Expert: Anne Hoffmann - 12/1/2007

Question
I am looking for the proper venue for selling my Barbie collection.  I have dolls from the 80s and 90s and Hallmark ornaments from the Barbie collection, as well.  They're all NIB and have been stored carefully.....but they're not old enough to generate great excitement.  Any information you can share with me about where and how to sell these items and reclaim my spare bedroom would be most appreciated!!!!!

Answer
You are correct in assessing such a collection as too recent to stimulate prices, but occasionally there is a notable exception of a particularly desirable edition or two. Depending on the urgency of clearing your spare room, there are several options of disposing of your collection in either related lots or individually.
The immediately obvious answer might seem to be selling on eBay, since it reaches the widest market, but the auction format is competitive and Barbie offerings extensive, so "deals" are easily enough found. In fact, I just purchased a MIB Barbie on eBay for less than a third of its retail price ten years ago. The shipping was more than the doll! While the doll was worth the gross cost to me, the seller only realized the net price of the doll. In addition, online services charge a fee for each listing and one must pack and ship.
Consignment shops are not a good venue for collectibles, as they attract bargain-hunters, hold-time is limited and a commission is taken on sales.
I would recommend that you place a running ad in your area newspaper or "little" paper. Keep the ad brief, but name one or two collectible series and mention Hallmark. You could even advertise a Barbie tag sale, if you are comfortable with prospective customers in your home or garage.
Or check with your local library for area doll clubs to contact. Word-of-mouth advertising is free and effective. Even in a sparsely-populated area, there may be many more doll or Barbie collectors than you realize. Our local library provides periodic displays of interesting or popular collectibles and permits discreet advertising of items for sale-generally a small sign with contact information.
If your collection is particularly large, you may find it worth it to rent a booth at an area doll show, seasonal bazaar or street fair.
Doll magazines, such as Doll Reader, Barbie Magazine and Barbie Collector, have wanted listings, as do many online services. (Just search "Barbie doll wanted".) You can check these postings against your inventory if emptying your spare room can be done in a more leisurely time frame.
And that brings us to the most difficult part of selling a collection: valuing the items. Ebay is perhaps the most useful tool for estimating individual values. If you are planning a sale with personal pickup rather than shipping, factor an approximate shipping cost into the winning bids to come up with the total value. If you are shipping, add something for the cost of any packing materials you may have to buy, as well as actual postage.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy both a satisfying return on your collection and of your spare room!