Questions for silicone collectors :)!

[Brandi]

Hi Ladies,

I have been doing some thinking lately about silicone babies and their prices. It seems like the artists are charging more and more for them, which makes it harder for us collectors to buy them. I know silicone is not cheap and it is quite time consuming and hard work to mold and pour these beauties. However, if you found a baby that was just stunning and you just had to have him or her, what is the maximum amount you want to pay?? Would love to hear all your opinions and ideas, even what you would like to see more of in this medium (example : size, weight, position etc.). Thanks so much !!

Hugs,
Brandi

[DianeLovesBabies]

Glad you brought this subject up Brandi. In the last year I have not been able to afford any of the new silicone babies because the prices have risen way above what I can pay for them. I was happy with the $3,000 price but now they are $6,000 and higher. They have doubled and my fixed income has not increased in a long, long time. I have to sell off many of my precious dolls in order to buy just one and I am not sure that the ones I pick out will hold their value. With that being said, I think many of us silicone collectors have stopped or slowed down in acquiring new babies.

Hugs,
Diane

[love4reborns]

At the moment, 3k.

I have spent 6k. I felt sick as I opened the box. I could "afford" it, but it felt wasteful and unnecessary.

[love4reborns]

I really like the preemies. I'd love to see more super realistic tiny babies.

I've realized the FBS newborn+ size feel like a heavy ball of rubber lol.

[Shawndamom3]

Silicone dolls are outrageously priced in my opinion! I no longer collect silicone dolls partly because of the prices. I also feel that they are pretty high maintenance to keep up
Reborns have always been my favorites since I started collecting life like dolls. Many I've had for 10 years and are still in PERFECT condition. They are far more affordable as well

[Dion]

I am slowing WAY down buying silicones and dolls in general. The most expensive doll I ever bought was $5500.00. I actually found it hard to enjoy her, because I was so worried that something would happen to her. The fire on our mountain last year made me realize that I could have lost my whole collection in minutes and almost did. I only had time to grab 4 of them and two were ones that were on layaway to ladies here on DF. It was sad and worrisome, but it made me get my priorities straight. I have cut my collection by way more than half.

I really don't love the new softer silicone that most people are so happy with, so I have to REALLY love the sculpt to get one these days. I also know that I wouldn't ever want a full-body silicone baby. I now have mostly older silicone babies that I think will hold up a lot better than the newer ones, but time will tell on that one.

I won't ever spend outrageous amounts of money on dolls again. If you do see me doing that, you will just know that I have won the California lottery! LOL! I think that $1500.00 would be my limit now, but I would have to REALLY love it, so it looks like I am mostly confined to the secondary market, but that's okay. I love the older babies more anyway.

Hugs, Dion

[Pat in Alabama]

I agree with Diane. The silicons are way out of the price range that I am willing to pay for a doll. If I buy a silicone it is from the secondary market where the prices are more reasonable. Thankfully silicone is not my favorite medium anyway. There are some silicone babies that I love the sculpt but not enough to fork out that kind of money.

[tuckerk]

Brandi, I do think Silicone babies are getting so high that I am just about ready to say I have got all I want...............but then I never say never..........I love my new soft silicones but also love my older firmer ones and then of course my OOAKs will always be treasured.............so if I ever do get anymore silicones they will be under the 2,000.00 mark, so I say HaHaHaHa!!!!!!!!!! Did you just see one of the Romie babies are on ebay and going for over 17,000.00 and one day left(must be Demi Moore bidding).................Hugs, KAthy

[Bonniehaha]

From my perspective they are priced accordingly.
Most silicone dolls now are nothing like the silicones that used to be available.

The ones I see for these higher prices are painted exquisitely! Way back when they were just blushed, most of the time you were lucky to get veins, and were they realistic veins?
Also knowing how difficult silicone is, how easy it is to ruin in the process, how temperamental it is!

Have you ever painted a silicone? It is SOOO darn hard to keep lint off it while you paint, and there are those that take the care to make sure you get a doll that has no lint in the paint.
On top of the usual problems you face with silicone, you quite often come across more problems, and it takes a very special artist to sit there and fail and fail and fail and keep trying.

Ever tried matting a silicone, thats another story for another day lol

Silicone is no easy feat.
Artists should be able to charge for their time and effort, you may not see all the struggles or hear about them, but tears and struggle go into many silicone dolls.

I am sure you can buy a kit and get an artist to blush and vein it for a very reasonable price.

You get what you pay for, and most artists quite often take a loss.

I wonder if silicone artists feel insulted reading this after what they go through to get a doll out there? Once again it takes a special kind of artist to work with silicone and produce something amazing.

[Rhonda W]

I agree with all of the ladies as well, we are the collectors and have been keeping the doll world alive for many years but many of us are on fixed incomes and have a limit to what we can afford. My limit today would be about 2,000.00-3,000.00 tops and I would have to love the doll. I have some of the new silicone's and I like the older silicone just as well as they aren't as fragile and pose better. My friend said to me why would you pay so much for a lump of rubber and I said back it's art and takes a long time to make she said she would never be able to justify the cost and called them dust collectors, it really made me think about wanting anymore babies, in fact it's been almost a year since I've had a new baby and I've been very content.

I am still concerned about the lasting effects of the new silicone's as I was told they will eventually go hard and I guess no one really knows the answer yet, we will know in 10 years how they will hold up or if they do disintegrate.

Bonnie I do understand the work that goes into any doll not just silicone but all of the mediums, but I feel and this is just me that the prices of the dolls are strictly for the wealthy now, not the true collectors. Ask yourself could you afford a 6,000.00 doll most families can't. Most of the time the babies drop in price and very few maintain there original price. Like any piece of art we should be able to insure the dolls for what they are worth but the insurance companies say there isn't anything to show their true value when trying to insure them. Unlike a painting that goes up in value. My husband and I were having this price discussion just yesterday and he said what drove the prices so high and I said Facebook, he said it's really sad. Eventually the real collectors will stop buying silicone's which I think has already started. When the artist cater only to a select few that have endless funds to spend the rest just stop buying eventually everyone will be hurt even the artist. I applaud the artist that are still keeping their prices within reason for their true collectors.

[Dion]

Bonnie, I don't think that most of us were saying that artists don't deserve the amount of money that they get for their work. I am right there congratulating people like Romie and many others for their sales, as their work is divine. I think that most of us are saying that the price is too high for our incomes, or other reasons like mine. That's not the artists' problems. As long as the market holds up and you can get $5000.00 to $27,000.00 for a silicone...God Bless you.

Hugs, Dion

[just_Brenda]

I cannot afford silicones anymore .... They keep getting higher and higher in price and I've decided to just enjoy the ones I have . Not that I don't understand why they cost what they do ... I respect the work , cost, talent and time thAt goes into them . I simply can't continue to afford them .

[Jamie in Utah]

Yes, I hear you on this subject! It seems like they have almost doubled in price within a years time or so , very hard to buy them now.

[cookielover]

I have collected dolls since the early 1970s. All kinds of dolls at all kinds of prices. I have probably 1000 dolls -- lots of small antique all bisque under 5 inches. I also have reborn, cloth body silicones, and full bodied silicones from Julie's Hannah to all the Little Peeps as well as modern Ashton Drake. I can say I come close to being a doll hoarder. And I can tell you this : Most dolls do NOT hold their price and over time and you probably will NOT get your investment back so you better love, LOVE that new baby. I continue to buy dolls -- but carefully. Most recently a pair of 1920 Swiss metal Bucherer dolls which I am repairing and a 24 inch China from the 1860s in original dress --- all at 50% of what they were worth (and what I paid for similar dolls) just a few years ago!!! My point is that dolls that are popular and expensive now will be replaced by some other sort of dolls in the future. So go carefully. JMO Ruth

[erin1958]

I agree with the general consensus here. Most of the new silicones are just way over what I'd consider paying. I just cannot justify spending so much on a doll. And the older we get and the closer to retirement for my Hubby, I also can't see having that much money tied up in dolls. One of these years, I imagine that we'll be struggling to buy our necessities much more than we do now. I also worry, as many have mentioned, about the longivity of some of the newer silicones that no one can speak of how they'll hold up in 10 years. For me, all of these factors simply play a part in my collecting now.
In answer to Brandi's original question, I suppose $1,000. to $1,500. would be my max now, which pretty much leaves me with the secondary market but I have no problem with that either. I've gotten lots of wonderful dolls from others loving arms. As long as they're in great condition, that's fine with me.

[Brandi]

Hi Ladies,

Thank you so much for your input and opinions.

I want to say this about this post...this is not a slam against any artist or silicone painter at all. It was just a general question about the prices and what collectors might want to see in the future. I know that silicone is not an easy medium to work with in ALL ways. And every artist's work is a true labor of love. I own some very high end babies myself and I truly appreciate all the work that has gone into these beauties and am blessed to have them. I know it is a lot of the artist's heart, time and many tears that go into each creation. So, again, I do not want this to be about the artists and silicone painters. If they can continue to get the price for their creations, then I applaud them and am very happy for them . This is just a general idea about pricing and how everyone feels about it as a collector. So, if I have offended anyone, it was not my intention and I apologize if you have taken it this way.

Hugs,
Brandi

[love4reborns]

I don't think your question was a slam against artist at all!

Why can't collectors discuss collecting without having an artist basically tell us we should be grateful for the production?

I don't know the work it takes. I just know my preferences and my bank account.

[MariaJose and Zu]

For me happiness and fun is when most of the group can show and share our dolls. Everyone is excited and forums are alive. When only a few few people can show their new dolls, the very expensive that only a few can afford, with the passage of time the interest is lost. It´s not envy of the others, is that even the ladies who have the best dolls, maybe show little, for not hurt others. (JMHO)

I am very lucky, I have a large collection of the finest silicone artists, cloth body dolls. I have also some of the new Ecoflex full body. The most expensive doll I have is Piper Saxton, and I think she will be my only very expensive doll. She is wonderful and I think this is her right price, it is a very especial doll, and the sculpture is wonderful, the most realistic I've ever seen. But I could only have this doll because I had a few extra windfalls, and my friend Bean was so kind to make layaway for me. From now on I think the most I can spend on a doll is $ 3000, after saving 6 months.

[MariaJose and Zu]

Brandi, you should not apologize at all. your post is very interesting and necessary. Thank you!!

[NadiaK]

Glad you brought this subject up Brandi. In the last year I have not been able to afford any of the new silicone babies because the prices have risen way above what I can pay for them. I was happy with the $3,000 price but now they are $6,000 and higher. They have doubled and my fixed income has not increased in a long, long time. I have to sell off many of my precious dolls in order to buy just one and I am not sure that the ones I pick out will hold their value. With that being said, I think many of us silicone collectors have stopped or slowed down in acquiring new babies.

Hugs,
Diane

I totally agree with this assessment Diane. I too have sold a lot of my dolls and being that I retired two years ago there is no way that I can spend $6000+ on a doll. The other thing that has always concerned me is resale on these highly expensive dolls. Look at all the silicone's in the for sale section that not that long ago commanded a high price. Yet I see people taking huge loses when they are constantly reducing the prices just to get a buyer. As Diane stated, just a few years ago silicone's were in the $3000 range. Their price has doubled and then some in just a few years. Based on the economic situation in this country I highly doubt that many of our incomes have skyrocketed that much during this time.