Dolly Market Forum

Deboxing Barbies were probably the ones I agonized over the most. Until they started taking up too much room in my doll closet and I decided to get rid of most of them. They sold at or below what I paid for them. The only exception was a Barbie Collector Club Tuxedo Barbie I bought the one year I joined. I got her in both skin colors, but only the AA one shot up in price: http://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/o...doll-29307 What profit I made on her probably didn't come near what I lost on the others. And I decided I'm a deboxer for the most part, so I just accept I won't make money on them.

Here's an excellent example of a "collectable" doll set that did not come close to holding its value. Even though this impressively detailed two-figure set dates back to 1999, it is still available on Amazon for under $30, and can sometimes be found mint-in-box on eBay for even less (which is where I recently got this one). Apparently the Sinatra generation has faded away, or at least, they're not interested in Barbie dolls. The Barbie doll generation doesn't seem to be interested in Frank Sinatra, not today, and not even twenty years ago when this set was first released.

she is pretty but I'm with her on Sinatra :O I grew up hearing him via my mum - no thankyou.

She has a nice vintage look. I think we're going to learn a lot about different lines of dolls through this challenge!

Oh she's beautiful!! I haven't seen this set, but I do have the Barbie Loves Elvis set.

She’s got a lovely face & I like her curled up haur

This is the first new acquisition I can directly attribute to the influence of the A Doll A Day Project here at Dolly Market. After seeing this totally bizarre figure posted in DeadlyNova's daily photo topic, I had to have one. It was that simple.

Especially after she told me how cheap they are on eBay.

The American Beauties Collection: George Washington Barbie is yet another example of how un-collectable "collectable" dolls are: this 1996 release from twenty-two years ago sells for five dollars... five dollars... on eBay in mint-in-sealed-box condition. Postage adds an additional ten dollars, more or less.

I mean, what a deal for fifteen bucks, right? That hat... a pirate hat... is almost worth the price alone. And a "pink George Washington," is that just weird, or what? Like, surreal caliber weird!

Now, a potential problem here is, like, she's too weirdly cool to debox. I want that hat and jacket, but, as DeadlyNova noted, the whole package is so flamboyantly fabulous that I don't want to open it! What to do, what to do?

Considering how ineensive this figure is, I did the obvious thing: I bought two. They were each priced at $4.99 (USD), with shipping of $8 on one and $12 on the other. So the shipping cost averages out to $10, and the figures cost $5, so each one cost me $15. I wonder how that compares to the original price at FAO Schwarz?

Perhaps I should keep a running tally* of how much I end up spending over the course of the coming year as a result of the A Doll A Day topic. Or... maybe that's not such a good idea.


*Added to initial post

---

Okay... while George Washington Barbie made the following list that I just found online, there are much weirder... and cooler... Barbies out there (although none of them are as reasonably priced):

Gizmodo: 20 Weird, Insane, and Extremely Disturbing Barbie Dolls
Note: article includes profane language
Another note: I might totally neeeeeeed a Goddess of the Galaxy Barbie

Also... I realized, after about two minutes of intensive thought, that there is no reason at all to not open the George Washington Barbie. There are over a hundred of them listed for sale on eBay at the moment. They're still available for under $20 on Amazon, even! They will never be rare or scarce or valuable. And... because of the design of the box, the box itself will not be damaged by removing the doll. So if I decide to keep the cool box, I can; and I can probably use it to store about a dozen dolls; well, at least, I could the way I store dolls.

OMG you got her, hahaha!! Awesome
This Barbie is really tempting me; the coat's the wrong colour but I'm debating taking my pirate outfit to PUDDLE for the dress-like-your-doll thing, and need a matching dolly one. This would be pretty close, minus the short pants. Where the bleep are you finding $5 ones? They're sure not on .ca ... where a hat is $25.
Anyway, congrats on your new addition and I hope you show us some more photos with her Yes, open the box!!! Give her adventures!!!!

Strange collection in that article too -- tho I kinda like a couple of them. And LOL at the drunk look on the romance-novel one's face

http://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/h...doll-w7819

from the list you posted david...this barbie is basically Galadriel from lord of the rings, i love it. But not as affordable as george for sure! BUT LOOK AT HER. wowweeee<3

(01-25-2018, 12:27 PM)Alliecat Wrote: [ -> ]Where the bleep are you finding $5 ones? They're sure not on .ca ... where a hat is $25.

There are two on American eBay at the moment for fifteen dollars or less, price plus shipping, one for eighteen dollars with free shipping, and two for twenty dollars price plus shipping.

There's also somebody trying to sell just the hat for ten dollars plus three dollars shipping.

Maybe there aren't as many George Washington dolls in Canada. Is there a John A. MacDonald Barbie?

(01-25-2018, 12:50 PM)davidd Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe there aren't as many George Washington dolls in Canada. Is there a John A. MacDonald Barbie?

Hahaha, that would be funny. Alas, I doubt Canadians would be very enthused about prime-ministerial Barbies
I looked on .com ... the shipping to Canada is always stupid.
I shall lurk.

(01-25-2018, 12:58 PM)Alliecat Wrote: [ -> ]Alas, I doubt Canadians would be very enthused about prime-ministerial Barbies....

I have heard opinions from several Canadians that PM Justin Trudeau is a dreamboat. Perhaps he has fashion doll potential.

Congrats on the George Washington Barbie in pink! She's even tempting me. As far as that list goes, I think that person is over thinking it. High fashion comes in all kinds of weirdness, and Barbie is echoing human fashions.

(01-25-2018, 01:07 PM)davidd Wrote: [ -> ]I have heard opinions from several Canadians that PM Justin Trudeau is a dreamboat. Perhaps he has fashion doll potential.

https://www.bradfordexchange.ca/products...-doll.html

XD
He does get a great deal of girly attention on overseas trips.

Oh, Alliecat, that is too funny! I can't wait to see PM Trudeau in your PTFCo Doll A Week photos!