With nearly monthly releases of Blythe dolls, there comes a time when there’s some releases that become overly popular for…. whatever reason. Usually it’s because the doll is translucent and that often has a lot of people clamouring over the doll, and sometimes it’s because the doll just happens to be the first of its kind with a particular hair colour or it’s the first time since an anniversary doll that the hair colour has come back (Alexis Emerald, I’m talking about you with your Princess a la Mode hair colour!). Regardless of what reason, there’s always a doll that you think is overrated.

While I think translucent dolls photograph really nicely in photos, I just don’t like them as much in person. There’s often something ‘off’ about them to me, but that may be because I’m used to the non-translucent plastic of my own dolls… To me, the most overrated doll is Miss Sally Rice (she is also one of the most overpriced, in my opinion, of the modern releases created by Takara). Mildly inflammatory, I know, but with every Miss Sally Rice that gets customized, the bigger the price tag a stock Miss Sally Rice goes for. And while she’s quite pretty in photos, I just do not get the allure of her in person.

Who do you think is the most overrated Blythe doll?

A little reminder that the March Talent Showcase for 2016 is coming up! For every Friday in March, I will be showcasing a talent in the Blythe community and that makes me very excited! There will be four individuals featured in the month of March, and some of them even have giveaways attached to their interviews (a little hint-hint to check back!).

Not only that, but to celebrate the March Talent Showcase being back, I will be doing my own little giveaway. For every comment that you leave on BlytheLife.com during the month of March, you’ll get one entry into a giveaway for some dolly sized clothes (and perhaps some other surprises, if I can wrangle them together). The winner will be announced in April. Spammy comments will not count, of course, and international entrants welcome. All you need to do is comment during the month of March.

On occasion, I get emails from people who are new the Blythe hobby and are wanting to purchase their first doll. While some people are a bit confused as to why they can’t buy one of my dolls (mine, all mine!), I do try to direct them to the proper channels (this list of legitimate online Blythe retailers). There comes a time when those online retailers don’t fit the bill, for instance if someone is trying to find a release that isn’t that recent or a Kenner. Here are my tips for finding a genuine Blythe doll via one of the largest online auction sites: eBay.

The first thing that you need to consider is your search terms. Using the full name of the doll’s stock release name can be most helpful in your efforts of finding that doll. For example, you want to look for a Simply Peppermint Blythe doll. It stands to reason that you would input “Simply Peppermint Blythe”. If you don’t get a lot of results, you might want to drop the “peppermint” and see what other Blythes pop up. If you just look up “Blythe doll” or “Blythe”, you’ll get a lot of auction listings for doll clothes, shoes, accessories so it does help to include the full name. Keep in mind that there are handful of Blythes that have been notoriously faked: Simply Mango, Simply Guava, Urban Cowgirl, and Last Kiss are the big ones. To the untrained eye, well-done fake might look like the real thing so those are some stock dolls to avoid unless you feel comfortable attempting to identify the doll as real.

Avoid any listing that lists the doll as being “factory”. These dolls are often sold nude, and have a combination of hair (colour, cut, style), eye chips, eye lids, and skin tone that is often a combination that has not been produced by Takara. These dolls make claims of being factory seconds or being produced from factory reject parts. These are fakes/counterfeits. If you’re looking for a genuine Blythe doll, the best advice I can give you is to avoid any listing that claims that it is a “factory” Blythe doll (these are listed as being real Blythe dolls on eBay as eBay doesn’t allow items to be listed as counterfeit/fake). Most of these listings are based out of China, which isn’t to say that all Blythe dolls coming out of China are fake (but the majority of the “factory” dolls are from China).

Take a look at the seller’s feedback that they have received from buyers and also what else they are selling. Often times the sellers who are selling fakes will have more than one doll listing (or even dozens!) and they will have the dolls listed for low prices. A genuine in box Blythe doll can cost $100 USD or more (this is not a cheap hobby), often the fake dolls are being listed anywhere from $45-80 USD. If the price tag seems too good to be true, there may be a reason for it. (Please note, there are still sometimes good deals to be found for legitimate Blythe dolls. If you’re unsure, I would recommend asking someone that has been in the doll hobby a little bit longer for their opinion on a listing.)

The fake Blythes are not limited to Neo/full-sized Bythes – there are also fake Middies on the market (the same tips above also apply to the Middies, so watch out).

Lastly, you have to use your judgement. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Dolly mail is exciting. Blythe-sized shoes or clothes arriving in fun coloured packages, checking and rechecking the tracking number on an incoming doll. I currently have a few things incoming, after many months of not buying dolly things online – there’s a couple dresses coming my way, along with pairs of pants, capris, and shorts. Having new doll clothes is always fun, and since there’s been a bit of a ‘dry spell’ when it comes to my dolly spending, having it rain is fun. Even if I have to buy all the items coming my way, it is still fun to get things in the mail!

Do you have any incoming dolly mail?

You have a doll-related website/shop/blog and BlytheLife has your target audience!

BlytheLife.com is an active doll website with a high readership that primarily consists of women who are Blythe and other doll collectors/hobbyists. By advertising your doll-related site or business with BlytheLife, you can ensure that your ad is being seen by the people that are your potential customers. Every time someone visits BlytheLife, they’ll see your ad on the side!

Did you know? Sponsorship costs are purposely kept low to keep advertising accessible to people in the doll community.

There is one spot currently available for the month of March and all sponsorship funds go towards the costs of keeping BlytheLife.com live on the internet!

Large – 1 spot available for March! (325×200 pixels)

• $10 – 1 month
• $18 – 2 months
• $26 – 3 months

If you’d like more information on how you can advertise on BlytheLife, click here.