Catalog your doll collection; how and why
Many people contact us to sell dolls, sometimes their own collections and oftentimes collections they inherited. Although we do not usually buy secondary market dolls, we do offer some tips for these folks. I outline here a method for cataloging dolls for sale, which will save time for both those who have dolls to sell and their potential buyers. Often times having photos and information in an easily sendable and accessible form will mean the difference between having a busy potential buyer take a look, or eliciting a summary rejection of your treasured dolls.
Protect the value of your doll collection
Another important reason to catalog your doll collection is for insurance purposes. In the past few years we have encountered collectors whose homes were damaged during disasters such as severe storms, house fires and burglaries. Sadly, insult adds to injury when treasured possessions and valuable family heirlooms are damaged or totally lost. On the bright side, such losses are often covered under homeowner’s insurance. Special policies are even available for doll collections. Having collections of valuable items well documented is key to getting compensation for items damaged or lost during such a misfortune.
Research your dolls
Know what you have, as best you can. The first thing I recommend is that you do a little research on the internet. Sometimes an online reference will help identify a doll and give an idea of what a reasonable value is. Look for similar items on eBay but remember that eBay prices will be on the low side. Research is especially useful for those who inherited their dolls rather than collected them over time. There are also many books about dolls which can also help and often these deal with specific kinds of dolls. Remember that the value of an item to a potential buyer depends on who the buyer is. A doll is worth most to an avid collector. A dealer will resell it and must factor in a profit for herself.
Describe each item in your doll collection and save in a text file
Write a short but thorough description of each doll you have. Include everything you know about the doll, such as make, issue date, material, name of item, condition. Also state the provenance (or origin) of the piece. Descriptions are best saved as a simple text file. Start a new paragraph for each doll, beginning the first sentence with the doll’s name. Be sure to describe any flaws or damage, and state exactly what comes with the item. Include any original packaging and/or certificates of authenticity that came with the doll. Likewise, mention anything that is known to be missing, such as certificate, clothing article or accessory. All the preceding items are important to the value.
Document the dolls with photos
A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Smart phones or digital cameras are great tools for easily documenting your dolls with photographs. Take shots of different views for each piece and be sure to include details of particular interest, such as tags or accessories and also any damage. Name the photos after the item and number each shot in the file name, e.g. Kewpie-doll-1.jpg, Kewpie-doll-2.jpg, Kewpie-doll-3.jpg and so on.
Create a text file or e-mail message
Copy the text file into an email message with the images attached, or simply post them to an online market site or discussion forum. If there are too many items for one message, create multiple messages with the descriptions of several dolls and images. These files can be easily sent via email to multiple recipients, along with a covering message. For the sake of courtesy, inquire as to interest before sending. Give some idea as to the price you expect to get, but remain flexible and open to offers. Remember that the true value of a piece is not what is in a book (this is just a guide line) but rather what a collector who wants that particular piece is willing to pay at any given time. Changing economic conditions and market trends will affect value as well.
Where to sell
A collector who wants the particular doll that you’re selling will likely make the best offer, so we often recommend posting dolls for sale on web sites which cater to the selling and buying of pre-owned dolls by collectors themselves. A Google search will reveal any number of such sites, discussion boards and web sites. If you follow the procedure outlined here to catalog your doll collection first, you will have the necessary information to provide any prospective buyer in a form that can be easily posted as many times as needed to doll collector web sites or sent via email.
A few more tips
Remember that the internet is big. There are many doll collectors out there but not all doll collectors will have the same taste; the key is finding those who collect what you are offering. This goes back to researching and knowing as much as possible about your dolls. If you do you might well be able to identify the best places to try to sell them. Of course, it’s better to post the dolls you have for sale in as many places as you can so be persistent and try many places; that’s exactly why you created the catalog of your dolls. Good luck in selling and have fun!