Barbie

[chlodavenpor-0]

Hello. Are Barbie dolls ever counterfeited? I have some which I am fairly certain are authentic, but I want to know before putting them online. Are there any sites for authenticating Barbie dolls?

[funfactorychannel]

anything can be counterfeited. but barbie your most likely looking at knock offs than straight up counterfeit. lol

[soh.maryl]

Cannot picture anyone going to all that trouble for so little gain.  They would have to have a way to counterfeit the doll, costume and box or package.  Won't swear it could never happen, however.  

[luckythewinner]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Cannot picture anyone going to all that trouble for so little gain.  They would have to have a way to counterfeit the doll, costume and box or package.  Won't swear it could never happen, however.  

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I went to Google and simply typed "counterfeit barbie' and there are plenty of websites and videos confirming that fake Barbies exist, especially toys surrounding the recent Barbie movie.

[ajw2203]

I'm guessing fake ones look nothing like the real one.  Like this one. 🙂

[slippinjimmy]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Cannot picture anyone going to all that trouble for so little gain.  They would have to have a way to counterfeit the doll, costume and box or package.  Won't swear it could never happen, however.  

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So little gain?

In 2023 gross sales of Barbie was US$1.5 Billion, all Barbie stuff is made in China, Malaysia and Indonesia, not difficult to produce counterfeits.

I can't picture there NOT being fakes on the market although they might not be common in the US.

[pickapaper]

A Barbie #1 from 1959 mostly sells in the 10K range and the top price one sold for was about 27K.  There is a limited edition reproduction of it but it is clearly that.  I think it would be really difficult to counterfeit a #1 but I know the Chinese are very good at making good knockoffs of anything.

Note to chlodavenpor-0:

You don't say what you have but if you have any dolls in a high dollar bracket, tread carefully.  You are a low feedback seller  and scammers just wait for sellers with low feedback because they think the seller doesn't know what they are doing.  Don't list anything you aren't prepared to lose.

[slippinjimmy]

Counterfeiters for the most part are not interested in making copies of "rare" editions, it's is much better for them to just produce large quantities of common goods that are easy to get into the legit distribution networks even if they are a bit "off".

While fakes of high priced items are out there it's a lot easier to sell 10,000 common barbies than it is to sell 1 or 2 of a rare version that will be scrutinized.

[tinsoldierunderground]

Probably one of the most qualified posters to answer that would be @kathiec .

[kathiec]

Thanks for the tag @tinsoldierunderground  

I've been collecting vintage Barbies since the mid-1990s, and as other posters have stated, this is a complicated question. Other manufacturers began making Barbie knockoffs as early as 1960. In collecting these are called 'clones' and are easy to distinguish. Actual vintage Barbies always carry a Mattel trademark and country of origin somewhere on their body.

The real complications come in when you get into the really high-dollar vintage Barbies, particularly the #1 and #2 (the doll in my avatar is my #1). Since even before I've been collecting there have been scammers who repaint less expensive vintage Barbies to pass them off as #1s or 2s. Some of the repaints are laughable, but some are so good I've had to resort to looking at rooting pattern differences to determine they're fake.

But if you're dealing with lesser value Barbies it's honestly pretty simple. Just use an ID guide to determine what you have. My favorite online source is https://www.dollreference.com/vintage-barbie-dolls-identified/. You'll be looking at the Mattel trademark markings as well as the face paint. And when you list be sure to thoroughly disclose condition, including clear pictures. Good luck!

[12345jamesstamps]

Trailer Trash Barbie....I think it was made by some company.

[12345jamesstamps]

There are all kinds of companies that do fake Barbies...due to not everyone could afford them.

However, there are collectors who collect fake Barbies and that's all they collect.

Just because it's fake doesn't mean it not worth a lot.Photo of the week....

[kathiec]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

There are all kinds of companies that do fake Barbies...due to not everyone could afford them.

However, there are collectors who collect fake Barbies and that's all they collect.

Just because it's fake doesn't mean it not worth a lot.Photo of the week....

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I know no one who purposely collects 'fake Barbies', nor do I know of any fake Barbies that are worth a lot. For modern dolls it's true there are Chinese knockoffs. They're easily distinguishable from Mattel dolls because they don't have Mattel trademark markings.

As for there being a lot of companies that 'do fake Barbies', that's not really the case. There are companies that make competing 11 1/2 inch fashion dolls. But these dolls aren't fake Barbies, they're just competitors. Trust me, Mattel has a formidable legal staff, and they're quite good at shutting down people who tread on their trademarks. 

[stephenmorgan]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

Trailer Trash Barbie....I think it was made by some company.

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Was this advertised as a Barbie.