KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Reborn dolls have been around for several decades among adult collectors as well as kids they remain popular, but when the sale of newborn dolls hit the internet market, scammers saw their opening to take advantage of unsuspecting customers.
One Knoxville woman who didn’t like the doll she bought, and tried to return it.
Aisha Moore wasn’t happy with the quality of the doll she received, so, she wrapped it up and said she sent it to the right address, but it came back as return to sender.
She believes she was scammed.
Moore searched reborn baby dolls on the internet in January. Moore, a day care worker, had seen ads about life-like dolls before.
Moore’s not a collector, she just wanted to share the doll with her niece when she visited.
“So I thought I would order a doll that looked real, very much real. They’re supposed to look, real life-like babies. And, that wasn’t what I got. …a plastic baby that looks like it came from the Dollar Store.”
Aisha Moore
The 12 inch doll in the website, Chaya listed at $39.99 – Aisha paid $54. There were supposed to be accessories with the doll, but they did not arrive.
The website from which she bought the doll says there is a 30-day refund policy.
“They don’t give you a number to call back. Everything is email. I’ve been trying to get in touch with them to put the money back on my card.”
Moore
Receiving no answer, she put the doll in a priority envelope, as she had originally received it, and mailed it to California. They immediately sent it back to her.
The envelope was sent to Tracy, California, which’s about one hour east of San Francisco. But the post office couldn’t deliver it and it was sent back to Aisha.
She doesn’t know why it was returned, she was certain she had sent it to the correct address.
Next move: email. However, she received a disappointing response, “Our support rep has indicated that your ticket has been resolved.”
How to avoid knock offs
- Know the difference between Silicone Reborn Dolls and Vinyl Baby Dolls
- Silicone is soft and real life-like
- Vinyl is plastic, it’s not soft and is hard to adjust
- Soft reborn dolls are more expensive beginning at $200 and go up to several thousand dollars
- Compared to $50 and below for vinyl baby dolls
- Know what you are buying
- Real dolls are made by talented artists, come with related accessories, and there are a variety of price ranges
Moore believed she was buying one of these real, reborn dolls, but there are many knockoffs marketed as life-like reborn dolls.
So, know what you are buying before sending your money.