Showing posts with label eBay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eBay. Show all posts

6/19/2014

Fashion by Matisse and Madra's Dogs

I've known Brenda Visaya since the beginning of my Fashion Royalty collecting days. Her fashions were always perfect. Seriously, this is doll costuming at it's best. Everything arrives perfectly sewn, ironed and packaged. They are hard to get because once Brenda lists something available, the flock descends on Etsy. I shouldn't even post this here but I have to give credit to this extremely talented designer who goes by the name Matisse.
Gene (IT's vinyl version) is posing with Madra's Dogs.

This is a good eBay story:
I love the Ashton Drake Gene Marshall accessories such as the furniture, lamps and such. The dogs were on my want list but they were always priced in the $150. range and I do draw the line somewhere. The other day I saw them posted for $75. or Best Offer. Just for the heck of it, I offered $50. I did not think the seller would accept. He did. Yay. They arrived yesterday, as described, in perfect NRFB condition.
Compared to Gene's little faux fur dogs called Dottie and Dashiell ("Out For A Stroll") they are fabulous.



1/02/2014

It Pays to Pay Attention!

I sell doll stuff on eBay occasionally. Today I received this lovely message from a buyer who had just received his purchase:
______________________________
From: XXXX
To: golden_country
Subject: XXXXX

Sent Date: Jan-02-14 18:18:09 PST
Dear golden_country,

I just wanted to pass along a sincere thank you on the wonderful way you packaged this item. I have had expensive items come folded, in a next day letter envelope without so much as paper around it, but sincerely, thank you for treating this like a real first class transaction! I was surprised and shocked when I got it and opened it and saw the care that was taken. Anyway, there's not enough space to put that all on feedback but wanted you to know you are clearly a step way above the norm! Very much appreciated!
- xxxxx
 ______________________________
 
I package things the way I would like to receive them. 


6/10/2013

Misleading Ads on eBay

I'm going to start posting about the bullshit I find in auctions on eBay. I usually just send a polite letter to the seller but they rarely change their ad.
Today's garbage is an auction for a replacement Tiny Kitty body. The ad reads thus:

HTF! RARE!! 10" Tiny Kitty Articulated Body

You are bidding on a Rare, Hard to Find, REPLACEMENT BODY for your Tonner 10" Tiny Kitty doll.

This body is BRAND NEW from the factory and Never used.

Consider the cost of an articulated Tiny Kitty doll, and you will see that this is an Inexpensive way to update your Tiny Kitty doll and have an articulated body.  This New body has the highly sought after articulated elbows and wrists for unlimited posing possibilities! 

Not only are replacement bodies easy to find, they are not rare. Anyone can get them directly from the Tonner Store for $39. a piece. Last time I purchased a few it was buy 4 get one additional one free.  I informed the seller of this in a politely worded email.
Now, if this seller had discovered a Tonner body for TK whose knees did not splay out when she was seated, that would be rare because it doesn't exist. 
I previously blogged that I discussed the Tiny Kitty body with Robert last month in Orlando. The new Tiny Kitty's bodies will be the same as the last ones...unlady-like. I am really sad about that.  I  have a big collection of the gals and they look awful seated. 


A few more pictures in which the dolls would have looked nicer if their knees could come together.




If and when they get the body right, Tiny Kitty will become the fashion doll she was meant to be.

Tonner Company Store
14 Hurley Avenue
Kingston, NY 12401
845.339.2960
Store Hours
Wednesday - Saturday: 10am - 6:00pm EST
Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Contact Us!
Jennifer at the Tonner Company Store: jbeichert@tonnerdoll.com - or by phone 845-339-2960.

4/29/2013

Ficon Leonie

I've rarely played with Leonie although she is my only Ficon doll. She has a serious posing issue. Her knee joints are not strong enough to hold a pose - even when she's on a stand - without major fiddling. She is a candidate for wiring. (Oh, Adrian...) She's got a little head, too. I like it as it is really more proportionate than most other 16" BJDs. 
Here she is in her new Ilaria Time of Doll wig. She's wearing Ficon designed fashions and the shoes are Paul Zhangby. (eBay/China)



If you do not already know, the Doll Peddlar is the best source for Ficon dolls, clothes and accessories once they have sold out on Ficon's website. Ficon fashions fit Jamieshow dolls beautifully.

Perhaps if I put a pair of these boots on Leonie, she'd stand up without buckling knees.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fashion-16-Doll-White-Long-Sexy-Shoes-Boots-JamieShow-Sybarite-V3-Ficon-6-SB-2-/290893895388?pt=US_Dolls_Bears_Toys&hash=item43baa096dc


4/26/2013

I Don't Believe It

A Style Mantra Eden just sold on eBay for $1,026. The winner has a feedback score of 15. There were 35 bids from 19 people. Seriously? Why would someone pay so much for this doll? I know she's popular but come on.

Integrity Toys Photo
Do you think they will debox her?


11/19/2012

Antique Doll Fetches $25,100 on eBay

James Massey sent me this piece in the hopes that it might be of interest to my readers. I thought it was fascinating. The video clip reminds me of what you see when you watch Pawn Stars...old stuff with interesting history. The doll that gets sold for $3000 is not a restored doll as was the one in the eBay auction

Source: WhatSellsBest.com
 An extremely rare Thomas Edison Talking Doll has fetched $25,100 on eBay. A pretty good price for an item many considered to be a huge flop (for Edison), back in the day.
The seller stated (in the eBay listing) that they had purchased the doll at an auction, which was selling the contents of a midwest Phonograph Museum.
They also described the dolls condition as being exceptional, stating; "Due to the amazing condition of the doll we assume that the she has undergone a complete professional restoration at some time." The talking mechanism (minus the cylinder) was also intact.
Why's It Rare?
According to historians, Edison invented the talking doll in 1877. He then spent several years developing the doll before introducing it to the marketplace in 1890. Unfortunately for Edison, the doll was a huge flop. Apparently the hand-cranked mechanism was too fragile to be used by children. This often led to them breaking and being returned.
On the Science Channel in an 'Oddities' episode which featured an Edison Talking Doll (video below) it was stated that only a few hundred were sold before the doll was discontinued. Because of this, originals in good condition with the talking mechanism, are extremely rare.
The $25,000 price, places the Edison Doll among some of the top earning dolls we've followed on eBay thus far. (See: Ten Top Dolls previously sold on eBay)

Auction Data & Statistics
The Edison Doll received 81 bids from 14 bidders over the course of 10 days. The opening bid on November 8th, was $99. The final bid was $25,100. The eBay view-counter recorded over 1,300 visitors to the listing. The auction ended on Sunday, November 18 (2012), at 5:01pm Pacific Standard Time.
For more information and close-up photos of the doll see; **eBay auction listing; #230879180702 (auction links may expire after 90 days).


8/22/2012

Need Another Place to Spend Money?

One of my favorite eBay sellers knits & crochets the finest tiny clothing. I've purchased five outfits from her for my Puki Puki dolls. Her seller ID is Maisiedoats. 

She creates clothes for several different sized dolls including Amelia Thimble, Tiny Betsey, Tiny Kitty, Puki Puki, 10" Anne Estelle and Real Puki. This month there's even something for Cissy! She lists items about twice a month. The quality is excellent. Her starting prices are very fair. Shipping is only $3. from Australia. It takes a few weeks to get to the US but it's so worth it.

A sample of Maisiedoats' current offerings:









Look at those tiny stitches and details.

Happy Shopping!

11/30/2011

Seen on the Doll Boards (R-Rated)

eBay seller markandmu aka artist Fetique+Clinique posted on the doll boards about new wigs and a new anatomically correct Ken doll. As expected the wigs are edgy. What I did not expect was this:


Do you think it's removable?

The description reads: "The sexy young fit model Taurus is special repainted and with anatomy correct like a real human." If I ever saw a real human with that anatomy I would have remembered.
More: "He is added with goatee, body hair, pubic and male organ. He look absolutely hot and sexy."

If you care to see the actual auction, click on the picture above or click HERE to go to fetique+clinique's flickr photostream.

8/27/2011

Seen on Prego Today

These gorgeous images posted by Adrian Cardozo really caught my eye this morning. This was originally a RDG Maya head, exclusive to Angelic Dreamz. Adrian gave her a Jamieshow body. The wig is her original wig, headband is Sybarite Moon's,  dress is Numina Asher's,  cinch belt by Ficon, bracelet by Paul Pham and shoes are from an eBay seller called beautytoys. 
The inspiration for the faceup was inspired by Pris (Blade Runner) with a high fashion twist and was successfully interpreted by Kari Denker aka Liquid Sunshine.


I asked Adrian to describe his photo technique for the first image. Here is what he said:
 "Since today is a cloudy day, I took this picture indoors using a mix of lights. I was looking for a warmer feeling. The lighting is coming from below the dolls feet. I found this amazing old style XR reader light (like doctors used to have on their offices) that still works amazingly well...plus one more light from the front.

After I took the picture I simply selected the background in Photoshop and used the motion blur option plus added wind...blurred again and added wind..I like the different texture that creates by doing the same selection several times...."


Thanks to Adrian for sharing his unique doll and creative photo techniques. I love this stuff!

6/30/2011

Worth His Weight in Gold?


 The new male Dynamite doll, Auden, is apparently worth a great deal of money to some people. This "Most Beautiful Boy" retailed for $59.99.  As of a few hours ago, the seven that sold on eBay this past week went for $228.50, $403.70, $355., $560., $499., $474.99, and $299. (The order was 'End Date: Oldest First.') Three of those sold were sold by an Integrity toys authorized dealer who also has a fourth listed. The dealer's eBay ID is futuresight37.  It seems that many collectors know who this dealer is and have objections to the way they are selling their products. They get the dolls before every other dealer and always post them on eBay immediately. 

He is cute and the promotional pictures of him wearing sunglasses are very cool.

The entire issue of skyrocketing secondary market prices is so common, it's practically not even worth commenting on. I remember when Mattel's platinum Cher was released. That piece of vinyl immediately became worth $500. to those who were not lucky enough to grab one before they sold out.

There's still plenty of money out there - it's just pooled amongst way fewer people than previously.

5/15/2011

Princess Beatrice's Philip Treacy Hat on eBay for Charity


I think it's pretty cool that she has put this hat on eBay for the benefit of charity. She stated that she was surprised at all the attention it got and that would be a good thing for her charities. There are even some of the public created fun pictures using the hat on the auction page. I am impressed!


Here is the link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230620500557

www.mikestone.co.uk photography

5/09/2011

Poop On ebay?

The seller prefaces all of his/her listings with the following disclaimer:

ALL ITEMS COME FROM GARAGE SALES, THRIFT STORES OR AUCTIONS. MY HOME IS SMOKE FREE AND PET FRIENDLY BUT I CANNOT SPEAK FOR WHERE THESE ITEM HAVE BEEN BEFORE. I TRY TO DESCRIBE ITEMS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY BUT AM NOT AN EXPERT AND CONDITION IS SOMETIMES A MATTER OF OPINION. ANY ISSUES NOTICED WILL BE NOTED IN THE DESCRIPTION. I TEST ALL TOYS WITH BATTERY'S TO MAKE SURE THEY WORK SATISFACTORILY. BATTERIES ARE NOT ALWAYS INCLUDED. EVERYTHING SOLD IN AS IS CONDITION. PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS. 
Would you buy from this seller? She doesn't know where the stuff has been?
"Condition is sometimes a matter of opinion." Duh! So why bother asking questions when her opinion is going to be different because she's not an expert and knows nothing.  
I have seen this type of disclaimer quite often. One doll I purchased was yellowed either from age or cigarette smoke or a combination of both. The seller told me she didn't know if the previous owner was a smoker. I suppose her sense of smell and eyesight weren't working the day she described the doll as excellent condition.

If is looks like shit, smells like shit, chances are it's been somewhere specific. 

I have to say that the majority of eBay sellers are honest people. I've had 95% success with sellers and products.
You just have to be very careful, ask specific questions and be prepared to NOT bid if the response is not satisfactory. It's your money. Hang on to it.

4/19/2011

Shimmering Touch Cissy AA on Sale

It's rare to see a NRFB Cissy go on sale for less than $199. Today the Doll Market is offering their last Shimmering Touch Cissy AA doll for $179.97. She's an LE of 150 and they have only one.

Just for fun, do a search of the web and see the wildly varied prices for this one doll.  The Doll Market is the low price. Katherine's Cottage is one of the highest at $399.99.

Remember, Cissy dolls usually carry a higher shipping price.

There is one one on eBay right now for $199.95 with free shipping.  That's a great deal, too.

1/05/2011

BARBIE BASICS - Denim

Instructions from Mattel:
"Customize. Personalize. Play! Barbie Basics is all about permission to play and now Barbie Basics takes the fashion basic—denim—to new heights! This line of 12 dolls (9 girls and 3 boys) come in a variety of denim jeans featuring different cuts and colors with details such as real pockets and metal grommets. Each doll has a unique T-shirt to coordinate with the jeans. Each pair of girl jeans also features an embroidered “B” (Barbie logo) on one back pocket."

I'm relieved that I've been given permission to play. Phew!

Anyway, I think these dolls are fabulous in concept. If I collected Barbies, I'd buy every single one of them plus the accessory packs, especially if they had articulated bodies. Can you imagine?



I wonder why there is only one dark-skinned female doll out of 9 dolls. Am I missing something here?  Photos on the doll boards are showing that the clothes are fitting the Nu Face and Poppy Integrity bodies!
The going price at dealers is $24.95 for the dolls and $19.95 for the accessory packs. Amazon and eBay are overpriced. I've heard that Target in southern Florida is selling them at irregularly reduced prices.


BTW George at Angelic Dreamz told me today that he thinks he has them all in stock.

11/15/2010

EBay - Opting Out

Yesterday another collector informed me that a seller was using one of my photographs in their auction. How did he know? My name and copyright were clearly on the image. Today the auction was ended either by eBay (I filed a complaint) or by the seller, who apparently did not understand English or thought he was doing the right thing. He may have been!
I  checked eBay's rules about intellectual property and was dumbfounded by what I found.
First of all, there are so many links to follow that I felt like giving up.  One has to opt out of a program in which eBay can add your photos to their catalog for other sellers to use. I can't even find the catalog to see if any of my other pictures are in there. I checked my preferences and apparently I am already opted out.

I'm not going to waste space here copying the text of eBay's skewed policy so here is the link. 
What I want to know is where is this catalog? I did a search for 'doll' in their catalog and came up with nothing so how did this seller find my picture? He claimed that was where he got it.

I have sold books and cameras and the eBay system offered images and text for those items but I have never been offered a picture of a doll. Maybe the jerky seller thinks my Flickr account is an eBay catalog.

Meaningless, random, cute elephant image.

11/13/2010

eBay Sellers - Always Good For A Laugh

I watch the auctions of a certain small fashion doll that was discontinued about 3 years ago. This particular auction was classified as: "New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item..."
In the description the seller wrote: "New in box in a nonsmoking home."

Her picture shows a nude doll tied into a doll box and a loose fashion displayed outside of the box.
The title she uses is that of a dressed doll from the particular line. The doll is neither dressed nor is the fashion the one the title says it should be.

I wrote to the seller and asked: "How can you say the doll is new in box if she is not dressed? She has obviously been handled and removed from her box."
One week later I received this response: "You can tell the doll is new in the box if she is not dressed because that is how I purchased the doll."

Huh?
Do you have to read that again?

5/16/2010

What Are They Thinking? Auction of the Day

Be sure to read the long-winded text to see what your $35,000. will buy for you.

http://cgi.ebay.com/OOAK-SAWYER-LOST-PORTRAIT-REPAINT-DOLL-LUX-GIFST-/250633258812?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5ae8073c

"...breathing fairy glitter must somehow damage one's ability to think clearly and cause bizarre and duplicitous behavior."

I think so, too.

5/14/2010

Misleading Auction Statement of the Week

The seller is describing a Tonner doll and after telling the color of her hair and eyes she adds:
"She has a loose lock of hair, a chip on her left shoulder, stains on her left arm (see photos), and small stains on her feet; over all excellent condition, smoke free home."

5/06/2010

Misleading eBay Auction Title of the Day

"NEW 14 Pairs Shoes for Fashion Royalty, Lots"

These are all Barbie shoes, many of which would not even fit a Fashion Royalty doll. This auction popped up in the Integrity Fashion Royalty category.

Seller's Feedback:
Here's the link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-14-Pairs-Shoes-Fashion-Royalty-Lots-/290425603027?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439eb703d3

5/31/2009

EBay Seller Steals My Signed Photograph!

I'm a little shocked and a lot angry right now. A collector friend just informed me that eBay seller betlasvegas has blatantly stolen a signed and copyrighted image of mine for use in their auctions! What kind of gall (brazen boldness coupled with impudent assurance and insolence) is that?
This person is not new to eBay and knows exactly what he is doing.
As long as this person feels he has the right to broadcast a stolen image, I am going to broadcast that this seller should be boycotted. He is unscrupulous and a thief. I wouldn't buy anything from a seller that went around stealing signed images.

The eBay seller to avoid is betlasvegas.

I have contacted the seller and reported both auctions to eBay.

Rant over.

This is the image.