Pastelprism: My Latest eBay US Haul & Shipping Cart Experience

Since I restarted my doll-collecting hobby, my passion has become more varied in terms of the types of dolls I acquire. If previously I was only collecting Barbie and dolls that were presently available in the market at a certain span of time, I was not into acquiring dolls that are second hand and from previous eras. Bigger dolls have also tapped my interest.

The availability of online platforms like FB Marketplace, Shopee, eBay PH and Lazada has opened doors of opportunities to venture into different dolls, but as the The Greatest Showman song goes… they will ‘never be enough’.

A day in May of 2018, I tried scanning eBay US site for dolls that I’ve learned about, but weren’t available in the local online marketplaces.

I was JUST curious.

I initially I searched for the 18” Madame Alexander dolls, and finally have gotten other types as well like Sekiguchi, Lissi, Barbie, etc.

I signed up for a Shipping Cart account several months ago, but was never serious about using it and it was just a matter of ‘just-in-case’.

After several dolls that have gotten my attention, I have thought ordering, pay through PayPal, and send it to my Shipping Cart US address.

Process was easy breezy! It was encouraging!

From eBay, I get to track the status of the items I bought. Once the status becomes “shipped”, I will then receive an email from my Yahoo (the address that I registered in SC) advising that they have received my package. Then I will have to wait for about a day in order for my item be available in my ‘cart’, together with photos. This will already have option to ship to my registered delivery/home address. There is a 30-day allowance for them to store my stuff, which gives time to consolidate items that I ordered from other sellers. I was encouraged to order more, thinking that I’d save on shipping costs that way.

If only I have budgets for all the dolls I want!

When I reached about 13 dolls ordered, I have decided to stop and proceed with the shipping to my home address as I reached my target shipping cost.

I proceeded with checking out the 13 dolls and I chose the Sea Cargo as it is much cheaper. I didn’t mind waiting for 30 days or so in getting my dolls. Days melt so fast lately anyway.

Wait, wait, waited….

I check the Shipping Cart website every now and then for the status. What’s good about them is that they give updates as to where my items are. Of course once they say that it’s already sailing, I can’t expect any other update until it reaches the port.

Having such an update page has given me peace of mind. Being under LBC, which is a big local logistics company, has also added to the confidence factor of seeing the items I ordered. I just had to wait.

My expected delivery date was July 20^th, but the box came earlier on July 14^th, which I really appreciate. It was also delivered right at the doorstep of my deliver address. I didn’t have to worry about finding time to visit the post office, and most of all, I didn’t have to worry about being charged exorbitant amount for taxes. What I paid for already covered them all.

When it arrived, I was out of town and only retrieved the box on a Monday, July 16^th. Since it’s so special, I didn’t want to open it right away but wanted to record, edit and put up in YouTube my “box opening” video.

The dolls had to wait in the box for 2 days more as I was always getting home late, tired and sleepy.

Finally, the evening has come!

Seeing a huge box was overwhelming and even with just the thought of unboxing them was heavenly! More so with the actual unboxing process!

Without further ado, here are the newest dolls in the Pastelprism world!