How To Sell Reborns on Auction Sites

Creating reborn dolls is a fun, rewarding and downright addictive hobby that can easy draw you in. After you’ve invested dozens of hours working on a doll to transform it into a realistic reborn, you’re then able to sit back and marvel at everything you’ve accomplished. Of course, you’ll likely want to continue improving your technique and adding new features, as this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the hobby. Instead of just doing it as a recreational hobby, though, you should consider taking it to the next level by marketing and selling your dolls on auction sites. With a little bit of work, dedication and the determination to succeed, you can make a name for yourself in the reborn community and earn a respectable side income in the process.

If you’ve never created a reborn doll before, you might be surprised at just how much work goes into making one. Unfortunately, there’s no magic machine that spits out high-quality reborn dolls with all the features and details already added. In order for a doll to be considered a”reborn”, a skilled artist must meticulously brush layers of paint on the doll, shade the features, blush, and much more. On average, it takes around 40 full hours to make a quality reborn that rivals others on the market. However, we do have a guide listed on how to reborn a doll, which is a great place for beginners to start.

Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

One of the biggest mistakes new reborn doll artists make is trying to make dolls as fast as they can. Sure, you’ll get more sales with a greater number of reborns on the market, but they probably won’t sell for as much. In addition, not putting your heart and soul into each and every doll you make translates into a lesser-quality reborn. The bottom line is that you need to focus on quality, not quantity when making reborn dolls, as you’ll find success comes easier and more naturally down this path.

At first glance, you might assume that creating fewer dolls would yield less money in return. The truth is, however, that an exceptionally-made reborn with extra layers of detail and features can sell for much more than several lesser-quality reborns. Going back to the basic economics of supply and demand, a lower number of a certain type of doll (those made by you) will result in higher demand, and that naturally raises the selling value. You’ll have to make a name for yourself as a skilled reborn artist, but that’s not all that difficult if you’re willing to invest the necessary time and energy into it.

Utilizing Auction Sites To Sell Your Reborns

Thanks to the internet, selling reborn dolls has never been easier. In fact, it’s believed that auction sites like eBay helped to kick start the reborn doll hobby. Once people browsing these sites saw them up for sale, the craze began and quickly spread throughout the world. As a reborn doll artist, you can use these auction sites to your advantage by placing your dolls up for sale on them. It’s quick, easy and an effective way to target potential customers who are interested in purchasing your dolls.

If you’re on the fence about selling your reborns on eBay, just listen to this statistic – As of 2012, eBay is 21st most visited website in the world with over 20 million active users. People from all parts of the world come here to buy and sell unique goods that oftentimes can’t be easily found elsewhere, making it the perfect medium for reborn dolls.

Here are some tips to remember when selling reborns on eBay:

• Before selling a reborn, try listing an item with lesser value to learn the ropes and get a feel for the auction process. Selling items on eBay is different than traditional pawn shops and other stores; therefore, newcomers may get confused or not fully understand how it works. Take a minute to go through your attic or basement to find something you’re willing to part with and list it on eBay. Refer to their helpful instruction guides posted on their website if you need help.
• ALWAYS include photos when listing your reborn dolls for sale on eBay. People want to see exactly what they are buying, especially when it comes to reborns. You don’t need a $1,000 SLR camera, but instead just use a simple click-and-shoot digital camera with a high-resolution output. A lot of modern-day smartphones even come with some pretty amazing cameras. When taking pictures to use in your eBay auctions, clean the reborn doll up and place it in a cute position. For instance, taking a picture of your reborn laying down in a crib is a nice touch that really works well.
• Although eBay doesn’t require any additional information in the listing description, it’s almost always helpful to add as much info as you can about any reborns you list. In the description, you can say what type of paint was used, the types of eyes it has, the extra features you’ve added and anything else that you can think of. Also, most successful reborn doll artists that sell on eBay include freebies with their dolls. So, what type of freebies can you give away? Things like outfits, baby blankets and pacifiers are all great ideas to consider giving away with your reborn. At the very least, you should give away an outfit with your reborn; otherwise, you’ll have to ship them off naked.
• The title is arguably the single most important part of setting up a reborn auction on eBay. Essentially, this is what will show up when people search for an item on the site, so it’s a good idea to choose your keywords carefully. If you’re giving away any freebies with your reborn, you’ll want to try and fit this information into the title as well. For instance, something like “REBORN BABY GIRL W/ FREE OUTFIT and FREE SHIPPING” would be a great title choice to use. It’s straight-to-the-point, descriptive and the free stuff is sure to catch peoples’ eyes.
• You might feel apprehensive about starting your reborn doll auction at a low price, but the benefit in doing so is that it attracts more bids, and more bids naturally raise the price of your auction. You may want to use a starting bid of 1 cent. This doesn’t mean they sell for a penny, but rather they attract more bids.
• There’s some argument over when the best time to list your eBay auctions is, but the site gets the most people on Sunday afternoon. This is when most people are off work and looking to do their online shopping, so you’ll likely see more bids. For this reason, it’s recommended that you start your reborn auctions so they end on Sunday.

References:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/seller-tips.html

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/onlinebusiness/a/ebaysellingtips.htm