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!

The 13 dolls came in a huge box!

Magic Attic Doll
She is adorable! All vinyl, but no longer available in the market.

My Beautiful Doll
She truly is a beautiful doll!

Lissi Doll

Madame Alexander Doll

Madame Alexander Doll

Madame Alexander Doll

Princess & Me Doll
by Jakks Pacific

FibreCraft Doll

Sekiguchi Doll
Her body and legs are made of plush.

Effanbee Cissy Doll

CPK Bethany Mae Porcelain Doll
by Danbury Mint

Barbie Fashionista and Liberty Barbie Dolls

What I Have Been Up To... Dolls Galore!

Hi there!

I tendered my resignation from my job during the last week of May and today, June 12^th is supposed to be my last day. However, I was asked by the company HR to stay and I have agreed to extend until the end of August 2018. I cannot stay longer that date as it will certainly mean pushing back more of my plans.

Doc M and I are setting up a business. As of this writing, we are almost complete with the documents, which by the way were a pain to accomplish, and we are just at the final preparation for our proposed store opening on July 24^th, Tuesday.

In addition, we already have planned trips on September in Singapore (for his birthday) and one in December (Davao) to attend a seminar that is a required for our business. There is a certain service that we will not be able to offer until we are done with the said seminar.

Anyway, so much of my blabbering about personal stuff that are not dolls and toys-related. So after laying out my future plans, part of it is being able to focus on my hobby, which is toys and doll-collecting.

Lately I have been so engrossed in acquiring second hand dolls from online sellers. It’s overwhelming on the number of used, quality dolls in the local online market. I even have joined several Facebook groups, both international and local, that focus on doll collecting. Joining these groups has tapped my curiousity in finding out more about dolls throughout the years and I did not expect that there are a lot. Literally a lot! It also have encouraged me to collect more and more dolls.

You see, I started with Barbie dolls, then bought the ones that are available in the market. I used to prefer buying brand new ones with little bit of used ones.

Now, I have several vintage dolls already that goes as far as the 50’s I think. I am surprised on how these dolls have survived over the years, but thinking about their age and what they have gone through somehow gives me the creeps with the possibility of these old dolls being haunted. The thoughts, though, do not stop me from getting these dolls.

My storage problem, which I have mentioned several times over my previous blogs has not been resolved but actually have gotten worst. Our family house has been literally turned into one big dollhouse, with dolls all over the place. My mom’s console table situated at our entrance door is now filled with dolls, one of our sofas is gone on sight as it’s covered with dolls, my dad’s bar has several Barbie dolls on stands, half of my room space is occupied by dolls in boxes, my parent’s room also has dolls, and I won’t even mention the rooms at the second floor of the house plus the attic, but I guess at this point you are now getting the picture.

The addiction is not stopping and I am even now involved in trying to restore dolls. Lately I find joy in cleaning up the dolls and gives me sense of accomplishment when they have been finished – all cleaned, fixed and dressed up. I will be creating another blog entry with regards to how I clean up my dolls.

Going back to my decision to resign, one reason as well is wanting to dedicate days to clean up my clutter, which includes dolls and toys that I am no longer interested in keeping. I have started selling online, but it’s a struggle to have consistent sales. Add to that is the annoyance coming from buyers who are persistent in getting my dolls for almost free. I definitely want to earn money from these dolls.

I also would like to have time to fix them once and for all and perhaps even set up sort of a museum where I can showcase my collection. If the said ‘museum’ pushes through, I am thinking of placing in one of my dad’s houses outside the city. I have plans already, but execution is another story. My other option is fixing our attic.

I also want to travel more, and write my experiences through blogs. Besides exploring new places, my search for dolls is always in the itinerary. That holds true during my recent trips in Taiwan. The first time we went in September 2017, I hoarded Licca dolls and fashions, which required me to add baggage allowance, just to be able to bring them home. The most recent one in May of 2018, I bought a DC Wonder Woman doll, a You & Me talking doll, and 2 Mell Chan dolls, which I find rather expensive.

That’s about it so far I guess. I haven’t written for a long time so this entry somehow gives a summary of what I have been up to the past days that I was silent.

I wish to draw more readers to my blog, which obviously requires consistent entries, and be able to interact to others who also appreciate my passion of doll-collecting. Wishes do come true!

Till next! Ciao!

In the meantime, I am sharing with you the set of dolls that I have acquired the past few months.