INTRODUCTION

When shopping for fashions for your dolls, there is nothing more disappointing than recieving something you didn't expect.  Your money is valuable and there is a definite disappointment when you spend your hard earned money on something that doesn't share the value of your money.  There are literally 100's of  tailors/seamstresses creating fashions for a wide range of dolls, and the prices range as greatly as the fashions themselves. 

You will find high priced high quality items and you will find high priced low quality items.  Most doll fashion designers claim to be talented, experienced, and claim that they are providing a high quality item to their buyers.  Unfortunately this is not always the truth.  The more people interested in collecting, the more people that will decide that they are qualified to make fashions for dolls (afterall how hard could it be?).  Sadly many of these 'designers' are in it for a quick buck.   The more of these designers that appear on the market the harder it becomes to find the diamond in the haystack. 

So how does one increase their odds of finding something good to spend their money on?  Educate yourself on the terminology and learn what to look for in a fashion, in this guide I will walk you through alot of the basics of the craft, as well as give you tips and pointers to help you pull the weeds and get to the flowers, so to speak of course.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

When shopping for doll fashions there are a number of things to consider and to look for in order to ensure a smooth transaction between you and the seller. The more educated you are on your  purchases the easier the transaction will likely be.  Here we will cover things to look for in a 'good' auction listing.

DESCRIPTION

Within the Auction there are a few aspects that should be covered, they are laid out here.

1. What doll is the fashion designed to fit?  It is important that you know who the clothes will fit so that you are not suprized by fashions that are much to small or much to large.  (eg:  If shopping for Barbie you don't want to buy Dollfie Clothing as they may or may not fit your Barbie )

2. What is included in the auction?  Is the auction for a full outfit or just one piece? This should be clearly stated within the auction description. (eg: auction includes stockings, skirt, top)

3. What is NOT included in the auction?  This is sometimes just as important as what is included. (eg: if you expect that shoes, doll and wig are part of the auction and only stockings, skirt and top show up it could be detrimental to your budget)

4. How is the item constructed?   The finishing of the garmet is just as important as what is included.  The construction determines the life of the garment.  If it is not constructed well it will shorten the usable life of the item.   (eg:  A knit shirt constructed with straight stitch seams and no other finishing will likely fall apart if the seams are pulled or subject to any over stretching.  The same shirt made with a serge type stitch will last much longer and survive the 'wear and tear' of being put on and taken off a number of times)

5. What is the outfit 'run'?  How many of the outfits have been created or will be created?  Is the outfit One Of A Kind (OOAK )  or are there many of them out there in the same fabrics/style/colors as the outfit you are considering purchasing.  Typically an One Of A Kind would have a higher value as it is the only time that that outfit will be offered, while outfits with a larger edition run may come up for sale at another period in time. 
   

6. What are the Shipping and Handling Fees?  This is important as it does add a cost to your order, and you should always factor in the cost of shipping and Handling into what your bid is.  Does the seller offer combined shipping when you purchase multiple items? What is the fee for additional items? (eg:  I purchased $159 on 12 auctions from multiple sellers and paid $110 in shipping for those items.  So I paid $13.25 on average for the item itsself and $9.17 for shipping.  This made the cost per item on average $22.42.  In this example had I found one seller that had all 12 items I wanted it is possible I could have saved a considerable amount of money) 
   

7. What is the Return Policy?  Does the seller accept returns? On what basis? Will your money be refunded or will you recieve merchandise or exchange credit?  This is always important, a good return policy typically denotes that the seller is confiedent in their product and is sure that you will be satisfied in your purchases from them or they will work to make things right.

8. What are the shipping options?  Does the seller offer a variety of shipping options to meet your needs?  If you have a gathering planned and want the outfit by the weekend but the seller is clear across the country and only offers parcel post shipping with a 3 day packing delay there is a good chance that your item will not be delievered in time. 

If you have any questions about the description or if anything is not clearly stated be sure to ask the seller your questions before placing your bid.  This is the best way to ensure that everything is clear and that your items will be delievered to your satisfaction.

PHOTOGRAPHY

We all know that when buying an item on an online auction that the best indication of what we are recieving is shown in the photos themselves.  The better the photos we see the better we are able to see the items we would potentially be bidding on. 

• Photo Clarity.  If a photo is clear and easy to see details in it will be easier to determine exactly what you will be recieving.   If a photo is poorly lit or overly lit it will cause the items to appear improperly.  You will not have a clear idea of what you are recieving from photographs such as these.   
  

  
  

  In the photo examples above, can you choose out the example that is the better quality image? While the first photo has a definite artistic appeal to it, it is much to dark to accurately show the colors and/or details that the outfit features.  In the center photo, the photo is too light and the details and colors appear washed out and inaccurate.  The last photo is taken in good light and the details and colors are closest to what you would actually recieve.

• Item details.  Can you see in the photos the details that make the item unique and that create its construction?  If there is topstitching, is it straight?  Are there exposed seams or stray strings that detract from the overall appearance of the item?  Are there any noticable holes that should not be present in the outfit?  Do the seams appear straight?  What type of hem does the item have? 
  

• Fabrics.  Can you see the details of the fabric?  Is the fabric approporiate for the item you are looking at? (eg: does it add to the overall appearance of the item or does it seem out of place in the design)   Does the fabric feature a print or design?  Is the design in scale to the doll or does it appear out of place and/or too large/small for the item made from it?    Is the garment lined?  Can you see the lining?  If more than one fabric has been used, do the colors 'work' for or against eachother? (eg: a neon green and a dusty rose would not typically create a good color combination)
  

• Style.  Does the style suit your own tastes in doll fashions?  Will the style be aesthetically pleasing on your doll?  Does the item fit the doll in the photographs well?  Does the fit of the item on the doll suit the style creaeted (eg: if it is an evening gown for Tyler and is baggy and loose this typically would not be a good combination; if it is a street wear fashion for a boy doll you, a tight fit would not typically suit the style)

• Details.  Do the details that you can see in the photos constitute the price that the seller is asking for the item? 
  

PAYMENT

It is important when shopping in an online auction to consider both the payment time frame available for items as well as the methods of payment that the seller accepts.  Most ebay sellers offer a number of payment options, the most common 2 are paypal and money order. 

Beware of sellers that ask you to send cash, as cash is not a tracable form of payment it could be very easy for a seller that recieved cash in the mail to claim that it was empty or never arrived.  Even with delievery confirmation or other methods of tracking a cash shipment a seller could claim that the envelope arrived empty. 

You will want to ensure that the time frame for payment (typically 3 to 10 days) and the method of payment offered by the seller work for both you and your wallet.  If the seller wants payment immediately and you do not get paid for 5 days, this is something you will want to discuss with the seller before placing your bid.  You do not want to incur a bad feedback because of lack of communication. 

FEEDBACK FROM OTHER BUYERS

I have noticed that many buyers do not tend to like to leave Negative feedback in fear of the seller leaving bad feedback for them in return.  I have noticed buyers on many feedback pages that leave a negative comment under a positive rating.  It is important when buying items to actually read some of the comments.  Ebay makes it very easy on a feedback page to read the comments from 'buyers only'.   If a seller has 1 or 2 less than perfect feedbacks vs. 100 true positives, it is likely something in life that got in the way with the one or two customers that affected how smoothly those transactions went.  Life happens to everyone, including ebay sellers. 

The most important thing to remember when reading feedback is to use your best judgement, if something hits you as 'uncomfortable' chances are it is not a seller you will wish to deal with.  If you find a disheartening comment in the feedback it is within ebay's acceptable policy to contact a buyer and find out what their experience was with the seller. 

In all fairness however, I suggest that you contact 2 customers that left good feedback to every one that left a bad one. People tend to focus on the negative, and if you are looking for more information about a seller from a buyers standpoint, be sure to take a look at both sides of the situation; the positive and the negative.  Many times you may find that the situation was resolved after the feedback was left and that the buyer did not bother to follow up their feedback comment with the resolution.

CONTACTING SELLERS

Many sellers are very busy people, with families and/or other jobs and ebay is a way for them to suppliment their income or is just a hobby.  As a good rule of thumb I highly suggest giving a seller at least 48 to 72 hours to answer any questions that you have asked.  Many sellers will contact you back within an hour or two; but some do in fact need considerably more time to contact their buyers.  Keep this in mind when you contact any seller, and give them ample time to handle your questions. 

CONCLUSION

When buying anything in an online auction be sure to consider all of the facts and weigh your purchase wisely.  Remember when it comes to buying doll fashions any seller can claim to be talented/experienced but the real truth will lay in the item photos and description itsself.   If the photos and/or description are lacking detail there is a good chance that the item itsself is as well.  With a little education and a keen eye you should be able to wade through the quick buck sellers and find the sellers that are in it for the long haul.  Always use good judgement and your dolls will be the best dressed 'on the block' so to speak. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide, I hope that it has been a helpful service to you as a buyer of Doll fashions.