fragile so shipping these can be a pain. If you have a local venue like a consignment store, you won't get as much, but if you are not an experienced on seller and have what you need to package these correctly, you risk having unhappy buyers.
If you are an experienced seller, eBay is the best way to sell.
I suggest doing 7 day auctions, run Sunday to Sunday and start at the least you would want to get for them and see what the market bears.
Post back how the sales go!
How do I sell my dolls?
Check Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay for similar dolls to learn what the similar dolls are listed, also check eBay's completed sales to learn what the similar dolls sold for and how long it took to sell.
Take good photos. Here is 'Dolls Selling Guide' on eBay with many good tips:
pages.ebay.com/
Here are some links for info:
www.rare-dolls.com/
www.az-ps.com/
dolls.sell4value.com/
www.thriftyfun.com/
There are also some Facebook groups that allow you to sell your dolls:
Doll maker's retreat
Adopt A Doll
Handmade ART DOLLS For Collectors
Doll's People
OOAK Dolls & Art Creations
You might check there locally where you live to see if anyone is selling dolls also.
I have 4 Cabbage Patch Kids in excellent condition still in their boxes with birth certificates, signatures, and original tags. I have looked all over the internet and I'm seeing different prices. How do I determine a reasonable value?
On eBay pristine Cabbage Patch in the box could go up to $50. Because this market is so crazy, the dolls are not bringing in much. I would stage them well and do auction/bid to get the best price, starting at a higher number and working your way down to a acceptable offer!
If you can post photos and more details, I may be able to give you more specific guidance/info. The bulk of Cpk have very little resale value, but there are still a few that are sought after and have value. Without knowing what you have, I can only give you some vague info (see below).
If you are not able to share detailed photos, my best suggestion is to go to eBay solds (do not use active auctions as those are asking prices, sold is the only way to know what people will pay). Match each doll you have with sold auctions. That will be current market value. Be sure to match hair color & style composition of body and head, color of signatures (important), and if it has the box and certificate or not. The names may not match, but style and basic details should. Also match for condition.
Hope this helps. Will look for photos if you are able.
Most of the dolls are selling for around $25 a doll right now. Just keep in mind the markets are flooded and the time right now is not the best to try and sell these dolls. Little girls are not interested in owning dolls anymore and would rather get a new phone or tablet to play with. I would suggest holding on to the dolls for a bit and maybe this summer try to list them locally to sell them. You may have better luck.
at the end a reasonable value is predicated on what people are willing to pay, which is predicated on supply and demand.
as others have noted, the doll market is in its nadir, and has been for a few decades. Most likely CPK are worth more than the ubiquitous porcelain dolls, though.
if I were you I would hold onto them for a few more years. I'm pretty sure in 10 they will be worth more
Dolls of all kinds are not selling for very much right now so take your time and keep checking the sold prices on eBay until you see the prices start climbing - hopefully soon.
Dolls are not on very many people's 'wanted' list and more people are trying to sell than are trying to buy so it's not a seller's market and actually has not been for years.
You will see all kinds of 'asking prices' as these are just prices a seller would really like to get for their items.
You can only show current value when an identical item is sold and eBay is the only site that you can check sold prices over the past several months.
You will have to check sold prices for each individual doll as some are more valuable than others.
You can check the for sale listings on eBay and place a watch on any listings to see if it sells. You will find that some listings will still be for sale months/years in the future but if one sells then you can count that as current value and try listing yours for that amount or even a higher amount.
You might want to check out other selling sites when you decide to sell as eBay is not easy to use if you're not an experienced seller (lots of pitfalls for new sellers).
I have 14 vintage dolls, all 1978-1982 on tag and OK. All are signed by Xavier on rear. There are no boxes. The dolls are in good condition with clothes.
They include red haired dolls, boys, girls, etc. I will be selling them as a set. Where's best place to sell?Try the Facebook Marketplace first. No fees or shipping. If that doesnt work, try eBay.
Just curious why you are planning to sell as a lot, vs one or two together? I have sold many and the values are all over the place. This means if you have one or two high value ones the low value ones will pull your overall price down or can leave the dolls up for sale for months or years because folks are trying to finish a collection and just want one.
In my experience, CBPs seem to do the best sold by the doll.
If it is just easier to sell the lot, you may be best served by having a consignment shop sell them for you.
Post back what you decide! Happy sales!
Hi my name is David and I do to have original Cabbage Patch dolls that I'm looking forward to sell individually or as a whole I have four girls and one boy headed twins is showing the tooth they all have adopted papers they all have everything Tina shirt on the butt are markings on back of the head trying to sell I don't know where to sell
