I love doll shoes, this much is obvious from the fact that the Tiny Shoe Love column exists! In particular, I love shoes that go up the ankle a bit because they stay on that much better.

Minnow is wearing Plastic Fashion (don’t tell Eden Mouse that she’s wearing this dress!).

I wanted to draw everyone’s attention to these lovely granny boots that are Velvet Minuet stock. Where did the term ‘granny boot’ come from? Granny boots are women’s boots that lace up the front and are reminiscent of high-top boots from the 19th century. The more you know! I find that they, while being official Blythe stock, do fit a wee bit loose. You can see how it gapes just a little bit around the ankles and it does make it easier for them to fall off. Case in point, I held up Minnow (my Hi-Ho! Marine that is modeling these lovely boots) and shook her around and they came flying off. Don’t worry, no dolls were harmed in this process because I held onto the pull ring. I think with normal holding and no shaking, they’ll stay on pretty well though.

Overall my verdict is that they are super cute, probably aren’t the best if you’re going to be outside and not paying attention if the shoes fall off, but they are super cute, and lend a bit of sophisticated air to a doll’s outfit of the day.

Tiny Shoe Love is a feature on BlytheLife.com to showcase and share doll shoes that grace Michelle’s picky dolls’ feet. We love tiny shoes in this house, and we hope you do too!

Any time of year is a time when scammers come out to play. A good rule of thumb is that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. This includes, but is not limited to, dolls that are listed at abnormally low prices. Another good rule of thumb is to ask for additional photos of the doll (or dolly items), and to see what kind of feedback the seller has.

I suppose if I had a million dollars, I could afford to gamble a bit on potentially sour deals…

If they’re on eBay or Etsy, it’s a little easier to see if they have good feedback as a buyer or a seller as it’ll be right there on their profile. If it’s a person on Facebook or Blythe Kingdom, it’s a little bit more difficult as the feedback pages don’t come with alerts to let you know that you can leave feedback for someone, and it’s strictly on a voluntary basis at this time. Make a note of their feedback (positive? neutral? negative?) and read it. Take note of when their account opened. An account opened a week ago with 100% feedback as a buyer and doesn’t respond to messages may not be as reliable as an account that’s been open for a few years, has 100% feedback as a buyer and a seller, and is communicative about any questions you have.

Tips for Buyers:

• If something seems off or you get a vibe about the transaction, don’t go through with it. If it seems off, that’s because it is off. Listen to your gut feeling, why put yourself in the position to potentially lose your hard earned money if you don’t have to?
• Never pay as “gift” for something over PayPal. Not only does it go against the Terms and Conditions of using PayPal, but you will also lose your ability to file a claim as the payment was a “gift”.
• Avoid doing direct deposit or another form of payment that is not PayPal (or Google Wallet – I’ve heard this is fairly reliable as well).
• Avoid paying in installments if possible. Unfortunately, PayPal’s buyer protection does little to offer protection for those who opt to pay in installments. Make one-lump-sum payments whenever possible.
• Consider paying with a credit card through PayPal. This way you can get both buyer protection from PayPal and the option of filing a complaint through your credit card (and doing a chargeback to get your money back). This is an additional option that you don’t have when you pay with funds that are already existing in your PayPal account.

What are your tips for potential Blythe buyers?

Like most Blythe enthusiasts, I keep up with the news of new releases. Who’s limited, who’s an RBL+ or an FBL, who has fantastic stock that I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on? And occasionally, these dolls catch my eye in an “Ohh, I wouldn’t mind adding you to the family at all!” but sometimes those feelings are rare. Sometimes it seems that the same old dolls are being released – similar hair colours, similar clothing. And then I end up looking at the older releases, to consider what I had missed.

Older releases are great in that they had some wonderful colour combinations and some wacky outfits (do you all remember Goldie’s jumpsuit with the green accessories) and they just came with more stuff. Belarus (Love Mission) came with two full outfits – including shoes! Bennett (Margaret Meets Ladybug) came in a box shaped like a house and came with a full picnic set with some amazing details.

My wishlist hasn’t changed too much. I’m still wanting to add a BL to the family (Mondrian, Sunday Best, Aztec Arrival), perhaps a few EBLs or SBLs. Of the newer releases, the one that most recently caught my eye was Scotty Mum (for the doll) and Bling Bling Party Fur (for the clothes).

Who is on your wishlist?