A great deal depends on why you're collecting; whether you want a pristine collection for display only, or a somewhat "pre-loved" collection to be played with by children, or anything in between, or beyond.
All of my dolls are from ebay--you can find good deals from reputable sellers, and though there are a few bad apples, MOST sellers are honest, usually very nice people who are anxious to protect their good reputations for fairness.
I look for sellers with higher than 99% positive feedback, actual photographs of the item for sale(no "stock" or catalog photos), who appear to be at least somewhat knowledgeable about what they're selling. I also like to see a reasonable shipping charge posted (or calculable with the shipping calculator feature); if there is no shipping stated, or no calculator, I email the seller my zip code and ask the shipping rate (and also any other questions I may have about the item). If the seller doesn't answer, or if the answers aren't satisfactory, I don't bid. Remember, there is ALWAYS ANOTHER AUCTION [img]smile.gif[/img] .
One more thing I do, to avoid bidder's remorse, is NEVER to bid on something as soon as I see it. I add it to my watch list, think it over, and decide whether or not to bid later. This prevents impulse buying, and I'm sure it's saved me a lot of money [img]biggrin.gif[/img] .
Another source, aside from AG and ebay, is this very board! Now and then board members will offer AG dolls or items for sale to board members, or alert everyone to their current ebay listings. Buying and selling among board members can save the hassle of ebaying, and feels much more friendly and secure.
Sorry to run on so long, but I hope this helps you with some of your decisions! Good luck, and happy collecting! [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rainbow.gif[/img]