I think I'm going to continue to buy AG direct. I've been watching some threads on the other Yahoo sites about the poor quality of AG, what has happend to the company since Mattel, etc.
But from what I can tell (Ebay) I think the items are holding their value regardless of any perceived idea otherwise. I just watched an auction for Samanthas table and chairs go for only $12 less that buying direct from AG. I didn't get involved in the bidding, because for only that bit of difference, I'd rather order direct and know that if I had a problem I could return it for an exchange (another thread entirely!)
Frankly, I don't really see that many "deals" at all on ebay. When a dress starts out at $9.99, and usually ends up going for $15 or 16, plus shipping, why bother. But from a seller's viewpoint, that's awesome!
I make it a habit to keep a record of all items I purchase, when, price etc. I resell all of my daughter's Gymboree clothes, and sometimes make almost as much, and in some cases more than what I paid for them. It justifies my expenditures for her.
I think I'm going to put AG into that same category. This relates to the other thread about "getting out of hand with our collecting". I'm going to purchase from AG as my budget allows, but I'm not going to feel bad about it. I figure that down the road as she maybe outgrows some things, then we might downsize our collection on Ebay. I'm sure we'll keep some of her favorites or some of the dolls and accessories, whatever they are by then.
I'm not sure where I'm going with all this. I think I'm rambling and covering a lot of topics/points.
I love Ebay for the purpose of selling her clothes that I do. It allows me to reach a much greater audience than say a local garage sale (which I personally detest). However, I have been spending WAY too much time on Ebay, getting notices, etc, watching items, on and on. Only to see them go for almost the same amount as buying new. That's why I said I think I'll just order direct from now on.
I'm going to free myself from being the Ebay watcher. Today is my first day. We're leaving for Cedar Point, and when I get home tonight, I'm not "searching" anymore! Wish me luck.
I never really understood the whole ebay thing; unless the item is retired. Even the used dolls sell for far more than they are worth. If you are going to spend $60 on a doll, you might as well spend $30 more and get a brand new one. I also think some of the items look very used to me. I can't even imagine it is worth the time to buy clothing form ebay. But I guess people do it.
Sometimes people just don't have the ability to throw in another 30, so they are gald to get the doll on ebay for less. That's how I got Kit. I was so happy to not have to pay full price. Otherwise I would have had to wait a lot longer for her, and I just didn't want to.
But the clothes do seem to go for the same price as direct from AG. Whenever I buy I usually figure in the s&h and then only bid up to what AG sells it for, so that I won't pay more. Recently I won an outfit that is still available but I got it for several dollars less than from AG. And I also won the shimmery gold dress and am pretty sure I paid less than what it originally went for. But usually I don't bother with ebay unless I'm looing for an older item. And saving money is saving money to me. But I haven't had a bad ebay experience yet, so that could be why I'm not afraid to buy a doll for less from an ebay seller.
I've never bought anything AG on eBay. The only shopping I do there is books, and Little Mermaid stuff. The books I go after I can't get anywhere else, and the TLM stuff I like is the stuff from Disney World and the Disney Store, neither of which I have access to or can pay full price for.
It really depends on the category you're looking in as to whether or not you can get a good deal. On my Nancy Drew books that I collect, I've gotten some fantastic out of this world deals. I got one volume with a dustjacket that's worth about $75, and only paid $10 for it.
I bought some current Kirsten stuff on ebay once, and once the shipping (more than from AG) was tacked on, I think I saved $9--not even 10%. Even though the seller was great and the items brand new, it's just not worth it for new items, I think.
But from a seller's perspective, great! Whenever you want to sell something AG on ebay, you'll probably get back a good percentage of what you paid--much more if the item gets retired.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, it may seem odd, but unlike a regular garage sale, the item you want is actually available. I've never seen anything AG at a garage sale, and what are the chances of me finding, say, a pearlized My Little Pony (always wanted one as a kid) at a garage sale? Almost none. Pearlized My Little Ponies are too expensive for me on ebay, but that's why some people pay that much--because this is probably the only way they'll ever find one! Availability is worth a lot. You could hunt for years and years at every garage sale, Goodwill, and Salvation Army in town and never find a pearlized My Little Pony--but I bet you'd find at least one on ebay on any given day. It doesn't matter that it would be 25 cents at a garage sale if you never find one at a garage sale.Originally posted by Melissa:
Why spend almost 100% of the original price on something? These things are used and, at a garage sale, they would be selling for mere pennies to the dollar.
Hi Ladies,
All of you have very good points, and I'm in agreement. As I've said, from a seller's viewpoint (and I'm a seller too), I do think it's awesome, and because I can recoup much of my daughters clothing expenditure, I do justify it. I'm also feeling that way about the AG. If the trend continues, I figure if and when I want to sell off parts of her collection, I'll probably still get back 70-80% of my investment. Not bad for her enjoyment for "x" amount of years. I'm okay with that.
Now, for the laugh. Before I left for Cedar Point, I found the "infamous" Molly's trunk on ebay! I went ahead and placed and early bid since we would be gone for the day. Didn't I get home and check, and was outbid by....you guessed it....$1!!!! Oh well, that's just the way the cookie crumbles!
Since that item is on my wishlist, I think it's the only item I'm going to keep on my "favorites" list so that ebay notifies me when there is another one listed.
I pretty much only use ebay for retired items. I have gotten one doll there too, Addy, because I wanted an early Addy (pre-mattel). If I ever get a trunk I might get that on ebay as well, because they are so pricy that I really can't afford it direct from AG. But the clothes and little sets that are current I get from AG. I just don't understand buying them on ebay, because most of the time the they end up close to the retail price anyway, and often the clothes are missing some small detail (like a pin or hat that came with the outfit) or have some problem. Plus, if you buy more than a couple sets/outfits a month, you end up paying more on ebay because of shipping from different sellers. In the last nine months I've found only two really good deals on current items, for all my searching. So I rarely watch any current items auctions anymore, just the retired stuff and lots.
I once heard eBay referred to as a "glorified garage sale" and those are my feelings about it exactly. Why spend almost 100% of the original price on something? These things are used and, at a garage sale, they would be selling for mere pennies to the dollar. And I have honestly rebelled against owning secondhand items, after spending my childhood getting things donated to me and finding "new" toys at garage sales. Now I want stuff that's new...even if it means I get less of it...I don't care as long as it's new!
I can understand people selling on there, and I can understand international buyers buying on there, but it's hard for me to understand the need to buy current items on there at near retail when you live in the US. People also seem to neglect a *lot* for their eBay fix. But I plead guilty here too as I can mindlessly stay online for an hour at a time. [img]eek.gif[/img] I know if I ever joined I would be addicted...so it's a good thing I don't have any plans to!
<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ July 01, 2004 12:31 PM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>
I've never really had a bad experience on Ebay either. I think that I am able to get more dolls because I don't pay full price for them. I also factor in the shipping that AG would charge. (that is, before I became privy to these great free shipping codes) A lot of stuff on Ebay is NIB. I'm not able to go to an AGP, so people can sell what they get on special, and it's still less than I would pay from AG online.
That said, I too, am going to try to stop watching auctions. What would it be like to spend a day without checking the computer 10-20 times?
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