I'm Sure Glad There's Oxyclean...

[magkelly]

Got the Lori doll I was going to give to my one niece and it was very discouraging the amount of work this doll will need to make it look okay. I knew her shirt and her shorts were stained a bit but I couldn't see much else in the pics the seller sent except for one tiny red mark on an arm. She says the rest of her clothes and shoes are new so take a chance and I buy it. I get the doll and the supposedly new white pants have grass stains all over them. The supposedly new silver shoes are very scuffed up and there's grass in them.

She's got black marks on the top and side of her face and on her arm that I couldn't see in the pics. Dirt I think. Thankfully not marker. She's got grass and weed in her wig. It's immediately obvious that this doll has been played with by a kid and that she's been outside and dropped in wet muddy grass. I was too ticked. Oh yeah, she left out a lot in her description. I wasn't expecting immaculate not for what I paid, but I did expect her to be truthful and she just wasn't really.

I used a Mr Clean on the marks. They came off. (Whew!) I removed the bits of junk in the hair and washed the wig. Her clothes I have in Oxy as I type. I'm hoping for the best. They look to be organic stains, mud, grass so likely they'll come out. But I'm not so happy about having to paint over the scuffs on those silver shoes. My niece really, really wanted those and this pair is so f-up that I hate to give them to her. They'll just have to do though until I can find another pair. There's another doll on the way, that one was supposed to be mine. Should be here Friday. I'm thinking I'll give her the good one when it arrives and keep this one.

I suppose it could have been worse. It could have come here reeking of smoke besides or something like that. This woman she did lie though. I took some pics just in case. I'm not going to send it back because I think with a little work she'll be okay but I was not very happy with this transaction at all...

[Trethowan]

Where did you buy the doll from? Ebay or DoA? If you're not asking for a refund will you leave negative feedback for the seller's dishonesty?

[magkelly]

Where did you buy the doll from? Ebay or DoA? If you're not asking for a refund will you leave negative feedback for the seller's dishonesty?

I'm not a member at DOA and I seldom do Ebay actually. I bought her from someone online but not from those places, and yes, I did leave a less than stellar review. Let her know why too. The whole thing was just a mess. The way she shipped the doll it was a miracle she arrived here in one piece. But she was just very dirty besides, marked up, messed up well beyond her description and her pics which did not show a lot of this. Like I said, I expected some of it. But not all.

She totally lied to me about the pants, the shoes, and did not mention the black marks on the doll's face at all. In fact the pics I have it just looks like shadows. I could not tell from the way she posed the doll, the shoes or the pants that there was a lot more damage than in her description. I emailed her this afternoon. I have yet to get a reply. I'm not too sure I want to deal with her any further actually. She's probably going to be upset by the feedback but I was honest with her and told her why I left it.

I'm not returning it because I can fix it all. In fact, I have mostly. I soaked the stains out this afternoon. I washed the doll and the wig, erased the marks, et all. Other than the shoes which I'll have to re-paint I guess, she's okay now, but that's no excuse for not just telling me the truth in the first place. It was a good deal but it wasn't that good considering the condition she actually arrived in. She really downplayed the stains and stuff and I don't appreciate that. I'm not too sure I would have gotten her had I known I'd have to work quite this hard to get her to look decent. Maybe, maybe not. In any case she's here, she's clean now, and I can live with the rest. I'm still a bit ticked about the shoes, but whatever. The rest came clean and that's all that really matters.

If I could not have gotten her face and arms all clean she'd have been on her way right back though, that's for sure. I won't keep a doll with marker stains. Fortunately in this case it was mostly dirt and the one red marker spot actually came off with MCE. I was suitably impressed because I did not expect it to work really. I dearly love that stuff and Oxyclean. They totally saved this doll. But no, no way I'd send her back to her. Not unless I absolutely HAD to.

Serafina doesn't deserve that kind of abuse! I decided after all this work that she was indeed mine. We totally bonded over suds and sob stories. She's a total darling of a dollieh actually and Loralei loves her already. I can tell. She and Loralei are sitting next to me as I type. Tomorrow we're getting some TT clothes that I hope might fit her. Or at least some cool shoes. I've been sick all week, bad sinus thing again, so I haven't been up to sewing or much else, but I'm probably going to do some for them this weekend if the girls come over.

My one niece is getting the doll from Friday that's exactly like her and I promised them that I'd make a couple of new things for the BFC girl and that Lori when she got here. But they can't come if my head still feels like it's trying to explode. Last thing I want to do is sneeze and put a sewing machine needle through my finger or something stupid like that....

Hmm, just a thought, I wonder if a Sharpie pen in silver might not be a better idea than trying to repaint the shoes. Likely paint will just crack eventually. A sharpie might work better. Anyone tried that, used one to fix shoe scuffs?

[hanabushi]

Might you be able to post a picture of the shoes? Depending on the material they're made of & the damage, you might be better off spraypainting, etc. . (Sorry, not familiar with the line)

Buying online can be such a crapshoot. Sorry you had trouble.

[magkelly]

They're a plastic faux leather I think. This is the shoes. Not my pic or the actual shoes though. It's too late and I'm about to hit my bed. I do have pics I took of them scuffs and all but I'm too tired to go grab the memory card right now. This is the same shoes...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6QutOfxZCcA/TVWB9 ... 520004.jpg

[zirconmermaid]

They're a plastic faux leather I think. This is the shoes. Not my pic or the actual shoes though. It's too late and I'm about to hit my bed. I do have pics I took of them scuffs and all but I'm too tired to go grab the memory card right now. This is the same shoes...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6QutOfxZCcA/TVWB9 ... 520004.jpg

OK, to really fix that kind of shoe I think the best think may be a silver powder and the MSC or other clear coat. Silver paint or marker won't match the material. Try an art store or scrap booking store for the powder. Silver makeup powders (eyeshadow) might work too.

[magkelly]

I've got Pearl Ex silver, pewter and clear coat. I'll mix it to match and see what happens. Probably won't get to it till the weekend though. Got a funeral to attend tomorrow. I may not be on much the next couple of days. I've got a lot to do here.

[Trethowan]

I'm really glad you were able to repair her.

I've never tried Silver Sharpie, I've used silver metallic paint pens on plastic before with mixed success.

I do love Pearl EX powder. I mix it with acryl gloss paint. I've never tried it on a pliable surface like a shoe before.