Hey guys, I’ve been noticing lately our forum is getting a bit ‘weak’. Seems we only have a handful of participants anymore, where is everybody? Are you all on vacation or just busy since it’s summertime? Let’s not let this go the same way as some other forums have gone. We need this!!
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I noticed it seemed really quiet on here compared to a month or so ago.
I personally believe politics has something to do with this. Also, I believe many folks are scared about the situation the world is in, many folks are rather depressed. I will not be able to paint anymore dolls, I can’t sell and I don’t have money to continue buying. I wonder if there are others in the forum that are in the same situation as I am but are not able or comfortable to discuss this? Actually, I am shocked at the over the top prices some are able to pay, maybe for the most part the wealthy are the only ones purchasing. This might mean those of us who charge much less feel depression? And not engaged on the forum?
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Hard to say. People on vacation, gearing up for back to school and all of those things. I personally check in several times a day but I am not always working on a doll or doing different projects.
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@lynn you are right!!! This place has always been more than a “doll forum” /
We used to talk about anything and everything…from crafts to gardens to cooking to pets to family life
I, for one, enjoyed every minute of it. I love seeing peoples’ pictures of vacations, gardens, kids…just every day life…nothing exciting…but interesting to many still the same!!
Maybe people ARE too busy or maybe just not so interested anymore.??
Don’t leave bc you don’t reborn dolls anymore…we want you all here as friends we have come to know and love over these many years!!
@PenelopesRebornDolls I sincerely hope politics does not have anything to do with the slowness of the forum. We ALL have differing opinions, but we should ALL be able to live with that and still get along. And I know prices have risen on doll kits, but not hugely, I actually just bought several realborn kits from BB a couple months ago for about $50 each… MacPherson and TruBorns have raise their prices on some kits, yes…some of them are at $120 or a little more, but there are still a lot at $109.99, which has been the price for quite a few years on many kits.
I may be concerned about this world, it is indeed a sad place, evil has always been and always will be, but I do not let it overwhelm me on a daily basis. There is still much good in this world too…and this place is one!!
Let’s not let it die down!!! I know social media is easier…but for some of us…this is all we have. I do not do any other social media.
ANYWAY…I ramble…I hope all of you have a GREAT day!! 
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Summer always brings about a slump. Kids start back to school next Wednesday here so right now everyone is shopping for that. I live near a college town and students are coming back as well cleaning the store shelves of all things needed to set up their dorms/apartments.
Doll shows are still upcoming and many prefer to shop those where they can see what they are buying so that reduces online sales as well. Forum participation can likely be tied to this.
Overall, reborn doll making is in a slow decline somewhat and has been for several years now. The economy got bad long before now and some quit collecting while others have stayed. Everything in life cycles. It is the natural order of things. Much has moved towards silicone doll making and collecting and not everyone is into or can afford that. China has ripped off so much and impacted the lower end market as well. I have been in this business 21 years now and I have seen it ebb and flow but I don’t doubt it will continue to decline as time goes on and people move on to something else.
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Kit costs may not have changed much, but my grocery trip have sure gone up dramatically. Rent is also going up drastically in many places and buying real estate has turned into nothing more than a dream for many people. Perhaps people can’t afford luxuries like doll kits anymore with inflation and the cost of living being so high.
That said, the forum hits slow spells once in a while. Though this one has seemed slower than usual. I miss so many of our forum regulars who used to help keep this place vibrant and fun. I do have social media, but I rarely use it. I spend time here because it’s a community full of people that I’ve really come to care about and enjoy spending time with, even over such distances.
I hope that it’s vacations/ back to school preparation that has us so quiet right now and that things will pick back up again soon.
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I’ve noticed the slowness in the forum too. When I come on in the evening, there’s nobody here. I think people are busy and feeling discouraged by many things. I have a decent size stash so I don’t really need to buy more kits. The increase in prices for toddler kits has gone up a lot. Some are well over $200, out of my budget. I love reborning and my dolls sell eventually.
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There are many possible explanations:
-The state of the world is scary and uncertainty encourages people to stay low
-Doll show season
-Vacation
-Using the nice weather to complete tasks that require nice weather
-Home remodels
-Working extra
-Lack of childcare makes it so people don’t have as much time
-Busy
-Finishing up a big project
-Practicing self-care
-Taking a break from reborning and the forum
-People are leaving the hobby and the forum
-Family and life circumstances take them away from reborning and the forum
-Health problems
-and more
Everything (and everyone) goes through ups and downs, times of busy and times of slow.
I say, let’s enjoy the connections and community we do have. And remember to support one another regardless of our circumstances and political affiliations. We all experience hard times and all deserve to belong in a community where we are truly valued and wanted - as all of you are
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I was so busy leading up to DOTWE and now Kansas Show is coming up. But I am just trying to spend some time enjoying my summer in between shows
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I didn’t mean the price of kits have gone up, I agree the kit prices have remained about the same. I was actually talking about the price for many dolls, Reborns.com is the only sight I use. I personally see a lot of greed on that site, probably none of the folks on this forum. Yes, supplies have increased and shipping. However, I am shocked at some of the sales made on there, $4,000 for a silicone doll seems over the top to me. Even some of the vinyl dolls seem very expensive. Seems like when I started painting about six years ago, there wasn’t such a huge difference with pricing, people were painting dolls for the love of the finished product rather than trying to make a living. Probably what I am writing makes absolutely no sense, just changing times….
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With some full body silicones in newborn sizes running upwards of $1800 for the blanks, I don’t see $4000 as such an outrageous price for some of them. Especially if it were well rooted. Not when I know the expense, time and effort it takes to paint one. NOW having said that, I myself would not pay that kind of money for silicone. It is just not in my budget. But if I painted one, yea I would want to get paid what I deemed it to be worth.
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I never question what anyone charges for their work nor would I feel they need to justify it. You can ask anything you want for your product and if someone buys it for that then it was worth it for the people who bought it. It is not a matter of being greedy. Not all dolls are done exactly the same with the exact talent or materials. Also some high end artists have spent years building up a following and having an online presense. I say more power to them!
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If you were on Ebay the last 20 years you would have seen some whopper sales. I’ve seen Helen Jalland vinyl dolls sell for over 10k…and Romie Strydim silicones for teens of thousands.
Granted ebay is an auction site so people get caught up in the bidding…but I’m like @Marydi …people set their prices and if someone wants to pay that price then it was worth it to them. Art is a hard thing to set a price on…unlike a standard mass produced item.
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Hi Lynn, Life forced me to take a break from painting, so I wasn’t active on the forum. I got back into it and discovered that sales weren’t as easy as they used to be.
Over the past few months I’ve been quiet, working hard on a big project, but am looking forward to getting back to painting soon. I’ve been at it for 10 years so far and don’t see myself stopping even if they sit for a while.
How have you been? I’m glad you started this thread because I also have been wondering about the ladies who used to be active here.
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I can see what you’re saying.
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Hello everyone. I was wondering too. I haven’t really been posting but I have definitely been reading. Life has just been doing it’s thing. I have lost 6 family members in the last 6 months, the youngest being my nephew from cancer. We recently just found out our 21-year-old daughter has a mass in her breast. She is on pain patches. I really haven’t felt like reborning since my mom passed in 23. I’ve been working on Darren for 6 months, lol. In time I will be selling all my reborning kits and supplies. But I love coming here seeing what you guys are up to, so I’m not going anywhere. Have a good evening everyone and keep those pictures coming!
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So sorry for your losses and to hear about your daughter’s mass. I pray she is able to get treatment to cure it.
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Sorry sorry about ur losses and in thoughts and prayers for daughter as well.
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I’m so sorry that you’ve endured so many losses. I understand not having as much desire to paint, but please stick around. You’ve always been such a sweet addition to the forum and we value you. I’m keeping your daughter in my thoughts and wishing the very best outcome for her.
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