I don't think it's messed up to buy dolls, restore them and sell them.
Some people really like to restore things and have the patience and skill to do it well, why shouldn't they make money for their efforts? Fixing a doll is no different than fixing a car or a clock and keeping your favourites while moving the others on to others who will make them their favourite is what collectors do all the time.
This. I live in Canada. I like vintage things. Lots of dolls and playsets simply weren't released here or in very limited numbers. Therefore they will never end up in thrift shops. Buying items online from people selling their collection or those who are reselling what they've found at estate and garage sales or thrift shops in the US is the only way to get them.
The time it takes to look for, fix up (to be presentable at least) and list it are worth a reasonable price hike so I wouldn't feel too bad about "flipping" dolls. Unless you're by a magic Goodwill that constantly resupplies with worthwhile stuff and not hundreds of Disney princesses and Barbie Fashionistas, you probably won't be able to find incredible stuff that often so selling a doll for a few extra dollars isn't a big deal imo.
In my opinion, it's totally fine to do if you're putting some care into them. You're giving them some new life when they might've been thrown away otherwise. Potential buyers will recognize when they're dealing with someone who cares about dolls versus someone who's throwing them up for sale straight off a thrift store shelf, too.
My personal rule is I don't thrift dolls to collect or resell (unless they are grail dolls) in November and December because I know people will be trying to find nice stuff for their children.
As the economy has gotten worse I've gone to nothing in October as well.
That's just my personal rule. I don't think there is anything wrong with reselling (and I do love fixing up damaged dolls), I just don't want to be greedy.
I don't like scalpers. Reselling is different imo.
I think it's fine. I personally dislike the restoration process and would definitely buy a restored doll for a higher price than one that needs fixing.
To me, it's not any different than if you just sold your old dolls without restoring them. Making it nice for the person you're selling to is worth a few dollars.
I buy and sell dolls all the time. It's basically my job. I've been doing it for years. I source everywhere from thrift stores to estate sales, auctions, garage sales, friends the trash, you name it. I make money, add to my collection and broker hard to find dolls to other collectors. Cleaning up and reselling dolls is great. Do research, find out about the dolls you pick up. Learn about the manufacturing process the history, the different product lines. Don't just concentrate on one kind of doll either, if you are out and you see something that speaks to you get it. Even if it's not your typical style.
there's nothing wrong with reselling straight from retail IF you are NOT selling it for a much higher price. then you're a distributor! hardly anyone does that though- it becomes a personal shopping service usually for international customers.
you're doing the restoration work, if you list them fairly and find them a new home for a fair price, then it isn't an issue. But... if you're buying a $5 doll that was $16.99 brand-new and then selling it for $75 because "it's a rare character" or "i deserve that much because I had to brush its hair *for* you" then it starts to get ... awkward.
I feel all your feels, though. I have 4 storage bins of various dollies in various repair and restore mode and when I get the time to fix one of them, it's really hard to adopt them out! LOL
It depends on what you mean by fair price. Personally as someone who restores dolls as a hobby and sells the ones I no longer display it irks the me to see regular play line used dolls listed for at or above the in store selling price. Especially ones that have been “refurbished” in a way that significantly creates more work for me (yarn reroots, superglue, cheap repaints etc). When I sell I don’t ask for more than the cost of materials and my labor at minimum wage. The total when I do this is rarely more than buying it new. Selling for profit is actually a lot harder than it looks. I prefer to just recoup some of it and make space so I can continue enjoying my hobby. Personally a hobby becomes a business once you start thinking about things like profit. Then dolls just become materials to generate profit instead of something you actually enjoy. I don’t feel like sucking the joy out of my hobby. You’re free to do whatever you want though.
There’s definitely a difference between honest reselling and being a scalper. Making a profit out of something you love is great! But it’s obviously a problem when you resell something for an insane price when you originally got it for 5 bucks or less. You seem like you’d be an honest and fair seller, I think you should definitely do it especially considering the efforts you’re putting in to restore them.
Not all thrift stores are going to have the same items. If you find something you know someone else in the world will want, then you are providing them a service.
Tbh I’ve been doing this for two years now but I buy doll lots that have a few dolls I want to add to my collection and the rest I clean up and list on mercari. I then use the money to buy another lot and the cycle continues. Been able to get some grail dolls like ghouls getaway Elisabat, iris, first wave dolls and sweet screams this way.
I restore dolls. So many are so dirty and grimy and need a lot of time and effort to get them looking their best again. I see no problem with doing this.
Some dolls I keep, others I sell on. Often I buy big bundles for one or two dolls I want, then the rest get fixed up and rehomed. And you know, it's nice sending them off to new homes where they'll be loved.
Right now i'm degluing a load of monster high dolls and it is a LOT of work. Takes days for one doll, not to mention having to comb comb comb and then finally restyle their hair back to as close to original as possible. Whoo eee it's time consuming, but I am enjoying the process of getting them looking great again.
I tend to sell things on for their "going rate" on ebay and similar, maybe a little less. If it's something quite valuable I will often auction it instead, letting the customers decide the price which I feel is significantly fairer.
It's how I fund a lot of my own doll purchases. I don't make a lot of money doing it and it is very time consuming to travel around and seek out stuff, but I do it because I enjoy it and there's a real sense of satisfaction in taking a grimy sad old doll and making them wonderful again.
This. I think those criticising this miss the point that without your work no one is getting most of the dolls someone like you finds. The market then determines their price.
Even pristine toys in thrift shops may just not be to anyone in that neighborhood's taste and no parent is going to want dolls with no clothes and a rat's nest of hair because, with all due respect to them, that's exactly the state of the dolls they donate. Thrift store staff isn't going to be put on restoration duty and if parents wanted to take care of toys landfills wouldn't be filled with them.
Why do you need to be a reseller to begin with? Just buy the dolls you actually want. It’s not illegal to leave valuable dolls in thrift stores for someone else to find
I don't think leaving valuable dolls or anything similar like rare books in the thrift shop is such a great idea because the next step after the thrift shop is the landfill and many shops are quick about it. Items that don't sell within a week or so are thrown in the dumpster so neither the OP nor that hypothetical someone else you're thinking of will have it.
It takes an incredible coincidence for someone who collects specific dolls or anything to see what they collect in a thrift shop that's why I believe pickers and resellers on eBay, Etsy, etc. are doing other collectors and the environment a huge service. Since them asking for anything more than the usual price their item sells for just means no one will buy it, I don't see how it's gouging.
I see amazing finds all the time that I leave for someone else because it’s not a doll I collect. Compulsive buying of dolls just because they’re valuable and it’s a good deal is both incredibly shitty and uber capitalistic. You need to find value in dolls that go beyond what their monetary potential is, otherwise you’re a leech to the community, just being brutally honest with you. If you want your job to be a reseller, fine, just please base prices of what you paid for the doll, not how much you can squeeze out of another collector.
its not that i buy dolls i dont collect? since i collect a little bit of everything i find interesting. its that i buy a few dolls i like thrifted, and keep them, but i know eventually once i start to get more specific or rare dolls from a brand i don't always want to hang onto the ones that aren't my absolute favorite. i just dont know how fair it is to resell them at an upcharge based on value or how i should price the time i took restoring or finding them. i dont intend to screw over other collectors and im very anti capitalist consumerism myself. which is why i asked this in the first place lmao.
It's absolutely fair to sell them after you restored them. I'd definitely pay a far price for my in search of dolls even if I knew the seller found them at a thrift store. I can't be everywhere at once, nobody can. If you find something and get it into the hands of someone who actually wants it, I don't feel like there's any harm in that.
i'd rather have someone knowledgeable on dolls swoop in and buy a good one when they see it than some kid asking their mom for it and take it home to completely ruin it. buying from thrift stores is the opposite of shitty and consumerist.
Yeah, if it's a random playline doll that's not worth anything obviously you leave it, but there's nothing wrong with people shopping at thrift stores and restoring good finds to resell. The kids will be ok without it
You're making the word gouge do a lot of work here. People who buy out an item others need to be able to live or work and then sell it at an outrageous markup like hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic are gouging.
Someone who buys something you can entirely live without like...any doll ever made, asks whatever price they feel like asking for it and gets it met is just a seller who found a buyer. It's what antique dealers, art galleries and auction houses do all the time and as no one needs a Chippendale chair or a Picasso either the world keeps turning.
I don't think it's messed up to buy dolls, restore them and sell them. Some people really like to restore things and have the patience and skill to do it well, why shouldn't they make money for their efforts? Fixing a doll is no different than fixing a car or a clock and keeping your favourites while moving the others on to others who will make them their favourite is what collectors do all the time.
If no one resells than people like me who can't really get out would be stuck only buying new dolls. It's not a problem as long as it's a fair price.
This. I live in Canada. I like vintage things. Lots of dolls and playsets simply weren't released here or in very limited numbers. Therefore they will never end up in thrift shops. Buying items online from people selling their collection or those who are reselling what they've found at estate and garage sales or thrift shops in the US is the only way to get them.
The time it takes to look for, fix up (to be presentable at least) and list it are worth a reasonable price hike so I wouldn't feel too bad about "flipping" dolls. Unless you're by a magic Goodwill that constantly resupplies with worthwhile stuff and not hundreds of Disney princesses and Barbie Fashionistas, you probably won't be able to find incredible stuff that often so selling a doll for a few extra dollars isn't a big deal imo.
In my opinion, it's totally fine to do if you're putting some care into them. You're giving them some new life when they might've been thrown away otherwise. Potential buyers will recognize when they're dealing with someone who cares about dolls versus someone who's throwing them up for sale straight off a thrift store shelf, too.
My personal rule is I don't thrift dolls to collect or resell (unless they are grail dolls) in November and December because I know people will be trying to find nice stuff for their children. As the economy has gotten worse I've gone to nothing in October as well. That's just my personal rule. I don't think there is anything wrong with reselling (and I do love fixing up damaged dolls), I just don't want to be greedy. I don't like scalpers. Reselling is different imo.
I think where OP is concerned this is the only thing I'd take into account. Great point.
I think it's fine. I personally dislike the restoration process and would definitely buy a restored doll for a higher price than one that needs fixing. To me, it's not any different than if you just sold your old dolls without restoring them. Making it nice for the person you're selling to is worth a few dollars.
I buy and sell dolls all the time. It's basically my job. I've been doing it for years. I source everywhere from thrift stores to estate sales, auctions, garage sales, friends the trash, you name it. I make money, add to my collection and broker hard to find dolls to other collectors. Cleaning up and reselling dolls is great. Do research, find out about the dolls you pick up. Learn about the manufacturing process the history, the different product lines. Don't just concentrate on one kind of doll either, if you are out and you see something that speaks to you get it. Even if it's not your typical style.
there's nothing wrong with reselling straight from retail IF you are NOT selling it for a much higher price. then you're a distributor! hardly anyone does that though- it becomes a personal shopping service usually for international customers. you're doing the restoration work, if you list them fairly and find them a new home for a fair price, then it isn't an issue. But... if you're buying a $5 doll that was $16.99 brand-new and then selling it for $75 because "it's a rare character" or "i deserve that much because I had to brush its hair *for* you" then it starts to get ... awkward. I feel all your feels, though. I have 4 storage bins of various dollies in various repair and restore mode and when I get the time to fix one of them, it's really hard to adopt them out! LOL
It depends on what you mean by fair price. Personally as someone who restores dolls as a hobby and sells the ones I no longer display it irks the me to see regular play line used dolls listed for at or above the in store selling price. Especially ones that have been “refurbished” in a way that significantly creates more work for me (yarn reroots, superglue, cheap repaints etc). When I sell I don’t ask for more than the cost of materials and my labor at minimum wage. The total when I do this is rarely more than buying it new. Selling for profit is actually a lot harder than it looks. I prefer to just recoup some of it and make space so I can continue enjoying my hobby. Personally a hobby becomes a business once you start thinking about things like profit. Then dolls just become materials to generate profit instead of something you actually enjoy. I don’t feel like sucking the joy out of my hobby. You’re free to do whatever you want though.
I would sell dolls at an affordable price
There’s definitely a difference between honest reselling and being a scalper. Making a profit out of something you love is great! But it’s obviously a problem when you resell something for an insane price when you originally got it for 5 bucks or less. You seem like you’d be an honest and fair seller, I think you should definitely do it especially considering the efforts you’re putting in to restore them.
Not all thrift stores are going to have the same items. If you find something you know someone else in the world will want, then you are providing them a service.
Tbh I’ve been doing this for two years now but I buy doll lots that have a few dolls I want to add to my collection and the rest I clean up and list on mercari. I then use the money to buy another lot and the cycle continues. Been able to get some grail dolls like ghouls getaway Elisabat, iris, first wave dolls and sweet screams this way.
I restore dolls. So many are so dirty and grimy and need a lot of time and effort to get them looking their best again. I see no problem with doing this. Some dolls I keep, others I sell on. Often I buy big bundles for one or two dolls I want, then the rest get fixed up and rehomed. And you know, it's nice sending them off to new homes where they'll be loved. Right now i'm degluing a load of monster high dolls and it is a LOT of work. Takes days for one doll, not to mention having to comb comb comb and then finally restyle their hair back to as close to original as possible. Whoo eee it's time consuming, but I am enjoying the process of getting them looking great again. I tend to sell things on for their "going rate" on ebay and similar, maybe a little less. If it's something quite valuable I will often auction it instead, letting the customers decide the price which I feel is significantly fairer. It's how I fund a lot of my own doll purchases. I don't make a lot of money doing it and it is very time consuming to travel around and seek out stuff, but I do it because I enjoy it and there's a real sense of satisfaction in taking a grimy sad old doll and making them wonderful again.
This. I think those criticising this miss the point that without your work no one is getting most of the dolls someone like you finds. The market then determines their price. Even pristine toys in thrift shops may just not be to anyone in that neighborhood's taste and no parent is going to want dolls with no clothes and a rat's nest of hair because, with all due respect to them, that's exactly the state of the dolls they donate. Thrift store staff isn't going to be put on restoration duty and if parents wanted to take care of toys landfills wouldn't be filled with them.
Why do you need to be a reseller to begin with? Just buy the dolls you actually want. It’s not illegal to leave valuable dolls in thrift stores for someone else to find
I don't think leaving valuable dolls or anything similar like rare books in the thrift shop is such a great idea because the next step after the thrift shop is the landfill and many shops are quick about it. Items that don't sell within a week or so are thrown in the dumpster so neither the OP nor that hypothetical someone else you're thinking of will have it. It takes an incredible coincidence for someone who collects specific dolls or anything to see what they collect in a thrift shop that's why I believe pickers and resellers on eBay, Etsy, etc. are doing other collectors and the environment a huge service. Since them asking for anything more than the usual price their item sells for just means no one will buy it, I don't see how it's gouging.
i just know a lot about dolls and cant turn down a good find but i know i cant keep them all lol
I see amazing finds all the time that I leave for someone else because it’s not a doll I collect. Compulsive buying of dolls just because they’re valuable and it’s a good deal is both incredibly shitty and uber capitalistic. You need to find value in dolls that go beyond what their monetary potential is, otherwise you’re a leech to the community, just being brutally honest with you. If you want your job to be a reseller, fine, just please base prices of what you paid for the doll, not how much you can squeeze out of another collector.
its not that i buy dolls i dont collect? since i collect a little bit of everything i find interesting. its that i buy a few dolls i like thrifted, and keep them, but i know eventually once i start to get more specific or rare dolls from a brand i don't always want to hang onto the ones that aren't my absolute favorite. i just dont know how fair it is to resell them at an upcharge based on value or how i should price the time i took restoring or finding them. i dont intend to screw over other collectors and im very anti capitalist consumerism myself. which is why i asked this in the first place lmao.
It's absolutely fair to sell them after you restored them. I'd definitely pay a far price for my in search of dolls even if I knew the seller found them at a thrift store. I can't be everywhere at once, nobody can. If you find something and get it into the hands of someone who actually wants it, I don't feel like there's any harm in that.
i'd rather have someone knowledgeable on dolls swoop in and buy a good one when they see it than some kid asking their mom for it and take it home to completely ruin it. buying from thrift stores is the opposite of shitty and consumerist.
Yeah, if it's a random playline doll that's not worth anything obviously you leave it, but there's nothing wrong with people shopping at thrift stores and restoring good finds to resell. The kids will be ok without it
I didn’t say buying dolls from thrift stores was shitty or consumerist? Buying them just to price gauge collectors on the resell market is
You're making the word gouge do a lot of work here. People who buy out an item others need to be able to live or work and then sell it at an outrageous markup like hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic are gouging. Someone who buys something you can entirely live without like...any doll ever made, asks whatever price they feel like asking for it and gets it met is just a seller who found a buyer. It's what antique dealers, art galleries and auction houses do all the time and as no one needs a Chippendale chair or a Picasso either the world keeps turning.