You Can't Do This But You Can Do That or Else

Earlier today I received an email ordering me to remove 5 image captures of new Poppy Parker dolls which show the SAME EXACT DOLL THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO POST ON BLOGS, FLICKR, ETC. I was threatened with possibly not being able to attend webinars in the future. I honestly was a bit shocked at the harshness of the email.  It's also funny (weird, sad, stupid) because tmy blog post in question about the Poppy dolls was a very positive post which urged people to hurry up and shop. This will not happen again. 

I was on the road when the email came in and I responded immediately that as soon as I get home, I would delete them. That's all I wrote. Their next email told me to hurry up! I am not kidding.

Yes. W Club members who signed up to see the webinar did have to sign a non-disclosure agreement which included filming the presentation or copying photos and showing them prior to a certain date. 

I waited until several other bloggers published these new pictures from the W Club site. This was also after dealers were permitted to open sales and had published pictures. These were the same exact pictures we saw during the webinar with one difference. Some of the pictures were combined into a montage as I show below. I made this picture from the allowed images. It is the same as the image seen during the webinar - I know because I captured it on my computer. God forbid I post it here to show you but if you email me, and I am not busy, I will send it so you can compare. My angle of the insert is a slight bit different. 

I had no idea I was doing something wrong because I know they read my blog and I don't cross the lines they've drawn in the sand regarding this stuff.

Send in the FR police. My publicity isn't the right type of publicity.

IT Promotional Images combined by me.

Me thinks it's time to stop with this company that watches me like a hawk. I think they would be very happy if I stopped buying their dolls and went away.

Maybe this post is breaking a rule, too. OMG.  I'll keep you all posted.

"Blog triumphantly," said a friend a few years ago.
If you are reading this, I will never forget that.

The Barbie That's Staying

Deboxed vinyl Barbie dolls don't last long in my collection. Right now there are three. My favorite is this Tarina doll.

Besides being adorable and having a really neat pink head of hair, she now has an articulated body which is essential IMO.  She can wear Poppy Parker, Silkstone, NuFace and Misaki clothes. It doesn't get better.
She was released by Mattel on 6/1/08 at a retail price of $79.95. She did go on sale at BC.Com for $30. at one point. It's rare to find an NRFB for much less than $90.

All that aside, she's a cutie. Here she is dressed in an Integrity Toys Sabrina outfit made to fit the Poppy Parker body.

The camera has a hard time dealing with the intensity of the hair color. Or is it the photographer?

Tonner's Antoinette and Her New Gown

I was very lucky to be able to get the fashion from the doll called Sweeping Antoinette.

It is perfect for my redhead Simplicity Antoinette.

I'd like to get back to concentrating on one doll at a time. It may take the rest of my life, though.
The issue with these big manufacturer releases and pre-ordering is that one gets too many dolls at one time. That's no way to appreciate the beauty of a single doll wearing different fashions. I have dolls that have never had time in front of a good camera. I currently have 11 or 12 dolls (I'm not even sure.) on pre-order.
It's ridiculous and it keeps happening. I think the companies count on the fact that we lose track of what we're ordering because of the time gap.
I am going to do what I did 3 years ago. I'll print out a sheet with the doll pictures and all related info. When I feel the need to order more, I can look at what is coming. Maybe that will work.

I want, want, want. I'm a sad case.

I want this outfit from Fanciful Antoinette. Sigh.

Integrity Toy's March 2013 Unveiling

The newest releases have hit the dealers sites.
Itt looks like the Poppy dolls are going to be the biggest success of the lot.
They are already sold out at several sites. Of course, the dealers who sell them at MSRP sell out first like Cherished Friends and MFD. I haven't checked the rest but if you want them, you'd better move on it.
I thought they were adorable. MSRP is $89.  Each doll is edition of 750.

Note: Images were removed as per the request of Integrity Toys.

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The Fashion Royalty dolls are now called Fashion Royalty Classic. The price per doll has gone up $20., from $110. to $130.  Of the five FRC, not one spoke to me. I do not see the connection between the early FR and these dolls. Vaughan kept repeating that there was some type of connection. Possibly the only connection is that the clothes are not hideous.
None of the super-popular sculpts were used.
The first thing I thought when I saw Anja was that she is pregnant. Dania is nice. Kesenia still looks like a vampire. Korinne - meh. I would have liked a slim skirt with that lovely blouse. Jordan's outfit is lovely. I wish she wouldn't stand with her toes pointed inward. I know it's a FASHION THING but it's time for a different position.

Captivating
Anja™ Dressed Doll

Ambitious
Kesenia™ Dressed Doll

Nostalgia
Dania Zarr™ Dressed Doll

Splendid
Jordan™ Dressed Doll

Polished
Korinne™ Dressed Doll

Show and Sell Pages Resurrected - For How Long? Back Up Your Information

First thing this morning I checked out the S&S site and everything was back to normal. There was no more warning about closing. Could it be that the begging worked? I am sure Steve and Rae became aware of the outpouring of emotion from collectors and the tremendous offers of help.
If they have had a change of heart, I hope that they make the rules of membership stronger and I hope they do accept some assistance in dealing with the nut jobs.

I have taken some measures just in case the site is shut down permanently. I didn't have a problem with losing photographs because I save all of my pictures in a SELL folder on my computer. When the item is successfully sold, I delete the picture. The problem is the description and the price. I don't want to lost that information again to I took screen shots of every listing. On a Mac the keyboard strokes are Shift/Command/4 and then you select the part of the screen you want to save. I don't know what the keystrokes are on a PC but I'm quite sure you can do it.

This is what a general screen shot of my listing looks like:

 ___________________

 If I needed more specific information, I would click on every ad and take a picture of each individual one.

___________________

This way, if I have a detailed description, I can copy it to another site when I list it.

Hopefully I will not have to do this.

Another site that Rae and Steve operate is a picture hosting site. This has been around for years and some collectors have hundreds of their photos stored there. If those sites close, they will lose their images if they haven't backed up their files.
Just like Flickr and other (free) hosting sites, they have no responsibility to stay open if they choose to shut down. If something with their software fails or their server goes down, you will not have access. Always back up your photos so you have access to your files. External hard drives are relatively inexpensive these days. Get one and back up your stuff.
Then, every so often, fill a CD with the files and store it somewhere else safe just in case. If your files are important, protect them. Don't rely on the internet, the cloud or anyone else.

Really Bad News

The following email was sent to all registered members:


TheDollPage.com is closing up.

If you have any images on either of our albums we suggest you copy them to your computer as soon as possible.

We will attempt to keep most of the sites running until June 1st to give you time to make other arrangements.

We thank you for your support over the years and apologize for the inconvenience our closing may cause you.

Admin


On the Show & Sell pages it says that there were too many complaints. I have no idea what happened.  I am very disappointed. Steve and Rae provided an amazing service and unfortunately some rotten apples ruined it for all of us.  If there is a way to change their minds, I would love to know.