Need opinions - American Girl

[countthestars]

My mom very nicely saved all of my (and my sister’s) AG stuff. DD is almost 8 and she hasn’t played with dolls a day in her life. I brought it all home with me about a year ago and it’s taking up space in her closet. My sister has two boys and isn’t quite ready to part with most of hers, but there is some stuff I think she could/would weed out. I have a few pieces that I’d like to hold on to because they were most loved but there are others that I care less about (though probably the ones I like the most are also worth the most).

Would you:
- nicely box everything to store and deal with later (my sister has the space and would take them)
- sell some of the stuff we care less about
- something else

I can see that a lot of the pieces are selling on Mercari so I’m tempted to just get rid of the ones I care less about. At the same time, I have to assume they’ll not drop too much in value (will they?) so should I hold them a bit longer?

Also why doesn’t DD want to play dolls with me? Haha

[heygrey]

I'd sell. I'm also not sentimental at all.

I also don't believe in transferring my indecision about stuff to other people. Unless your sister has asked for it, it's yours to do with as you wish. If she wants her stuff, send it to her.

[nicolewi]

My daughters love AG and we have a huge collection. I don’t know how my DD will deal with it someday! She says she’s never getting rid of it.

If you decide to sell some things, don’t separate anything...like if your sister has some things that go with yours, keep them together. Put sets, outfits, etc together as much as possible. You can look them up online to see what goes together. If you sell dolls, put them in the meet outfits if you can. Historical dolls and collections generally have really good value.

I think I would try one more time with your DD. At 8, she may still get into it. Have you read the books? That might help.

[ellipses84]

I’d sell the stuff you don’t care about now and let someone else who will appreciate it get use out of it.

[lemoncupcake]

Send your sisters stuff to her house to store/deal with an sell the rest.

[abs]

Apr 12, 2021 6:32:14 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Send your sisters stuff to her house to store/deal with an sell the rest.

Yep, this.  I wouldn't want to hang on to something so big that isn't being used.  At 8 my DD started to grow out of AG and toys altogether.  I'd go ahead and try to sell what you can now.  

[dontlook]

I would store and deal with it later or give your sister her stuff and save the rest. I wouldn’t sell it just yet. DD isn’t huge into dolls but plays with hers more at 10 than 8. There is still a chance!

[thebreakfastclub]

I was too old to play with AG when it came out, so I have no sentimental interest. I'd sell what you want to sell. I can only imagine your kid's potential interest has already peaked at zero.

[aspentosh]

I also saved my AG doll in the thought that I had a kid that would want it. I have a 9yo DD and she does play with dolls, but she prefers hers and said I could put mine away. So I've started pulling it all out to sell because if she doesn't want it I am not going to save them for grandkids or anything. I would not want to pass off to someone else to hold, personally.

ETA: I think I misread. I wouldn't sell stuff that isn't yours, unless you asked her if she wanted them and she said no.

[ohgillian]

Assuming you and your sister get along well, I would wait until she's ready to sell hers, then split the work of doing it all. I agree that stuff sells well on Mercari (I've sold a ton of AG there) and also I agree with whoever upthread said to research sets and sell as sets whenever possible.

[nicolewi]

It can really be worth a lot of money, so if you sell, look at sold prices and don't undervalue your items. If you have some rare things in good condition, people will pay for that.

[countthestars]

Thanks everyone. When I took the stuff to my house, my sister offered hers for DD to play with as well (when we thought she may use any/all of it). I believe she was of the same mindset that she'd rather DD play with it than have it sit in mom's attic if DD wanted it. I plan to give hers back and/or offer to sell of whatever she'd like me to, I'm mostly just trying to decide what to do with mine. If I keep mine, I would store it at her house for now (we live just a few mintues from each other and she has accessible attic space - if it stays with me, I'd have to put it in the basement and risk mold which is why my sister is involved in the next steps at all.

[af1212]

I would keep some stuff for a bit. My kids are 11, 8 and 5. They still play with their dolls. The 11 yo less regularly but there have been times when invited to an American doll party or something in the last few years and she brought hers. I wouldn’t keep all of the stuff though. Just the doll and a few things.

[CloudBee]

This is when I love giving things to friends vs. choosing to sell. What a windfall for someone in your circle if you don't want to deal with the time it might take to sell.

Does your DD have a close friend who actively plays with AG dolls?

[bronxgirl]

If you don't want to keep it, but don't mind not making money from it, you could donate to Girl Again, an American Girl resale store in White Plains, NY. The store is a vocational training site for women with Autism and is run by Yes She Can, which is an organization that helps autistic young women with vocational training. You would have to pack it up and mail it, but they would give you a tax receipt and it goes to a good cause.


girlagain.com/

yesshecaninc.org/

[daisyduck]

I was older than 8 when I got my American Girl doll and I loved it for years. I never played with it the way a 3 year old plays with dolls, but in my opinion AG dolls are too nice and expensive for that kind of play. Mine lived on a stand in my room and I would change her clothes and play with the accessories from time to time. (She is actually back on her stand in my guest bedroom now, but was put away for many years.). I would keep everything for at least a couple more years until you are sure she will never want it.