How do I know what to sell my Reborn Baby for?

This is a question I see on lists a LOT. You want the Reborn to sell, so you don’t want to go too high, but you don’t want to screw yourself out of money by asking too LITTLE either. Not to mention if you ask TOO SMALL an amount, people will think there is something wrong with the Reborn. So, how much to ask when selling your Reborn?

First of all, lokk at other reborns. WWW.REBORNS.COM is a great place to look because you can see what other artists have sold, and get a good idea of how established they are. Ebay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace…Mercari…all good places to look and see what Reborns are going for. After you’ve sold a couple, you’ll have an idea of what YOUR dolls tend to sell for. But when you’re just listing for the first time, or thinking about it, how do you determine a good price?

My Son in Law gave me an excellent way to think about it….. First, take the things that are non-negotiable; i.e. kit, body, etc. Then the insides of the Reborn (stuffing, weighting, etc) Glass beads are between $2 and $3 per pound, Polyfill I’ve found comes about $1-$2 per doll, and I use two seperate kinds, so say $2-$3. Then the things that you use inside. For instance, I use microfiber bags for beads (the ones I use come out to about $ .50cents per bag), silicone tummy pad ($15 set of 2) and silicone butt cheeks ($5 a set). Then paint, sealer, matt varnish, etc. For myself, when I use air dry paint, I can get about 5-8 dolls from a set of paints and a set of paints (including distilled water) costs me about $40, so I figure it breaks down to about $5-$8 a doll. Genesis, the paint goes a LONG way, but the thinner and mediums are in short supply and cost quite a bit. So let’s just put a cost of $4-$6 per doll, probably more than the actual cost, but better that than undercutting.

**Recently, I’ve been doing bald babies, but if you root don’t forget to add those supplies and your TIME to your baby’s costs. Not just the hair/mohair but also needles! UPDATED WITH MOHAIR COSTS**

So here is a break down of these (your costs may vary) :

Reborn Kit……………………………………………….$ 65
Clothe Body…………………………………………….$ 15
Glass beads (4# Baby)……………………………$ 12
PolyFill (Soft and Firm)…………………………..$ 5
Microfiber Bage (2 @$.50)……………………..$ 1
Silicone Butt Cheeks………………………………$ 8
Silicone Tummy……………………………………..$ 15
Paint and Mediums………………………………..$ 15
Mohair…………………………………………………….$ 25
Needles, Conditioner, etc………………………$ 10
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Subtotal…………………………………………………$ 171

Okay, so that’s the costs breakdown, but there are some other things you can’t forget….most important, you TIME. Even if you do this as a hobby, you HAVE to value yourself and your time, or no one else will. I keep a log of all the time I spend hands on working with a doll. Not waiting for drying, or baking or planning, but actually hands on with the doll. Then I take that number and give myself an hourly wage of $10. And don’t forget the things that you send with the baby to a new home…clothes, lovey, pacifier… shipping box!, tissue paper, wrapping paper, etc…. Box opening items. Any miscellaneous other things that you will have to spend money on in order to make or send the baby to a new home. INCLUDING any advertising costs…for instance if you pay FB Marketplace to boost a sales add, or Ebay fees….or Reborns.com fees. Etc. Let’s just assign a Miscellaneous items price of $30, your numbers may vary. NOTE: Because this is my hobby, and I’ve decided NOT to make it a business, I often don’t charge for my time. BUT, if you are trying to build a business, don’t underestimate yourself

So….here is the breakdown based on 20 hours of hands on time, but it often takes me more like 30-50 if I root a baby.

Subtotal, physical supplies…………………………………………….$ 170
Time…………………………………………………………………………………$200
Misc………………………………………………………………………………..$ 30
Total Base Price………………………………………………………………$ 400

Now as I said I don’t charge for my time, so I base things on the $200 ($400-the time) Then I make a slight adjustment for fees, Box openings,etc, which brings the total to $275. So the very least I’ll ask for the Reborn is $275, though I would TAKE $250. But because I’ve looked at other reborns about the same level as mine, I would most likely start the price at $350, then go down slowly over time. And don’t forget, the clothes the baby will wear, hat, pacifier, etc. AND your box opening if you choose to send one. All of that can easily add $50 to a doll. Even though MAKING reborns (versus selling them) is my hobby, my dolls all go home with 2 outfits, a lovey, pacifier and strap, hair accessory if a girl (or requested), a blanket, paperwork folder with caresheet, etc, hospital bracelet…etc. And a small box opening.

One more thing to remember….if you do not sell your baby, but you don’t want to just give it away, you can DONATE the Reborn to 501c3 organization, get a receipt and get a tax break for the amount the Reborn is worth. A 501c3 is a not for profit, registered charitable organization and anything you donate to one can be taken off your taxes. SO, you can donate the doll to the Alzheimers Organization (https://act.alz.org/) , get a receipt and use that to get a tax write off. You WILL have to itemize, but this way you will get the value of your work even if you can’t sell it. *******

*******PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT A TAX PROFESSIONAL NOR AN ATTORNEY AND THIS ADVISE IS ONLY FROM MYSELF AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND HAS NO GUARENTEE OF BEING CORRECT! DON’T SUE ME IF YOU DON”T FIND THIS WORKS!!!!!!!!!