Frustration

I am going thru my dolls I am thinking of selling off  as I have some doubles and triples and most of every FR made in the early years. My collection is much bigger than I realized.  I had always displayed the first 2 years of dolls so new collectors could see them.  They were never touched or handled by the public, never played with.  I am grateful I held onto these dolls.  Then I really begin examining each doll.  Some are display dolls, while others are NRFB and have always been stored in a climate controlled environment, smoke free and pet free.


I have heard stories about cracked necks and splits.  My dolls are showing their age and I am frustrated at how carefully I took care of these dolls and just how poorly they have held up these past 10 years.  It is sheer frustration I am feeling right now, and I know almost all of you can understand where I am coming from  at this moment. 

I guess what is getting to me is the fact that after all these years, and all these product changes, the quality control seems to still be waning.  Sure the company has addressed QC issues over the years, but only after public outcry reached a fevered pitch.  Even then, why can we not see a better manufactured doll body & face?  WHY?   This is just like anything in life- continually strive to make it better and be the best!  I have heard the older replacement bodies have turned color and so now I am wondering when, not if, but when the newest replacement bodies I have in hand will turn.  UGH!   I do understand the manufacturing process in China, but I don't think many collectors really care about that..it's the end product that customers want and care about and not the means of production.

A few years ago, I remember one collector cutting an FR body open and finding a nut in the middle of the torso.  That nut served no purpose other than giving the feeling of weight to the doll.  I think back to when the decision was made to articulate the dolls and that was a welcome change.  Then the following the year, the dolls were made a bit taller, so another new articulated body was introduced. And then other body types and skin tones were introduced. 

 I remember CrackGate - when the Pompadour collection was released and the bodies had splits on them.  And then it was MoldGate about 2 years ago, when a few dolls arrived and had mold  issues.  After MoldGate I was pretty upset- even after returning dolls to the manufacturer, I was sent replacement dolls that had slight mold on the shoulder tops of the outfit.  It was very discouraging and my husband said that we will just get rid of the moldy dolls and write them off as a loss.  And once the news got out about which dolls were found to have mold, it basically killed good sales on those dolls - but what did it matter to the company when they already had my dealer payment?  You see, you must pay up front with this company so it's not like I could hold back payment.  That is when my private thinking about some things started to really go in another direction, and I really began questioning just where the integrity is in that company. 

I guess what is disheartening is what will be left of the dolls I am keeping.  It's not like they are going to last long so my daughters can keep them.

Will they just disintegrate?

Does quality control issues affect your collecting?  Or do you just get sucked in and buy the doll anyways?