I have inherited nearly 1000 Barbie dolls and still counting - HELP!

[Starflare5]

Hello everyone,

 

                My mother passed away recently, however, she left me a rather unusual inheritence: Hundreds and hundreds of unopened Barbie dolls that date back as far as 1985 as well as several original reproductions. There are several store exclusive and Exclusive Promotional Dolls ie: the Original See's Candy Barbie worth over $500 and the Toy Story 3 Great Shape Barbie worth over $300. The issue is that I haven't even the slightest clue how to actually, well, for lack of a better term, find an experienced collector to cash these in. Also, I'm still finding more and more in my mother's garage. Now, some of the packaging of some dolls has been damaged by either being slightly crushed, and, in some unfortunate cases, felines have urinated on some boxes, but, my mother purchased replacements for even the ones that have been damaged. There are also many, any unboxed dolls in cases and stand alone. There even an original Sun Gold Malibu and, I believe an original, Great Shape Barbie Dolls as well. Anyway, there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of dolls, and many of them I believe belong in a museum. Anyway, I'm looking for any help I can get.

 

Thank you,

Starflare5.

[mell]

I'm sorry for your loss. May your mother Rest In Peace!❤️😔🙏

[hlivnat]

While I have no information about experienced doll evaluators for estates, I am calling @ABSOLUTEMEISTER and @KATHIEC since they seem like two members that may be likely to be able to give you advice, or may know another member who does.

You could just put the collection in a storage and do the research yourself, then sell one by one on Ebay, but it will take some time.

[ABSOLUTEMEISTER]

Firstly, welcome, and secondly, I'm sorry for your loss. 

That is quite a collection and conundrum you have on your hands. My first suggestion, once you're ready to start the process, is to catalog every doll you can find. Obviously, this is going to take a while. You can take your time with this. It doesn't have to be completed in a single sitting. I have a spreadsheet for my collection in Microsoft Excel, but use whatever works for you. Here's a screenshot as an example:

This is going to be easier for the dolls in the boxes. For the dolls not in boxes, still catalog them, but also take pictures, especially if you're not entirely sure which ones they are (dolls could be wearing different outfits than what they originally wore). It can also be valuable to take pictures of the dolls in boxes, to document their condition. Also document any fashion packs, playsets, accessories, vehicles, and houses. I recommend wearing a simple face mask, gloves and some goggles, because this could get dusty. Find a comfortable place to work and remember to take breaks and stay hydrated. It's a good idea to take time for yourself and make sure you're okay.

After you've documented all of the dolls, the next step is to decide if you want to keep any of them. Your reasons are entirely your own, for a combination of sentimental and monetary reasons. I'm not sure if you're a collector as well, or if you're trying to rehome most of them. If you are a collector, you can post them in the trading forums to see if you can get dolls you want. If you want to sell any of them, you can either do it yourself on Ebay or there are some companies that buy toy collections and sell them on Ebay for you. You can also see if any brick-and-mortar auction houses will auction them off for you. If you want some to go to a museum, you'll have to look them up and see what they want to take. 

You probably have more than just the dolls to go through, including any legal issues and financial affairs you need to take care of in settling her estate. It's okay if the dolls aren't your highest priority right now. They'll be there when you're ready. Don't be afraid to ask for help here or from trusted people in your life. If others are helping you with the dolls, I would not discuss the dolls' potential value, especially individual value, until you've completed cataloging and are ready to figure out what you're going to do with them. 

Feel free to ask questions, share stories and pictures, or vent frustrations. We're here for you. I hope this helps.

[hlivnat]

Oh, I found this thread on reddit!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Barbie/comments/fuws6z/advice_for_selling_barbies/

 

[KATHIEC]

The advice to first identify what you have is spot on. There are various online sources. The books by Michael Augustyniak are great resources. Just don't rely on books to determine value. Honestly, the best place to determine current values is by looking at eBay completed listings. And remember that condition will definitely factor into value. Box condition matters; I would suggest that you might want to debox the ones contaminated by cat urine.

As for selling them, the easiest path would be to find a dealer who will buy the entire lot. A dealer will typically pay you around half of the retail value. But when you consider eBay selling fees plus the value of your time, it's not a bad bargain.

 

[skiperdee]

as KATIEC stated, eBay completed listings is them most accurate way to assign current selling prices. If you look at eBay listed prices they are often unrealistically inflated. The See's Candy Barbie has sold recently for under $50, the Toy Story 3 Great Shape Barbie recently sold as low as 12.50. There will be select modern dolls that demand a high price, while most will sell for less than their original retail

[hlivnat]

Yes, look at COMPLETED/SOLD listings-- with a caveat. A listing being completed doesn't mean it actually sold. It may just have expired and will be relisted. So auctions may be the way to go when looking (even though some end over or undervalued too depends on the bidders' enthusiasm and/or competition.)

Hundreds of dolls is definitely a long climb so you will need to weigh the pros and cons of the 'wholesale' method versus the sell-yourself method. But it's important to get an idea of your collection's actual value first so you won't get undersold (or, on the other hand, have unrealistic expectations.)

[RouenSims]

And if things get too overwhelming, just put the entire lot on eBay and start the auction at $1 without even bothering to identify the dolls, but with lots of pictures. Collectors will be able to tell what you have and bid on them appropriately. I know I was way too overwhelmed when my mother died to deal with much.

[DARDECK]

15 hours ago, hlivnat said:

Yes, look at COMPLETED/SOLD listings-- with a caveat. A listing being completed doesn't mean it actually sold. It may just have expired and will be relisted. So auctions may be the way to go when looking (even though some end over or undervalued too depends on the bidders' enthusiasm and/or competition.)

Hundreds of dolls is definitely a long climb so you will need to weigh the pros and cons of the 'wholesale' method versus the sell-yourself method. But it's important to get an idea of your collection's actual value first so you won't get undersold (or, on the other hand, have unrealistic expectations.)

I don't know what you mean.  If I list my doll for ten days on auction, when the 10 days are up it doesn't show up in the sold section.  Whether I relist it or not the item just goes away off the listings.  It won't show up again anywhere unless I relist it.