The first couple of years, while I was in the process of learning (however, I am always learning and trying to improve lol) how to paint these dolls, and learning my style, getting into my groove, I offered my dolls at a pretty low price.
Yeah, that’s what I am doing as well. It’s only been about 1.5 years since I started painting, so they’re starting off at low prices. I think the most I’ve sold a baby for is $200 (she was a toddler)
I noticed that those with beginner skills or maybe not skillful enough, that ask too much for their dolls rarely sell at that price unless they post unclear, or poor pictures of their dolls. I reborned for over a year and a half before I charged more than my material costs.
Yeah. I do an auction starting price at a little more than what I paid for my supplies, this way it has the chance to go up as people desire.
My thing is that while im painting a kit, it starts out blank and looks ok. But as i transform it into something beautiful i fall in love with them i know it sounds dorky but its true, then i gotta give them up to their new mommy. Im not really a collector so the urge to have another artists work isnt there. Now i have seen some really pretty babies that yes i would love to have that is until i see their thousand dollar plus price tag lol. I do understand the excitement of getting anothers work, but ive also been let down when the baby arrived. So now ive been put off doing swaps. I really enjoy seeing others work in person though. Amys babies are gorgeous, karens are too cute! Ive seen Paula’s sweethearts too in person. Now however i have redone a few babies that were poorly painted, those ones are an experience thats for sure but even those ones were a neat learning experience on how not to reborn and finding out who the original artists that painted them is sonetimes a shocker lol.
I promise to never sell a reborn for 2000 doll hairs.
Lol
Some years ago there was a woman who always had couple of dozens of dolls listed and they seem to sell for several hundreds of dollars and she was getting really good fedback. The listing went on about her being an experienced artist and the dolls family heirlooms … etc. The thing was they were hideous, overpainted, mouth smudged blobs of red, and veins like blue zebra stripes; rooted with horrible dry rough looking mohair and about 20hairs in each hole; they looked more like clowns than real babies. But, she had “a name”, and I guess people did not dare to criticize her work.
And there use to be many people like that selling on eBay even like year ago; I stopped looking at babies now, as I have been too busy, so maybe they are still there. Why people buy so obviously badly done expensive dolls is a mystery. But, if you want to consider what is a fair price for reborn doll, well I think that skillfully painted and rooted one should sell for anything above about $600 … Anybody who argues it should be less devalues the artist’s skill to below the level of an unskilled worker.
Haha, you’re hilarious–taping dollar bills to trees and can’t afford it. But on a serious note, nice answer!
Awww, thank you! ️