tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post476379761686263349..comments2024-02-09T19:26:30.796+02:00Comments on The Multicrafteral Lab: Updates and a rantBlackKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-52651400120754127932019-07-29T09:42:43.607+03:002019-07-29T09:42:43.607+03:00Thank you! There's a Craigslist type website i...Thank you! There's a Craigslist type website in France that I used a couple of times to find dolls when I visited there, but I actually live in Eastern Europe. I remember seeing MT in stores some years ago. Gorgeous but they cost half a regular person's salary. We don't have car boot sales either. Many people don't have cars. The ones who resort to selling their old things don't usually have brand dolls. I picked up a genuine Teresa for about 50 cent last week but she's in terrible condition. It's pretty much a bald head with stains and bite marks.BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-77002133896282839962019-05-24T15:58:17.747+03:002019-05-24T15:58:17.747+03:00Yikes, those prices are horrific. I live in Englan...Yikes, those prices are horrific. I live in England, and while we don't get awesome deals like the guys in the US do, we don't have it half as bad as you do. Of all the European countries, I think England is probably the luckiest in terms of dolls. <br />Prices for rare dolls are still ridiculous, though. I adore the Moxie Teens dolls, but they're not easy to find. I can't tell you how much it pains me when I see Americans leave MT dolls behind, especially when they're only a few dollars. <br />I think stalking eBay and other second-hand shops are the best options. I visit charity shops frequently, although they only get dolls in once a month or so. And car-boot sales, whenever they're on. Do you have something similar to car-boot sales in France? <br />I really hope these companies start to consider branching out, especially to places where you don't get much variety doll-wise, and good luck with finding dolls! Fayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12929900924607602781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-16804922532612395402015-09-22T08:30:48.695+03:002015-09-22T08:30:48.695+03:00I do the fabric softener trick. I use tiny spray b...I do the fabric softener trick. I use tiny spray bottles from a breath freshener. It doesn't help the "crimped" look, but it's a great detangler and antistatic. I wish we had unscented softener, I always look for "sensitive" and "baby" varieties but the smell always makes me nauseous.<br />Thanks for the shipping tips! Some dolls are so overpriced that it costs less to Fedex them from the USA than buy them the regular way. J-dolls, for example.BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-11642359049138307502015-09-10T23:52:27.523+03:002015-09-10T23:52:27.523+03:00if you get frizzy hair after a boil wash, watered ...if you get frizzy hair after a boil wash, watered down fabric softener spritzed onto it works great (for most play line barbies and soft haired monster high dolls this works - the ones with kanekalone hair), and if you have one of the saran haired ones, it restores lost shine. I haven't tested it against other types of hair yet, but I found that it is a great hair saver. I use a cheap spray bottle from the dollar store, fill it about 1/5 to 1/4 with fabric softener (unscented) and the rest of the way with water. just spray the doll's hair with it and lightly brush it in. that usually does the trick (and you don't wash it out). if you put it on straight, the fabric softener makes the hair clump a little, like wet hair.<br /><br /><br />if shipping wasn't so expensive to send things overseas, I would offer to get the dolls you want and mail them to you. sadly, it is very expensive to mail things internationally (it can cost more then the price of the doll to ship!).If you do buy from the US, what I would do is ask the seller the weight of what you are buying. then go to USPS.com and check to see how much shipping should be. That should at least keep you from being gouged too much by shipping, since you will know approximately how much it costs to ship. most MH dolls in their box weigh close to 1lb, if that helps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-55684534837232870872015-08-02T11:18:26.004+03:002015-08-02T11:18:26.004+03:00Thank you! When I did my first boil-wash, I though...Thank you! When I did my first boil-wash, I thought I'd never do it again because it was so annoying (I actually said these words in an old post)! And now it's just routine. I got used to it. I already have most Mattel characters I like so I cut down my purchases from them; now I try to work on the dolls I have and look for other doll lines or old, pre-glue Mattel dolls. BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-63868311187565268672015-07-05T19:58:24.685+03:002015-07-05T19:58:24.685+03:00You're very good with styling the dolls' h...You're very good with styling the dolls' hair. Personally, when I buy a doll I can't wait to take pictures of hair and sometimes her hair is a complete mess. One of my last dolls, Coffin Bean Toralei, had such a messy hair that even such an impacient person as me gave her a super quick boil perm (being very carefull not to touch her scalp, because it was a river of glue). I want to try on doing a reroot at some point, but I havent found the doll or the time to do it.<br /><br />Good luck with your next doll hunt. monstercraftshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783206408776211745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-43577814944427197192015-01-06T11:00:17.159+02:002015-01-06T11:00:17.159+02:00Most Americans are shocked when they hear the doll...Most Americans are shocked when they hear the doll prices in Europe :) I just recently drooled at 50 euro "Barbie Look"s. As you say, it can't be a logistics problem. I hope American toy companies will think about expanding to other continents because their products still sell here, but they could get more profit by cutting the middleman. I'm not an economist though so there must be other reasons why they don't do that...BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-59448748358662729362015-01-01T19:43:57.824+02:002015-01-01T19:43:57.824+02:00OMG!!! I'm choking over those prices!!! We are...OMG!!! I'm choking over those prices!!! We are so spoiled in the US. I have so many SIS dolls because most only cost me 8 USD in the local stores!!! The most expensive were the Baby Phat SIS dolls, priced at 14$ at Walmart. That Ken doll on the right originally sold for $20 as was most of the Barbie Basics line. I just don't understand why these dolls cost so much in Europe. After all...they're all made in China!april_n_parishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14548456156450662065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-23487763727996497922014-11-17T10:57:59.651+02:002014-11-17T10:57:59.651+02:00Hi Saffy, thanks for the long and useful comment! ...Hi Saffy, thanks for the long and useful comment! It had so many links I thought it was spam at first =) Luckily Blogger didn't think so.<br />I didn't even know I had a longtime lurker :D You're welcome to come by more often, I promise to be more prompt with my replies!<br /><br />That was a very comprehensive list you gave me, I'll be returning to it in the future. I don't live in France, I have some contacts there but their schedule doesn't allow them to handle mail problems, so if I want something delivered, I better be there to sort it out myself.<br />It's useful to know that amazon.fr's warehouse is in Orleans. Depending on your distance from it, you know when to expect your purchase. One time we had to go there and ordered a doll in advance, because we were almost certain they couldn't screw up a delivery in the same city (they didn't) :) The doll (MH GNO) cost only 17 euro.<br />I'm ashamed to say I did pay 30 euro for a doll on several occasions, and shopped at Toysrus too. In my defence, all those dolls were a lot more expensive (or unavailable) in my country.<br />I also know about the Chinese factory rejects, fakes and steals. I bought one such doll through aliexpress.com (15$) and now I'm waiting for some original shoes. Too bad their Barbie assortment is bland...<br /><br />I'll try to arrange some ebay purchases, thanks for the recommendations! And for you Flickr link, you have a beautiful collection (^^)~<br />Thanks again for stopping by!BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-69146936939031247442014-11-16T14:00:38.414+02:002014-11-16T14:00:38.414+02:00Thanks, Mrs. Anderson! I'm thinking about buff...Thanks, Mrs. Anderson! I'm thinking about buffing Raven's face a little - I noticed that Barbie faces, who look more lifelike, are slightly shinier. Seeing how the colour range in the two doll lines is similar, this must be it.<br /><br />Thanks for the tip on the elbow, I tried once to disassemble a Barbie arm (unsuccessfully), next time I'll try heat.<br /><br />I check European ebay stores sometimes, but my paypal is blocked (they caught me using it from the wrong country >.<) and I have to jump through many hoops to make a purchase. Even when I do, it's rare to find a seller that will ship to me. Your last sentence is probably the most appropriate for me :)BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-52553092680377722182014-11-16T13:47:52.921+02:002014-11-16T13:47:52.921+02:00Thank you, Barbiebeauties!
I'm an avid followe...Thank you, Barbiebeauties!<br />I'm an avid follower of your blog and I know about your incredible boot sale finds :) Even though you share our frustration of not getting THE dolls you want for a reasonable price, you can console yourself with the unique dolls you find once in a while.BlackKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014093330317682849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-45443644682410007112014-11-07T01:00:06.308+02:002014-11-07T01:00:06.308+02:00Hello Blackkitty - congratulations on the dolls - ...Hello Blackkitty - congratulations on the dolls - and the cat :) <br /><br />Buying dolls - I get by as best I can. I find that the best (often the only) chance to buy new, collector-level dolls comes 3 - 9 months after the American release, when prices suddenly drop. As you say, there's still a pretty big mark-up though, so mostly I don't do it any more, I love playline stuff and older second-hand dolls (which I get from car boot sales and eBay) anyway, so I don't feel massively deprived most of the time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-91166783726258800472014-11-04T18:42:16.030+02:002014-11-04T18:42:16.030+02:00Congrats on the new kitten! You're right about...Congrats on the new kitten! You're right about Raven's "skin" - I've never thought about it, but "caked foundation" is a spot-on description! It's very ...compact, somehow. <br />My Dreamhouse Midge has the exact same elbow defect, although it's never really interfered with her articulation. Just given her arms slightly different range. You could take the arm apart and check (apparetly they're meant to come apart, but unlike with MH you need to soften them first so I haven't tried it yet. Good to know about the difference in skin tones too. <br /><br />And doll prices... I was just about to post my own rant on the subject. amazon.co.uk was pretty good before they stopped offering free shipping. Ebay.co.uk and ebay.de is another alternative to buying from the US. Sometimes you make incredible, unexpected finds in thrift stores. Or I just tell myself I'll but it when I get rich. :)Anderson's All-Purposehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08061361058670001577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5938454543246275999.post-72726407218922680812014-10-31T16:01:01.719+02:002014-10-31T16:01:01.719+02:00Hi and congratulations on the new kitten!
I'm ...Hi and congratulations on the new kitten!<br />I'm a brit in france and I get most of my dolls on ebay.fr or ebay.co.uk second-hand because the regular prices (in real stores and online stores like toysrus.fr) are insane. It means waiting and hunting for quite a while, as well as learning how to fix used/slightly damaged dolls but I just can't afford 30€ a doll and it stings too hard knowing that if I was in the USA, that doll would be $15 (or $10 with whatever sale they often have). I'm not paying $20 extra to Giochi Preziozi or whoever imported the doll !!! It's a shakedown!<br />J-dolls are currently for sale in the US at Tuesday Morning stores at 20$, I don't collect them but there is a special TM buy/trade thread going on at dollymarket.net http://forums.dollymarket.net/showthread.php?tid=7258016 which is another place I purchase dolls because doll collectors are so much more honest about the state of their dolls (defects, etc).<br />Toysrus.com ships to europe but it costs around $30 so that's a no.<br />Amazon.co.uk has semi reasonable shipping prices to france if it's amazon themselves not an affiliate selling the doll. That's how I got my Bratzillaz Victoria Antique.<br />If you're in france, there is also priceminister.fr (second hand) and ebay.com occasionally has chinese sellers selling factory reject heads for monster high or barbie (search for doll head -case -wig -plush with worldwide and free shipping ticked and under $10)<br />You might need the hola.com unblocker for firefox to avoid the stupid ebay.fr error messages.<br />There are several Thai sellers who list barbie heads in unusual hair colours and rare face molds, the heads need boil washing on arrival because they may have glue in the hair for the hairstyling but that how I got a few of my favourite barbies (after buying a batch of cheap damaged faced barbies for their bodies on ebay.fr - http://www.ebay.fr/usr/gillette37 )<br />http://www.ebay.com/usr/handmade-ooak ; http://www.ebay.com/usr/ooak-handmade; http://www.ebay.com/usr/sawai2011 ; http://www.ebay.com/usr/zawai2012 <br /><br />To be honest, at the moment, when I really want a doll, I usually offer custom dolls or reroot service in exchange for someone in the right country buying + shipping it for me! It's been the most reliable way to get non damaged, non "wonky face paint" new dolls.<br />Feel free to contact me if you'd like a list of ebay france searches<br /><br />hugs,<br />Saffy (longtime lurker)<br />Saffyhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/saffy_suppi/noreply@blogger.com