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Friday, April 6, 2012

American Girl Jackpot!

I have never in my life owned, touched, or held an American Girl doll, nor have I ever personally known anyone who has. I know. I was a poor, deprived child. <eyeroll>  But today, I struck AG gold at a yard sale! I found 3 American Girl dolls and 2 boxes of outfits. I really hate yard sales that don't have anything priced, and I usually just leave without asking how much stuff is, just on principle. But this was my first yard sale of the season. I was so desperate for yard sale shopping that I didn't even care. I asked how much the dolls were. The sale was being run by 4 or 5 teenage girls and a younger sister. Nary an adult in sight.

The youngest girl said the dolls were $10 each. I know NOTHING about these things, so the very first thought that flitted across my mind was: "Is it worth it? Will I be able to turn a profit if I pay $10 each for these?" I decided it probably was. Then I spotted the boxes of outfits. I asked the youngest how much for all of it. She said, "Let me get my sister. They aren't mine." So the older sister came over and said, "Well, the dolls are $10 each. You can have the outfits for another ..... ummm .... "  and I'm thinking she's gonna charge me another $10 for the outfits, when she says, "another .... dollar." Wow! Ok. Sold!

So I bought 3 dolls (Kaya, Kirsten, and Nellie) plus 2 boxes of outfits for $31. I spent two hours researching this evening, and yes, it was definitely a good investment, and I now feel silly for even hesitating. Goodness gracious, the prices that these things sell for!

I had a fun time sorting through the clothes. I came across a coat that was dry clean only! A DOLL coat that was DRY CLEAN only! Seriously?? This is such a foreign world to me...

I've identified most of the outfits, and I will be selling them individually. I'll be doing another box lot tracking, like I did with my play food. I'm so excited to see how well I do!


Three of these outfits are definitely NOT American Girl. I will probably try to sell them anyway. There are also a few outfits and pieces that I haven't identified yet. I'll probably start listing this stuff tomorrow. I'll be sure to post back with any updates.

13 comments:

  1. Great score! I like your collage picture! I can't wait to find out the final sales total. I applaud you for taking a chance on something different. My daughter was never interested in those dolls so, like you, I know nothing about them except that they are expensive.

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  2. I don't know anything about American Girl dolls other than to keep an eye out for them because they sell for a lot! Can't wait to see how you do with them!

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  3. I also have never seen one irl. Are they marked? There are quite a few knockoffs, and I found a few at GW and was scrambling to see if they were worth $5 a pc or junk (they were junk). I just wondered if they have a tag?
    I have 2 little girls that LOVE the knockoffs, but even if I was lucky enough to find real American dolls, I'm pretty sure they would still find their way to ebay LOL.

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    1. Yes, these are marked. They have "Pleasant Company" embedded into the back of their necks. They also have long strings hanging out of the backs of their necks. They are most definitely genuine.

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    2. I didn't mean that yours werent genuine. i just wondered what to look for ;)

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  4. Wow - good for you. I always look for American Girl dolls. My daughter (who is too 'old' to play with them) has 2 dolls & Bitty Baby so I know they are expensive & re-sell for tons. She won't part with hers but, boy, I'd love to find some to sell. So lucky!

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  5. Wow, I know they were teenagers but I feel bad reading this.... Clearly not good decision makers on this.

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    1. You know, once I started researching them, I started to feel bad too, like I had ripped them off. But I truly had NO idea when I bought them. As I mentioned in my post, it actually crossed my mind that maybe $10 each was too much. If I had knowingly only paid them $31 for all of this, knowing full-well how much I would make off of it, I absolutely would have offered them more.

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    2. I am sure, like my family does, the teenagers were given the freedom to sell their own items for whatever price they chose, otherwise the adults would have priced them or made stipulations before the sale. I just came from a sale where a young mother sold me two Fenton vases for .50 each. Do I feel bad? No, I do not because the seller made their price and I paid. If not me, it would have been the next person that would have purchased. This is the whole premise of a yard sale. Congratulations Jessica, such a great find! I can not wait to see how you profit on this one.

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  6. Great find. The only things I find are way over priced. I did find a doll once priced at a dollar but someone beat me to it. I was tempted to snag it and run. But I held back.

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  7. I was at one of my favorite thrift stores last week and there was an AG in with the toys. It was not marked and when I asked what the price was at checkout she said "oh, all the toys upstairs are $1.00". I have previously found a few at garage sales and sold a few of my niece's. I have gotten around $50 for an un-dressed one and anywhere from $70 to $100 for ones that have an outfit on them. You got a great deal and should turn a good profit on them. Congrats on your find!

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  8. Hey Jessica! I have given you a Liebster Blog award today! If you could hold it, I'm sure it would be shiny. :)

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  9. Are you selling the dolls my daughter is looking for used American Girl Dolls could we buy the ones you have if they are for sale

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