As I talk with more and more doll collectors, the pains of collecting become more and more apparent.

Here are some of the struggles doll collectors are finding:

1. Dolls are harder and harder to find. That's right, a lot of the physical locations that sell dolls have gradually shut down over the years and now there aren't as many as there used to be. Even American Girl has shut down most of their stores nationwide and just have a few scattered flagship stores where you can go in and shop for dolls. Antique stores seem to be carrying mostly furniture and old books, and the toys and dolls are looking rather scarce in terms of selection. So where are people going? Online marketplaces such as eBay and Mercari and some auction houses for the really rare. But expect that you aren't going to get the deals you are hoping for. These marketplaces take a huge chunk out of the selling price and then you better hope it accurately captures the shipping cost or you could walk away with barely anything at the end of the sale. On the other side, it seems some sellers are charging unbelievably high prices for even the poorest of conditions and they don't even bother to do a little tidying up before it's listed for sale. The best places we have found online has been in online doll collecting groups on Facebook. You can type in keywords such as the type of doll i.e. "Miss Revlon Dolls" and find at least a few selections of where fans create a group for collecting. Some groups are set up to just share photos and information and if they don't allow you to post things for sale or buy in that group, there will usually be a separate group created with "BST" (Buy Sell Trade) along the same lines where you can look at what collectors are selling. I like buying from other collectors. Why? Because they take care of their dolls and they aren't out to ream you on price. Sure there are some collectors who have paid top dollar for what they have and want to get top dollar when they sell, but largely I have found members to be nice, trustworthy, and fair in terms of pricing. The other place within Facebook's realm to find a good deal is on Facebook Marketplace. This is a favorite for people who do not want to individually list items, who don't want to ship, and often want to sell things as a "lot" so that someone shows up and takes it away. This is ideal because you get a better deal, but also you see what you are purchasing in person before you hand over your money.

2. Doll shipping is crazy. I find this to be both true and untrue. More and more people have figured out that if they put some of their selling price into their shipping costs, they save more on their listing fees with ebay and so you see a low asking price, but a ridiculous price for shipping. It kind of rubs me the wrong way when I see this, because the first thought that comes to mind is, no way it costs that much to ship, this seller is ripping people off. But when you consider that they are just trying to save money on their fees, then you are sitting there with a calculator as you are bidding or offering to figure out just how much you are actually paying if you win and what a pain that is for the buyer. The result of that is usually that I walk away from listings like that because it's just not worth my time to figure out shipping errors vs saving the seller money. Now on the flip side, shipping a doll can run between $10-$50 to U.S. destinations based on the size of it and without someone padding the cost, so figure out a box and a weight and and get specific so you don't lose your shirt on shipping.

3. Doll's Condition isn't what I thought. I find that people are spending less and less time figuring out what they actually have and are letting the buyer figure it out by the information they provide. This is really annoying because I'd rather read about what I'm getting, than search all over the internet trying to figure out if you've got an authentic doll or a later version repro. Also, check the doll over before you sell so that you aren't surprising your buyer with things to repair or flaws. But people don't, which is why I'm always much happier buying from another collector than Regular Joe on Ebay.

4. Doll robbery. This is an area that annoys me most of all. When someone strips the doll of their clothes, shoes and accessories and then lists everything separately or keeps the pieces. This feels a lot like looting a doll. Then the doll is listed with some inexpensive repro or outfit that doesn't belong with it or it's listed nude. Are you getting a great price for the nude doll? Not really. Also not cool to see the pieces listed separately for a small fortune.

A lot of dolls interest me, some I purchase to study, some I purchase for my display cabinets, some I purchase because I enjoy the restoration, but every doll that I passes through my hands leaves a little bit better than when it came to me and often with a greater appreciation for the craftsmanship that many of these companies and artists have put into these toys and collectibles. I like to learn about dolls that come into my path as well, because I love a good origin story and I'm happy to keep sharing what I learn in this forum for collectors to learn about as well. This is my journey - doll collecting out in the real world. Part of this journey is being a part of the doll community and helping with issues that we find. This is why we've started our Catch the Butterfly Events. Because we wanted to make doll collecting a little bit easier. Free Shipping, purchasing from a collector and doll restorer, no looting, fair pricing, and no guesswork. First Event is May 25, 2024 at 9:00 A.M., visit our website and click on the doll's for sale page to view items for sale during the event. Contact us with any questions.