Curiosity killed the cat

BJDs are a very niche hobby, but almost everyone who has a BJD knows where to sell it and that place is not Craigslist. Many people do sell their dolls on eBay because it's much less effort than posting on several places (facebook, flickr, DoA, etc) and it's guaranteed that you will get the money immediately, rather than fussing with layaways or multiple offers. Likewise, people who want BJDs know where to go to look for them and again, they are not looking on websites like Craigslist so it really makes no sense to sell them.

Estate sales generally deal with property from an elderly person who has passed away or a middle-aged person who is moving, etc. Right now, BJDs are predominantly a young-person hobby, so whereas you can definitely see doll collections at estate sales, you are much less likely to see a BJD as there are very few elderly (or even 45+) people in the hobby. Of they are there! But it's definitely not common.

The only way I can really see a BJD being tossed in a thrift shop or via craiglist is if someone legitimately was completely alone and had no contact with their family, then perhaps the person who ends up divvying up their possessions might get rid of their BJD/s that way. However, I think most of us have someone who love us (thankfully) and know the value of our dolls.

Additionally, I don't like porcelain dolls either, but you should be a bit kinder about it. At the end of the day, we're all the weirdos collecting dolls and it really doesn't matter rather their porcelain, resin, or plastic: it's a weird hobby that many people are creeped out by. There are a lot of great BJD resources (clothing, furniture, etc) available by befriending traditional doll collectors and it's nice to have a place without restraints on the materials of a doll or the way it's jointed where you can talk about all dolls as well.

 

This 53 year old would like to point out that there are a lot of us who might be a little older than you think in this hobby.

 

Indeed.

It's funny to me how many youngsters seem convinced that they have this hobby mostly to themselves. All of us older folks must be serious ninjas... Stealth Geezers, go!

 

Last I looked, I am still in my 40's and still older than most people here! LOL!

I think savvy doll collectors tell their families where to go when they need to sell dolls and it usually doesn't involve craigslist, salvation army, or eBay. I know in my doll collecting circle here we have often talked about strategies about this because we saw one of our young collecting friends die of cancer and then her husband selling everything off for nearly next to nothing at a local doll show. It was heart breaking since many of us can recall the excited-ness she had when she got a certain item or two because we were there. Even I have instructions spelled out for my collection if I were to die with several options for my children to choose from if they should decide to sell.

 

Haha. 55 here and growing less mature every day. =)

 

I adore thrifting and I often scour the doll area in the hopes that there will be a hidden gem in there. It probably will never happen but *shrugs* you never know. I've also told my husband and son they're welcome to keep my collection or sell if needed if, when that time comes. And I often mention DoA and its marketplace, but I really should get something down in writing soon. I'm more in the middle age group, but it's always a good idea to be prepared!

 

I found my doll's head on ebay but I was very sure it was not a recast before I bought it and if I did this again I probably would have gone to instagram. I too have looked in thrift stores but I don't find nearly anything. I mostly go to find old barbie/mh dolls to do face ups on. I think instagram would be the best option because people are going to be less likely than on ebay to try to sell you a recast and you can see how much they care about the hobby and are likely to not scam you. I live next to a large city too and there is nothing here either. Like many others have said its just a niche market. There are a few people on tumblr who sell dolls and clothing.

 

*SNORT*

As the huge part of the hobby that's well over 35 starts laughing. (I can't include myself in the 45+ quadrant yet, but I am definitely NOT a spring chicken.)

WE MUST GO FORTH AND NINJA IN THE NIGHT.

But anyway.

My collection is spoken for should something happen to me -- with one exception, they all go to my daughter who is well aware of what they are and what they're worth and what to do with them. As to finding dolls on Craigslist and the like -- this is not only a niche hobby, it's a tiny niche hobby when you look at the millions and millions of people who collect dolls in general. We are simply not well known. So finding BJDs in random places as opposed to other types of dolls? Much, much less likely.

 

I waited until May of 2016 to get my first bjd because of their expensiveness, then I bought all of my dolls, used, on eBay.I got Elfdoll, Angell Studio, and CP LUTS Delf for what I considered low prices, especially the latter 2, which were obviously being sold by non-doll sellers. All of these are legit dolls and I feel very lucky to have them, and love them very much!

 

Tez, there definitely older collectors out there. I'm 32 myself, though I started in my twenties. I was just pointing out the majority are younger, so these collectors are not dying off and their collections being dumped at garage sales or thrift stores. But wait a couple decades as the collector group ages and I bet you will see more dolls for sale popping up.

 

This was my point exactly. There are plenty of older collectors out there, but even if you're "45+" you're not exactly lining up at your death bed to sell off your dolls (at least I hope not!). The hobby's been around for what... Maybe 20 years max? Especially in the US it doesn't seem like it's been popular for more than 10-15 years. Most of us still have quite a ways to go before we have to worry about what to do with our resin babies when we die.

 

I hear of holy grail stories where people find a legit BJD in a thrift shop or at a yard sale, and I always check and hope that one day that will be me haha. But it is so niche and primarily a hobby that is done online. The entire community and resources and the companies, we would not exist to this capacity without the internet. So when people need to unload dolls it just naturally makes sense to go where the community is. On top of that, we all know how much these dolls are worth, so too good to be true deals are verrrrry hard to come by I think. I always check kijiji (I'm in Canada and Craigslist isn't as popular here) in the hopes that I will find something but there's maybe ten listings if that in all of Canada usually!

 

Another stealth ancient here, reporting for ninja duty!

I'd imagine there are a lot more 30-40something y.o. collectors than you'd think - in that sweet spot of being young enough to be internet-savvy, but old enough to afford the damn things...

 

Goodwill has an online auction site where some of their stores put up the bigger/more unusual collectibles. The stuff usually ends up going for a pretty high price. There was a Resinsoul doll on there once and the auction ended over $300.

 

my cat love wig :-) but i don't want that he touch lol

 

I've been hitting up antique, thrift, and flea markets for years, primarily searching for doll stuff, and have never found a BJD there. I've honestly never found any higher-end collectible dolls there either. I think online has become the venue for choice for families to get rid of dolls and other collectibles if they think there might be some money to be had.

And I'm another stealth geezer and have been since day 1, apparently. XD

 

I never thought of checking Rubylane! I always think of them as being for antique dolls.

 

Someone found a DollZone anthro at a thrift shop. She was into bjds but didn't recognize the sculpt and posted a picture for identification. It must have been on the old Dairyland BJD board if it wasn't here.
I'm on the older end of the spectrum and I keep a journal of all my doll purchases, partly for my own reference (it has dates of sale, measurements, face-up artists, etc.), partly in case anyone asks me about the doll, partly in case I ever decide to sell it, but also, if I still have them when I die, my family will have an idea of their worth. I've already told them, "Whatever you do, don't sell them for $1.00 at a yard sale!"
My husband is a whiz at eBay, so that's probably where they would go.
I've often considered donating a doll to a church raffle or PBS auction, but if someone who doesn't know about BJDs buys it they may be at a loss when the wig slips, the eyes move or the face-up rubs off. So I'm not so sure it's a good idea.