Ok, so I was just looking at window that was open in Mozilla when I loaded up my past session, and what I saw shocked the hell out of me. Ok, so as you may have guessed, I am a fan of Blythe dolls. I have yet to have a Neo Blythe, but I have been looking at nude and "factory girl" Blythes to just start off with.
Well in looking at nude dolls I not only saw that the "factory girls"...which are bascially stolen Blythe doll pieces put together and sold online, were almost the price of some new releases. So I pasted on this, until I see a much lower priced one. Factory girls tend to have things wrong with them so I don't want to take that chance at spending money on a girl for her hair and learning the roots are bad and I have to reroot anyway. Might as well get a new release.
But what shocked me the most were the new actual Blythe dolls. Now the two in question are old releases that were limited. But these dolls come nude. Now before you say, well even nude limited releases can be expensive, wait until you see how expensive I am talking about. Here's an auction for a nude "Denizens of the Lake Eleanor" Blythe doll for roughly 1000 dollars. You get nothing but the nude doll where I found her completely dressed here for less. Now I also did find her completely dressed here for more. She was limited to a production of roughly 1000 dolls in 2008. Has the price of a two year old limited doll really risen that much that she'd be worth that much, or is someone price gauging? Yeah I think we all know what it is.
The next shocker here, although a little less pricey, is the "5th Anniversary Darling Diva" Blythe. A nude gall will cost you 900 dollars. And I found her dressed here and here for basically 1,200 dollars! In the famous words of Michelle Tanner, "No way, Jose!", seriously.
Another thing that shocked me about the dolls was the shipping. On the first nude doll, for a flat rate box, 99 dollars! Seriously, wtf? Just simple shipping and they can't tell you and guarantee when your girl will show up. For the second nude doll shipping was 59. I can understand that a tiny bit more, but not by much. The dressed dolls in their boxes I could understand it being almost 60 dollars. One of them though is 85 dollars and I really think that is a hair high.
But this all got me wondering. Am I just being cheap? Jealous because I can't afford to drop a thousand down on a nude doll to call her my very own? Granted, neither doll appealed to me, but if they had they would be so off limits to me it wouldn't be funny. Do people actually buy these dolls at these crazy prices? And is it really ok to expect this much for the doll and still expect crazy shipping. For those prices you can get a vintage Kenner Blythe instead that is a little more worth the price...ok I don't really believe that either. I guess I am just irritated that people make these prices so crazy, and they are usually not in the doll hobby but they know someone somewhere out there will pay their price to get what they want. And as long as people are paying these prices no one will bring their prices down. I mean seriously. Do you guys remember those Barbie Mary-Janes that came with certain dolls or in a Skipper shoe pack? Those used to fetch a pretty penny too. I once saw a pair go for almost 100 dollars because they were "VHTF". Ok, I get that, but come on, 100 dollars for a pair of Barbie shoes? Now I don't find that any more and the prices are a more reasonable 2 bucks or more, but back then those prices were crazy and just shameful of the people who posted those auctions.
But like I said, maybe I am just being cheap and bitter because I live a poor person's life as of late. Let me know what you think. Crazy auctions or crazy blogger? ;-) Talk to you guys soon.
Loves ya,
Mouse
Doll Auctions are going crazy on E-Bay. Also I found the auctions on the Goodwill site even crazier... Finding second hand dolls at the Flea market or the thrift store has become my passion. You never know what you will find and the prices are much better than the online auctions.
ReplyDeleteChelle, I can't say that I understand how the market for Blythes work (they all seem very highly priced w/o much in the way of accessories to make up for it) but one place you might consider checking out is Hobby Link Japan (hlj.com) since they carry Blythes. Right now they only have 3 but they are all about 100 bucks BNIP so maybe that's an area to think of?
ReplyDeleteGood luck in finding one! (Mark's told me in no uncertain terms that "scary big headed dolls" are not allowed in the house!!) :P
Well, I don't have all that much Blythe knowledge either, but I totally get what you're talking about as far as price gouging and all that. But, is it price gouging if people are perfectly willing to pay it? I don't know. I mean, it's not like it's food or electricity, you don't have to have it, you know?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think it's lame for people to do that, but on the other hand, if I'd bought that Fred Mertz doll for $30 at walmart last year, and still had it when people started going bananas for it, I can't say I wouldn't have tried selling it for $600! So, I guess the morals are kind of murky. (Or mine are, lol) But, me personally, I'm cheap and can't imagine paying that much for a doll, even if I had it!
And the shipping thing... GRRRRR. That's whole nother issue, there's just no excuse for that. Wrap up the box. Weigh the box. If you want to add a buck or two for the price of the box or bubble wrap, fine. If you're a real stickler, and want to add the price of gas to drive to the PO, and "Handling" fine, add another few bucks. But it totally doesn't equal $80! Those people make me sick!
The End ;)
Thanks for the comments everyone! It is so crazy how people just put out crazy prices for their dolls. Smidge I do have to agree that if people are willing to pay the price then how can we really be angry at the price. But they make it harder for other to purchase because of them accepting the price. Just crazy. However I did read dolls usually go for cheap during the Summer because spending goes into a slump. So maybe it's time now to look for one.
ReplyDeleteCorsetKitten, I have look at HLJ and actually love that site. I have thought of buying from them since their prices have been the most logical I've seen as of late. I think I will popping by to see what they are offering. And I am curious what hubby is thinking with your new girls at your house now. I'm sure he will grow to love them. :-)
Frannie I am hoping I will have the luck to find a vintage Blythe at a thrift store or flea market one day. I keep my fingers crossed tight for that moment to come. :-) Sending good luck vibes that you will find yours too. :-)
Thanks for the awesome comments everyone! :-)