Questions about selling. I posted this on the sales page but I don't think it was getting seen.
Posted by George in NC on June 13, 2026, 2:18 pm
As my life continues to change due to recent widowhood it is time for me to start getting serious about simplifying my life.
I'm 99% sure I will be selling my house and moving, and re-thinking everything as I go forward.
I will be selling close on 1000 dolls. Nudes. My plan is to get Lori to get me set up on her site, and to post updates on here as well. I have always heard eBay is a nightmare to sell on, and heard it is even worse these days. I also think taxes on this stuff is criminal, taxes were already paid on the money I bought these with originally and I own them so to wrap my head around letting them go and treating the sales as income... well, let's just say I think that is wrong.
Many many of these dolls have never been undressed. That being said, I will be keeping all outfits and accessories except duplicates. Because I am a doll pig (big laugh). The great 'nude-ing' is commencing soon. (Actually night night, I nude-ed 47 dolls)
My questions are how to organize. How do people prefer looking at/buying/receiving dolls? There is going to be some yellowing, I'm sure of it, some is already obvious. I do not think there are any chips or cracks but with years of display I'm imagining many will be brittle and that may happen. (there were already a couple last night)
Everything will be sold as-is obviously, no boxes (I actually have most but it's going to be just too much with the volume I need to move and also dealing with Gary's train stuff, plates, etc.) everything just bubble-wrapped as best I can.
I am not (I think) going to try to rake it in on this, I want to get some funds for his funeral but really the main goal is to be ready to move on.
So... singles? Groups/lots? If so how categorized? I have seen a lot of people do them by hair color. I will of course be noting any obvious problems but another question will be if the doll is already pretty much toast and I'm really selling just the head, are most people OK with getting the whole doll or do I need to pull off just the head and dispose of the body separately? And stands? do people prefer the stand with each or separating them and selling them separately or in lots?
My plan is, with Lori's help setting all this up, to offer quantity discounts but also to entertain requests and offers. And shipping. Separate accurate shipping or included in the price? I know shipping was always high and that has gotten worse too. I heard somewhere they are doing away with flat-rate boxes at the USPS. I just want to make this as easy as I can, both for myself and for the people who will buy these.
I have even thought about partnering with someone that I can ship everything to that will take care of all the individual sale wrapping & shipping for me for a percentage of the proceeds. I am still working full-time so my time is pretty much trying to do 30 hours worth of stuff every day already.
Any suggestions and answers are much appreciated, really.
I know this is long-winded (no surprise to my friends here) but I am just trying to make sense of it all and make a game plan. I'm never going to get this started unless I make myself... I'm hitting that wall now.
Thanks, George
I'm so sorry for your loss. I am going thru something similar myself. Trying to sell on ebay
but not getting much traction there. I have also tried a few FS posts on doll boards with no takers. I think a lot of "older" collectors are liquidating their stuff. Its really difficult to even let go of dolls that I love but I am getting older and my family doesn't want them. After my son passed I lost interest in doll collecting. At least I stopped buying dolls and doll related items but the task of liquidating is overwhelming. I wish you much luck with your task. If you get any new ideas for selling, i hope you will share them.
brodjam on ebay helped me liquidate a friends collection after her loss
She came to her house and picked up everything. You sign a contract and they do it all on ebay. Her brother benefitted from all the sales. They are honest.
You’ve taken a big step just by posting this and it will get you going now …
I can’t offer advice on how collectors prefer to buy nudes as I wish I knew that.
I have also started removing Gene’s outfits from some of my dolls and am also thinking I will sell the nudes. It’s a new stage of life some of us are in.
I hope you find it therapeutic to touch your dolls again and revel in the beauty of the Gene sculpts and the incredible design of the outfits. Take your time. You’ve started! I’m very sorry for your loss and please know that you have many souls here who can totally relate to this. Thanks for posting and keep letting us know how it is going. You have many friends here.
Due to the demographics of our collector base, a lot of people are going through this process >>>
as well. One of the many things that makes the selling so hard is the feeling that time is passing quickly, and we are not making progress. The task may seem huge, and it's natural to feel overwhelmed by it, which then leads to feelings of guilt at ending up in the situation. Try to be kind to yourself, and break the project down into "bite size" more manageable units. It's natural to want to have it all happen quickly, but it probably won't, so give yourself a little victory dance for even a small sale. Good luck!
Just as it was acquiring our grails, and the odds and ends that made a smile, selling them off is even more of a journey. I will tell you the economy is not your friend, and Ebay has changed so much since 1997 when I first signed on. AI has taken over most customer service, and if you are lucky enough to reach an actual person, they’re in another country and although it’s a language barrier, sometimes, it’s also the colloquialisms that we take for granted people understand. Trust me they don’t, and it becomes an uphill battle. It has also become almost a portal to the dark web for thieves to set up fake accounts and blatantly steal. I don’t know what it’s like on the other end of Ebay once someone is paid now, or how they get their money back from these crooks, but recently it took me a month to get $175 back, and the seller had even admitted they never had the item, and I should just go cancel it.
The flipside for the seller that’s honest, is that we also get these jerks as buyers. I send out dolls in pristine condition, even though they are aging and I have a full disclaimer on my page, but people have wanted refunds due to condition, and or aging fabrics, etc. In many cases, the bait and switch is just as prevalent as it was when we started out, as people are looking for lost accessories or outfits and claim you sent them a bad doll, so they could get the good stuff back. So bottom line, be prepared for anything!
shipping also is a nightmare, because after UPS and the post office merged making ground advantage, they don’t tell you when UPS turns it over to the post office, Their liability is over, and the post office will claim no liability, because chain of custody was broken since they did not take initial shipment - UPS did. So aside from packages often taking up to two weeks to get to a client, as well as being shipped all over the country, you are running the risk of insurance as well. I only say this because I know the high-end collection you have.
As for selling, I agree lots don’t work unless they are shoes, jewelry, or an assortment of unique clothing. Reserve price auctions also seem to turn off buyers now, I just set mine for what I want to sell it for and hope for the best.
Regardless where you sell, add a disclaimer! check out my auctions and see mine, or I can send it to you. It won’t be the end all savior, but at least you have something to come back on with Ebay or a buyer if there’s a problem. Also, I know you’re aware people outside of the country have addresses at ship points, Portland, Delaware and Florida are the ones that come to mind, so be aware if you are shipping, it could be up to three months to hear back on some of them. That being said if there’s a problem, Ebay will freeze at the word chargeback, and unless you have a wonderful relationship with your Bank and tons of proof, you will lose a dispute. That in itself is frightening and why I don’t ship out of the country if I can avoid it.
In the case of just selling to a consignment or collector buying inventory, shipping is insane via any type of trucking. I’m positive you’re aware of those kind of costs, but I just wanted to throw it out there.
I think selling directly on the boards and Facebook, has been the saving grace for several collectors I work with, due to the fees Ebay and Paypal charge. However, Ebay is your larger audience, you just have to really be vigilant and check out buyer profiles and location, and don’t be afraid to block people.
I think one of the most laughable issues I had last year, was a young girl who had a storage unit and picked up several Tonner and Genes. One of the Gene dolls I recognized as being done for an auction several years ago. When the doll arrived, it was loose in the box shaking around (no outside shipping box), the dress was incomplete, and the custom hair had all come apart. I sent the girl a picture, explained that I like to help collectors and I was very sorry that the doll had arrived that way, and possibly she had no way of knowing. I redid the dolls hair, almost exact, added similar missing accessories, and tied her into the box so she looked presentable, before sending her back, since she had been incomplete it wasn’t the doll I had paid for. When she arrived, I got a horrible message back that I had ruined the box,since I had taped it back together- because she shipped it in a Tonner box only, through the mail, and it had been destroyed. I repaired the box, and put it inside a larger box with bubble wrap for shipping. However, that was her main concern, and I was awful for using tape on a box.
You will encounter all kinds! But I’m always here if you need help good luck
LOL, you already know you are going to be my mentor!
For example - a package that would cost me 8.70 to ship if I paid at the post office costs around 5.70 with Pirate Ship. You do make an account and need to weigh your packages but it prints your labels and will also print a sheet for the post office to scan to confirm that you've mailed your packages (as long as you mail them the same day you print the label.) This really saves time if you go in with multiple packages.
Also, if there is an issue, you can dispute with them, and I will say six out of 10 times I get a refund. In the case of Ebay shipping, I have never been able to get a refund when there’s been a mistake or a problem, and this even includes a duplicate label. The worst was when I sent off a Barbie in a shoebox size shipper and they came back and told me measurements were 20 x 18 by some ridiculous number, changing the weight category to 27 pounds and I ended up with a $50 charge. You can submit your claims but they did nothing. It was a nightmare. Pirate ship has been fantastic and I also recommend them.
Thank for answers ya'll. Helps a lot to plan this. For those of you who do not know me out>>>
on socials, this is not recent, well not recent-recent. Gary died on 10/10/25 so I'm just past 8 months. But if I don't make myself start it will be 10 years and I have done nothing, just sitting in a mess.
It is a Herculean task selling off your collection. I have tried over the years to thin out and >>
usually end up only listing my own things when I need some $$ to buy something new. I keep thinking I am good parting with anything here and then I get it out and look at it and I don't want to part with it. eBay selling is not for the faint hearted. As everyone probably knows by now I sell for other people mainly in the area. I actually like selling on eBay but the 15% fee does irk me. Plus you need to be prepared to pack and ship which the supplies expense add up. I like that the items reach a wide audience and thankfully (knock on wood) my experiences have been been good with buyers. Getting to your selling, I find people don't like buying in lots unless they have a specific need for a quantity of anything. I suggest listing dolls individually and offering discount on bulk purchases. I also suggest additional shipping based on location. Because your time is limited I think it would be best to list slowly. Start off with 20 items and add 15-20 each week. That way if you get a lot of orders you are not too overwhelmed with having to get them mailed. I also suggest create a number system for the items. When I started selling I would go crazy trying to find an item among everything I had listed and in bins to ship. Now everything is numbered and I keep them in bins with the item numbers on a piece of paper on the outside. For example, take a photo of 10 dolls and assign each a number 1-10. The next ten assign 11-20. They all go in one bin and outside mark 1-20. Then you only have to sort through those 20 to find what you are looking for. Then the next bin would be say dolls 21-40. Good luck! Its a lot of work. As we all get older, its good to plan what we need to do with our collections.
with at this time. My reason for writing is I am doing the same thing with my dolls and I find it daunting to accomplish with the collection I have amassed over the years. I am hopefully you are able to make this happen with very little stress and be able to move on to the next chapter in life. Pease know we care ........
Thank you Don. Overwhelming is such a small word for such a big feeling.
on June 13, 2026, 2:18 pm