topic Re: Selling Doll Collection… in Community Chat

Selling Doll Collection…

amyb — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 10:31:14 GMT

Any advice from anyone where is best to try to sell Dolls?

I realize they've sort of fallen out of favor...it seems to definitely be generational...ie Mine and my mom's generation, not anyone below 50 now!

I'm not the "crazy doll" lady by any means but mom and I used to like to watch Marie's shows and buy a few favorites, and also when I was a child mom bought Madam Alexander dolls for me. Accept for one baby doll sitting by a baby pic of me, in an attic walk-in closet, where I have some family pics and antiques, my Little Women, etc are all in a big storage box that I don't need to take up space anymore. At one time I used to bring them out at Christmas and set them up by a small tree...long ago...but that's not my thing anymore either.

I still love dolls and the memories of the fun my mom and I had picking them or ones she gifted to me...and a few select ones I'll keep, and display subtly only in certain places just for me, not around the house.

I'm not looking to get rich selling them, I just want a place for them to go...I'd donate also if there was somewhere anyone might actually take and have someone who might really want them.

Any ideas? Thoughts? I realize it's a longshot anyone actually "wants" them, but just thought I'd ask here since people give advice on all kinds of things. TIA.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

AnjalenaQVC — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 10:53:47 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it contains religious content.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

Neetgal2 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 11:02:11 GMT

I had MA dolls from only the 80's, my daughters. She did not want them! I kept them in tissue and boxes in my bedroom closet and I decided to donate them to a upscale thrift shop. Several of them fell apart from dry rot or whatever. The lady in the shop still took them and we placed them in plastic bags. Apparently there are people who will put the back together. I only kept one. I checked selling the outright before donating them and there was not a market, but then I found they fell apart.

My next project is a whole drawer fill of sterling silver serving pieces from 4 generations back to try to sell. No interest in these things with the younger generation.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

amyb — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 11:09:07 GMT

@Neetgal2 wrote:
I had MA dolls from only the 80's, my daughters. She did not want them! I kept them in tissue and boxes in my bedroom closet and I decided to donate them to a upscale thrift shop. Several of them fell apart from dry rot or whatever. The lady in the shop still took them and we placed them in plastic bags. Apparently there are people who will put the back together. I only kept one. I checked selling the outright before donating them and there was not a market, but then I found they fell apart.

My next project is a whole drawer fill of sterling silver serving pieces from 4 generations back to try to sell. No interest in these things with the younger generation.

@Neetgal2 Hi...my mom had a silver piece set, in a cherry wood box, she purchased, and typically...never used, lol. I sold it to a gentleman who bought precious metals, jewelry, real siver pieces and got a good sum for it...there should be plenty of places in your area...our area of CT has many. Good luck!

As for the dolls...yes, no market for them...I'm thinking that donation to a nursing home is best. Like I said...I don't need to make money on them; I'd love it if they could bring someone joy. Luckily, mine are in tact, not falling apart. Thanks for responding.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

Group 5 minus 1 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 11:28:56 GMT

I know nothing about selling on E-Bay,but checked prices of MO dolls and the prices are not bad.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

godi — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 11:36:41 GMT

See if your local police department might want to give a child in a horrible situation to help ease them in such a stressful time. ❤️

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

Foxxee — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:42:43 GMT

I would check first to see if any are valuable. You might be surprised at how much they could be worth, so I wouldn't just give them away until you find out.

You can check for price on ebay. Look for more than one seller offering the same doll. Watch to see how much buyers pay for them. Their value is what buyers will pay at any one time.

Collectibles can be trendy. Why some become more popular at a certain time is a good question? If they are not in demand now, they might be in the future, so this might not be a good time to sell them.

You can also try Etsy, Craigslist, and Next Door.

To sell them, if not in a hurry, you can list them on any of the above websites.

Other than those websites, I have no idea where you can sell them for a good price except for antique dolls in antique shops.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

Jordan2 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:06:33 GMT

@amyb I recently had to move, I had so many treasured collectibles, some were mine, others were my deceased mothers'. I was told there wasn't a market for any of it, young people are just not interested. As much as it pained me I had to let it all go ( throwing it out). You could try Facebook Market Place, I tried it, it wasn't for me. An example, my mother had a dining room table and chairs that were in good condition, I asked $100 for it. Someone told me that was too much, so I lowered it to $75. Someone wanted just the table, I said it is a set you take the chairs (what would I then do with the chairs). Someone wanted me to ship the set to them, that was a no and I took it off Facebook and threw it out. Good luck in finding a home for your dolls.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

sashamatthews — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:22:06 GMT

I am giving my collection to Goodwill and Salvation Army. One box at a time. I have already donated dozens - dozens more to go (probably a hundred at least). A word of caution: I gave several dolls to my cousin to donate to children at her church; they never got to the kids - an adult woman took them, saying she never had dolls like them as a child. I was so angry - that is why I leave them at Goodwill or SA.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

Laneysmom — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:23:55 GMT

Good morning @godi. I have a large collection of stuffed animals...some mine, the rest are my granddaughter's and her mom's. I plan to donate them to my local Fire Department and, at your suggestion, will also contact our local Police Dept. If they can bring comfort and joy to those in crisis, I will be happy to re-home them in this way.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

FastDogWalker2 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:00:10 GMT

Bit of a long shot - but is there a childrens' hospital or museum near you? They may be interested. Good luck-you sound very generous.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

Mistreatedbycs — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:18:09 GMT

@amyb

I can give you first hand knowledge .

It's going to take a little prep work to approach a dealer.

Make a list. Doll Size Any identifying marks Maker Approx Year

Box? A spreadsheet would be most beneficial.

This is very important information to speak to anyone.

If you don't want to do the work, your return will reflect that.

If you have old Barbie dolls, Madam Alexander etc. those prices are be researched with books. There are actual price books that you can use as a reference. Also, you can check the back of the doll, neck, back and butt have the markings if they are there.

If you just want to get rid of them all, there are collectible stores that will possibly buy your entire collection.

If you want to sell them on your own, you need the above information to advertise them to the best of your ability.

You can also research doll dealers in the US but note the dealer needs to make money too and it's usually 40/60. Also, don't let the dealer pick what they want and give back the rest, sell them as a "lot".

The 80's was a hot market for dolls, not so much anymore but there still is collectors out there, it always comes back, just don't know when.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

haddon9 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:18:40 GMT

I actually have two collectible porcelain dolls. I bought them back in the 1980s since they looked just like my son when he was a baby & little boy. Right now they are in their boxes sitting in a storage closet in the basement and I have no idea what to do with them. Since they are porcelain, they aren't cuddly types of dolls.

Thank goodness I never got into a big collection but I have plenty of other things (from my mother) that I need to get rid of.

It is a bit sad to see some of these items thrown away. It's too bad that many of the younger genteration (including my own two) just don't want them.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

gidgetgh — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 23:27:44 GMT

And I personally would load them in the car, drive to Goodwill, unload the car as fast as humanly possible, and the screech of tires you'd hear would be me leaving the parking lot. Mission accomplished. Done.

I have 1 collectible doll. She is 8 inches tall. I looked her up on eBay and there were 3 or 4 of her listed. One had sold for 80 cents. Yes, 80 cents. I am going to keep her.

No way with a collection would I put much effort into it. They brought you joy at one time. Thank them for the joy they brought and let them go.

I also am not a big fan of dropping off large collections of anything at nursing homes, fire or police stations. I just don't think they're looking for bins and bins of dolls and stuffed animals. But that is just my opinion.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

drizzellla — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:32:31 GMT

@amyb On the TV show Hoarders (please I do not think in any way you are a hoarder), there was a lady that had thousands of dolls. She had rooms just filled with dolls.

The people from Hoarders had an auctioneer come in and check out all the dolls. He did not take all the dolls but he took quite a bit. I forget the exact amount but I know the lady made well over a thousand dollars.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

haddon9 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:37:33 GMT

@gidgetgh wrote:
And I personally would load them in the car, drive to Goodwill, unload the car as fast as humanly possible, and the screech of tires you'd hear would be me leaving the parking lot. Mission accomplished. Done.

I have 1 collectible doll. She is 8 inches tall. I looked her up on eBay and there were 3 or 4 her listed. One had sold for 80 cents. Yes, 80 cents. I am going to keep her.

No way with a collection would I put much effort into it. They brought you joy at one time. Thank them for the joy the brought and let them go.

I also am not a big fan of dropping off large collections of anything at nursing homes, fire or police stations. I just don't think they're looking for bins and bins of dolls and stuffed animals. But that is just my opinion.

@gidgetgh I have to agree with you....while it's a nice thought and one means well, it can be a lot of work for those who didn't ask for it to sort things our, etc. Plus some of these places could end up with to them could be a lot of junk, not treasure.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

haddon9 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:40:37 GMT

@Mistreatedbycs Good tips for all kinds of collectibles!

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

VaBelle35 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 13:49:29 GMT

@Neetgal2 wrote:
I had MA dolls from only the 80's, my daughters. She did not want them! I kept them in tissue and boxes in my bedroom closet and I decided to donate them to a upscale thrift shop. Several of them fell apart from dry rot or whatever. The lady in the shop still took them and we placed them in plastic bags. Apparently there are people who will put the back together. I only kept one. I checked selling the outright before donating them and there was not a market, but then I found they fell apart.

My next project is a whole drawer fill of sterling silver serving pieces from 4 generations back to try to sell. No interest in these things with the younger generation.

Are you talking about forks/knives, etc? I sold two sets of sterling silver to Replacements. The shipping and handling was not bad for these as they fit in a small box, even though very heavy.

For my sets they didn't need the spoons and forks, but they needed all the rest. I check once a year to see if they need the rest of the spoons and forks.

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

ScrapHappy — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:16:29 GMT

I too have MA Dolls. My father started buying them for me in the 70's. I would always get new dolls for Christmas. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a market for them. If people do buy, they want MIB. I would donate to a charity that could benefit from the proceeds or someone who would enjoy and love them as much as you did (womens shelter).

Re: Selling Doll Collection…

moxie11 — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:19:03 GMT

Check , local library, humane society, churches, childrens hospitals, toys for tots, radio stations for their yearly christmas drive. Organizations are gearing up for toy drives soon. Homeless shelters would accept your dolls with little open arms. I, gave four boxes of my doli and toy collection away, and my spirit never felt better. The library gave them to the children to hold during story hour and were given away to each child at end of story. There, is a sense of freedom and joy when you find such heartwarming locations to give your collection away to benefit others.When one holds on too tight to things of this world, it never serves it's true purpose. Glad your finding special places for your collection. Enjoy your journey, with much success.