Pricing your work and being fair

I will be listing my first four babies on my nursery website (saintcloudnursury.com) but I am having a hard time with pricing. I have done the research and it seems that there are no hard and fast rules. I understand you have to consider the kit (sold out, limited, etc.) Then there is full body vs jointed soft, and hair, eyes and quality of painting. My dolls are well done, very basic, all cloth body, my quality is good. But if you look on eBay and other sites the prices swing wildly. I want to be fair, I believe they should be priced to be accessible but I really need to make a little money for my time and investment (need to pay off the credit card I charged up going crazy on supplies and clothes!) I have owned a business and for retail its a 300% mark up but that would make this dolls crazy expensive. Anyone have a formula or a guideline? Thanks.

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Sorry Gina, this is a question that gets asked over and over again. You’re right, there is no hard and fast rules. I would suggest you look up some other reborns that compare to yours and see what they are priced at. I know a lot of the women sell their babies on Reborns.com Why don’t you go there and see what the selling prices are like. Some ladies add up the price of the supplies and tack on a flat fee for the work, This seems to work for most people. Good Luck to you.

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In the end of the day the only criterion is how much do you think somebody will pay for your doll. I add what all the materials cost me, then consider the time I put into making the doll and nowadays usually sell for that asking price, but when I as starting I was happy just to get cost of the materials back. There is lot of competition and lot of people are selling below cost for quick sale.

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If you want to post some pictures of your dolls maybe we can help. $150-$200 is my go to price.

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I calculate the cost of all supplies-kit, paint, body, hair, eyes, weighting beads, polyfil, clothing, packing materials. I double that amount and add some for my time. As much as I love reborning, this is essential income for me and I cannot afford to sell at or below cost.

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I have been reborning for less than a year I struggle with this question every baby and i have a pretty low income the little extra $ helps me immensely…isnt just dolly dollars so i price low forblots of reasons.
i dont consider mine AAA quality but good enough to compete with many to sell still im not confident to sell for higher and i use BB kits not better ones.
If i did one i thought was exceptional for me id sell it for higher but right now i go with what i think beginner collectors will pay for MY babys.Once my gair iscreally goodvi might change my mind!
I dont price what others might … basic going price I see is $225… i dont feel mine would sell for that
.Each doll i get better but you REALLY have to compare your reborn with how it compares in quality to those others the price you want to charge.I dont think some do that.
Some reborners see a price others charge stick that on theirs then wonder why it wont sell.Possibly sorry…ITS NOT THAT GOOD a buyer would pick a better quality for that price…That said most i see are good …but a handful i think id get more practice before i offered another.
I feel the discriminating collectors buy the higher end reborns that look so very real you can not tell its not a living child with the hair skin color etc .
.You have to price yours what you think your doll could sell for but you have to look at it with a critical eye ask would I pay this amount for this doll?
I dont want to hurt feelings Id never try to do that but i tend to say what i really think and feel and not sugarcoat ever.Its not fair to those asking for an opinion of something .
.Also i think average income BEGINNER collectors have a hard time paying $200 for a doll.FOR THEMSELF.Their child. another story! lol
.As they collect more they are willing to pay more
.When i first collected some antique china the price of what i eventually collected was outrageous to me.Later if i wanted it and was close to top dollar. but fair .id make it happen.Ok just MY opinion
That said everyone is saying its slow now so even really good ones may take a while to sell so not saying if yours hasnt sold in 2 months say its crumby looking!!