For the last several months the topic that is searched for most frequently on the Doll Making Site, here at BellaOnline, is definitely the Bitty Baby doll from American Girl. The doll is searched for at least twice every day. As I watched the number of people wanting information about Bitty Baby rise steadily, I grew increasingly concerned because I don't have one. This has become a problem that needed resolving, and fast!

What you may not know is that I am nothing if not a bargain hunter. I absolutely hate paying full, list price for anything. In fact, I've written some articles about finding 18 inch American Girl type dolls for less than the full $102 price. If you are interested in those articles they can be found here: 18 Inch Dolls on a Budget and More 18 Inch Dolls. So, of course, I had to try to find a Bitty Baby doll without paying full price.

I have spent many hours researching this doll online and in toy outlets. Bargain versions of this doll are difficult to find, especially if you don"t know the doll's exact measurements. Yes, I know it is approximately 15 inches long, but that's the only measurement I had. Many dolls are the same length, but their chest, waist and limb widths vary. So my only option was to get an actual Bitty Baby.

Not as easy as you might think. I often check out dolls on Ebay just to see what is available, popular and values, but I had never actually bid on anything before. So I started to look for my new doll. Within a few minutes of starting my search I found just what I was looking for, at a very good price and placed a bid. I am sure you veterans of online auctions are chuckling now. Needless to say, I didn't win. But I was determined. so I found another and repeated the process.

It didn't take me long to see that there was a way to play the game that I didn't know, so I looked for another doll with a "buy it now" label. That was a no go as well. I was beginning to get frustrated and depressed at the thought that I might have to knuckle under and just buy one at full price.

There are thousands of items available for Bitty Baby, but actual dolls are relatively rare, especially with the hair and eye color that I wanted. But

I kept searching and bidding...for a week!

At last, last night I found two dolls being auctioned together, in just the right hair color, with a "buy it now" price that I was happy with. You never saw anyone hit a button so fast! So, hopefully, in the very near future I will have some articles ready for the searchers.

If you've had some fun, or not so fun experiences looking for a particular doll come to the Doll Making Forum and tell us about it. I'd love to hear your stories.

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