****FELLOW ARTISTS AND DOLL LOVERS - FEEL FREE TO SHARE!**** I am really tired of seeing good people get ripped off by scammers and plain dishonest people in the dolly world. Here are some tips for new buyers to avoid disappointment: Number 1 - DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! I cannot stress this enough! Before you pay someone a PENNY, find out who you are dealing with. Dont be afraid of looking silly - any artist worth their salt will have no problem with you asking for references. Very often a simple post on Facebook, or in one of the many Facebook scammers groups just asking if anyone has experience buying from So-and-so will generate tons of feedback. 2. PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES! Never, EVER buy a doll without being able to see it clearly, close up, and from every angle. If you are buying a doll with rooted hair, but in every pic you see the doll is wearing a hat, ask the seller for a pic of the doll without the hat, and also from the back and side. If they have nothing to hide they wont mind. Same goes with every part of the body. ** If they say their camera is suddenly not working and they cant take more pics, tell them youll wait til they can can borrow a camera or MOVE ON! 3. If it seems to good to be true, IT PROBABLY IS! This is especially true of silicone dolls but good advice for everything. If someone is offering a doll at a price that is too good to be true, find out why. 98% of people who complain about getting ripped off are the same people who buy reborns for under $100, from dark grainy photos and when they get the doll they say This is not what was described! Its crap! Well, duh! Thats not to say you cant find bargain, or boo boo babies from honest sellers for cheap, but again - RESEARCH! PICTURES! As for SILICONES.... where do I start.... Ok..stay away from Ebay listings selling silicone dolls from CHINA. Very often they dont say its from China, but it might say CN as where it ships from - that doesnt stand for Canada! China likes to find out what Americans want to buy, and then they produce cheap knock offs. Most are not even silicone, theyre vinyl, and the cheap silicones are crappy copies of real artists dolls that have been stolen without permission. Stay away. Other people - criminals - in the US, Canada and Australia will list on Ebay showing pics of adorable silicones at wonderful prices. (Not to say you wont find a decent silicone in that range, just be careful) Those pics ARE pics of real, wonderful silicones....but the pictures are stolen and you end up paying $500 - $1,000 and either end up with nothing, or with a horrible lump of silicone that looks like a burned baby. Again - RESEARCH! RESEARCH! REFERENCES! PICTURES!!!!!!! Next: ****HOW YOU PAY!*** If you purchase a doll on Ebay and you pay with Paypal, your purchase has certain protections. If you dont receive your doll within 180 days, (thats 6 months, but WHO WOULD WAIT FOR 6 MONTHS???), you can file a claim thru Paypal and Ebay for ITEM NOT RECEIVED. But you MUST file BEFORE the time limit is up!!!! Criminals know this and will string you along, telling you its in the mail or almost done or the ever popular Ive been sick. If the story sounds fishy and there is no proof (like a VALID tracking number) that your doll has been sent - FILE THAT CLAIM!!!!!! Dont worry about making the seller mad - if they are not doing their job and communicating truthfully with you, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! And if you have not worked with an artist before **DO NOT PAY THEM THRU PAYPAL USING THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY OPTION!** Once you do that, you lose the ability to file a claim if something should go wrong!!! Criminals know this! If they ask you to pay this way so that they dont have to pay fees, either offer to add a few dollars to cover fees and pay as Goods and Services, or walk away. No honest, reputable artist will force you to pay that way. And lastly ***COMMUNICATION!!!!*** If an artist chats you up, answers all your questions, takes the money for your order and then disappears - watch out! Yes, artists get busy and cant spend all day chatting with you when they need to be working, but if you place an order, get a time frame for completion (NEVER longer than Paypals 180 days!) and as time gets closer and you dont hear from them, dont get WIP or work in progress pics, and they dont reply to your emails, be ready to file that claim!!! And remember, once you receive your item, be sure its what you ordered and what you were promised!!! If not, ask the artist to make it right and if they dont - file an ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED claim as soon as possible. So to review - RESEARCH! REFERENCES! PICTURES! PAY THE RIGHT WAY! TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE! COMMUNICATION! and FILE CLAIMS IN A TIMELY MANNER! Do everything you can to protect yourself. Be an educated consumer! ♡
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:06:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015