I read most of the questioners about a way to sell "collector dolls". I am a collector also, and it hit me that maybe I should suggest the TV show, "PAWN STARS" might just be interested.
They are located in Las Vegas, NV. Maybe by contacting them, you
can confirm whether or not they can do business with you other than
having to go to Vegas to deal.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I've been a collector of dolls since I was young. However I am making a move and I can't take them all with me. I plan on selling them in a yard sale and was wondering how to price them, this one in particular.
She has been in storage so she isn't in mint condition but she's still in pretty great condition. I was thinking about maybe $25.00.
I believe the question to ask would be; how many days do you plan to have your sale? Do you plan to have more than one yard sale?
If you plan to have more than one sale I would say $25 would be a good price for this doll as many times a very pretty doll will sell when someone sees it in person (and, if sales are slow you can always drop it to $20).
I will be quite honest with you as a long time reseller. Dolls are not selling much at the moment. There was a slight uptick during the height of COVID when people were looking for comfort and memories of youth and then when COVID kept going and people started losing their jobs, the values dropped again because people started watching their spending.
Doreen for example, if she is the musical version is sitting unsold on eBay and other sites for months at $10.
If she is the non musical version, she is sitting unsold at $5.
People at yard sales want things for a few bucks and will nickel and dime you. My fear is if you ask a lot, people will walk away and not even try to negotiate with you.
If you have a consignment store that will take them, that is your best bet to sell a large lot at higher prices, but it will take time.
If you are a super experienced eBay seller and know how to package these very fragile items for shipping, you could list them high (like $25 plus shipping) and take best offer, but you have to be experienced in both selling and packing to go this route. Doll buyers online are VERY picky and if things aren't perfect, they complain.
I don't want to sound negative, just being transparent with you on what to expect. Like I said, I am an experienced seller (eBay since 1998), I hosted an annual neighborhood (60 homes in the plan) yard sale every year but 2 since 1999, held miscellaneous single yard sales since the 1960s, run small estate sales as a business, and sold at flea markets since the 1970s. I know the drill and what you may experience if you try to over price items. You can try--no harm, but be prepared for a lot of negative comments and people walking away shaking their heads.
You could do something very clever and price high and have a big sign saying we need homes!! if you love us--ask our owner to make a deal! At least people will know you won't be offended if they offer you current market value.
Prayers for a good sale!
I have a Raggedy Ann and Andy Collection with Raggedy Ann and Andy trunk full with Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls, how much are they worth? And where can I sell them, I live in Oregon?
From this photo it would be impossible to give you any information on the value of your dolls. There are so many variables and condition questions that would need to be reviewed and best done in person.
You don't say where in Oregon you are located. There is an Antique Doll Study Club of Oregon and they just had a display at this location in the fall:
East County Historical Organization (ECHO)
PO Box 946
Fairview, OR 97024
503-618-0946
Perhaps if you contacted the ECHO Organization they could put you in touch with someone from the doll group who could get you in the right direction.
Now unless your dolls are original releases from the early 1900s, your dolls will most likely be vintage, not antique, but this group still may be able to get you to the right person.
Be aware that many dolls, even ones that have previously held significant value, are not selling for the amounts they did before the big recession in 2008.
Your dolls may (and hopefully will) still have value, but the prices dolls are selling for these days is not what they used to be. Some serious collectors are holding on to their dolls waiting for the market to correct. I am just offering this up for you so you are not surprised if the people who look at your dolls are talking prices much lower than what you thought they could be worth.
Post back what you learn! Thanks for asking!
Trying to value something like would take lot of information:
pictures, condition, size, provenance, location, and it would still be difficult as the market for any kind of dolls is in the pits and will probably remain that was for many ears to come.
It seems that most people are trying to get rid of their dolls and not very many people are buying - at any price.
Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls are a little different style of dolls but still not that collectable. If there is a story behind your dolls then some of them may have value.
If possible, you should take them to a dealer who specializes in dolls and see if they can help you. You may have to travel to another city to find such a dealer but try Google antique vintage dolls appraisals with your zip code first. You will get a lot of stores and other sites but some dealer's names should also show up. If nothing near you you may have to widen the search.
You can call them and explain what you have and see if they can help you.
Do not stop with only one opinion.
Looking at your picture you appear to have some sort of display so hopefully you have a nice treasure that will be worth the trouble.
I have 19 dolls. Some say Seymour Mann (5-6), some Ashton Drake, some O. Some are porcelain and others are rubber. Maybe are handmade. However detailed & nice. Are they worth any $$?
If you have a very large doll collection I would like to suggest that you try to sell them locally at a yard sale or even a swap meet in your area. The reason I am suggesting this one is because the online market is flooded with dolls right now and most of them are not selling at all. If you show the dolls and a small child walks buy you will have a better chance to sell them. Most dolls these days are only bringing in a very low price of $5-15 for each doll. At a swap meet, you can do better than this and you can also lower the price if a person is interested in buying the doll. You save a lot of time and money trying to ship the dolls out after they are sold.
Doll values have been in a very slump for several years and probably will never be any better as the value is so low it's usually not worth the trouble to list them for sale. Values are low and sales are very slow even with $5 - $25 asking prices.
You would have to research each doll as some could be worth more money but this is the exception and not the rule.
Ashton Drake dolls may be slightly more valuable but not by very much and may not sell any faster.
Here is a link to listings on eBay for Ashton Drake dolls. Bare in mind this is all of this brand but if you research you can narrow the search by clicking on information on the left side of the screen.
Remember - asking prices do not represent 'value' as only a sold item can be counted as 'current value'.
www.ebay.com/
Here is a link to eBay's sold dolls so you can get an idea of what people are actually paying. You can also search for your dolls on the site.
www.ebay.com/
Here are links to Seymour Mann dolls - for sale listings and sold listings.
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
As others have suggested, you may do better selling at a yard sale but do not expect to sell them for very much money here either as dolls are just not on very many people's 'wanted list'.
These dolls do not sell for very much at your thrift stores and sales people say they sometimes have them for a year and have to put them on a 'half off' sale to sell them.
These are porcelain dolls I got at an auction a few years ago. About 20 in total that I have. Majority are in a box
It looks like many of your dolls may be from the 'The Princess Collection' and although they may be older dolls, they were never medium/high-value dolls so as a general rule they will usually be low-value dolls now and in the future.
As Judy stated, these are mass-produced dolls which means the company made thousands of each doll and sold them to stores like drug stores, Dollar General, K-Mart and K-B Toys.
You can check eBay's sold listings to see what some of these dolls are currently selling for; you may not find the same doll as yours but with this brand, most dolls will be similar in value.
www.ebay.com/
You can also check eBay's for sale listings and place a watch on any doll to see if it sells.
www.ebay.com/
You may have better luck if you try selling several dolls together but be very careful with shipping costs as dolls are fragile and need extra care when packing.
I have a Suzy Walker walking doll bought in 1947, with original shoes and socks, and original ribbons on her hair. What is the worth today?
i found an interesting McCall's article from 20 years ago that claims it is not worth as much as one thinks: "A 1951-55 Ideal Saucy Walker doll in very good or better condition has a value in the $100 to $150 range. Your Suzy Walker doll has a value between $25 and $30 in fine condition and without her period packaging. Her collecting interest is primarily curiosity. However, she has enough value to avoid a trip to the Salvation Army or landfill."
articles.mcall.com/
However, if you go to ebay, you can see that it is priced from $30 to $40
I have somewhere between 1000 to 2000 dolls that I would like to sell. I would like to sell them all at one time. What is the best way to do that?
By Robin
Hello neighbor I just want to give you a heads up, my father had a train collection and we went to collectors asking what they were worth if we wanted to sell them and they were offering us rock bottom prices even under bidding and taking advantage of an innocent persons ignorance on the subject.
A friend suggested we ask collectors their value so we could insure them and we actually got prices 3 and 4 times more than what we were told when inquiring on selling prices. Trust no one unless u get the real value thru the "insurance" metaphor and then you will know the asking price and the true value of your dolls.
Then we offered them bulk on craigslist and accepted a generous offer from someone who would continue to treasure them. Be wise friend, try my method so no one rips u off, any stranger would! God bless and good luck. Gia in massapequa park, ny
Wow! That is a lot of dolls!
There are several factors to consider; such as the maker and condition and if any are still in boxes. You would have to do a lot of research and as stated before; get more than one opinion.
Dolls are very plentiful on the Internet so it is difficult to receive a "good" price, even for valuable dolls and "regular" dolls sell for only a few dollars.
You may be "lucky" and find someone who wants this many dolls. I personally would estimate that - if sold as a lot - you would only receive about .25 to 50 cents per doll. This may sound low but I have a lot of dolls and do not kid myself as to their "true" value.
Some dolls purchased 20-30 years ago - at prices well above 100.00 are now worth 15-20 dollars. Of course there are always exceptions.
Good luck and I hope you make a lot of money!
I need help me with selling a collection of porcelain dolls. My grandmother passed away and left is with a whole bunch of beautiful collectable dolls that include certificates. We would like to sell them in one lump if possible. We are just asking for a fair price where the buyer could still make money if they wish to sell them to a good home. Someone that came to our estate/yard sale sent me here, so any information helps. Thank you
If never taken out of the box, the smaller ones go from $15-$25 and the larger from $35-$45. Add up all the pieces and deduct 15% for the entire lot.
I have an Ashton Drake Galleries - Yolanda's Picture Perfect babie,Jason. The item is still in the box. It has never been used.
Where in Houston can I take old dolls, as my grandmother had many dolls that were never opened?
Where can I buy used porcelain baby dolls to sell later? I am in Antioch, Illinois.
I have some authentic porcelain dolls that I have been wanting to sell. Is there any place or person that buys them? I would greatly appreciate some help. Thank you.
I have the complete set of the Effanbee Legend series dolls. I need to sell. How can I find someone interested in these dolls?
By Karen
Hi - not sure how many dolls you have as there is a very large number in the Legend series.
A large group may be difficult to sell unless you have a local auction that deals in that type of merchandise - and a group will sell for a lot less than selling individual dolls.
Check your dolls on eBay, Ruby Lane, Amazon. Google dolls by the series or individual names. You can get a good idea of what people are asking for each doll.
Selling dolls at a decent price through these outlets takes a lot of work and time (usually months) unless you list them at a very low price. Groups sell but at a much lower price per doll.
You might find a local shop that would be interested in buying as a group but expect to be quoted a low price (maybe even 10.00 per doll).
Shipping is another story altogether! Dolls are difficult to ship so try to stay with local pickup.
Selling on Craigslist can be done also but be very careful who you invite into your home to view your dolls.
I have several dolls I need to sell. How do I go about it and who could I contact to sell them? I have Prince Charles and Princess Diana wedding dolls, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, 3 Bob Mackie dolls, and 2 Princess Diana dolls, one in a white dress and one in blue velvet.
By revay
I think the best place to start would be Ebay. It's easy to set up an account and you can list them under antiques. You can even set a minimum bid.
Hope this helps.
Ebay, Craigslist,Antique collectors/dealers in town or your local paper. Good Luck. : )
I have this Ayana doll that I never really see around. It's a limited edition collectible. It's been passed down in my family so I don't know the year it came out.
If I search it hits a dead end maybe because it's a limited edition. I need some cash so do you know how much it could sell for?
