Hi all,
Lately, I have noticed sales getting slower and slower. I think it started just after the pandemic as ‘fun money’ dried up for many. Now, I think it’s at least in part because we have more artists than collectors.
Last year, I was starting to get frustrated that my dolls wouldn’t sell. And worse yet, every so often, one of them would be snapped up, giving me a false sense of hope, only to them be put back in the same waiting game for the next 5 dolls.
I knew that some artists weren’t having these issues—they’d list a doll and it would be marked as sold 10
minutes later—so I spent the last year trying to figure out what sells, and what sits. I’ve compiled my thoughts below.
Disclaimer: These are just the things I’ve noticed, so please take it with a grain of salt. Additionally, I think so much of this hobby is creating what speaks to you and not what sells the most quickly; however, making some of these changes helped reignited my passion for painting so I wanted to share.
Dolls that sell:
- Anything sculpted by Cassie Brace, Bonnie Brown, Nikki Johnston and LLE— I’m sure other sculptors’ work sells well too, but these are the ones I stick to if I can
- Brand New (non-BB) Kits— I always think the market will be saturated with the same face, but people never seem to mind
- Dolls above the $600 mark— Not sure why, maybe the collectors at the higher price ranges are more experienced or savvy, so they tend to know what their looking for and not ask weird questions like “Is this silicone-vinyl?”
- Rooted hair— Anytime I try to sell a painted hair or bald baby, it sits and sits. Drives me bonkers because rooting takes so long
Dolls that sit:
- Cuddle Babies— I love them, and wish I could paint them exclusively, but I have never once had a cuddle baby sell well
- Realborns— Maybe because they’re not hand-sculpted, people don’t like them as much? Not sure, but they don’t sell well for me
- Really Old kits— Specifically, ones that you can tell were sculpted many years ago (3/4th limbs, less realistic facial expressions, etc)
- Minis— The two 10 inch babies I made sat for monnnntthhhhsss, so now I only do 17-22 inch ones (never tried bigger, not sure how they do)
With the exception of the doll I’m currently painting (a 15 inch one), I’ve stuck to these rules over the last year or so, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have all of my dolls sells within 1 week of listing. Please feel free to add any you can think of, I’m sure there’s more!
