Finding Great Deals On Dollhouse Miniatures

Finding a bargain on a great piece is part of the joy of collecting miniatures for many enthusiasts. It’s not everyday that you stumble across a dollhouse furniture sale in your own neighborhood, so you have to know where to look. It may not seem like it when you first get started and are only looking at the catalogues of major suppliers since everything that you find there will be full price, but with a little practice and a few inside leads, you can find ways to make dollhouses affordable.
Surfing the web is the perfect place to find deals or discounted dollhouse furniture. While many manufacturers have a print catalogue you can browse and order from, they often also have a website where they may put items on sale. Older models of furniture, overstocks, and clearance items can go for far less than the original asking price. Some miniature collectible sellers offer a price-match guarantee for mass-produced items. You may be able to accumulate a nice discount by visiting several sites and using the price-match guarantee to your advantage.
Auction sites such as Ebay are perfect for finding dollhouse furniture pieces. Finding rarer pieces might be easier on these sites, or you can take advantage of someone selling off their own collection to jump-start your own. Ebay and other similar sites also often have brand new kits at lower prices than manufacturers. If bidding gets too expensive for your tastes, you always have control over what you spend and can stop bidding at any time.
If you're lucky enough to find a garage sale that offers dollhouse furniture or a collection of miniatures, you could find some real rock bottom prices. If there is one or two items you want out of the whole batch, you may find that you'll get a better price for taking the lot of furniture off the seller's hands. They may be anxious to clear off their table and get rid of what they consider junk, which leaves you fortunate and getting a real bargain.
Estate sales are another place where you can find discount dollhouse furniture. Generally, these collections are auctioned off in lots, and occasionally as entire collections. Regardless, most estate sales open their doors to the public for a period before the actually auction begins. This will give you the opportunity to peruse the collection and to get a good idea of what it is worth, and in turn, determine what you are willing to spend. Estate sales can be a great way to increase the size of your collection in one day’s worth of shopping.