The seller responded to my message saying the dolls head was still available and she would be happy to send to Spain as a gift and would mark the value low. I was really pleased and as a result of what I saw as her 'kindness' in being so helpful, I sent the $125 as a gift. And waited.....
And waited....and waited a bit more!
When six weeks had passed I contacted the seller and asked if she could check the tracking her end as I'd not received the head. Ah, she tells me, she didn't send the head tracked, just with stamps stuck on the parcel and she'd thrown away the receipt. Well I guess that should have sent warning bells ringing in my head but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and waited a bit more.
When more than two months had passed and still no head, I realised that the head was probably 'lost' in the post. I contacted the seller a couple of times more but she didn't respond, so that was it. I thought the head might still arrive but there wasn't anything I could do about it money-wise as I'd paid through Paypal as a gift! So my $125 and my doll head, were gone.
It wasn't until a couple more months had passed that I saw that the very same seller had been banned from the Den of Angels forum. It turned out that she and a group of other 'sellers' in her location, had been scamming buyers by selling items that they didn't actually have, using other people's photos of the said items, or using photos they'd found on the internet!!!! I'd been scammed!!!
It really put me off buying another Mirwen so I stopped looking.
So a year and a bit went by and I still wanted a tanned Mirwen, so I decided to put my negative experience behind me and I put a 'WTB' (Want to Buy) on Den of Angels and after about 3 weeks I got a message from a really lovely lady in the US telling me that she had a very pretty Mirwen for sale, was I interested? This time I was prepared and I did a bit of research and saw that she did indeed own a Mirwen and this seller was known to other BJD collectors that I am acquainted with....so I went ahead with the purchase. Soooo, finally I'm able to show MY Mirwen, and what a pretty one she is too!!!
And here she is!!!! She doesn't have a name yet, and her wig probably will be replaced when I can get one that I prefer, but apart from that, she is lovely! Her faceup is custom by a lady called Patricia Preisinger. Clothes by me, shoes by Summomo on Etsy.
And here are my two girls together, although it's not a great photo....we have SUNSHINE at last!!!! :)
In the meantime, I've been sewing in this size again, the outfit is being beautifully modelled by Chloe....
I hope you've enjoyed seeing my new girl, now all she needs is a name :)
Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting.
Hugs Sharon xx
Sharon, Mirwen is so cute! I am sure you will have a wardrobe made for her in no time.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about your scam story. That is awful! Thanks for spreading the word to others.
I am on the waiting list for a Little Darling and on the lookout for a Boneka. I think doll people are great "waiters" (chuckle).
Thank you so much Dorothy, I'm glad you think she's cute. I haven't had much time since her arrival to play with her but hope to get back to sewing for my dolls again soon.
DeleteThe scam was awful but I hope I've learned a thing or two from it, I'm much more careful these days I would hope!!!
I saw that you were looking out for a Boneka, did you find one yet?
xx
I remember you telling me about the head being 'lost' in the post and how the seller said she'd not put tracking on it! What a B***H ! Just shows how we all like to believe in others honesty, especially if they are on a doll site , when really we should be checking them out as you did with the seller of this new girl.
ReplyDeleteAs you say we live and learn but not a nice lesson all the same.
Your new girl is lovely and I'm sure she'll look even lovelier once she's had the Sharon treatment! :) And I love the little shorts set you've made Chloe.
Good luck with finding a name for her, I'm sure she'll let you know if she likes it! xxx
Yes I remember telling you about it Dee. I recall just thinking that the box was lost and I was cursing the post office and it turns out she'd never sent it anyway!! Oh well, as I say, we live and learn hopefully, but no, not a nice lesson to have to learn.
DeleteI'm glad you like the new girl, she is waiting for some more camera time, poor thing, but we've been so busy recently that she's having to wait. Thank goodness these dolls are patient eh? ;)
xxx
Chloe is one lucky girl. Not only is she getting fantastic outfits to wear and model but she now has a sister. Your new girl is lovely and I like her casual top and jeans. She looks relaxed and ready to explore Spain with her new Mum. A lovely post Sharon and have a beautiful weekend! 😊 xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Ginger! I am looking forward to sewing for her and my other dolls really soon :)
Deletexxx
Oh my, that was a real scam and shame on her who did it! But I'm very glad that you got your Mirwen! She is so beautiful and soon she will have a wonderful wardrobe and a lovely name!
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Thank you very much Niina, and on the scam too. I am very happy to finally have Mirwen, I have fallen in love with my bjds all over again recently, so she makes a nice addition to the family. I am looking forward to taking more photos with her when I get the chance.
Deletexxx
What rotten luck! I would have been fuming if that had happened to me Sharon. Thank heavens those types are few and far between, I have had some wonderful transactions on DoA with some very lovely people.
ReplyDeleteYour new addition is gorgeous, I only have one Mini Fee (Celine), but they are all very nicely proportioned and have lovely face ups. I'm not much good at naming other people's dolls, I think it's always best to live with the name they have been given until they tell you differently.
Love the new outfit that Chloe is wearing, is it your pattern? That style suits her body beautifully.
Big hugs,
X
I must admit that I wasn't a happy bunny Sandi, but the feeling I had was one of shock more than anything. I never realised how easy it was to be scammed! I had checked out all her feedback, which I do as a matter of course when I'm buying on DOA for example, I was just so shocked that I got sucked in!!
DeleteThanks very much on Mirwen, I really like her too. I didn't realise you had Celine, I will have to keep an eye out for her on your photos.
The shorts pattern is by a lady here in Spain who has a blog called Inma's Doll Collection. I adapted it a bit as I couldn't understand her instructions very well. The top is one I've adapted from a pattern on Pixie Faire which was a long tunic for Little Darling sized dolls. I was pleased how it turned out :)
xxx
Hello Sharon! Lovely dolls you have and also even more lovely when they are wearing those wonderfully sewn garments. I don't really know their size but they have to be very small, so their clothes will be. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love their faces and that they can model.
Kisses
Hi Rosana, thank you very much for visiting my blog and your comment :)
DeleteI'm glad you like my dolls, and their outfits, thank you :)
These dolls are about 40cm tall but I have ones that are about 12cm, I think that's the smallest size that I now have!!
Hugs xxx
Hi Sharon,
ReplyDeleteYour mirwen and her outfit is so beautiful.... and long awaited for you poor girl.... dark side scammers are scary, sorry for your experience, and thank you....your wise words send caution to the rest of us when searching for a new doll.... the Bjd are the best...I have been reading your blog....and wanted to ask you a question about your surgery on the Kidz n cats doll..... They are absolutely gorgeous, you have great talent.. you have inspired me and would like to change out a kidz doll I acquired. Can you tell me what mm size glass eyes Helen takes....Thanks in advance for your help
colleen ;0)
Thank you so much for visiting and for your comment Colleen, and my apologies for the slow response.
DeleteI hope you've enjoyed reading my posts.
I can honestly say that I have no idea on what size Helen would be because my eyes box, I'm embarrassed to admit, is a mess...a complete mess. The eyes are in little boxes but are not their own boxes so I generally just take the eyes I have and try them on a doll. However, I would say that it's more likely that Helen would be a 16mm in glass eyes because they have relatively big socket holes. Alternatively to guessing, there is a way of measuring the eyeholes to get a better idea, I think you measure from corner to corner and go by that. I'm sorry that I can't be any more help than that though, but you might be able to find better information by googling.
Hugs Sharon x