Letter From Mary T's Doll House About Pre-Ordering

Just got this email from Mary T's Dollhouse. I might be freaking out if this were my regular dealer. Chances are that her well-established customers will have their needs met.  That's just my guess. Mary is terrific and she should make her business comfortable for herself. March 1, 2011

Dear Terri, As many of you know, Integrity Toys has unveiled their new lines for 2011.  After much thought and discussion with my family (the peeps who help me behind the scenes with shipping/mailing), I have decided that I will NOT be accepting preorders for the new lines.  We will be selling items as they arrive in stock, on our website.   Over the past few weeks, we have been working on rebuilding the entire website...this includes moving the site to a new host and rolling out a new shopping cart system.  I do not feel comfortable enough to open up preorders with a cart system I am still learning.  I realize people are anxious and will not be happy that they cannot secure a preorder and for that I apologize if this decision upsets you.   When the time comes to sell the new items as regular in stock orders, we will send out an email blast so you know what has come in, the prices (we do sell at suggested retail) and my main rule I will enforce is 1 of each item per person/address/order.  I am hoping that as the year goes on, that people will like our new website and shopping cart.  We have tried to address problems we have had in the past so that customers have a good shopping experience with little frustration. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

_____________

 BLACK WEDNESDAY APPROACHES  

WEAR ARMOR

"Hot to Trot" Avantguard Doll on Sale at Mary T's Doll House

When I see a doll that was released only a few months previously go on sale for such a low price I wonder why. But...if you want this doll, it's a great price at $149.99. Who knows? If you wait a few more months the price might go down even further.

The original price was $220.

Link to Mary T's Doll House

Is it the economy or are the dolls just unpopular?

It seems that I've been asking this question on and off for almost two years regarding the prices consumers are willing to pay for certain dolls. This week it's a buyers' market when it comes to Integrity's Gene Marshall line and several Fashion Royalty/NuFace dolls.
I have never, in my years of collecting Fashion Royalty dolls, seen an established dealer selling FR dolls at a discounted price. I'm not talking about the play line dolls from IT. I'm talking about Jason Wu's Fashion Royalty and NuFace Premium Dressed Dolls.
Starting tomorrow, Cherished Friends will be selling off a varied selection of IT 16" and 12" dolls. I've seen them and the prices are excellent. Mary T already has a sale on Gene dolls running. I'm guessing other dealers will follow suit. Marlbe has some FR dolls on sale.
As far as the playline ITBE dolls, MFD is dumping them for $15. each. Makes you wonder how much they cost to make in the first place.
They have also reduced the prices of dolls and fashions from the Gene Marshall line.
MFD's prices on these dolls is very good. You will have to go to the specific sites to see for yourself.

Some dealers are still hoping to get retail on these dolls. But you don't have to pay retail. Shop around. There are many other dealers other than the ones I mentioned above and more dolls on sale other than those pictured.

In my opinion, now is also the time to buy older Fashion Royalty dolls...especially Veronique. I just scored an original close-up blonde Vero fully dressed with shoes still in their package, mint box and shipper for $50 including shipping. That was a very good price. This is my third original Vero. They come and go but I will be keeping this one. I want to try putting eyelashes on her. I have several tall bodies and she will be getting one. Her straight arm body is in excellent condition! They're not all falling apart as some say they are. I think it depends on on the climate and environment where it is stored. The quality of the garment is so fine it makes me pine for the olden days. This doll was $29.99 when it was released in 2001-02 in an edition of 1000 along with a redhead version and an Adele.

Here is the most informative link and I go to this reference site all the time for my archival info on Integrity Toys and Fashion Royalty products. Collect the earlier dolls! Their faces are gorgeous and timeless. These early 2001-2003 dolls would make a great foundation in any Fashion Royalty collection either nude or in original clothing:
Véronique Perrin Silver Society
Véronique Perrin Lush Life
Adèle Makeda Close-Up
Véronique Perrin Close-Up Redhead or Blonde
Véronique Perrin Midnight in Monaco
Adèle Makeda Purple Factor
Véronique Perrin Mauve Absolue
Véronique Perrin Paradise
Véronique Perrin Chic Escape

I have re-bodied all of my dolls who were originally on straight arm or 1st generation articulated bodies. I was not worried about affecting the value as I debox everything anyway. For resale purposes, 99% of the people want the latest body type.

Oh well. Everything changes. Time to look ahead to good things and take care of precious old things. Time to weed out the mediocre and to make decisions not to buy unexceptional stuff. It's not easy because so much looks so good.

Shop-on!