Inherited Impressive & Preston’s Barbie Collection, how do I sell w/o getting ripped off??

[jodiwal-69]

My grandmother was an esteemed Barbie doll collector. She had some of the rarest dolls & she kept them in mint condition, all all were NBRFB, save a few Bob Mackie’s from the beginning. She put the first few she bought in a case, & they are in perfect condition; Neptune Fantasy, Masquerade, Gold, African Princess, Platinum & Empress Bride.

The rest are NBRFB & in perfect condition;

Bob Mackie:

Madame Du Beau, Queen of Hearts, Fantasy Goddess of Asia, Goddess of the Sun, Goddess of the Moon, Goddess of Africa, Radiant Redhead, Goddess of the Arctic, Circue Barbie, Tango Barbie, Amethyst, Emerald,  Saphire, Diamond Dazzle, & the pink Holiday Barbie.

Other Designer NBRFB:

Christian Dior, Vera Wang, Bill Blass, Every Holiday Barbie from 1991-2012, Escada, Oscar De La Renta,  Calvin Klein, Silver Screen,   Nolan Miller, Golden Anniversary, Empress Kaiserin, Chinese Empress 

Collections in Entirety NBRFB:

My Fair Lady, Gone with the Wind, The wizard of Oz, CLASSIQUE, Enchanted Seasons, The Great Eras, Coca-Cola Barbies, Harley Davidson, Masquarade Gala Collection

There are more, but none worth over $50.

I don’t know where to start, but I’d like to offload them all, however, I would prefer not to get ripped off….. can anyone advise me???

thanks

[klhmdg]

Read about selling, and shipping.

Read the MBG for buyers. 

Set up an account so that you can eventually get paid. 

List low value items 1st and sell for a while before listing high dollar items.

Dont list online anything you cant afford to give away.

Research research research! Before listing.

Take many photos and describe everything. 

Dont use AI description and dont use eBays "recommendations" 

If selling online is too much for you - you should look into a local Barbie group that may want them.

[kensgiftshop]

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@jodiwal-69 wrote:

 I would prefer not to get ripped off…..

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Sell local for cash.

[kathiec]

@jodiwal-69 

The first thing you need to do is search Sold listings to get an idea of each doll's worth. While some of the dolls you list do indeed sell for relatively high prices, quite a few will fall in that less than $50 category. And there are some, particularly the Holiday Barbies, that you'll be hard pressed to get rid of. And just as an fyi, none of the dolls you listed is actually rare, so you might want to avoid that verbiage if you list them. 

As for the best ways to sell, it's not a good idea to just sell them as a lot. I've been buying Barbies on eBay since 1996, and I don't remember ever seeing a huge lot that sold for anything close to what it was worth, if it sold at all. Shipping cost will be prohibitive. But the biggest hurdle is that no one will be interested in a huge lot except dealers looking to flip the individual dolls for a profit. So they'll give you at most half of market value. Collectors aren't typically interested in lots; they're interested in individual dolls to complete their collections.

Depending on where you live there may be local doll shows that would be the safest place to sell. You'll pay a nominal charge for a booth there. Or if you live close to Louisville you could check into the hotel hosting the National Barbie Doll Collector's Convention this summer and do room sales. If your grandmother was an esteemed collector it's likely she attended the NBDCC every year.

You also need to realize that condition counts. NRFB isn't enough; you'll need to assess box condition and make note of any flaws. Also, many dolls from the 1990s and early 2000s have begun to degrade even NRFB. For example, with the earlier Mackie dolls the velvet often changes color and the beads tarnish. All of this will affect value.