Prices of the KB girls are rising, as the number of Blythe lovers from Thailand, Europe, Brazil and China etc increases, I observed.

There is no quick easy way to get Kenner Blythe Dolls cheaply.  Below are a few things that might help you save when buying a Kenner Blythe Doll:

• Look for Ship to US ONLY auctions.  There are estates in the US or doll shows, where collectors can go around and find KB dolls at a better price.  Some US sellers only sell to US buyers and the end price of these auctions are always lower because of the elimination of non-US buyers.  If you can get a friend in the US to bid and pay for you then ship the doll to you, you might have a chance to get a KB doll at a lower price.
• Look for badly taken pictures and poor listing.  These auctions usually ends with a lower price, but it may also meant that the seller might purposely take poorer (unclear) pictures where defects cannot be clearly seen.  Ask a lot of questions about defects to ensure that you know every defects of the doll before placing final bid.  The more questions you ask and the more defects being reviewed in the Q&A section, the higher chance you have to bring final price down.  Please refer to Part 3 of my Guide on How to Buy KB Cheaply  for the Points to Note when buying a KB. 
• No need to buy from Japan, as the price of KB dolls in Japan is usually very high, with price ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 yen (around US$1799-2699).  Plus a lot of them have been restored, hence not original. 
• Consider to buy from Auction house that charges high fees (starting from 20% on top of auction end price).  Precisely because of the high auction fees involved, there are less bidders and hence better price. 
•  Consider buying imperfect KB dolls.  Obviously KB dolls that have defects tend to end with lower auction price.  Be familiar with the common defects of KB dolls so that you know what can be easily repaired at what price and what not.  Pick dolls with defects that you know how to handle to save $.  Common defects and repair cost as listed as below:
• Missing hair plugs: Serious missing hair plugs need rerooting (and open scalp).  The results could be very good.  Prices ranges from US$100+  A few missing hair plugs could be easily covered by dividing the hairs into small batches on top of the head and combing it to the other side to cover up.  KB hair can be styled by steam iron (for clothes).  Just cover up her hair with a towel before using the steam to help straightening or taming her hair.  NEVER apply direct heat to her hair with a hot iron.  Use only the steam form the iron.
• Minor nicks or unremovable stain on face can be easily smoothed away with sand paper or polishing cream (from Japan toy store, made for polishing car/plane models).  You can find these in my eBay shop.  Yellow age stains are very difficult to remove, and takes a very long time to remove hence avoid buying them if you cannot stand yellow stains. 
• Loss of make up: KB doll's make up are rarely fully intact.  Gone most quickly is the blush, because there are only a few models that comes with a lot of blush to start with.  But blush is also the easiest to add back.  You may add it with chalk pastel or light airbrushing.  You can find a pro to do it for you and the price in USA is about US$25.  Missing lipstick is also easy to add back.  Eye make up is most difficult.  Because it usually involves removal of scalp for a good airbrush job to be done.  Plus it is difficult to get the same green colour as the original KB.  Below is a list of sample prices charged by a good expert in KB Doll restoration.  Don't forget to add shipping fees back and forth from you to the KB expert and from her/him back to you.  There is a 2 way shipping you will have to pay:
• Sample KB restoration prices: Head opening/reassembly:  US$20
  Overall skin cleaning : US$20
  Torso replacement (takara EBL body not included) : US$40
  Makeup airbrushed (blush) US$25
  Lips repainted and sealed: US$20
  Eyeball cleaning, chip polishing US$30
  Minor hair rerooting/conditioning: US$40       
• Body / Torso Crack: There are forums where people said torso or hip crack did not affect body movement.  This is not always true.  I have had one KB doll with hip crack.  Her legs tends to fall out easily but her poses becomes more versatile and lively because of her loose legs and she can do poses normal healthy KBs could not do.  So there are always 2 side to a coin.  Usually there is no way to mend a crack except adding glue to it, which might limit movement afterwards.  So watch out for cracks, as they always bring price down, and if you buy the doll just for your own enjoyment and not planning for resale then this is a good buy.  If you are really dying for a body with no crack, you can change the whole body/torso and replace it with a Neo Blythe Body.  Again you might need the help of an expert.  Don't expect you can change her body like you change it for the Neo Blythe doll, as the neck/head connection is not the same. 
• Missing Eye Lashes: Eyelashes of KB are difficult to find, let alone adding them back.  They are not like the NEO Blythe where you can change and add back eye lashes easily. 
• Broken Knees: If only one knee is broken, you may get away with it, as you can still use the other leg.  But if both knees are broken, this girl will not be able to stand straight up and cannot pose well.  You may want to replace her legs with Neo Blythe doll legs and keep her torso.  Remember Licca body does not work for this replacement.
• Missing torso/legs: These can be added back and replaced by Neo Blythe doll body
• Missing Eye Chips and Pull String: Ask the seller to shake the doll head to check for sound.  If there is sound, the missing eye chip might be in her head, and all you need to do is open her head and get the chip out and stick it back on.  For missing pull string, ask the seller to check if her eye mechanism is working well by using hands to change her eye colour.  If her eye balls are not stuck and eye colours can be changed manually by hand smoothly then she is just missing a string.  Again an easy open scalp operation can help repair this easily.   

Points to Note on Buying Kenner Blythe Dolls on eBay (to be Continued in Part 3 of this Guide)