When you have interesting collectibles in your house that you no longer have room for, what do you do with them? Reader pop top has acquired a collection of mint-condition Cabbage Patch Kids from the ’80s. Okay, she won’t be able to retire on them, but they must be worth at least a few bucks each. Years ago, the question of where to sell them was simple: eBay was the best and biggest marketplace for collectibles. But horror stories of frozen funds and scammy buyers now abound, and she wants to ask the Consumerist hive mind: where is the best place to unload some cuddly dolls?

My step-mom recently cleaned out the attic in her house and found her father’s old collection of Cabbage Patch Dolls (he does not want these dolls, we checked). This collection includes mint-condition Coleco dolls (the mass-produced ones) as well as several hand-painted originals from the “Babyland General Hospital” period. She doesn’t want to deal with them and wants to give them to me– instead of just trashing them– because she knows they are worth some money.

I’d like to sell them online because: 1) I don’t have to room to store them even if I wanted to keep them, and 2) I’m hoping to make some money that I can use to pay off my last little bit of debt and hopefully have enough left over to start an emergency savings fund. I do plan on donating a few to a local charity that I volunteer at so they can make some money off of them as well.

Being a long-time Consumerist reader, I know that eBay has gone down the tubes over the last few years and it’s gotten very, very easy to get screwed over as a buyer. I was wondering if the wonderful commenters on this site could either recommend me a good, non-scammy alternative, or could suggest how to set up the sales on eBay in such a way that it’ll minimize my chances of being taken by a scummy buyer.

Work your magic, Hive Mind!

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