You are at the annual doll show in your city put on my one of the local doll clubs.  You suddenly spot an antique doll that is really calling to you. You approach the doll, looking her over and glance at her price tag.  As you shudder,  the doll dealer casually saunters up next to you and you both discuss this particular doll that interests you.  She gives you all the information on the doll, the mold number, the condition, all the pertinent information she thinks you will need.  Before you go any further and start falling in love you need to back up a little.  Hopefully you are at the doll show with a friend.  It's a good idea to take a friend who can play devil's advocate and point out things or ask questions also about the particular doll that you aren't even thinking about before you fall too much in love. Undress the doll completely if you can.  Even though the dealer has told you the mold number and condition you need to see this for yourself to verify this information.  You hopefully came prepared and brought a black light or small flashlight with you as well as a magnifying glass to check her bisque over. You need to check not only the inside of the head, but also really check out around the eye rims, inside and out, check to make sure that she has all her original teeth, and if you can, ask the dealer for permission or ask her to gently pull the head up to check the bisque neck socket for any damage or repairs.  Look the bisque over carefully for any pepper or rubs on the bisque. If the doll has a shoulderplate and is a swivel head, look to make sure that the shoulderplate and head match well.  Some of the shoulderplates are marked, usually on the very back or at the top of one of the shoulders.  Check this out to make sure your shoulderplate and head are a good fit. Is the bisque color even, is it a high color bisque or a really pale bisque?  Is her complexion even with nice decoration and is the mold of her face well defined, giving her that first out of the mold look?  Alot of dealers as well as collectors will not mention firing lines behind the ears, tiny chips around earring holes, as well as kiln cracks on the edge of the rim because they really don't consider these major flaws.  You need to ask about these things because you may consider them major flaws and in your case might affect the price your willing to pay.  Also, individuals selling dolls and doll dealers are human like everyone else and sometimes they miss something and it's an honest mistake.  It's hard to find all the little flaws and I believe most are honest and try to give you all the information they can. Next check the body over carefully.  Make sure the head sits in the neck socket well and is correct.  Do you see any repairs or repaint on the body, fingers and toes in particular, any replaced parts?.  Is the body marked and correct for the doll?  If the doll has a kid body, check out for any repairs, replacement parts or leaks in the kid.  Is kid body stuffed well or does it lean to one of the sides. Is the body marked, i.e., Kestner seal on chest, etc.  High quality kid bodies will have stitched toes, nice tapered bisque forearms and kid bodied french fashions will usually have kid arms with individually stitched fingers as well.  Check out the wig and pate on the doll.  Are they original or are they both replacements.  For instance, a plaster pate on a Kestner or a cork pate or coil inside the bisque head of a Jumeau are important features that shouldn't be overlooked. Now check out the accessories, i.e., her clothing.  Is the clothing antique or authentically made out of old materials? Is it newer clothing yet well made.  What about shoes, are they antique or original shoes or are they cheap replacements.  Also the stockings.  Are these antique or original or again, replacements.  All of these things make a big difference in the price of the doll or should make a difference.  Appropriate marked shoes, couture clothing, or original clothing or wig really affect the price of the doll and you will pay much more for these features. Antique dolls go through popularity trends with the small closed mouth french dolls as well as some small german characters commanding the really high blue book prices.  Be prepared to pay top dollar for dolls such as these.  The German dolly faced dolls and babies seem to be at a low right now so a beautiful choice example can be picked up for a reasonable price. Don't rule out a gorgeous doll with a hairline or repair to the bisque head if it is in an inconspicuous place unless the doll is super popular and rare and you just have to own her.  I personally would rather have a doll with a unrestored hairline then a restoration so this is a matter of personal taste and preference. Try and stay away from damage on the face, this really affects the doll's value and will affect the price you get if you need to resell her at a later date.  Buy what you like, don't get impatient and let money "burn a hole in your hand", I promise another example of the doll you are coveting will appear.  Good luck in your doll collecting and go into buying a doll well armed with information so you can obtain the best deal on the doll you want. I do want to bring up another issue that was pointed out to me that I didn't discuss which is buying a doll you really can afford.  We all have "champagne tastes on a beer budget" so don't get carried away buying a doll that is really way out of your budget.  I understand that a long term layaway is always an option on the doll of your dreams, but if you decide to use this realize you in all likelihood are going to be paying more for the doll initially as the dealer is going to mark the doll up to the top of her value to compensate for this long layaway which you can completely understand.  She is tying up his/her money on this doll until you pay it off and lots of layaways fail which is another headache dealers have to deal with.  I personally believe that if you choose to do a layaway put a sizeable downpayment down on the doll which will give you more realistic payments. Make sure that you can realistically meet these payments and have extra money to buy other small dolls or doll items that come up along the way.  You just never know what your going to see next and you want to have that extra money to take advantage of these great buys.  I am continually adding to this guide due to Ebayers asking me questions or giving me informative input about purchasing a doll so here is an add on.  You are currently looking at the doll of your dreams, whether at a doll show or online on a dealers website along with the price the dealer is asking next to the doll.  The doll in question is a little out of your price range and yet you would like to see if you can work something out with the particular dealer.  Let me say, it never hurts to ask if the dealer can do better on the price.  I have had more then one dealer tell me that people usually don't ask for a reduction in the price. I can tell you straight away you WILL NOT get a better price by downplaying the doll and pointing out everything that is wrong with her..the dealer is very aware of these imperfections so pointing them out in a condescending manner will get you nowhere and is insulting to the dealer.  It's best to let the dealer know how interested you are in the doll and let him/her know you really would like to work something out so that she can be yours. Politeness and respect are key.  Rudeness will get you nowhere.  If a dealer has definite layaway terms ask if they can be bent a little bit more if you need a little longer.  If you don't ask, the answer is always no and if you do ask you are very likely to get a yes on your doll and the payment terms so the doll of your dreams can be yours.