collectibles market. There are two basic models for eBay



sales:

1. currently available consumer's goods. This is a price-

driven model, and although smart sellers can earn above-

average prices, buyers are there looking for a bargain and

price is the #1 consideration.

2. Other buyers are collectors, looking for one-of-a-kind

unique items that they can't locate elsewhere. Here, price

isn't as important as it is with consumer goods. The power

of this market is obvious because, before eBay and the

Internet, most collectors were confined to a local market.

Dolls have always been big sellers as eBay collectibles and

eight of them are especially strong sellers:

1. The Cabbage Patch Kids began in 1978 and are never

"sold". They are 'born' at Baby land General Hospital in

Cleveland, Georgia and proud parents pay an 'adoption fee'.

The Cabbage Patch Kids were one of the greatest

toy phenomenons of the later 20th century. At one time, it was a

common sight to see grown women shopping and lunching with

their babies in hand. In restaurants, the Kids had their own

chairs and were always appropriately dressed for the

weather.

2. Precious Moments began in the early 1970s when creator

Sam Butcher began drawing the endearing teardrop-eye

children as gifts for family and friends. Today Sam's

Precious Moments artwork is among the most recognized in the

world, and eBay prices reflect this popularity.

3. Madame Alexander dolls were created in 1923. These

beloved dolls range from Charlie Brown to babies and

children to elegant dressed women to glamorous and famous

women like Greta Garbo and Judy Garland. With all the

varieties of costumes, a single doll can be a 1920s flapper

as easily as a member of the court of Louis XIV.

4. Lee Middleton dolls, according to legend, are so real in

appearance that grown men sent for a rescue squad to save

"the baby" from a locked car! Mistaken identity is

supposedly a frequent occurrence and the dolls have been

counted as "passengers" on airplanes and rescued from store

countertops to prevent the 'baby' from falling. As one happy

owner says, "These dolls are so lifelike it's uncanny."

5. American Girl dolls are loved by millions of little girls

(and grown ups, too!) They are not only from different times

and places, but are ethnically diverse: Felicity from

colonial Virginia; Josephina from the 1830's in New Mexico;

Kirsten is "a pioneer girl of strength and spirit growing up

in Minnesota in 1854"; Add is alive in the 186o's, having

escaped from slavery with her mother; Samantha is "a bright

Victorian girl living with her wealthy grandmother in 1904";

Kit is growing up in 193os, during America's Great

Depression; Molly lives in the 1940's while her dad is away

at war; Kaya is a Nez Perce Indian living in the northwest.

6. Hasbro dolls are one of the products of the gigantic

Hasbro company, who claim to have been making toys for eight

generations, including famous games like Monopoly, Scrabble

and Clue.

7. Bratz dolls, unlike older dolls like Madame Alexander and

Cabbage Patch Kids, have no long history as favorite toys or

collectibles. Nevertheless, their price has astonished eBay

sellers and the Bratz collection was one of the 'super hits'

of the 2003 holiday season and sales have been strong ever

since.

8. And, no surprise, Barbie is the best-selling doll on

eBay. Since Mattel has recently announced that Ken and

Barbie will no longer be an "item", dolls from the 'good old

days' when the name "Barbie" was rarely heard without 'Ken',

will inevitably become more valuable.

Anyone who loves and understands the doll market can do

very well selling dolls on eBay. They've been strong

sellers for the 10 years eBay has been in existence and are

almost certain to remain popular for years to come.