How to Collect Barbies on a Budget

The Barbie doll was created by Ruth Handler and launched for market in 1959. Barbie was named after Mrs. Handler's daughter Barbara. Barbie was the first doll created to be played as an adult; all dolls at that time were portrayed as infants. The number of Barbie collectors is upwards of 100,000, and the original Barbie in mint condition from 1959 sold for over $3,500 in October 2004. Collecting Barbie dolls can be rather expensive but with online auctions you can pick up fairly inexpensive dolls to add to your collection for nostalgia as well as future investment.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Visit dedicated websites for Barbie collectors to enhance your collection. Some are reasonably priced and some are higher valued sites. The more dedicated sites will know more of the background of the dolls and how much they are worth, most being in the original boxes or in near mint condition. If you are on a budget it would best to be selective of which dolls you buy as they can cost between an inexpensive $17 all the way up to $2,000.

2. Snare a goldmine of Barbie collectibles from Internet auction sites. Most people on these sites will have a history with the dolls and know the basic condition of their item. The prices will be less than the dedicated sites and you have an array of auctions to choose from with tons of choices to add to your collection and not spend a fortune on just one doll. A drawback would be the shipping charge, so look for free shipping when you shop.

3. Search yard and garage sales. You will be able to touch and see the product before purchasing and you can probably fetch a cheap price from the seller. The bad thing is you most likely will not find a treasure trove of Barbie memorabilia, but you can find some to fill your collection. You can also attend house auctions for the dolls and you may find some Barbie merchandise in good shape but you will be bidding against other people for these items. It may add up to more than you want to spend in the long run.

Tips & Warnings

• Shop around at toy store closeouts or clearance racks for Barbie dolls, They may not be the older editions but they could be worth money in a few years. Try to find Barbie dolls in certain years. If you see the Barbies from the 1970s are all selling for decent money, you may want to collect from that decade and focus on everything Barbie related including coloring books, stickers, lunch boxes and costumes.
• Be careful with fraudulent sellers and their "Barbie" collections. Make sure you are definitely buying an authentic Barbie before handing over money.

References

• Dolls4Play
• Barbie Collector

Resources

• EBay
• Amazon
• PayPal