I just completed my first reborn, I think I did a pretty good job. Actually she my second, my first was a beginner’s practice kit. I so enjoyed doing both. I have a question about pricing though, people become alarmed with prices of $300 or more. How do I get them to understand the time & money put into the dolls? I feel that I’m cheating myself at $300 but I know I need to build a customer base. Any suggestions?
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I am 2 years in and almost 70 dolls and rarely get $300
Just don’t want you to get your hopes too high and feel discouraged. I also just sold my first one in 3 months.
It is very hit or miss. But I also dont promote my listing much on social media and dont list on ebay.
Maybe my sales would pick up if I did.
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How much are you selling yours for?
The one I just sold was $200 for realborn Emma with prisma (pencil drawn) hair
I have 3 others that have not sold since Dec.
2 are limited editions and one of those are rooted. (their prices are a little higher but still around the $300 area and I dont even get inquiries…)
Other people are selling around that price though but mostly well known kits.
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All of my first beginner dolls ,probably about 25 or 30 dolls went to friends and family for free or the price of supplies. That was 15 years ago.Been selling for over 13 years now and way back when my babies brought $350 and up, Now mine bring anywhere from $200 to $350, unless they are toddler size and I have made a lot of reborns in all those years. Unless you are a really good artist,the market is not like it used to be price wise.
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For my first few, I sold them for about $100-$150.
So basically the supply costs and then a little more.
$300 may be too much for a second doll.
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Okay, here is what I would do:
First go to Reborns.com and click “adopted”, then look around at the price and quality of the reborns actually being sold.
Be super honest about your work.
Look at the details, veins, undertones, skin texture, smoothness of color, eyebrows, creases… Would someone know it was a doll just by looking at it, or would most people mistake it for a real baby if only it was breathing.
Take into account the sculpt. Is it a sold out limited edition? A realborn? A popular sculpt that frequently sells? Or was it a cheaper, less detailed sort of kit?
Look at the rooting. If you look closely does it look like it is growing out of the baby’s head one or two hairs at a time? Or does it look pluggy? I’d it directionally rooted? Does the hair lay right even with mild handling?
Look at eyes, are they they 40 dollar glass eyes? Or the cheaper 10 dollar acrylic type?
You can also go to eBay and click “sold items” to again see what babies are actually selling for.
To be honest, unless you are a well know artist with a loyal customer base, and/or selling prototypes that noone could tell were not a real baby just by looking at it, you are unlikely to make more about 3 dollars an hour.
Jt is not uncoy to put on 30+ layers of paint, 15 hours of rooting, use a 100 dollar limited edition kit, Delta Dawn mohair, 40 dollar glass eyes, and still not sell for more then 300…
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I sold my first for $70 and gradually worked my way up. Now I am 3 years in and I am just hitting $300
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I’ve been doing this for 2 months. I sold my first baby to a local lady I’ve known since I was a kid. She gladly paid $300 for him. (It’s the Owen baby in my profile pic.) All other babies, I’ve sold for $100-250. I know I need a lot more practice before trying to make big bucks off one. So I buy BB kits on sale and make them as “play babies” for little girls. It gives me a chance to practice and experiment while getting to recoup the cost of the materials. As for all the hours…I look at it like college or apprenticeship. You have to practice and learn about a trade for free sometimes before you can actually get paid for your time. As it is…I get practice, little girls get dolls. It’s a win for everyone.
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The first year, I invested a lot into tutorials, practicing and experimenting, trying different kinds of tools and supplies. I have been selling them since last year. My last sale was a realborn sculpt with painted hair that sold for $325 plus shipping. Prior to this, my dolls sold for $300, $275, somewhere around there. Old sculpts that lack detail I would sell for less… I like to do this as well. Sometimes it’s fun to paint details where there are none and I get to sell at a price where more people can afford it. Win-win.
Back to the topic. Get what you can get for your baby, but ultimately you only will be happy long term if you paint because you love it. Most of us make very little profit doing this, so anyone painting for any other reason may be a little disappointed.
On the flipside, some people are so good and have such a reputation that they are doing quite well. But they worked hard for this and it takes time.
The advice to check what has been sold on reborns is good advice. Looking at what sold on Ebay wouldn’t hurt either.
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If you are feeling cheated at the $300 level, you might be disappointed along the way. Reborning is not a get rich quick job. It takes years to learn and find your own style.
I’ve been reborning for 16 years and mainly do BB kits. I usually wait till kits are on sale before buying them. Takes me about 2 weeks to make a doll and that is with painted hair. Mine sell for $300 - $400 plus shipping. I feel like I put out a decent doll at an affordable price, and I’ve very fortunate to have several repeat customers.
I stopped doing big fancy layettes years ago, because I finally realized my profits were going down the drain AND a lot of people prefer to shop for their babies and might not have the same taste in clothing that I do. I have definitely lived and learned. LOL
Do this because you love it, and if you manage to make a little money, GREAT!
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I think it is hard to judge your own work and maybe you need to be a little lower price, in your mind you know the work you put in . I have been reborning for 7 yrs, my first babies I sold at $180. I try to keep my babies affordable ,however if you are too low you will get the "bottom feeders"who will still try to get you to lower your price. I agree with Karen you may be getting your hopes up too high just starting out. It takes me about 2 to 3 weeks or more sometimes to finish a baby with rooted hair and I don’t do a huge layette, I feel the person is buying the baby not being enticed with a huge layette.I do this because I love it and if I sell one yaay. It is not something you can count on for a monthly income, be patient and enjoy yourself.
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I’m going to say 200 is a good starting price. Even if you are a beginner there still a lots of costs and work that go into it. Started at 200 and see what happens. When you first start off your babies don’t sell very quickly because you’re new at it and a lot of people are already with an established artist it just takes time just like everything else to build up a clientele. Once your baby start to sell quicker you know that you can mess around with the price a little bit.
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