Educate Me Please....... (very wordy)

So I’ll start by reminding everyone that I’m new here…new to the forum and pretty much to reborning in terms of being connected to a community and doing anything other than fantasy/character dolls for fun.

Sooo…Over the past two weeks I’ve been on a major shopping spree after mentioning to my hubby that reborning is something that I was very interested in getting into, so for everyone’s sanity he invested quite handsomely in madness lol. I already had tons of everything needed, but had no kits, as I had been buying lots of toy store dolls, ebay finds etc which more more than good enough for what I was doing with them. So now came time to buy actual kits. I’d already been researching and had about 10 kits in mind that I wanted to buy; some BB but most were from other sites I’d been looking on. Couldn’t help but notice that there was a huge price difference between BB kits and kits I ordered from other places. I received my BB kits first sort of expecting them to be along the same lines/quality of the dolls I’d been getting from Toys R Us and the like…obviously they were not. So in waiting for the more expensive kits I don’t really know what I was expecting, but due to the difference in price I guess I expecting the vinyl to be alive or something…obviously it was not lol. Some of the kits the vinyl feels a bit different, but from a newbie standpoint; visual inspection, feel, etc I don’t see what it is “extra” that I paid for. In all honesty I like some of my BB kits way more than a few of these other expensive one.

So what is the deal with that? Is it just the sculptors name I’m buying at the extra cost, are they hand pouring these kits at home, are they made from something special that I’m just too new to recognize? What allows BB to be able to offer, what I think are very nice kits, at the price they do, while other kits cost $100+ more? (I think that came out ok, but just in case) Know that I’m not complaining or bashing anyone or anything, I’m just trying to understand. I’m a “buy what I like” kinda of person so long as it’s in my “then” budget, so I’ll keep buying BB and any other kits I find appealing, higher priced or not, but I figure if I’m really going to get into the hobby the I should try to understand how things sort of work. It may be useless information or it may be something I need to take into account if I plan on expanding from hobby to business…OR maybe my curious mind just wants to know :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Thanks for reading and hopefully someone can shed some light on this for me.

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Most of my kits are bb kits. Ive been adding limited to my stash as i go if i really like the kit. Only difference i may see is detailing like creases and such are more detailed on a limited edition. I even see the limited editions have over done their wrinkles till it looks like a bunch of ugly scratches, big turn off and i wont buy the kit.
As a seller i have a hard time selling the bb kits though. The right mommy has to see it to want them and the others want me to practically give them away dirt cheap just because its a bb kit and they dont consider them worth paying for. A true collector will see past the kit and actually see the beauty of how a kit is painted, or at least i hope this is the case.
My hubby said that he doesnt want me buying bb kits anymore because he knows i get discouraged about not getting sells. I do think bb kits are adorable though and will continue to buy them regardless. Cant wait to get started on painting my bb elves :slight_smile:

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When I first started, I was floored by the prices from sculptors vs BB also…BUT

BB mass produces their kits which lessens the desirability to a true collector.

Sculptors used to produce their kits in Limited Edition of around 700 or less…now it’s up to 1000 or more
with these week long pre-orders, which has actually brought the prices of their kits down somewhat!!

When I first started…kits from the “famous” sculptors could cost about $150 each!!!

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I tend to agree with Carrie Anne and will add a few thoughts… Bountiful baby came into the market a long time ago…They are a "Company’ that commission artist to sculpt for them…They are an off shoot of the same idea as Secrist when they first started out…Because they are a company that are producing different artist kits, and are mass producing them, they are able to access extreme discounts for bulk buying. Many of the more expensive kits are from individual specific artist - Laura Lee, eagles, Tina Kewy, Audrie Stoete, Reva Schick and the list goes on…These ladies have to have their own kits produced unless they go under another label and that is one reason why many of them are in Limited Editions - because it is what the sculpt artist is able to afford to have made up at the time…you will notice that there are some artist that only ever produce limited editions and that may be their marketing scheme and then you will also notice that some who use to produce limited only start adding open edition kits as well - (that can be due to choice or the fact that the artist has 'succeeded enough to start having open edition kits produced.) Bountiful Baby’s marketing plan from what I can see was to produce quality kits at the lowest possible price to make them competitive…they started out with a handful of kits (not literally but a limited number of sculpt artist and styles) and built up their portfolio…In a way they took over the Secrist market by appealing to the new artist with their lower price range of kits - most all new artist will start out with BB kits specifically and simply because they are cheap… Just to note a point here - you will notice that when BB created the limited edition Realborns - they also increased the price because they know that Ltd Ed kits are more attractive to some collectors and it puts BB in a competitive spot with other Limited Edition sculpts opening a new avenue of sales for them…

Bountiful Baby has not always had the lovely vinyl they have now…there have been stages of growth from greyish pinks to a bit too dark peach to some too pale that would not take colour well to the present vinyls they are using now…Ladies coming into the industry now are benefiting from BB’s better quality product and increased variety. …all in all, I think BB definitely has come into it’s own. They have always produced a good product and the bonus is that in keeping their prices low to start with, they have built a business that has allowed them to expand and improve and still offer the attractive price because they have built a massive supply industry. SO ultimately, you have to buy what you like…
The attraction of kits other than BB is that they appeal to avid collectors because many are limited or sometimes it is just sculptor preference or the fact that it is the newest latest thing to hit the market…
I admit I left BB kits for about 2 - 3 years unless there was a specific request for them…but they have started bringing out more and more sculpts and I found myself coming back…I do love the realborns…and the newer ones coming out are catching my eye as well…

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER…

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Thank god you came back Starr! @DancesWithDolls, just getting into the business I started buying kits on eBay. I didn’t know there was another way. I was paying so much for bb kits and had no idea I could come start to bb and get these prices! I think a lot of newer collectors have no idea about the sculpts or the artists, they just buy the baby they think is cutest! That is what I did… I bought bb because not knowing any thing… The sculpts were just my favorite! But… As a seller, I now see that collectors are looking for different sculpts, LE and coa’s. So if I want to sell at higher prices, a lot of times… I need to buy different sculpts than bb. Which sometimes sucks because I still love so many bb sculpts and I love the new vinyl! Even now, when I am spending a lot more… The quality is not as nice as bb. It is a good idea to ask the ladies here before investing in expensive sculpts! They will let you know if they had issue with the vinyl, etc. I am hoping the new bb kits will do better in the market, because BB is such a great company!! VIVA LA BOUNTIFUL BABY!:tada:

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BB vinyl is some of the nicest you will find to work with. But like Starr said, it has been a learning experience for them too. One reason we buy the newer sculpts is that, after while you get tired of the same old faces and want new ones to do. Or you might have a favorite sculptor. For example, I love most of the faces that Cassie Brace sculpts. (Other people say they look constipated, LOL) So I tend to buy hers as they come out. I have favorites from BB that I will return to over time…Gemma comes to mind as does Sugar.

The other thing is that some (but not all by any means) of the sculpts are more detailed from other companies. I am always willing to pay more for more realism.

It is also easier to sell a doll that is not all over the market. Collectors are always looking for the new and original and sculpts by well known artists.

In the end though, the question becomes, what sculpt really gets your creative juices flowing. If you love the sculpt, it will show. Buy what you love, not what someone else tells you to buy!

And never, ever, ask people on this forum to educate you! They will talk your ear off!!! LOL (Especially me)

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Lololololololol we love to chat it up!!! :heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️

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(Good morning, Nikki! And you too Starr.)

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:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️GOOD MORNING HELEN AND STARR​:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️:heart:️

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I have only tried recycled toy dolls and bb kits. I find it extremely helpful, when the ladies on the forum post their favorite or most realistic bb sculpt. I found myself attracted to the dolly types.

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All the info our lovey ladies have given you is exactly correct !! You can’t beat BB for price and quality. I have purchased numerous Higher Priced kits from others and believe me just because the cost is more does not mean the quality is higher!! They are right about collectors wanting the "latest’ sculpts out and that can leave BB’s kit’s behind, however you can’t beat BB kits for a beginner reborner. Everything about them is prefect for learning, specially the price!! We go through quite a few in the learning process and I for one would not want them to be kits I paid over $100 for. I have run into the problem of extremely hard heads on some expensive kits and they are NOT fun to try to root. I would suggest you learn on a more inexpensive kit, improve your skills and then move on to some of BB more expensive kits or others. Good Luck and I hope some of our other newer reborners can benefit from the information posted on this thread.

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I agree, BB can’t be beat for price and quality. I normally sell my BB reborns for $299 or $349, somewhere in there and I feel like it’s a decent price. There are lots of buyers who don’t care who sculpted the kit, they are just looking for a reborn. I feel that I put out a quality product at a decent price, especially considering I get a lot of the kits when BB has a sale.

As of last night, I have sold 17 reborns since the 1st of September, all of them BB kits. Works for me! :thumbsup:

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Congrats Karen on the sales!!!
I think this is a good point…If you are selling to the general public and are wanting to keep your prices below $350, you can’t beat BB…unless you get an awesome sale somewhere…I think it is dependant on what ‘market’ you are trying to reach…
I do pretty much custom orders only and average about 4 to 8 dolls a month. I rarely get request of BB kits but this last couple of months I have done 2 asher asleep, 3 Asher awakes, 2 Clyde, 1 Kase awake and am in the midst of doing a Kase asleep, have an order for another Asher awake and a Thomas awake and asleep as twins…Granted, many of my customers fall in the "collectors’ category and not the general buying and most of the ones that are being requested are the LE kits but they are still BB kits and I do love doing them…I love the Realborns and now that BB is going back and adding more detail, their kits are more attractive to me as an artist as well as collectors…Like Helen mentioned above…Many of the BB earlier kits lacked the detail of some of the more expensive artist kits but they are sure changing their game now and even though it takes some getting use to some of the kits being re-sculpted because we tend to have trouble with change, I have to commend them and think they are doing what is necessary to stay on top of the market… :smiley:

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Good afternoon ladies. I was a little bit worried on how my post woule be received, and actually hesitated in writing it. Im so glad I went through with it. The information you guys have given me sheds a whole new light on the art of reborning and the market for it. It makes sense just like anything else being sold…it all depends on your target market. Don’t hold me to it, but I’m not sure I’d ever get into the “custom” realm of reborning, because honestly I’m only motivated to create babies from my own imagination…and if someone likes them and wants to buy one Great, but if not I know more than enough people who would love to have them as gifts just the way they are.

NOW…all of that said, I want you all to know that I think you guys are the most awesome bunch of people, I mean that SERIOUSLY! And although I’ve never met you all in person, I’m guessing that you’re fun and friendly personalities carry over into non-cyber life. I’ve had question after question in the few short weeks I’ve been here, and each time they were met and answered genuinely and void of “newbie annoyance.” and that doesn’t happen very often on forum boards. I’m really happy to have found you all :grinning:

Last night my ancient laptop literally just died. My husband recognized my mopey dopey face and me agonizing on how I’d stay connected to the forum (things don’t format well on my cell phone). So today we played hooky from work and have been out computer shopping (Love My Hubby). I got a sleek new computer for my craft room with a monitor so big I can see you guys from across the room now lol…no more squinting to read tiny print. AND the best part is I can finally load my all of my embroidery software for my sewing machine. I’m like a kid in a candy store right now lol.

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I’m glad you got a new computer! I go through withdrawal when I can’t get to this forum. :slight_smile:

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Hey, congratulations on that new computer!!! We all have withdrawals when we can’t talk to “forum buddies”. I’m really glad you like our forum as much as we all do------it’s the best, isn’t it??? I belong to a couple of other forums and they aren’t anything like this one!!!

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Very, very well said. I agree with all that you stated. As for me, personally, like most, I started out with BB, due to cost and learning my way. I like BB, but I mostly prefer kits that aren’t seen everywhere (mass produced). I do still every once in awhile grab a BB kit. I do like the Realborn kits, for sure.

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I’ve been making dolls off and on for about 8 years. Mostly BB kits and probably only about 60 dolls. I think it depends on what you are wanting to do with your new hobby. I got into this to make myself a baby…just one. LOL, I make one, fall in love, make another, sell the first…sometimes. Mainly I stick with BB because I want to make affordable babies for people who can’t afford an expensive one. Whether that means I give them away or sell at cost. I feel there are so many babies on the market at any one time that any sale is a miracle. So I guess I have almost given up on the plan of selling them. I’m not in good enough health to create enough babies to make a name market wise either.

Basically, BB may not appeal to the serious collector but they do appeal to the person who wants a reborn and who can’t afford to spend several hundred dollars to get a dream baby. Whether they decide to make their own (and get hooked!) or they decide to look on ebay for a deal or they stumble across one on another site. Those buyers out number the serious collector and they might only get one or two babies versus owning 20 or more. Unfortunately for anyone wanting to sell a baby, there is a lot of competition out there too. I have seen the market go from having 2 to 3 thousand available at a time to having over 8 thousand. So the chances of any one baby being chosen go way down. And so have the prices till it ends up with most people making very little, if any, profit. Personally I think a lot of people go into this expecting big profits and find out it is a hard thing to get started in. That is why I decided that since I get more pleasure from knowing that I have made someone else happy, that I would quit caring if I sold any. It works for me, even if I sometimes end up with a few hanging out around here for a few extra months.

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I haven’t ordered any of the realborn kits yet, but I do really like Owen. Maybe he’ll be in my next order if he comes back in stock by then.

I’m like you in the sense that I have no desire to turn my hobby into a “job.” I did that with my cake decorating business (which I still run), and it totally sucked the fun and enjoyment right out of it. I still take orders, but turn down 10 for every 1 I take…it’s just not worth the hassle, headache and dealing with people who expect me to make a fantasy wedding cake at Costco sheet cake prices. Not going to happen. I’ve got a nice little customer base that keeps me happy. I imagine I’d like to do the same with reborns, if I ever get to the level of selling with real intent. I’m not a collector at all, so I’ll have to find something to do with all these kits/babies that are going to start pouring in. If I ever find a Lola Chimp I’d keep her, but not really interested in holding on to any others.

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BB has made all their kits in China in bulk and therefore they can produce them cheaper than people who have only limited number of kits made in Europe where wages are many times more than in China.

For me BB is not particularly cheap; I just bought a kit on special with few bits and pieces I needed, all up it was $40, the postage was over $50, and the $90 American came to $132.88 Australian. The only reason i bought his kit is because I could not get the other things elsewhere, and BB has minimum $40 purchase for international customers. I rather buy more expensive kit that I can get from Germany for fraction of the BB postage cost.

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