We have some collectible dolls and would like to know what they are worth? We are just testing the waters because we have quite a few dolls.
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I am not sure how many dolls are in your collections but many of them are made from different companies who produce over 5000 of each doll at a time. These dolls will lose value once they have left the store. There are many people who have dolls just like yours that are trying to sell them off. I have seen prices ranging from $1 all the way to $25. Most people are getting around $5 for each one of their dolls.
Selling off dolls can be a big venture. Here are the steps I recommend:
1. Start and excel spreadsheet (or even a paper list) and list each doll you have.
2. Then, go to eBay the SOLD SECTION and match each doll with the doll you have to find the current market value (SOLD = VALUE).
Be sure to check if it is an exact match to yours (exact doll) and check the details--like if you don't have the box and they do, you will need to deduct off of the value (usually 5-10 for without box).
Also if the SELLER paid shipping that reduces the value by $10-20 depending on the size of the doll (when an auction says FREE SHIPPING that means the seller pays, not the buyer and that comes out of the seller pocket and reduces the value of the item by the amount of shipping.
If you can't find your exact doll on eBay sold, do a general Google search and look for those sold on other auctions sites like EBTH, PicClick, etc.
If you still can't find an exact doll, you can look at CURRENT auctions on eBay and if someone is selling an exact match you can see what someone is asking--NOTE--people can ASK what they want. You will want to watch to see if it sells which will tell you what people will pay for it. If you are in a hurry and want to use asking price--know that sellers always ask too much and often take "best offer" which is lower than what they asked.
Do this for every doll.
2. If you have any with a high value -- say $25 or more and you are an experienced seller, I would try to sell these on eBay--just be sure to package them VERY CAREFULLY and do this BEFORE you list so you know the exact weight of the box and size of the box so you are not cheated by eBay on postage (you have to use the Advanced Seller tool to have postage calculated correctly).
IF YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERIENCED SELLER--see #3 below.
3. If the values are under $25 (OR if you are not an experienced seller), your best bet is to either sell them at a yard sale or flea market or local venue like on Next Door or through a local Facebook Sale Want and Trade group (you keep all profits) OR take them to a consignment (this is best for the higher value dolls from #2) where you get a percentage of the sale if they sell (usually a 50/50 split but read the contract so you know this upfront).
If you sell on your own, you will get about 1/4 to 1/2 of what people got on eBay or other auction sites--just because people don't want to pay full value for anything in these venues.
If you are an experienced seller, but have not sold dolls before, then know for dolls you need to describe EVERY DETAIL of the item--meaning if the box has one ding on it, or no dings you have to state that. If it has been displayed that needs to be detailed. If a hair is out of place, if there are any cracks or marks on the doll that needs to be detailed. If there is (OR IS NOT) a certificate of authenticity (COA) that needs to be included.
Doll buyers are very serious about their purchases and will pass by any auction that does not answer all of their questions upfront.
Also, if the doll has any smell (smoke or was exposed to pets--especially cats) this needs to be detailed as buyers hate nothing more than getting a perfect doll and finding the box reeks of cigarette smoke or cat...it will provoke negative feedback and a return request in many cases.
I am happy to offer additional guidance if you need it.
Please post back with updates and how your sales go!!
All of these dolls are mass produced and decrease in value, despite the certificate of authenticity. They are worth $25 at most.
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