Wednesday, August 3, 2011

GADCO's Jasmine Not as Described






Seller's photograph with visible strands of hair in doll's face
 
Jasmine arrived two weeks ago nude, as expected, but I did not expect the flaws I discovered that the disingenuous seller failed to disclose, even after I emailed my customary question to her prior to bidding:  Does the doll have any flaws that are not mentioned in the item description?  Her answer was, "No, except she's a little dusty."  With that reply, I felt it safe to bid on the final day of the auction.  I am happy that I did not bid higher than I did.

The Flaws and Discovery:
Jasmine's original ponytail holders were wrapped with baby's breath that was in the process of deteriorating.  Her braids were full of it!  I immediately removed and discarded the ponytail holders and removed the crumbs from her braids.  Next, I cut the strands of hair that were danging in her face. 

Not a flaw, but I was both shocked and amused at Jasmine's body/leg construct.  Her legs are attached to her body with Velcro, reinforced with brown threaded string from the leg to the cloth body.  This provides mobility for her legs and allows her to assume a ballerina pose as well as sit. 

Jasmine's Velcro and string leg attachment with leg separated from body


Leg attaches to body with Velcro

After removing the baby's breath from her hair and braids, I washed her vinyl to remove the mounds of dust.  While doing this, I kept scratching my finger on something underneath her arms and discovered that both side seams of her breastplate have separated.  One side has a wider separation than the other.  I am sure the seller knew this, but failed to disclose this information to me. 


Lying on her side with arm raised, the right breastplate seam separation is visible.
With doll lying on opposite side with arm raised, the left breastplate seam gap is visible.

I could probably heat the vinyl with a blow dryer to mold it closer together, but I left it as is for now.

After dusting her off, I applied a small amount of olive oil to her dull-looking vinyl.  In the process, I discovered a few scratches on her cheek.  Fortunately, I was able to smooth these out with a No. 2 pencil eraser.  Over the erased scratches, I applied knock-off Lemon Pledge-type furniture polish. 

Cheek scratches before

Cheek scratches erased and polished away

Another after photo of cheek

All Better:
Finally, I dressed Jasmine in an off-white pageant-style dress that a fellow collector sent me several years ago and a pair or brand new, white infant-size tights that were in my dresser drawer.  The dress looks quite similar to the white ballerina dress Jasmine wore originally and has a tailor-made fit.  It is embellished with antique lace, embroidered pearls, and clear sequins that complement her crystal necklace and matching bracelet.  I pierced her ears and added a pair of crystal stud earrings.  Next, I added a pair of white patent-leather shoes that were stored in my big-doll shoe stash.    I knot-tied two satin ribbons on each braid without a bow.  Finally, after purchasing two fancy ribbon bows from a beauty supply store for 50 cents each, I clipped these to the top of each braid over the knot in each satin ribbon.  Because I used what I already had on hand, Jasmine's outfit cost me $1. 


Here she is, so fresh and so clean.
The back of the dress ties with two waist ribbons and has another big bow made in back.  It also has a crinoline half slip.
Even though she arrived with undisclosed flaws, I am still happy about finding her.  She's probably happy, too.

The day Jasmine arrived, I emailed the seller to let her know I was not happy with the doll's condition.  To date, that email has gone unanswered.

dbg
 

9 comments:

  1. Sadly, it looks like your definition of "flawed" and the seller's definition of "flawed" were quite different.

    It would be nice if there were some sort of written guidelines for this.

    Glad to see you were able to salvage this pretty, pretty doll, and have a nice addition to your collection.

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  2. I'm glad Jasmine has made it home. She really is where she belongs and that is with you! I too like to inspect my "children" when they arrive as well as notify the seller if there where flaws that were not stated in the description. She was already a great doll and your TLC showcase her beauty.

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  3. Miladyblue - The seller and I may share the same definition of flawed, but it's quite apparent that our levels of honesty differ.

    eBay users are able to leave feedback, but I have not left any for this seller... yet.

    Brini - I agree, Jasmine is where she needs to be. I am glad I was able to provide the TLC she desperately needed.
    :-)

    dbg

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  4. She looks beautiful! You did a wonderful job bringing her back to life. It's sad when people feel they have to be dishonest to make a dollar.

    I am curious though, if she had told you about the breast plate and the scratches, would you have bid on her?

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  5. Hi Vanessa,

    I honesty cannot say whether I would have bid or not. If the breastplate separation had been mentioned in the description without pictures, I would have asked for pictures and based my bidding decision on what I could discern from the pictures and the beginning or current bid.

    In hindsight, it may have worked in my favor that I did not know about the damaged breastplate. Had I known I might not have bid and missed an opportunity to give this doll the TLC she so desperately needed and allow her to bring me the joy of owning a doll I've wanted for so long.

    However! I still do not like unpleasant surprises or the feeling that someone has intentionally misled or deceived me. So I'm rather torn about what I would have done or not had I known.

    dbg

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  6. You know my motto "Things happen just the way they are supposed to". Your anger will subside and your baby will still be there smiling at you, thinking, "thank goodness she didn't know about my flaws, or I wouldn't be able to enjoy this wonderful place".

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  7. I agree with your motto.

    I was never angry, more disappointed than anything, but even the disappointment subsided after I brought Jasmine back to life, the same day she arrived.

    My "However!" emphasized my memory of discovering Jasmine's flawed breastplate and my disdain for people who try to pull a fast one.

    dbg

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  8. You nreally should have left your feedback at the height of your disappointment. I'm sure you would have had some choice words for her.

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  9. LOL! That's exactly why I have delayed her feedback.

    dbg

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