Barbie Mania

          

Nothing to do with books…

Between 12 and 20+ years ago, I collected Barbie dolls. Ones that I really loved the clothes, whatever. That whole Dolls of the World series, the movie stars, the brand name specials. The designer (Bob Mackie, etc) and limited edition and porcelain ones. I ended up with well over 300 of them, mint in box. Original prices from something like $8 to the $300-$400 range. Back then I lived in California and then Oregon, and I displayed these collectibles in my house. Then I moved to Ohio, there was no space, my interests changed… So the dolls have been safely stored in packing boxes in a back room. Taking up lots of space. I’m now trying to declutter and simplify my life, and faced the fact that I really don’t need these dolls anymore.

The collectibles market for most things, including dolls, has tanked in the last decade. You can buy this type of Barbie for practically pennies on the dollar of original price. But hey, it would still be some money — and lots of space reclaimed in the house. I realized I don’t have time to do all the work of putting them on eBay, so I consigned them to an online auction house. They handle all the work (even sent a truck to get them), and keep a *big* chunk of the income, but they earn it for what they do.

So, if you’re into Barbie dolls, or you’ve got a young girl to buy gifts for–some are available for a few bucks, there are groups of 2 to 11 dolls selling for a few bucks a group. I’m thrilled to see the porcelains likely will sell for at least $50 each (given original prices were like $350).

RMR Auctions: http://www.rmrauctions.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?rmrauctions44/category/ALL

You do have to register to get a bidder number, and buyer pays shipping. Auction runs until September 25, 8pm Eastern Time.