Determining the asking price for a completed reborn doll can be the trickiest thing any reborn doll artist needs to do. That is because the price must be high enough for you to make a profit after deducting all of the expenses incurred while creating the reborn doll, yet still low enough for avid doll collectors to consider the price reasonable.
If you are planning to sell your finished reborn dolls, here are some of the things that you will need to take into consideration to help you come up with a reasonable asking price for each one of your dolls.
Materials Used
The very first thing to take into consideration is the price you paid for all of the materials you purchased in order to complete your reborn doll. This includes the doll itself as well as the paints, brushes, weighting materials, clothes, hair, rooting needles, and the like. A reborn doll artist could easily spend anywhere between $200 and $300 alone just to get all of these materials to begin the entire reborning process.
Utilities
Another thing to take into consideration is your utility expenses, particularly your electric bill since this can easily spike up with the frequent use of your electric oven for the heating and setting process of the paints used on the reborn doll as well as the lighting and ventilation you use in your work area while completing your reborn doll.
Length of Time Invested
Reborn dolls are known for their realistic features. This is only achieved by devoting long hours to ensure that the details are finely placed and the paint is set perfectly. A reborn doll can take up to nine whole months to be completed with an average of about 40 hours a week.
Marketing and Shipping
Finally, there is the marketing and shipping costs to take into consideration. If you are planning to sell your dolls through an auction site or through a third-party website, part of their terms and conditions is that they will get a percentage from the price that you are asking for. And because reborn dolls are so delicate, you will need to avail of the services of a freighting company and although it is common for the buyers to pay for the shipping costs, it is up to the reborn doll artist selling the reborn doll to shoulder for the right packing material and box to ensure that the reborn doll being shipped is safe and secure.