How To Buy A Blythe Doll

My Picture of some of Gina Garan's Blythe Dolls in her NY, NY Studio. Titled, "Blythe Heaven"

There are a number of ways to buy a blythe doll, however, I am going to share some of my tips to help you with my over 9 years experience as a Blythe doll enthusiast.

First of all you have to determine what kind of shopper you are. If you are a compulsive shopper I recommend that you examine a few things before making an instant transaction. I do admit that sometimes you will find such an amazing deal that if you don't act fast you may miss out. I believe that 9 out of 10 times we are able to wait a bit and you can only rely on common sense alone. If you are still not sure because nothing is ever 100%, then I would recommend that you look around a bit first but you don't have to take my advice.  It's totally up to you and I trust you will make a good decision and don't worry if you miss out there are always so many more dollies out there to buy :)

There are many places that you can purchase Blythe from, like: online shops, forums, buy and sell sections,etc. When you are searching always keep a few things in mind, check shipping rates because some sellers really over charge there and protect your payment! Sending a money order is very risky and I always use PayPal because they have a bit more protection. If you want more security a middle party escrow. I will write a separate blog with links to those and the FBI fraud reporting website. Mail fraud is a big no no and you should always report sellers that do not send you goods or refund your money!

Another tip is to never limit yourself to just one shop, forum or auction site. Always shop around! The only time I do not shop is if the seller or shop has negative reviews.

Buying Blythe dolls can be very expensive and I have developed a method that helps me maintain my budget. When I search for vintage blythe dolls off-line I often pick up really neat things that I can turn around and sell online. I call the money I make doing things I like FU money, because you can spend it frivolously! I don't feel guilty spending it either. The worst thing you can do is rack up charges on your credit card and then take years to pay. It's not fair to you to pay all that interest. The hardest thing for me about collecting Blythe dolls is the fact that they are so expensive and you can mostly buy them online. I think every fan should be fortunate enough to find them for cheaps at a thrift shop.

Finding blythe dolls off-line is very rare but it does happens. Where do you think all those dolls on online come from! Estate sales are the way that the majority of the sellers find their vintage prizes! I remember going to one and I was floored at how many dolls there were. Floor to ceiling, but not one 1972 Kenner Blythe doll! Oh well it was still fun. It's always great to get out and about with the people you care about.

Now I also found some when I once again though outside the box! I would check my local classifieds for Kenner Blythe dolls, both off-line and online! I also placed ads seeking kenner blythe dolls and found 5 that way and for amazing prices too. Again, this is rare, but if you don't try then you won't know. I always advertised in free publications. Today you even have kajiji and craigslist too.

The best tip I can give you is that you try and not give up. You will be able to at least save up for your dolls by earning money on the side for them. Also, some people just treat themselves!

Love, 

AnnaBlytheDoll xo