I am still new to making and selling. I sold my first two dolls in February, so it’s a first selling reborn Christmas for me. Since then I hear ‘This is not a right time… It will pick up around Christmas…’ Here we are less than 2 mo before Christmas. The number of babies for adoption on Reborns jumped from 1000 to 1254, which is more than 25%, as artists who were waiting for this time started to post they creations.
I am not worried about myself as I only have one baby for sale. I am just trying to understand this market.
I see beautifully painted and rooted babies on Reborns from $250 to $400 hanging there forever.
But even babies with a price below $200 is not selling much, they are the most popular as I think they go to children and customers does not care about quality, but still…
May be the army of moms place their orders on scamming sites and now reborns just lost their trust?
Or this is still ‘not the right time’?
I think this has a lot to do with it… also that every year people join the artist side. I think it tilts to more artists less buyers.
My first year as a seller I sold 13 between October and Dec. All on reborns. com.
Last year I think maybe 4 in that time frame…
This year 1 so far and 1 custom.
Honestly, in 5 years of reborning I’ve only sold 1 doll around Christmas so these magical Christmas sales don’t exist to me lol I’ve never had it happen so I’m not counting on it now.
Yes, I think this is one of the huge factors. The availability of tutorials and other information make so many people to ‘try my hand’ (looks who is talking I am one of them).
After I adopted my first baby from you my though was ‘not in a million years I can achieve such realism like Jenni does’. But then after getting more and more familiar with reborns site and see that people post and SELL not a high quality dolls, I decided to try it as I was very curious how the whole reborning process works.
I’m wondering the same thing too. But I did get two new customs orders yesterday. It’s a tough time to fit in customs. But I wasn’t about to turn them away. Both understand that I probably won’t get them done til mid January, and they are fine with that. So those obviously aren’t Christmas purchases. Hopefully Christmas shoppers will start up soon. But all I see on all of the Facebook groups is people asking for a doll for $200 or less, as realistic as possible, with rooted hair. (Some still think they can get silicone too for that price. ) But those posts are full of comments from people with dolls that meet their price range. Some are crappy. Some are average. Some are really good. The buyers have lots to choose from. It’s definitely a buyers’ market right now. I’ll probably get out my old BB kit stash and make some budget babies for quick sales. But I will probably offer those to my friends first.
On a positive note, I see people selling their kit stash all the time too. And others saying they are getting out. Tough markets are good for weeding. A lot of people just don’t want to mess with it anymore, and others just can’t endure the tough times.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I wasn’t just jump into reborning. It was all Katina’s @Katinafleming fault encouraging me as she approved my painting on canvases work and gave me the courage ;). Now I am deep in my kits spending and can’t wait for retirement to reborn them all!
Hey! You’re a natural! It would have been a shame for you not to do this. But I do remember when you were insistent that you weren’t going to become a kit hoarder.
I am not familiar with reborn sales and market. I won’t be selling anything I make. I haven’t purchased any kits right now. I want to so badly. It is addictive. just make them for my family as gifts because I just want to work on it as a hobby. I have always wanted to paint on canvas but I am not an artist. I looked into painting them after I bought my first 6 reborn babies. If, I see a baby I really want on reborns.com, I will buy it.
Since I started selling online I’ve heard ‘sales are slow’, ‘things will pick up at tax time’, sales will pick up over the holidays’. My dolls sell throughout the year, online and at doll shows, sometimes quickly, sometimes not. I price them at what I feel they’re worth and then I wait. They all eventually sell but I have never sold a single one over the holidays.
How interesting! I was lucky to sell every month, but not knowing anything I prepaid Reborn silver membership for a year as I thought that no one will buy my babies. Now, after my yearly membership will expire in Feb. 2020, I was thinking to paint and only post them in October, but seems that it’s also not a correct strategy. I guess month-by-month is the best way to go.
I had a huge boom in October. November so far is crickets chirping…My business is coming from adult collectors as far as I can tell. Those adult collectors only like certain popular kits. I feel a lot of my hit or miss business is the kits I choose. As an artist, though, I like to choose at my own will so I will take some slow times with a grain of salt.
It’s tough. I grew up poor. I spent a large portion of my adult life as a poor single mom. So I don’t usually have a problem with shopping. But here’s how my brain thinks about kits…spend $100 on a kit, then create something worth $500ish. Usually there’s less than $200 total investment. So, the profit is too tempting. the problem is, that $300 profit usually just goes to two more $100 kits and $75 worth of supplies, and $25 to my bank account so I can tell myself I didn’t spend it all on doll supplies.
Yes. Facebook has been a total flop for me, but I am gaining a lot of contacts through Instagram and selling there too. It does take up a ton of time and I can’t entertain ALL the silly requests but I try to at least be cordial. I have had lots of rude interaction in Facebook, so I don’t tend to it as much as IG. Lots of sweet people on Instagram!
I’m keeping really busy. I currently have only one baby that hasn’t sold…I think Eloisa has sat there for over 4 months. I’ve been doing a lot of customs. Right now I have 5 that need to get finished up before Christmas (3 are at the hair step in the process). After Christmas I already have at least 3, maybe 4 customs to start.
I think alot of it is due to the scam sites. A few new names popped up asking in scam groups today on FB. Along with several posts “I was scammed by such and such website, looking for this doll budget $120(example). Linking the photo of the doll used on the scam site. Then new buyers find out those high end realistic dolls are way more then what was shown and back away.
I have had 2 sales this past week and a previous customer placed a order for custom twins. Other then that it’s been a bunch of “can you hold until X date” will you take less” can you donate it"trade"?(now I have traded but here lately people want high end babies in exchange for low quality or knock offs)
I’ve seen alot more new artist wanting to offer customs and lots of buyers with kids wanting reborns for $100 or less…and the ever growing ISO FBS for $200 or less.
These are all things I have been seeing as well. The young woman I just taught is selling her babies as quick as she can paint them, now she is up to $400 a doll bald…I am happy for her, she has somehow tapped into the market. Odd though.
There are a lot of babies out there but it seems like there are mostly “custom” offers on other platforms. That works to the advantage of someone who has a ready made baby this time of year.
Last year many sales came two weeks before Christmas and people wanted babies delivered on time!
Don’t worry about how many babies are listed, people spend a whole day looking for the “right” baby and you baby may be that baby. It is such a personal choice.
I keep hearing it is a slow year, I hope that turns around, you are right there are so many really nice babies waiting to be found.
I am one of them).
) But those posts are full of comments from people with dolls that meet their price range. Some are crappy. Some are average. Some are really good. The buyers have lots to choose from. It’s definitely a buyers’ market right now. 
I’ll probably get out my old BB kit stash and make some budget babies for quick sales. But I will probably offer those to my friends first.
the problem is, that $300 profit usually just goes to two more $100 kits and $75 worth of supplies, and $25 to my bank account so I can tell myself I didn’t spend it all on doll supplies.