From the article: Top 10 Mistakes of Doll Collecting Newbies
Ok, we've all done it at some time or another. Bought a doll so strange, paid too much for a doll we had to have (and later couldn't remember why we'd bought it), or collecting something really wacky (way back when we didn't know better) that we're almost too embarrassed to talk about it. Well, I said almost, because here is your chance to share your worse doll collecting mistake ever! Help other collectors avoid your past mistakes! Your submissions will be printed right here! One request: please don't name any doll dealers or doll shops by name. Tell Your Story!
MOST OF THE TITLES
- Reading the mistakes that were made reminds me of the saying "buyer beware". Some were taken in by lack of knowledge on the sellers part and some sellers just out and out lied. I have bought and sold on Ebay and find most sellers are pretty honest. I try to be as honest as possible but sometimes I do make a mistake. When that's the case I offer to refund the payment. Now for a big mistake my wife and I made. My wife passed away seven years ago. (No that's not the mistake) The mistake was we were always going to label all her dolls with names,maker, material,price paid,value,etc.. Now I'm trying to sell them on Ebay and find that I can't find all the information I need. I do have many guides and reference books but I am finding it hard. Please label your dolls. Don't wait. Fred Sprague
- —Guest Fred Sprague
My worst bidding experience
- This story gave my family a laugh, but at the time I nearly had a heart attack. I bid on an antique incomplete broken doll on eBay "buy now" for $26.00. Only to my horror when about to pay, that it was $26,000. I did manage to have the bid retracted. My pulse rate still increases when I relate this story.
- —feeneym
impatience
- I recently decided to collect Dawn dolls after finding the last doll from my childhood in an old storage trunk. I thought EBay might have some of the dolls and their outfits, and at first I blew a lot of money by buying what I wanted as soon as I saw it! I would buy one of the more unusual dolls or outfits only to see it sell two weeks later at a lower price. My advice is to have Patience. Also, avoid buying TLC lots to get what you want. Sometimes a fastener on a doll's dress simply needs to be resewn, but usually the stuff is stained, damaged and worthless to a collector. Just wait--99 times out of 100 that rare item isn't that rare at all. Patience!
- —Guest corgilady
Maybelline
- I had a Ginny" knock off that my uncle gave me way back in the 50's and I wanted to keep her nice so I put her in a little dome thing and she did okay for a few years but one day I decided to take her out to change her dress (I had two of the original) but, to my chagrin, she crumbled in my hands. This dome wasn't one designed specifically for dolls> It was just an old plastic thing I'd gotten some powder and cologne in! Florida's humidity got into it and I lost my treasure. Good news, though, I went to and estate sale a few years ago and found one of her "clones" in real good shape. Naked though she was, i took her home and put my little dress on her. Beautiful!! Moral of the story---ALWAYS check the material domes are ade of and the material those little treasures are made of, too!!
- —Guest maymayci@gmail.com
Trusting & Not Knowing the Doll
- Early on in my collecting, I picked up a doll at an Estate Sale. It was right beside the Seller's desk and she pitched me, lying about the doll and its value. A couple of years later, I sold her on eBay but I lost $50. Also early on, I bought off eBay what someone claimed was a Patti Playpal. She was especially pretty. Turned out she was not a Patti Playpal at all. The body was cheap plastic and something was loose inside that made a loud noise when it was moved. All she had was a pretty face. Luckily, I made $50 on her - eBay resale. Someone else loved her beautiful face. I also kept the gorgeous lacy dress so this mistake turned out great. However, it is always wise to know what you are buying. I assumed that there were different looking Pattis. An Allied Eastern doll's value is a fraction of that of a Patti Playpal. If markings are not mentioned, ask. Don't assume that because the seller doesn't mention any markings, that she is properly marked or unmarked.
- —babyboomer1001
Never too late to learn-
- I started out looking for an arm for my Ginger doll as the hook had broken off. About 20 dolls later, I realized I'd better take her with me as there were many look alikes all of which were in descent shape, but arm hooks were different. It was a while before I found one in such bad shape, that it didn't bother me to de-arm her. I started buying old antique dolls about 20 years ago, and didn't invest in a black light until after I joined a local doll club this last year. It was then I discovered that a few of the dolls that were sold as "no repairs-no hairlines" had indeed been repaired. Three of the dolls I bought this summer off Ebay were sold as "no repairs" and "no hairlines" and were not returnable. Because that was specified in the listing description, I contacted the sellers, sent them photos, and was refunded 75% of the purchase price. The rocker arm in one doll was broken when she arrived, but, the seller refunded me the price for repairs.
- —Guest Anna
Improper Hair Care
- Several years ago, I bought a beautiful Berenguer collectible baby doll. I always display my dolls, but I also like to pick them up and hold them, change their clothes and poses, etc. Over the years I was not careful enough with her delicate mohair, and now know better as in spite of my best efforts, it will never be as soft as it was when she was new and now looks frizzy. I intend to get a new outfit with a matching cap for her. If you have a doll like this, always keep a baby brush on hand, and use it often! Also, I recently bought an older version of the Zapf Creations Annabell doll for a fraction of the price on Ebay. She is perfect on the outside, but missing accessories and does not work properly. When turned on, she gets stuck repeating one sound over and over, though everything else works.
- —Guest Nicole
doll collecting mistake
- I saw a darling all composition doll on eBay that really struck my eye! The pictures were beautifully posed and quite large. I had been looking for just the right doll to put in the doll bed my dad made for me in the 40's. She was advertised as "all original." All of her dolls on eBay looked in "mint" condition. I thought this was too good to be true, so I wrote and asked if the doll had been restored in any way. She responded, "I see nothing on this doll that does not look original." What a clever way to tell a lie. When I received the doll, she had been totally airbrushed, her lips were crooked, and was sprayed all over with satin gloss, not high gloss like real, original compo would look. I didn't know how to make complaints at that time so I sucked it up and kept her. Everytime I see her, I think of that $250 mistake and feel so violated.
- —Guest Hobbie
Enjoying my Dolls
- For years collecting Barbie I prided myself on NRFB. However today as I have been selling my entire collection and selling well mainly because they are NRFB I felt a real sadness as each would be packed up to go to their next owner. Never having held or played with some of my most beautiful Barbies. I had two first edition silkstones from 2001 and sold them last month. I have never held an actual Silkstone Barbie in my hand outside of them being in a box. So my biggest mistake is keeping them as investments and not Enjoying Playing nor Displaying my dolls after purchase. Looking back all I can remember about my beloved collection was how frustrated I was with how much SPACE all the boxes took stacked against a wall.
- —Guest Thom
doll hospital disaster
- I bought a gorgeous two faced doll in England in the 70's. One side was a black bisque face, the other white. I believe it was French. One of the arms was missing, so I took it to a doll hospital in Houston to see if they had an extra arm. They said to leave it with them. When I returned they casually gave it back and said they could not find an arm. The faces were both cracked badly and glued. The hospital told me that I brought them in that way. I had no proof, and was heartbroken, as they were lying to me.
- —Guest Phancydolls
OOPS n ET OH!
- I bought a doll that needed TLC on eBay - which turned out to be quite an understatement! She looked as if her last job as a stunt double was tied to the bumper of a car driving 75 miles an hour from Jersey to Detroit! She had NO NOSE! Shouldn't that be in the description? NEEDS TLC AND A NOSE! haha Live & learn - speaking of which, got here because I got a composite doll from Goodwill - she is fabulous - well, she will be one day! But she STINKS SOOOOOO BAD! Omigosh, imagine 80 year old poo in a diaper - THAT'S the smell!
- —Guest Lisa
Read a seller's statements carefully
- I have bought three dolls off of eBay recently and I do not have a single one of them. Fortunately I didn't lose any money on these dolls because I was able to prevent the sellers from shipping the dolls. I try to read the descriptions of all dolls carefully. There is one phrase though that now sends terror down my spine. It is, "I know nothing about this doll." If you see that in an auction, do not bid. The seller does not know what they are selling so they are not aware of what the dolls come with. Some cannot tell porcelain from vinyl. Just be careful that the seller knows their dolls. Ask questions to see that all paperwork, toys, blankets, etc. are included. I would have three more dolls except that the sellers did not know what they were selling.
- —lovesdollsalot
remember to check it out.
- I have a beautiful TIN BOY DOLL. and it is in excellent condition the original outfit is just a tad faded. but I believe it is from the 1930"s anyhow the antique dealer waited till I paid for the Doll when he gave me a long story of how he rescued the doll and KEY to make it walk from being destroyed in a compactor.. ahem!! I left with the doll and key very proud to have found such a great deal. as it turns out the key does not do anything.. I still love the doll...
- —JOYCEBADOLLCOLLECTOR
No neck doll
- I bid on and won a Toni Doll on EBay that resembled my childhood doll. The coloring was excellent, however her head needed to be reattached. When she arrived her head could not be attached. Someone had clipped off the neck. I kept the doll and months later was lucky to find a torso on EBay. She now sits on my shelf.
- —Guest mary
Songs from the Heart
- I wanted to comment on your story "Should I buy Damaged Dolls?". Yes I agree with your article, that if you cannot afford the higher price dolls and instead decide to spend $300 on three damaged dolls, you could have saved your $300 and bought one undamged doll of the quality you wanted. Personally speaking, I know I will never be able to afford a Bru; in fact at work I have a photo of one up at my work station that is worth $35,000, and when I look at her I say "well at least I can afford to look". Then, once at a doll show I spotted a Bru Replica that I really liked. She wasn't much $$ either so I bought & dressed her to look just like the real thing, and you know... to me... she "is" just as good because she makes me happy. When a doll captures my attention, she also captures my heart; and at that point I don't mind the missing fingers or the hairline cracks. What is most important is that she is authentic and marked in a price range that is feisable to my pocketbook.
- —Guest Joan
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