http://www.dollsdolls.com/index.php/site/index/ en Monarch@dollsdolls.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-03T16:34:02+00:00 http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/what_it_means_to_be_going_out_of_business/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/what_it_means_to_be_going_out_of_business/#When:15:34:02Z The realities of closing our store are complicated, but this week, I'm going to focus on what you need to know about our shop and how this will affect our business as we prepare for the inevitable. There are many changes we've had to make to our store policies to accommodate the amount of work that needs to be done and the increased customer traffic to our store in San Antonio and to our website: Unfortunately, it is no longer feasible for us to guarantee shipping or delivery times - we will still send emails confirming that your order has shipped along with the tracking numbers for your packages, but our promise to fill orders within 1 business day isn't one we can keep for certain. Our closing sale began only two days ago, and we have been quite busy ever since, so schedules are something that we're having to negotiate based upon availability of in-store staff. All sales are final, and all items are being sold "as is." We will not be accepting returns, exchanges, or refunds. Sadly, we will also be unable to give partial shipping refunds. We have returned all of our online merchandise to our regular retail prices, but we have not increased costs for shipping. We know shipping is very high, and we will not be charging more for shipping and handling services; however, we will not be giving refunds to domestic or international customers, regardless of the actual shipping costs. Our "billable" and "dimensional" shipping weights have not changed, and some of them, though seeming quite high, will fall far below the actual cost of postage, and some will be charged what will turn out to be more than actual postage. We are taking significant losses in order to clear as much of our inventory as possible. In the case of most orders, the coupon code will provide a discount that more than covers shipping charges or their excess, so technically, shipping should be a non-issue and in a great majority of orders, enough should remain of the discount to still benefit customers with a great deal on our wide variety of items. We apologize for this change to a policy we have always been proud to honor, but this is just one of many policies that do not fit with the harsh realities of going out of business. Our policy from now on is that since you are able to review your purchase total, including shipping (and applicable tax if you live in Texas), then you are agreeing to buy and pay for the items in your cart without condition. The fact that we are closing and hosting a storewide clearance sale is plastered all over our news section and online shop, so it is also presumed that you know the circumstances of the discount and the disclaimers that accompany it. Furthermore, we can no longer accept layaways or hold items. Everything is first come, first served. Though we will still be doing our best to maintain our online inventory, updating as often as possible, we cannot guarantee that an item purchased online will still be in stock when we receive your order. This is not necessarily because of lack of attention to the website; we will still be updating it from our in-store inventory and monitoring activity on it closely. But the clearance sale has attracted a lot of attention to our physical store; so, with higher volumes of sales, the odds are higher than even at Christmas time that we will sell something in store at the same time that someone buys it off the website before we have a chance to remove that item from our online shop inventory. In this case, we will of course cancel the order and refund your payment in full - this is the only situation in which we will grant a refund. Also, we will most likely not have the opportunity to respond to requests for more photos of items, nor will we be likely to answer questions that require a lot of investigation, such as the nature of certificates of authenticity and other materials. We will absolutely try to respond to any such inquiries, but we cannot say with any certainty whether or not we will be able to answer your questions, least of all in a timely manner. Likewise, we cannot guarantee any item will come with its original box, but as always, we will ensure your item is packed well and shipped safely. Again, all sales are "as is," regardless of condition, certificates, boxes, or any other circumstances. Every single item on the website is being offered at a discount that would more than account for any such discount we might have given based on condition or lack of original materials. The coupon code located on the banner above every page of the online shop provides a discount that exceeds what we normally offer for damaged or incomplete collectibles. Currently, the plan is to keep the online shop running even after our brick-and-mortar location is closed. We will keep unsold merchandise online for as long as we can in hopes of clearing whatever remains in stock after May. We have already changed the shopping cart to accept only PayPal payments - we cannot accept credit cards anymore. The checkout process is simplified by the fact that you do not need to have a PayPal account to pay for your order using PayPal. Simply click PayPal to pay, and you will see the option to login, create an account, or checkout as a guest of PayPal. The system is safe, secure, and well-guarded against fraud. Response time to online purchases will drop off dramatically after our physical location is closed. This cannot be helped, as all of us have to find new jobs and will have new challenges and duties ahead of us. We will give further details as needed. And again, the coupon code can be found on the banner above every page in the online shop. If you do not enter this code, you will not receive a discount, and discounts will not be applied retroactively for an order that has been processed and paid. So please make sure you have the coupon code ready before proceeding to checkout. Thank you for your understanding, patience, and support in this tumultuous time. We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2012-02-03T15:34:02+00:00 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:34:02 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/another_doll_store_closing_its_doors/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/another_doll_store_closing_its_doors/#When:16:27:53Z Even though Monarch Collectibles has managed to keeps its doors open through a harsh economic climate and the rapid decline of the doll industry, we regret to announce that we will be closing our doors forever in May. As we begin our Going Out of Business sale on February 1, I'm taking this opportunity to reflect on the path that led us here. If you do a search for doll store closings, you'll find many websites and news articles detailing the last days at their physical location, and in some cases, a transition to conducting business exclusively online. The circumstances surrounding the decision to close a store are usually the same, if not identical - retirement, the rise of the Internet, the fall in demand for dolls, and the reality of today's economy as consumers cut back on spending. These are problems the collectibles industry is suffering universally. First, we have the obvious, which is that small businesses with lots of overhead - our store is 6,000 square feet - are not surviving the competition with e-commerce stores with little to no overhead expenses. A brick-and-mortar location needs employees, and we run on a minimal staff of three; it also needs electric, heat, air conditioning, and water - all additional bills that Internet businesses do not have since they are usually run from home. These expenses overextend a small business like ours. When you can barely meet your monthly utilities, it's impossible to offer free shipping or deep discounts like many of the most successful Internet merchants. Even though so much of our stock is hard to find elsewhere these days, it's still very difficult to compete with the overcrowded online market. Then, there's the fact that while many people visit and love our store, only a small percentage of those who come in actually buy something, and usually their purchases are within a tight budget, as is the case for just about everyone these days. People are spending less, and if customers are buying, they're cutting corners around every possible penny. Again, we cannot compete. Dolls, plates, and miniatures can run collectors quite a lot of money, and the first piece of any budget to be trimmed is often hobbies. But in a grander sense, collectible dolls along with limited edition plates and bears have been declining as a pastime for years; this has cost the world many of the stores that specialized in catering to those collectors. This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons a lot of doll companies and manufacturers have stopped showing at IDEX and other trade shows; doll stores and traditional merchants such as ourselves are disappearing, and it no longer makes sense for them to attend for the few doll retailers that remain. Last but not least, many of the business owners who have been in the doll and collectibles business have been doing it for decades, and like our owner, Sandra Bradley, they are ready to retire. With interest waning and the revolutionary effect the Internet has had on sales and consumer trends, the business isn't what it used to be. Our owner has talked about the times when it used to be a lot of fun. It was simple too - buyers wanted dolls, and came in to get them. Now, there are all kinds of merchant processing fees that are constantly being raised as banks try to regain momentum by charging the small business more. Shipping incentives to small businesses aren't much better. And now, there are hundreds of setbacks that can befall you in a global online market where fraud and thieves are completely anonymous and have discovered new ways to scam small businesses with no recourse. The world is changing, and so goes the doll world with it. We have done our best to keep up with it, but like so many others before us, we feel this store has come to its natural end. We have loved being here to bring dolls to generation after generation of children and adults, but now we too must succumb to the reality that has claimed so many others. Starting February 1, we will begin our closing sale, and we hope you will take advantage of our storewide clearance. Please pass the word along to everyone you know who might be interested. And if you see anything on our website that you would like, our advice is to grab it while you can, because once it's gone, it's gone. We will not be restocking, accepting any layaways or holds, and everything sold must be taken home or shipped immediately. Going Out of Business Sale Details: http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/going_out_of_business_sale/ So what does this mean for the future of our online shop and remaining merchandise? The website will still be maintained until everything is sold. More on that in next week's blog. We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2012-01-25T16:27:53+00:00 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:27:53 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/going_out_of_business_sale/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/going_out_of_business_sale/#When:14:44:16Z After 29 years, Monarch Collectibles will be closing its doors in May. Starting February 1, we are having a huge "going out of business" sale - everything in store and online will be 30% off! Store fixtures are also available for sale and will be available for pickup in June. Thank you to everyone for being a part of our lives; we have all thoroughly enjoyed being a part of yours. Store News & Sales 2012-01-24T14:44:16+00:00 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:44:16 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/netiquette_for_the_doll_enthusiast/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/netiquette_for_the_doll_enthusiast/#When:16:28:54Z Springing from last week's New Year's Resolutions, this week, we have some ideas about how your net etiquette, or "netiquette," could make or break your experience in today's online community of doll artists and collectors. In my previous article, we discussed the online buying and selling virtue of patience - a quality that it's worth exploring more here, because as I said, it goes a long way. But how? What does being patient prove? What could possibly be gained from being patient in a situation where you are upset or uneasy? It can be very difficult, but when you exercise the graciousness and consideration that a little bit of applied patience will lend you, clearer heads will prevail. All of us have seen countless arguments and squabbles in the doll community, in groups and on message boards - at doll meets and conventions even. Surely, we've all participated to some degree, even if just to act as peacemakers or try to be the levelheaded voice of reason and impart our patience to others when their impatience with one another reaches volcanic peaks. Still, bouts of verbal judo ramble on, often deteriorating to slam contests that sixth graders would deem beneath them - yet carrying the same kind of language and exhibiting all the communication skills of a text-obsessed, embittered tween. What does this say about us? What does this say about dolls and the people who make or collect them? What kind of impression does it leave upon us, our loved ones, and newcomers to the hobby? We get disenchanted, our loved ones are convinced we're wasting our attention on being part of something that is mired in drama and grief, and newbies grow discouraged or lurk in silence for fear of tripping a virtual landmine. When did a hobby like doll collecting become so riddled with unrest? Such are the things that make dolls look ugly - far beyond any bad paint job ever could. From a much more practical and less abstract standpoint, common courtesy goes a long way when investing oneself in any transaction as well. When one person keeps their wits and calm head, there's little room for interpretation if the situation turns sketchy or hostile. Now, there's no switch you can throw to turn off your emotions - you will be angry, outraged, frustrated, and hurt, specifically when something goes wrong with a transaction or someone seems to be doing something wrong to you. There is nothing wrong with feeling betrayed or infuriated. But when communicating with someone, even if you suspect them of trying to cheat you, the best thing you can do is respond firmly but politely with patience and maturity. Do this if for no other reason than because it will make all the difference if a moderator, mediator, or administrator becomes involved. We've heard more than a few stories where a transaction went bad, and the victimized party maintained their civility while the party accused of pulling something shady went on a defensive tear or became belligerent and unfriendly in no uncertain terms. Every single time, the intervening body, be it eBay, PayPal, or forum administration sided with the one who kept their cool and handled the situation well despite the circumstances. It really does pay to be the bigger person. Have you ever heard this expression? "Never argue with an idiot, because someone will come along and wonder which of you is the idiot." Chances are that you have heard this gem or some variation of it. Closer to its original version, it's about being dragged down to the level of a fool, leaving you indistinguishable from their limited degree of intelligence and infinite childishness. There's an insurmountable, yet absurdly simple kind of truth to this. Grace under pressure and in the face of ungraciousness is an admirable quality, and no one respects it more than when e-commerce is involved. As I pointed out last week, there's no looking anyone in the eye or shaking someone's hand online, so when you do business on the Internet, you must be prepared to put your best face forward. In this case, you are what you communicate. If you are consistently hotheaded when it comes to questions, criticism, or trouble, then your character becomes one of ill temperament to those who interact or transact with you. When you allow pettiness, jealousy, or aggression to get the better of you and dictate how you react to bad situations or even someone attacking or cheating you, then no matter the catalyst, you lose credibility, and you may become liable for any problems since you seemingly cannot approach them with any tact or thought. Don't give anybody the opportunity to wonder if you're the idiot. Walk away, take some time out and step back for a while, or just take a deep breath and come at trouble with a resonant but mature and patient response. Time and time and time again, I can almost guarantee that the one who exercises reason will be the victor rather than the one who relies on slight of tongue. Remember one of the lessons we learned watching Wile E. Coyote: the only thing a short fuse does is blow up in your face. So next time you're disputing the description in someone's reborn auction listing or trying to explain that you cannot take less than your selling price for your limited edition ABJD, remember that every message, word choice, and the person reflected therein means the difference between being a respected and trusted member of the doll community and being perceived as someone who is unreliable, flies off the handle, and has an unfavorable consumer reputation. The view from the higher road is more than just personally rewarding - it leads to more business and better business standing all around. The majority of people active within the online doll community already knows and understands these principles. But even the best of us get caught up in the need to argue back or fight for the integrity of our position, product, or practices. Of course, I’m not suggesting that we all need to be perfect, but we do need to be understanding and mature; patience, grace, kindness, and consideration will follow. My intention here isn't to lecture or preach - just to suggest that our community, and in turn our hobby, is better for us being better at participating in it. We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2012-01-18T16:28:54+00:00 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:28:54 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/new_years_resolutions_for_the_doll_enthusiast/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/new_years_resolutions_for_the_doll_enthusiast/#When:15:56:00Z We're back from our holiday hiatus, and our first article for 2012 is a short list of some New Year's resolutions you may want to consider as a doll collector if you're active in the hobby. Now, sure there are plenty of resolutions that, as a doll enthusiast, you probably already make all the time: get organized, whittle the collection down to a manageable size, repair or restore dolls that need some attention, put your dolls on display, take some out of the boxes, toss out the boxes you don't need, etc. But we're going to focus more on interaction within the hobby than the actual collecting. For instance: Resolve to be more patient. It's hard, I know, but a little patience could go a long way in more than a few situations. Waiting a day or two or even a week when there's not a time limit on a particular doll might save you money spent on an impulse buy that you'll later regret. How many times have we thought, "WOW! I have to have this one!" and then a few weeks or even months go by before we receive it, and then we're not nearly as excited or satisfied with our purchase when it arrives as we thought we would be. By then, we tend to have our eye on another doll. Or at least, that's how I - and a lot of my doll fanatic friends - can be. Sometimes, waiting is the key to being able to tell if you really want something. If you still covet the cuddly dolly creature in two or three days, a week or a month later, then it may be worth it, but if you find that your passion for that particular doll has already dulled, then it's best that you waited and let that one go. Exercising patience isn't just a virtue that will help you when making purchasing decisions; it'll go a long way when communicating with the seller, or buyer, as the case may be. Granted, patience isn't at all an easy thing to maintain when you send a seller/buyer a question or when you place/receive an order and you're rearing to go for the next step. Difficult as it may be, try to cool your heels. Many of us respond within hours if not minutes of receiving a message or order. But even those of us that reply instantaneously go on vacation, leave without notice or knowing when we'll be back, have emergencies that take us away for an indeterminate amount of time, or problems that occupy us even though we know we have other responsibilities that we've temporarily moved to the backburner. It's easy to get frustrated, upset, or even panicked, especially with the inordinate amount of scammers lurking seemingly around every corner. But take a deep breath, and try to have patience. I'm not saying you should place your trust and faith in everyone who contacts you, but give their life circumstances the benefit of the doubt. They have a life just like you do, and you wouldn't want to be interrogated or unfairly blamed because someone freaked out that you had something else to do that took priority. None of us can be online all the time. Here's an example: I was on break for the holidays last week, and when I returned, I tended to many duties, and when I got around to emails, I noticed one that had not been replied to, and so I replied. Instantly, I got a response back in all caps mocking the timeliness of my reply and the content of my response, even making false claims about having come in and bought the item in question because no response was received within 24 hours. The two-sentence message was in a harsh tone that was completely uncalled for and unwarranted. Patience is a courtesy that we can all extend to one another, and that courtesy is what greases the wheels of e-commerce. When you can't look someone in the eye or shake their hand on the Internet, all you can do when making transactions online is send messages that carry an air of kindness and grace about them. When we take the time to be gracious to one another, that's how we build a rapport in our online community and Internet marketplace. It sounds ridiculously cliche, but a little patience really does go a long way. Resolve to be more supportive. With all the competition in an overcrowded market with a shrinking customer base, it's easy to forget that we're all in this together. We need to support one another in a time when the demand for dolls has hit a downward spiral due to the world economy and the trends, hobbies, and technologies that are outpacing and outselling more traditional pastimes and collectibles. The shadow over the industry was cast long ago, and squabbling combined with in-fighting and highly competitive sellers that are more frienemies than friendly competition just makes the shadow that much darker. Divided we fall. And if you don't believe that, I can attest to the number of people I've seen leave the hobby - not the message boards, forums, blogs, or communities, but the hobby - because the politics and clique-mentality of some hostile corners of online doll collecting disgusted them to the point where they couldn't separate the dolls from the ugliness they experienced or witnessed among their fellow doll collectors. To quote several of them, "It just took all of the fun out of it." And isn't the fun of it what we all love about this hobby? Why would people even indulge a hobby if it weren't fun for them? Now, in an age where it's easier than ever before to unite doll hobbyists under the umbrella of the Internet, some are falling victim to the arguments and trash-talking that happens on occasion. There's no reason doll artists can't support one another, and that kind of encouragement can help the community grow so that the many who think dolls are a dying art won't be proven right any time soon. I see so many good-hearted doll artists and collectors reach out to others in their community every day - sometimes it's as simple as advice or a tutorial or a link, and sometimes, it's even simpler, like just welcoming a new face, or commenting on a picture. Support your fellow doll artists and doll collectors. And whenever possible, please support your local doll store, even if it's not really "local." Even if you shop brick-and-mortar stores on the Internet, your order makes a difference. Stores like ours are slowly closing and disappearing. Brick-and-mortar small businesses, particularly ones that specialize in hobby items such as dolls, can't afford to offer the kind of discounts and shipping deals that Amazon or a national chain might, but stores like Monarch Collectibles need your business more. So we ask that you please consider searching doll shop websites for the doll you want before turning to big discounters - there are many of us still out there, holding on, and all of us rely on your orders to keep from becoming the next store to have to close its doors. This way, you can support small business and the doll industry. Keep this same principle in mind when buying from individual artists as well - most people who make dolls know that it's not nearly as profitable an undertaking as others might imagine. The vast majority of doll artists struggle like every other kind of artist on the planet. So instead of turning on each other, try to understand that if we treat each other as rivals, then there is nothing left of the hobby but embers of a flame that we extinguished by our own hand. The majority of people I've met and seen in the doll community understand this already, but it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves and resolve to stick together. Resolve to be unapologetic. This may seem counterintuitive to the resolutions I've suggested above, but that's not really what I mean. This is more about countering the kind of opposition that you might run into on rare occasion that falls within the bounds of what I described above. Don't allow yourself to be bullied out of a hobby that you love. Don't apologize for not being as good as another artist or for making a mistake on a doll when trying to learn the craft. Don't let anyone make you feel like you don't belong in the hobby just because your style is different or not to the taste of most collectors. Some of the best artists in history have set their own standards for what art is to them. We can all share our opinions, style, tastes, and individuality without conformity becoming the law of dolly land. Diversity is what makes every hobby, and indeed, everything interesting and great. The only time something looks bad or seems wrong with your creation is when you think so. This doesn't just apply to those within the doll community, however; it applies at home and offline too. Stop apologizing for your hobby, for who you are, and what you enjoy. Family and friends may accuse you of wasting money or being foolish to take on such a strange interest. Try not to give into the inevitable desire to defend yourself on every front with a monologue's worth of desperate explanation. Tell others that we all have the things that spark something in us, and none of us need to justify our passions to another. And let that be the end of it, because if they don't understand by then, they most likely never will. You can ask for their support, of course, but if you don't get it, don't vie for it. Unless you're inhibiting your life significantly or experiencing self-destructive psychological/social behavior because of your hobby, then your only gauge of approval should come from within and be guided by how genuinely happy your passion makes you - not just for a couple minutes or hours, but all day, every day. The only real reason to be sorry is if you give your hobby up because someone else wants you to, and not because it's what you want. These are just a few ways that you, and all of us, can enjoy our doll community more, both online and in life. I hope some of these resolutions will help you make 2012 a very Happy New Year! We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2012-01-13T15:56:00+00:00 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:56:00 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/give_a_little_bit/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/give_a_little_bit/#When:16:36:23Z 'Tis the season for giving. We give to our children, our families and friends, and we try to give back to the community by volunteering or making a donation. For doll collectors or gifters who want to make a difference in a child's life, donating a doll is a beautiful way to brighten the holidays for children who may not be able to afford the simple joys of a hobby that some of us can barely swing ourselves. Chanson with Baby by Yolanda Bello With stories of anonymous donors paying off store layaways so families can have toys or even clothes for Christmas, it's no surprise that there are many children who won't be getting dolls this year. Maybe they've never even had dolls, or their parents haven't been able to get them nice ones, like those you and I sometimes take for granted. Having a baby doll or a Barbie doll sometimes isn't even worth what it used to be, even if sentimental value is the only form of worth those dolls have left. The number of collectors out there trying to find buyers for dolls at fractions of the price originally paid is absolutely staggering, and many of us feel that leaving a doll in the box or a closet or somewhere holed up in storage is a waste of a beautiful treasure that someone could really cherish. We all have those dolls that have lost value or that we simply never touch and feel are being neglected by either us or our children. And when there are dolls on eBay starting at $1 with no bids, there's no reason why, at this much of a loss, the doll might not be better off given away to someone who will truly appreciate it. If you or your daughter are willing to part with a few members of your dolly family, you can find countless ways and places to find that doll a home where it will brighten the spirit of a little girl who could use some cheer for the holidays - and the rest of the year too. So where do you start? Well, Goodwill and the Salvation Army are always excellent places to begin. You donate your dolls or other toys to them, and many times, they either sell or auction the item for a few dollars, which is far more affordable for those who could never afford those luxuries otherwise and every cent of revenue made from your donation helps to support their cause. You can drop off donations at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army centers and stores. You can try other outreach organizations as well, such as United Way and the Red Cross. And of course there's always the well-respected Toys for Tots program. You might be able to find charitable thrift stores similar in nature to Goodwill and the Salvation Army that often have specific causes or beneficiaries they're affiliated with or physically attached to that depend on their proceeds. All of the above are also excellent places to ask if there are other nonprofits or programs in your area where you can donate the dolls and toys directly to children. If you prefer to hand your doll, bear, or toy to someone who will give it directly to a child whose heart will warm immediately with the donation, all you need to do is look around you and make some phone calls. There are many local community centers and foundations that help people, families, and children in need, and some of them may be looking for toys and collectibles that would enhance the childhood and holidays of less fortunate children very close to home. Children's Shelters for orphans are places you can call to ask if they would accept such a donation. Other candidates on the calling list might include churches, church groups, soup kitchens, and children's advocacy groups. Hospitals may or may not accept donations of dolls - for instance, St. Jude's Children Hospital said they only accept financial donations at the time we called them, but the pediatrics wing of your local hospital might accept your dolls and toys, so you should call to check first. If these places are not accepting donations of what you have to offer, don't give up! You can ask these places for a referral to somewhere that you can donate. Just because one group won't take dolls or isn't taking donations at this time doesn't mean there aren't other worthy causes that you might not even know about in your own neighborhood. If you're still having a difficult time, you might want to try an old-fashioned Google search. You can probably turn up dozens of results, local and national, in a simple search for "donate dolls" or "donate toys." You can also go to DonationTown.org, which has listings of resources and various charities as well as nationwide pick-up services for donations to certain organizations. With all this being said, it's time for a couple disclaimers: First and foremost, know that many of these places might not accept your donation if the dolls/toys aren't in new to very good condition, and broken toys or dolls in need of repair are not appropriate to donate for a variety of reasons. You may find somewhere to take a doll in used condition, but "gently used" seems to be the standard cutoff for quality of condition. Dolls in poor condition are most likely better suited to flea markets or plain old retirement. It goes without saying, but we'll say it here anyway; please just keep in mind that donation isn't an alternative to the trash for a doll in such disrepair that you wouldn't want to receive it either. Furthermore, we aren't endorsing or vouching for any of the charities listed here, because when our store donates dolls, we find local charity auctions and raffles to donate them to pretty easily. We just wanted to present you with options we know to be available and give you a place to start your research. Last but not least, remember that Christmas is the season for giving, but we can give year-round, and while charities of all sorts receive many donations during the holidays, they need our donations and support year-round too. This is one doll collector to all the rest of you out there asking that if you have a Barbie sitting in your closet, still in the box, that you got when you were 10, and it's eBay value is, oh say, a constant $9.99 with no bids, or if your daughter has a play doll that's in decent condition, and she hasn't played with it in a long time and doesn't mind giving it up, please consider donating that doll so a child can enjoy something that you and I might consider a hobby or a luxury, but that would mean the world to a child who might not have any presents under the tree, or much of anything at all. We at Monarch Collectibles wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2011-12-21T16:36:23+00:00 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:36:23 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/its_not_too_late/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/its_not_too_late/#When:15:40:19Z There's a limited number of days until Christmas, and you're probably thinking that it's cutting it too close to order your gifts online, but it's not too late. We can offer you a couple solutions with expedited shipping, and we bet that other stores and sellers would also be willing to work with you to get your presents under the tree just in time. We've received a lot of phone calls asking if we have items in stock and if we can get them there before Christmas. This is exactly what buyers should be doing if they are on a website and unsure how up-to-date, responsive, or active the online merchant or store is at this time of year; call or email, and if you get an answer and it satisfies your curiosity, the next topic to delve into at this point is shipping timelines. How fast can they get it to you and how much will it cost? Unfortunately, prices for shipping are always high, especially when the volume of mail and parcels skyrockets during the holidays, so you can expect to pay a lot more for expedited shipping, but when you've found the perfect present, sometimes it is worth the extra expense to see the look on someone's face when they open it on Christmas Day. We can't tell you how flexible other stores or sellers will be, though most will probably be happy to work with you on the matter, but here's what we can offer to make sure that your gift gets to you in a timely fashion. We're offering expedited shipping options within the contiguous U.S. via UPS and USPS. Both options add to the costs of shipping and handling, but these methods should increase the chances of getting your order just in time: Expedited Shipping Option 1 - USPS Express Mail with full shipping insurance and tracking at a flat rate to any of the 48 contiguous U.S. states for $57. Expedited Shipping Option 2 - UPS 2nd Day Air with full insurance and tracking at a flat rate to any of the 48 contiguous U.S. states for $85. Expedited Shipping Option 3 - UPS Next Day Air with full insurance and tracking at a flat rate to any of the 48 contiguous U.S. states for $149. These are flat rates for shipping that we will apply regardless of weight; however, larger and oversized items must be packed separately, and the flat rate charge is per box. For example, we can fit several Madame Alexanders, collectible plates, doll outfits, or North American Bears into one box, and the flat rate is good for that entire shipment, but we can only fit two Adora baby dolls in one box, so a third would have to be shipped separately in its own box or with a fourth, and so on. We will advise you as to the number of boxes required to ship your order upon receipt of your expedited shipping request, or if you contact us before placing your order. IMPORTANT NOTE: These charges will not be applied at the time you place your order. You must email or call us to let us know you want your package expedited and which of the above shipping options you would like to choose. We will then ask for payment for the remainder of the expedited charge. In other words, you pay regular UPS Ground shipping upon checkout and then let us know by email or phone which expedited shipping option you want, and pay the balance, either by credit card over the phone or by PayPal invoice sent via email (you do not have to have a PayPal account in order to pay the invoice that will be emailed to you). If you do not call or email to let us know that you want your package expedited, your order will be shipped via UPS Ground, which takes an average of 3 to 5 business days to be delivered, but may take longer due to the high volume of deliveries during the holiday rush. UPS cautions that guaranteed delivery dates cannot truly be guaranteed over the holiday service period, so packages may arrive after scheduled dates if shipped UPS Ground. All orders and requests for expedited shipping service received after business hours will be processed immediately the next morning at the start of business. As soon as we receive your payment for the balance of the expedited shipping, we will ship your order the same business day (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time). All orders shipping by our standard domestic service option, UPS Ground, will also be processed within the same business weekday. Whether you're shopping online with us or another Internet market or store, we encourage you to contact them before placing your order to be certain that your order will be received, processed, and shipped in a timely manner so it doesn't arrive too late to be under the tree on Christmas morning. We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2011-12-14T15:40:19+00:00 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:40:19 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/tis_the_season_to_be_wary/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/tis_the_season_to_be_wary/#When:19:48:52Z Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for many of us. It's also the time we have to be the most cautious unfortunately, because thieves and scammers feed off the holiday shopping frenzy. We have a few quick tips to avoid falling victim to one of these crimes. Whether you're at the mall or on the Internet at home, you're at risk. Here's a small list of things you can do to help guard against any such problem developing. When Buying/Selling Online - Check feedback. There are always clues attached to the insight someone else can provide from their previous experiences with the buyer or seller. Sometimes, the feedback tool is pigeonholed by policies such as that of eBay where sellers cannot review or rate buyers, and Amazon does not require any feedback from sellers about buyers, but there are message boards and websites where you can research a person's user ID, and find out what their selling or buying history might tell about them. It's often as simple as a Google search of the username. - Try to use a method of payment, such as PayPal, that will ensure that you have protection in case the seller (or buyer) pulls any tricks or starts acting strangely, such as suddenly falling out of contact or becoming unreachable, or turning hostile or aloof - these are all red flags that something shady might be afoot. - If I've said it once, I've said it several other times - never mark anything as a gift when sending a PayPal payment or a parcel across international borders unless it is unmistakably a gift, because you will not be able to dispute a payment send for goods if you send money as a gift and you can get in trouble marking items as gifts when mailing them abroad because it is simply and absolutely illegal. - Speaking of customs - Buyers, make sure you know what your country's customs, duty, or value-added taxes are on items you buy from other countries, because chances are very good that you will have to pay taxes on importing these items, and you are wholly responsible for these charges; Sellers, make sure your listings inform customers that they are likely to incur these fees and taxes, so there are no surprises and so there is a place for you to point if they try to claim that you are responsible for these additional expenses. - Don't psych yourself into jumping to conclusions. Things happen, circumstances change, and we all have occasions where we have to give an excuse, sometimes one that sounds outlandish and yet it's the truth. Granted, Internet scams often involve someone going to great lengths to deceive you with such excuses, but just because someone is out of touch for a bit or is less than accommodating while telling stories of a personal situation that's holding up their life doesn't mean their whole purpose is to take advantage of you. Sometimes jumping the gun causes more tension than you know. Be patient, stay reasonable, seek counsel from others who may or may not know the buyer/seller, and if you find yourself worrying or pacing, let the other party to the transaction know that you have concerns and that a valid tracking number or photo or simply a returned message would do a great deal to ease your mind and put your growing doubts to rest. - If you've done all of the above, and you've gotten nowhere, take timely action and make sure you've documented correspondence between you and the other party (buyer or seller), even if it was by phone. Keep names, dates, addresses, and watch the marketplace for activity that might be a tip off that something is wrong. If any warning signs crop up, report them immediately - to eBay, PayPal, Amazon, or whatever company or administration the marketplace or forum has governing commerce through that particular site. When Buying/Selling at the Store - Even though computer crime seems absolutely rampant as the Internet is ripe with scammers searching for people to anonymously scam from the safety of their desktop computer, the truth is that the old-fashioned method of stealing is still the most popular. More thieves snatch your purse, wallet, keys, credit cards, etc. in the split second you look away while shopping than could ever target you online. I learned this lesson the hard way, because my wallet was recently stolen at work in a holiday-fueled spree of thefts in the area. So this is a warning for customers as well as the staff members who assist them. Watch your belongings. Keep track of your items and little ones at all times. Don't leave anything or any child to wander off without you for even a second. While in the workplace, beware of anyone roaming into areas where they have no business being. - If the business where you are shopping/working has security cameras, park your car or vehicle as close as possible to the obvious coverage areas of these security monitoring devices. Vehicles are less likely to be broken into when they are in a well-lit, well-traveled section of the parking lot, and your more likely to catch a thief or vandal on film, if not in the act, if you are within sight of these cameras. Yes, it's the holidays, and that will probably prove especially difficult, but driving around waiting for the perfect spot to open up maybe worth it if your car is safer, and you can feel more secure while you're inside the store searching for the perfect present. - Look at your credit cards. No, really, look at them. When a clerk, cashier, or waiter hands you back your card, make sure it's yours with your name on it. Before leaving the register or checkout area, make sure you have your card(s) accounted for. It's very difficult to juggle bags of presents or groceries, especially with children, and opportunistic thieves know it and wait for their chance to pick up a forgotten, dropped, or unnoticed card. - Make sure you have the credit card numbers and any other important ID numbers written down at home or somewhere safe. Don't carry your passport, social security card, or all of your cards with you. Leave anything you won't need on that particular outing at home or locked away in a safe place. Keeping a backup credit or debit card for emergencies is also a good idea. Carry as little cash as possible. While credit makes it easier to spend a lot without comprehending how much you're spending, stolen cash is a total loss whereas credit can be restored since pretty much all credit card issuers have fraud protection, and you should not be held liable for any charges that were not made by you or an authorized user of the card. Cash, however, you will almost certainly never get back. With all this covered, you can save yourself a lot of trouble if something does get lifted or stolen from you - trust me, I just went through this ordeal, and after a lifetime of never losing track of my wallet, it was stolen in an everyday situation and environment, and as they say, so much wisdom comes from the beauty of hindsight. If you do find yourself on the unhappy end of such a crime, report it to the local police immediately, no matter where it happened, no matter what was involved. The chances of recovering what you've lost after learning a horrible lesson the hard way may be slim, but if there's even a remote chance you can get back your money or get justice for what happened, that chance goes right out the window if you don't bother to file an official police report. You're definitely never going to get it back if the proper authorities don't even know it's missing. And reporting can help catch a thief further down the line to prevent others from becoming victims. Spread the word online if it happened to you on the Internet, and if it happened in a store, alert store management and security so they can keep a watchful eye for the predators should they return. Amidst the hectic rush of the holidays, it's easy to forget your usual vigilance about your safety and security, but whatever happens, don't let the petty crooks steal your holiday spirit and Christmas cheer! We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2011-12-07T19:48:52+00:00 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:48:52 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/doll_story_an_original_childrens_christmas_tale/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/doll_story_an_original_childrens_christmas_tale/#When:16:20:20Z On this first day of December, with 25 days now until Christmas, we wanted to kick off the official holiday season with a story about a lonely little doll looking for a good home. Originally written as a basis for an activity at the last meeting of our store's Dolly & Me Club (held the last Saturday of every month), I wanted to share this little story I wrote for the kids who love dolls as much as we do.   Doll Story One Christmas Eve Before the sun rose in the sky, Outside on this street, A sad doll wandered by. She had nowhere to go, So she peeked inside the doll shop. And in the soft glow She saw rooms filled right to the top. Suddenly, a Muffy Bear Opened the door. Muffy said, “Hello there! We have room for one more.” She rushed right inside With a smile on her face. She was so happy, she cried. “This is a wonderful place.” “You’ll find a home here,” Said Rainbow Brite. Tink filled with cheer. “I bet you’re right!” She left her troubles behind Along with her sorrow. She knew she would find Things would be better tomorrow. They rushed her upstairs And dressed her in shiny new clothes, As Barbie declared, “You look fabulous in those!” Her new friends made sure She was on the right track. She’d be lonely no more! She’d be loved and love back! “We’ll put you somewhere That you’re sure to be seen.” Ava pointed. “Sit in this chair. You’ll feel like a queen!” She sat right away, And settled into her spot. As night became day, They talked and laughed quite a lot. Soon, the store opened, And little girls came by the bunch. She sat smiling and hoping. Maybe she’d have a home in time for lunch. To no such avail, Some of her new friends left the shop first. But she refused to fail. She had just left behind a life much, much worse. If her new life was this, Always waiting to go home, A real home would be missed, But at least she wouldn’t be waiting alone. Wendy left, Ginny left, And too many babies to count. Delilah and her ferret left, And they waved on their way out. A Little Princess and her porcelain doll, They left just before 3. One girl left with doll after doll after doll. But “What about me?” The store was closing, And the new doll hadn’t been found. But she couldn’t start dozing! There was still one little girl walking around! As the girl went right past, The doll stared sadly at the ground. But could this be her chance at last? Because the girl whirled halfway around! Her eyes were bright, And her heart lifted high. “This doll feels right!” Relieved, her mom gave a sigh. She scooped the doll right up Out of her majestic seat. Mom thought it was luck, But it was fate that they would meet. Now this young girl And her new best friend Had but the world And hours on end. As the girl held her doll tight And twirled across the floor, They would both be all right, Sad and lonely no more. Just as they left, The doll waved a big, grateful good-bye. She nearly wept, But dolls that are loved have no reason to cry.   I hope you and your children enjoyed this quick little story, and we hope that your holiday season is off to a wonderful start full of magical spirit and that heartwarming cheer. We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2011-12-01T16:20:20+00:00 Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:20:20 GMT http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/before_you_buy_that_doll_or_gift/ http://www.dollsdolls.com/news/before_you_buy_that_doll_or_gift/#When:17:13:09Z The holiday season is just around the corner, and with that in mind, we have a few tips that might help the shopping process go a bit smoother with fewer buying mishaps - simple suggestions that are good for Christmastime and year-round. The Christmas shopping frenzy can often leave us a little flustered, and sometimes we overlook details that would have been better considered before making a purchase. For instance, if you've ever bought anything that requires batteries without realizing that the batteries aren't included, then that just means you're human because every single one of us has made that mistake at least once in our lives - and if you haven't, e-mail me because you'd be the first I've ever heard of who has never done that. But be forewarned; it's such a ridiculously common error that I probably won't really believe you anyway. So I would put the mandatory check for batteries on this list, but many of us will forget it still. In the same holiday shopping spirit, here are a few basics that we could all do well to remember this season - as well as the rest of the year. Ask Questions First Whether you're in a store or shopping online, I cannot emphasize the importance of asking all of your questions before you purchase. In a physical store, this is a lot easier - for both customer and sales staff. You get to see something in its full 360-degree glory, examine it, and come up with questions on the spot before walking up to the counter, where any questions that come to mind at the last minute will certainly be answered before you hand over cash or card to the person behind the register. It's simple enough, which should be expected, because there's an actual person right in front of you to tend to your buying needs. The only thing you really need to keep in mind here is that it's easier to inquire about something while you're there than having to return it before the holiday, or exchange it after the holiday. The problems that muddle online shopping can be far more complicated, however. Often, it's a very simple and blissfully convenient way to tackle your Christmas list. But from our side, as a brick-and-mortar store, we've experienced a few scenarios in which it can be frustrating, not just for the buyer, but also for the seller. Please ask all questions before bidding or clicking the "Buy" button. When something is sold, we take it off the shelf and reserve it for the customer based on the promise of receiving imminent payment. On occasion, someone buys a doll, and then sends us several questions - all of which it's pivotal are asked before you commit to purchasing - sometimes without letting us know when we can expect payment. Then, the doll is on a long hold because we cannot put it back out for sale until we know beyond a reasonable doubt that the buyer won’t be paying us or taking the item - and at Christmas time, that does a great disservice to the seller. At the busiest time of the retail year, we cannot afford to take dolls off display because we're waiting for someone who bought them to actually pay for them. This is also very true of independent sellers and artists, who are most likely depending on the income from a doll they sell this time of year to pay for presents for their own families. Please be a considerate buyer and be sure that you are ready to pay as soon as possible when you bid or buy online. Just because you don't have someone standing in front of you to accept your payment doesn't mean they can afford to wait indefinitely for money that may never come. In the case that you buy and change your mind or extenuating circumstances change the situation (because we completely understand that this does happen), please allow the seller the courtesy of informing them that you have to cancel your order. Some of you may be skeptical about contacting an online seller, which can be more intimidating and less reliable sometimes than walking up to a sales clerk in a store. Contact info may be outdated or limited in terms of what your options are - phone numbers or e-mail addresses aren't always provided - and you can't be sure if a seller will respond to you or how long that might take. While I understand that those are concerns, I would encourage anyone who has a question or problem regarding a purchase to address that issue with the seller before clicking "Bid" or "Buy" or placing an order. This way, there's less room for delays, confusion, and frustration on either end. Tensions can run high during holiday shopping, which is not the way it should be at all, but we can avoid adding stress to the situation by steering clear of these little pitfalls that can upset a plan as plain as getting the right gift for the right person. Speaking of which, asking questions before buying doesn't just mean that you should communicate with your seller; it means you should communicate with the gift's future recipient or someone close to them. If you're unsure as to whether or not your niece has the Ashton-Drake Hannah Montana doll, the best advice I can offer is to simply ask. If you don't want to spoil the surprise by asking her, you can ask her parents, in which case, you can also avoid the pitfall of buying her the same exact thing if her parents already bought her one. To cover all your bases, you can just ask people close to her 1) if she has it already, and 2) if anyone else is getting it for her. I know we don't all have time to confer with others and compare notes this time of the year, but it may help you skip some returns and exchanges that will take a lot more time than a text, e-mail, or call just to check. Know Where and When to Ship Speaking of conferring with others, we would also recommend checking where gift recipients will be and when - especially if you are having items shipped directly to them, which is often the case when ordering gifts online. If you buy a Franklin Mint Kate Middleton Bride Doll for your mother who lives in Colorado, and it turns out she'll be staying with your brother in Seattle until the end of January, your package will only sit at the post office or parcel distribution center for so long before it's marked as unclaimed/abandoned, or returned to the seller. With the Internet catering to a global community, it's easy to forget that your daughter will be spending winter break in Australia with friends from college, or you may not know that your friend in Akron is moving to D.C. in time for Christmas. Update your address books and get an idea what plans your friends and family have for the holidays so that the real surprise of what you sent isn't that it was never received. You shouldn't rely on being able to make adjustments after a package is already on its way either. Sometimes, re-routing a package in transit is trickier than you might think. One time, we had the wrong apartment number on an order. The parcel service told the addressee that only the sender could change the delivery address, so she called us. When we called, the very same parcel service told us that the addressee would have to call and change the delivery address. Then, we were told that once it was in transit, neither of us could change it, and we would have to request that it be returned to us so we could re-send it to the right address, which would of course double the shipping cost. Some delivery intercept options only include "Return to Sender," "Will Call," and "Schedule a Future Delivery Date" to remedy such a problem, which in some more complicated situations hardly remedies anything at all. So please do not count on this as your back-up. Just like the above issue about asking questions, this ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Check the Return/Refund/Exchange Policy And if there's one more thing we can think of where that platitude also applies, it's making sure you understand the policy of the seller/store regarding returns, refunds, and exchanges. Some stores will give you all three, while some sellers will only accept exchanges or won't accept any of those choices at all. It's equally as important to know the timeframe the policy covers - we accept exchanges or returns for store credit within 5 days of purchase with original receipt, but some larger chains accept returns for 10 days or even 30 days. So if you buy a dress for your little girl from a store with a 10-day return policy a month before Christmas, then by time Christmas comes, you find out it's too small for her, and it's too late to bring it back. If you're fine with that because her little sister loves it and will grow into it soon, then that works out well, but be careful if you'd like to avoid the hassle of going to the very long return line to debate the idiosyncrasies of the return policy and how incompatible it is with a holiday shopping timetable. Some sellers/stores, including ours, will be happy to work with you in the instance that life has thrown you a curve ball that made your present obsolete, but it's best to be mindful of the policy just in case you buy from one that is less than sympathetic and unhelpful. Hopefully, you'll find these suggestions handy come Black Friday and during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. This is just one of those times where we’ve learned from our own experience or the experience of others, and we want everyone to enjoy the holiday season with as few of these problems as possible. Since next week is Thanksgiving, our articles will resume the week after. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate the holiday! We welcome feedback on this article! Feel free to email us at monarch@dollsdolls.com, or call to speak with our in-store doll blogger Mary at 1-800-648-3655. Collector News Blog 2011-11-16T17:13:09+00:00 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:13:09 GMT