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| Close-Up Adèle |
Close-up Adèle arrived a week ago today. As usual, I did not open her box immediately to inspect her. That was done this past Sunday, February 10, 2013. My initial impression: She's all that I expected and more!
It was obvious that she had never been removed from the box as all manufacturer's plastic and ties remained in place. I gently removed her from the box and could see protective plastic on her upper arms. Its removal required me to remove her robe. I gasped when I saw what's illustrated in the following two images.
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| Upper arm staining! |
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| On both arms! |
Yes, Adèle's upper arms are dye-stained in a pattern that looks like flubbed tattoos. With it being the weekend, I knew I probably would not hear from the seller until the next day, but I sent an email with the two above images attached. I wrote:
I received the Adele Close-Up that I ordered from you last week. On removing her from the box this morning, I noticed that both of the doll’s upper arms are badly stained possibly from the dye in the black robe. This was not mentioned on your website. I have attached photos of the staining for your review.Had the staining been disclosed, I would not have ordered and definitely would not have paid as much. What is your return policy?
While I awaited the reply, Adèle was placed back inside the Fashion Royalty box and that box placed back inside the shipping box. I anticipated sending her back to her city of origin at the seller's expense.
The next day I received the seller's emailed apology for the oversight and the option of returning Adèle for a full refund or making an offer on how much discount I thought was fair should I choose to keep the doll.
I chose the second option. My fair-discount offer was accepted.
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| Full length picture of the partially disrobed Adèle with stained arms |
Now I need to find a new body for her, a fully articulated one.
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| Arm stains slathered with Oxy-10 as a stain-removal attempt |
In the meantime I have applied Oxy-10 to the stains to see if it removes them. If it does, the old body can be used for another doll because Adèle will eventually get re-bodied.
Has anyone else experienced stained vinyl on Integrity dolls or any others?
dbg
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DBG, this is common with any of the dolls left in the box for so long. She has had almost 10 years in the box. The seller certainly would have no idea since the doll was NRFB. It's great that you two worked it out.
ReplyDeleteAny doll with dark clothing will find staining of some sort. It also depends on the plastic or tissue paper surrounding the doll's body.
The stains should come off with your treatment.
She is very pretty I am glad you were able to arrange a discount for the imperfection. I am with Dollz4Moi this is usually due to the doll aging wearing dark clothes inside the box.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that could happen with dolls left in boxes but I should have since I have opened some dolls that have stained parts, especially if they have on dark leggings.
ReplyDeleteAt least you were able to come to an agreement.
Ditto to Dollz4Moi and Mustiwait. It also happens with Mattel dolls. My jewel collection (Mattel) has stains on their bodies. Their dresses are velvet.. I assumed that was the reason, but I guess that it does not matter about the fabric.
ReplyDeleteShe is a lovely doll especially redressed.
I just got a copy of your books today. They are wonderful and I know will be a great resource as I am a novice collector. I recently acquired an Amosandra crawling doll the other day. I was hoping to see this doll in one of your books. I saw an Amosandra, but not the crawling version. Do you know anything about a crawling Amosandra?
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the books. They are fantastic.
Hi Saliyah,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the books arrived safely and that you're enjoying them.
I've seen the crawing Amosandra doll sell on eBay from time to time. Other than that, I don't know much about it. Did yours come with the original box. If so, what is the copyright date, if any on the box. Is the doll dated?
dbg
Dollz4Moi, Mustiwait, Muff, and Georgia Girl - thanks for your comments about Adele. The seller was very accommodating.
ReplyDeleteThe strange thing about the staining is that the inner lining of her robe is gray so I don't quite understand how the black stains occurred unless the plastic that was wrapped on her upper arms somehow caused a chemical reaction. The stains were underneath where the plastic was placed.
I have so many NRFB dolls that chances are there are others here that I haven't realized have similar issues. I have Ruby from the Barbie Jewel collection. She's one that I have contemplated selling. Hopefully she's not stained.
dbg
I've had this happen, too. I'm glad you decided to keep her. I've always loved those lingerie outfits that came with that wave of dolls.
ReplyDeleteIf you have doll stains try 411 removable on your doll stains read directions and apply a show amount until stain is removed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the 411 on 411, Lady Rose. I've never used it for anything, but will pick up some the next time I am out to give it a try.
Deletedbg
This doll is a beauty and I hope that your treatment was successful. There is another stain remover that can be used to combat stains on dolls - Remove-zit. It really works and gives very satisfactory effects.
ReplyDeleteHello Stary_Zgred,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the information about Remove-Zit. I have seen it advertised in doll magazines. The Oxy-10 did not work, but Adele has since been given a new body, which was my initial plan for her since the orignal body is not fully articulated.
Thanks again for taking the time to share.
dbg