How much $$ would you spend on used retired AG Doll?

[WeLoveLilo05]

Here we go again! hahaha! Sorry, my addiction is getting stronger.

Went to consignment shop today and they had (not sure if it was a felicity or Just Like You doll, it had red hair, green eyes, BUT it's owner cut its hair REALLY short, other than that the doll looked great, had a non American girl doll modern outfit on, she was stamped Pleasant Co.) and it was $50. DD doesn't really want Felicity so I did not get her, figuring to get a new head would be another $30 so $80 on a used doll. I did manage to find Kailey's sundress and shoes for $10 and the 3rd Kit book (which is our next installment in the Kit series) for $1. SO I picked up those 2 things.

THEN, my mom went to the consignment shop around the block from her and they had Marisol in EXCELLENT condition for $68! I showed DD a pic of Marisol and she said she did not want that doll, right now her mind is set on Molly, Ruthie, and Lanie. She also likes Nellie, but she's retired.

Now my question is....how much would you spend on a used good condition doll that is retired that you would not have to send off to the doll hospital? How much would you spend on one that DID need to be sent off?

 

[ldo]

I would spend $95 on a new doll that is exactly what DD wanted. AG has free shipping many times. My DD is more interested in the exact character than it just being an AG doll. Plus, with a used doll, it's hair has been brushed many times--it might look good, but I bet it is not nearly as good as a new one.
I debated for 1 year whether to spend the $, tried to convince DD to get a "better" German made doll (that they had at Tuesday Morning for $70), and in the end, got the AG last year---she loved it and played with it all year and read all the books. I did not hestitate to get #2 this year. good luck. Elaine

 

[gk90]

The retired Marisols sell on eBay for at least $80--look at the completed auctions and you'll see that many of them go for over $100. DD and I were obsessed with AG a few years ago and $30-50 was around the going rate for a fixer-upper back then. I don't know where the prices are now, but I have to say that whoever priced those dolls in the store knows that there's a real demand for them.

What would you pay? It would depend on whether you're a collector and how important it is to you to have a real AG; if you just want a cute doll around that size, and if the child playing with the doll doesn't care whether it's a real AG or not, AC Moore and Michaels used to have 18" AG lookalikes for $14.99 a couple of years ago, I haven't looked at that shelf in the store lately but I can't imagine that the price has gone up much.

 

[dsny1mom]

Good gravy!!!

I just looked on Ebay and my daughter's are sitting on major money and they don't even know it!!!

They each have all the dolls and lots of clothing, accessories, furniture, trunks, etc all purchased directly from the Pleasent Co catalog starting in 1983 through about 1995 (well before Mattel bought them out).

Not sure if I should even tell them the prices their items are going for. I'm hoping they each have a daughter some day and the AG items would be so great for them to hand down to their own girls.

dsny1mom

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

That Marisol could fetch upwards of 150 on ebay! I would go buy it and resell it!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Good gravy!!!

I just looked on Ebay and my daughter's are sitting on major money and they don't even know it!!!

They each have all the dolls and lots of clothing, accessories, furniture, trunks, etc all purchased directly from the Pleasent Co catalog starting in 1983 through about 1995 (well before Mattel bought them out).

Not sure if I should even tell them the prices their items are going for. I'm hoping they each have a daughter some day and the AG items would be so great for them to hand down to their own girls.

dsny1mom

I know, thats what I hope to do. Fiance said to resell them when she goes to college, I told him no way!

 

[IDoDis]

The one that has the hair cut is probably not worth much for a collection so I'd pass on that price.

My DD had 11 AG dolls which are now slowly being retired. We saved all of the original boxes, leaflets, and hand tags and they are all in excellent condition. DD decided to pack up her dolls last year, so we put them all back in their boxes along with their books. All of the outfits went back in their original boxes too, along with the tissue paper. Everything is stored safely up in the attic for DD's daughters one day. If she doesn't ever have girls then she'll be sitting on a small fortune when she's my age.

 

[HunnyPots]

The one that has the hair cut is probably not worth much for a collection so I'd pass on that price.

My DD had 11 AG dolls which are now slowly being retired. We saved all of the original boxes, leaflets, and hand tags and they are all in excellent condition. DD decided to pack up her dolls last year, so we put them all back in their boxes along with their books. All of the outfits went back in their original boxes too, along with the tissue paper. Everything is stored safely up in the attic for DD's daughters one day. If she doesn't ever have girls then she'll be sitting on a small fortune when she's my age.

I'm not an AG collector but I did want to mention that the attic is NOT a good place to store dolls. It gets way too hot up there. The heat will cause the plastic to warp and even to change color if left long enough. Just a little FYI...

 

[Purseval]

If she doesn't ever have girls then she'll be sitting on a small fortune when she's my age.

Like all of those valuable Beanie Baby collections?

 

[mdsouth]

Like all of those valuable Beanie Baby collections?

Exactly! AG dolls are a commercial success right now but since so many are made and distributed each year, they will not hold there price for years to come. Yes, some people will end up buying a few years from now for nostagia purposes and to share with the next generation -- but I would not plan to finance anyone's college education on something that is hot now.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I'm not an AG collector but I did want to mention that the attic is NOT a good place to store dolls. It gets way too hot up there. The heat will cause the plastic to warp and even to change color if left long enough. Just a little FYI...

Thanks for the tip...now...where to store them in the future? lol

 

[mrsklamc]

Exactly! AG dolls are a commercial success right now but since so many are made and distributed each year, they will not hold there price for years to come. Yes, some people will end up buying a few years from now for nostagia purposes and to share with the next generation -- but I would not plan to finance anyone's college education on something that is hot now.

Except these have been 'hot' for a good 20 years or more and now some are being retired.

 

[Purseval]

Except these have been 'hot' for a good 20 years or more and now some are being retired.

Keep stocking up on them, buy all you can, never take them out of the box. Hide them away and wait for your investment to grow

 

[Dancemom03]

Except these have been 'hot' for a good 20 years or more and now some are being retired.

We've been buying AG since we found out DD20 would be a girl in 1988. Between DD20 , DD9 and DGD8, we own a positively shameful amount of AG. Enough that I could buy the house next door which didn't sell in three years and use it just for doll displays.

I've also sold my fair share of AG on ebay over the years. I check completed auction prices compulsively every day. One thing I can tell you is that prices are dropping - BIGTIME! Outfits which once easily brought $150+ are now going for $50-$80. I've seen Lindsey dolls bring $650 - even trashed they were a deal at $175 just a year or two ago, Kailey often went for $350 and Marisol an easy $200. Try searching those dolls today. You can find completed auctions for each below $100 - some far below.

If you like the dolls and enjoy owning them, that's awesome. They'll give you a lifetime of enjoyment. But to count on reselling for profit in twenty years no longer seems wise based on what I've seen happen to AG prices over the last 4-5 years. There are spurts of popularity for certain outfits/dolls, and there are market highs and lows that vary with the time of year but, the more these dolls get produced and popularized by Mattel, the lower prices have historically gone on the resale market. I'm not saying they'll ever be worthless - just not a big profit investment I'm willing to take a chance on...

It reminds me of my mom and other Dept 56 village collectors who bought at top dollar and kept pristine as an investment but who, now are having trouble even getting pennies on the dollar due to an overabundance of retired pieces and falling demand.

 

[mrsklamc]

Wow.I don't even own any, was just pointing out they are different than beanie babies. But I guess it makes some feel better to be rude and condescending to strangers on the Internet.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

none.

 

[QueenRocks]

I emailed AG about the best way to store my daughter's AG dolls, and they told me to contact a local doll expert. Because different areas of the US have different humidity levels and such, they recommend contacting someone local.

 

[Dancemom03]

Wow.I don't even own any, was just pointing out they are different than beanie babies. But I guess it makes some feel better to be rude and condescending to strangers on the Internet.

Nothing rude or condescending meant here. Of course they're different than beanie babies. Hopefully their owners enjoy them more too. I believe there will always be a market for AG items, I'm just not sure they'll appreciate in value as much as some hope. Like the housing market, I fear those days may be behind us. If your goal is to make a profit then IMO, you need to be selling immediately after an item retires or is put on backorder.

The point I was making is completely from my own experience of watching AG auctions daily (yes, even on vacation, we're definitely hooked here) and selling regularly over the past ten years or so. Prices have fallen just as the dolls became better known and more popular - exactly the opposite of what I'd expected. Like any other hot item, those who follow the trends of the current season will be able to do well but even the serious collectors have difficulty predicting what that might be a year from now, much less twenty years from now.

Just like in collecting art, if you buy what you like and enjoy it to the fullest extent possible yourself, then your "investment" has paid off even if you end up taking a loss on it in the end. We buy AG because we enjoy it - and will likely continue to for many years to come. My girls play with their dolls & take them along on trips/adventures. The investment for us is in play value, not resale value. Those items that they outgrow, don't play with, or are bringing enough on ebay to allow them to buy another AG item they'd like more, we sell. It helps fund our mother/daughter AG addiction. It's also paid for more than one disney trip over the years.

There's nothing like the smile on a girl's face as she opens a new AG box. I'd never want to downplay that excitement. I just don't want to bet the college fund on making a profit on their dolls years from now - we put $$ into savings for that...

 

[Purseval]

I just came back from an auction within the last 10 minutes. They had 2 cases full of "collectible" dolls, including a few AGs. ~60 dolls in each case according to the auctioneer. The first case sold for $400, the 2nd one sold for $375. You do the math.

When my daughter was young (she's 25 now) I bought her a few AG dolls and some outfits. I don't have the foggiest idea where they are now, her bedroom or the trash makes no difference to me. We bought them so she could play with them. Those of you buying them, wrapping them in plastic and putting them away as an "investment", this auction should give you an idea of how it paid off.

PS I tried taking pictures with my camera phone so you could see the dolls but they came out horribly. Still I can post them if you're really interested.

 

[blurrycat]

For those of you who collect American Girl dolls, don't be disheartened by those telling you they will not be valuable.

I actually deal in vintage toys and very rarely on ebay. There is a cycle that almost all toys go through. The big names like American Doll will make a comeback, you just need to be willing to wait the years out.

A lot of serious toy collectors and dealers have moved, or are moving, away from ebay. Those prices are rarely indicative of the prime market anymore. Too many scamming sellers have buyers wary of bidding as high as they once did. Sellers have been burned left and right and many have found it not worth the risk.

All of that keeps prices down. People are usually willing to pay more for a known dealer and a record of good items and service. That's something to keep in mind twenty years from now.

Also, never ever judge an item's overall worth from a local auction. Sure, that is the worth of the item at that time in that location, but to judge true worth you need to take it to collectors and let them set the price. Local auctions typically bring out dealers looking to resell, and if a dealer doesn't specialize in a certain item, they won't bid as high or at all. Just ask the unopened, complete, 1957 Lionel train set I got for sixty dollars.