Community Chat

[amyb]

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.

[Neetgal2]

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.

[amyb]

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@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.

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@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.

[Group 5 minus 1]

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

[godi]

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. ❤️

[Foxxee]

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.  

[Jordan2]

@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. 

[sashamatthews]

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.

[Laneysmom]

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.