8 Collectible Dolls That Sell Well on eBay

From the beginning, eBay's primary growth came from the collectibles market. There are two basic models for eBay sales:

1. Currently available consumers goods. This is a price- driven model, and although smart sellers can earn above- average prices, buyers are there looking for a bargain and price is the #1 consideration.

2. Other buyers are collectors, looking for one-of-a-kind unique items that they can't locate elsewhere. Here, price isn't as important as it is with consumer goods. The power of this market is obvious because, before eBay and the Internet, most collectors were confined to a local market.

Dolls have always been big sellers as eBay collectibles and eight of them are especially strong sellers:

1. The Cabbage Patch Kids began in 1978 and are never "sold". They are 'born' at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia and proud parents pay an 'adoption fee'. The Cabbage Patch Kids were one of the greatest toy phenomenons of the later 20th century. At one time, it was a common sight to see grown women shopping and lunching with their babies in hand. In restaurants, the Kids had their own chairs and were always appropriately dressed for the weather.

2. Precious Moments began in the early 1970s when creator Sam Butcher began drawing the endearing teardrop-eye children as gifts for family and friends. Today Sam's Precious Moments artwork is among the most recognized in the world, and eBay prices reflect this popularity.

3. Madame Alexander dolls were created in 1923. These beloved dolls range from Charlie Brown to babies and children to elegant dressed women to glamorous and famous women like Greta Garbo and Judy Garland. With all the varieties of costumes, a single doll can be a 1920s flapper as easily as a member of the court of Louis XIV.

4. Lee Middleton dolls, according to legend, are so real in appearance that grown men sent for a rescue squad to save "the baby" from a locked car! Mistaken identity is supposedly a frequent occurrence and the dolls have been counted as "passengers" on airplanes and rescued from store countertops to prevent the 'baby' from falling. As one happy owner says, "These dolls are so lifelike it's uncanny."

5. American Girl dolls are loved by millions of little girls (and grown ups, too!) They are not only from different times and places, but are ethnically diverse: Felicity from colonial Virginia; Josephina from the 1830's in New Mexico; Kirsten is "a pioneer girl of strength and spirit growing up in Minnesota in 1854"; Addy is alive in the 186o's, having escaped from slavery with her mother; Samantha is "a bright Victorian girl living with her wealthy grandmother in 1904"; Kit is growing up in 193os, during America's Great Depression; Molly lives in the 1940's while her dad is away at war; Kaya is a Nez Perce Indian living in the northwest.

6. Hasbro dolls are one of the products of the gigantic Hasbro company, who claim to have been making toys for eight generations, including famous games like Monopoly, Scrabble and Clue.

7. Bratz dolls, unlike older dolls like Madame Alexander and Cabbage Patch Kids, have no long history as favorite toys or collectibles. Nevertheless, their price has astonished eBay sellers and the Bratz collection was one of the 'super hits' of the 2003 holiday season and sales have been strong ever since.

8. And, no surprise, Barbie is the best-selling doll on eBay. Since Mattel has recently announced that Ken and Barbie will no longer be an "item", dolls from the 'good old days' when the name "Barbie" was rarely heard without 'Ken', will inevitably become more valuable.

Anyone who loves and understands the doll market, can do very well selling dolls on eBay. They've been strong sellers for the 10 years eBay has been in existence and are almost certain to remain popular for years to come.

Learn how to sell on eBay with 16 hours of online instruction taught by a 10 year eBay veteran. Own an eBay business instead of an eBay hobby. http://www.auction-genius-course.com

Related News

Auction-Rate Bailouts Bypass Some Investors - Wall Street Journal BBC News Auction-Rate Bailouts Bypass Some Investors Wall Street Journal -Sep 3, 2008 By SHEFALI ANAND and JENNIFER LEVITZ Large Wall Street firms have announced plans to buy back billions of auction-rate securities from aggrieved investors. ... Two charged with fraud in auction-rate caseLos Angeles Times Credit Suisse Brokers Charged In Auction-Rate SchemesForbes Former Brokers Indicted on Auction-Rate Securities Fraud ChargesWall Street Journal Blogs TheStreet.com - Swissinfo all 527 news articles Pollution auction set for Maryland - Carroll County Times (subscription) Pollution auction set for Maryland Carroll County Times (subscription), MD -3 hours ago 25 auction, the first of its kind in the nation, is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an agreement among the 10 states to reduce greenhouse ... DoT starts 3G auction process; pre-bid conference tomorrow - Press Trust of India Times Now.tv DoT starts 3G auction process; pre-bid conference tomorrow Press Trust of India, India -9 hours ago Raja had said there would be "no deviation" in the schedule for auction of spectrum and roll out of services. PTI. 3G auction process begins; pre-bid conference todayLivemint Process to e-auctionGreaterKashmir.com (press release) DoT to consider spectrum sharing todayFinancial Express Press Trust of India all 20 news articles India begins process to auction 3G airwaves - Sify Sify India begins process to auction 3G airwaves Sify, India -11 hours ago New Delhi: The Indian government is set to begin here Monday the process to e-auction radio frequencies for telecom operators to start third-generation (3G) ... Telcom panel may discuss 3G e-auctionBusiness Standard Bharti, Tata Comm come under DoT scannerHindu Business Line all 11 news articles SUSAN TOMPOR Auction-rate securities probed - Detroit Free Press SUSAN TOMPOR Auction-rate securities probed Detroit Free Press, United States -12 hours ago Brokerages and other financial firms nationwide sold auction-rate securities to well-to-do investors, small companies and others as a higher-rate ... Chef John Ash helps kick off Wine Auction Weekend this month - Lake County News Chef John Ash helps kick off Wine Auction Weekend this month Lake County News, CA -12 hours ago LAKE COUNTY – This year's Lake County Wine Auction will be the centerpiece of a weekend filled with activities that celebrate great wine and food while ... Clarke signs Wine Auction poster Sept. 11Lake County News all 2 news articles Pakistani puts kidney up for online auction - Times of India Pakistani puts kidney up for online auction Times of India, India -1 hour ago ISLAMABAD: Bizarre as it sounds, a Pakistani has put his kidney up for sale at a leading auction website of the country. In recent years, Pakistan has ... Yahoo Japan auction users allege ID theft - United Press International Yahoo Japan auction users allege ID theft United Press International -3 hours ago s auction site say they have been victims of identity theft. About 3000 cases have been discovered among users of site, with their IDs unknowingly being ... Auction scene brighter - NEWS.com.au Auction scene brighter NEWS.com.au, Australia -6 hours ago Buyers yesterday seemed content to negotiate afterwards rather than bid at auction. Auctioneer Andrew Chisholm, of Buxton Real Estate agency's Bentleigh ... Slice of Diana wedding cake sells for ￡1200 at UK auction 黛妃 ... - Taipei Times Slice of Diana wedding cake sells for ￡1200 at UK auction 黛妃 ... Taipei Times, Taiwan -3 hours ago A piece of 27-year-old cake from the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana has been sold to an anonymous bidder at auction in Britain for ￡1200 ...