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Do you regret deboxing?

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Do you regret deboxing?
Rapunz said:
No skill really....camera phones are hard to hold still and let in little light, so I don't use one for picture taking. Big old school looking digital camera and outdoor light - 'click' - you're good to go Your pics look great btw.
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Got it! Maybe I should get a entry level DSLR rather than using my camera phone and learn some posing skill from you and others. Thanks for your suggestions.
 
Repunz, Wow on Snow White. It looks like a totally different doll! I've been passing her up on Ebay, but after seeing your photo, she's on the list.


I have one of the singing Elsa's boxed as well. She had the pull tab in her when I got her, but I couldn't resist pulling it, much to my regret. I have to hide her in a closet facing the wall. I'd like to get another one, that hasn't had the tab pulled, to customize the one with the pulled tab to resemble the SQ Elsa that I will never be able to afford. I worry a bit about the battery too.

I've kind of avoided this thread because I actually torment myself over deboxing, and knew I'd have a long winded reply. I haven't yet deboxed any of my LE dolls yet. I have one I'm currently debating with myself about deboxing. I have an Aurora with a damaged box. It was disclosed on the auction that there were creases on the box, but I didn't realize the plastic cover was also damaged. It makes looking at it unpleasant at certain angles because of the way the light hits it. I came across another one at an even better price, so got it too. It's perfect. So, now I want to debox the bent one, but can't bring myself to do it yet. I keep thinking I could sell her in a year or so for a good price, even with the damaged box and use the money to buy another doll I don't have. That seems the smart thing to do, however, I don't think I can resist deboxing her. I also keep noticing how much detail there is on the bottom of the skirt that doesn't show through the box. I kinda also want to twirl her skirt around.

The funny thing is, the Disney LE dolls do seem to hold their value fairly well even deboxed. I've been surprised at what some have gone for on Ebay lately. That's not true of most dolls. So, I don't know why I have such a hard time with this.

I have a really hard time deboxing my dolls. Mostly because I'm worried they'll get ruined if I take them out, and I started collecting at a time you absolutely didn't do that (Ebay has changed everything in the doll collecting world). I've had quite a few since I was a teenager and I know they'd look horrible if I'd deboxed them years ago from moving and everything else that goes on in life. Yet, I have seen some dolls damaged by their boxes because of the acid in the paper. It yellows all the packaging as well as the doll. I don't see that happening with the Disney dolls, but still, sometimes it's better to take them out.

Basically, I debox if I'll get more enjoyment out the doll that way, regardless of the cost of the doll. My Disney LE stay in their boxes to keep them nice. I think Disney does an outstanding job making them display nicely in box. I really wish more doll makers would do the same. I have Barbies, what I call the gateway doll, that I won't remove from box as they are well displayed in box and there isn't much to be gained from deboxing beyond some added space. I just don't think they look good out of box. They quickly get disheveled and you can't really pose them. The dolls aren't actually worth much today, but they are to me as many were gifts, and others just make me happy. I know a lot my other types of dolls won't retain value as they are fads and will be forgotten, so if I keep a doll boxed it is mostly to try to keep them nice for myself.

I debox my Tonner dolls because they are in solid cardboard boxes and I can get no enjoyment out of them like that.Many of them pose well too, and I have so much fun changing them around. I have a ton of Pullip dolls that pose even better. Some are deboxed, but most aren't. They seem to sell well even deboxed, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I have a few doubles of my favorites, but kick myself over it when there's a new one I can't afford, or I think I don't have enough room to do that. Some dolls I bought with damaged boxes or used so I could debox with a clear conscience. My problem with deboxing Pullip, is that I actually like their boxes, but can't justify keeping the empty boxes. Also, I still wasn't into deboxing when I first started collecting them. More will end up deboxed, however, there a couple of LE that I absolutely won't debox. I hope to find them used on Ebay at reasonable prices to have to display.

I also have some mass produced cheaper dolls, like MH, EAH and the cheaper Disney dolls. I don't debox if I like the packaging and I like to keep them nice. I do buy more doubles on those as I feel freer to customize them than I do my more expensive dolls, but still like them as they come from the manufacturer. As my collection grows, deboxing seems more a necessity. It's still hard to do. Mostly because I want to keep them nice. I try not to think about the money, but it's hard not to do so when some skyrocket in value. Still, they may go up now, but if people forget about them, they will go back down. I'm often surprised to see dolls I coveted years ago selling for next to nothing. The Holiday Barbies are a good example if any of you are old enough to remember them in their prime. I can't see that happening the Disney dolls as Disney is a childhood favorite for most people and they are good at protecting their image.
 

haha, curious!

and i never took the plastic thing out! lol i think i just cut it a little to hide it!
 
rabbitunderground said:
haha, curious!

and i never took the plastic thing out! lol i think i just cut it a little to hide it!
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I wish I hadn't. I knew I'd regret it, but couldn't stop myself. The sad thing is, I did the same thing with 17" singing Anna. I wasn't going to, but couldn't resist pulling it. I've become a very compulsive person. I'm eventually going to have to pop mine open to turn them off. They scare the crap out of me when they go off when I'm moving things around in the closet. They are so loud.
 

yeah, that's one of the reasons why i didn't pull it out. i saw a youtube video prior to purchasing the doll (that's like a theme with me now, either detailed photos or youtube reviews; i think that's good though lol) and the person mentioned motion sensitivity and how easily they could be activated. i was like "oh heck no, not dealing with that." i thought about tamagotchis and was like "if i'm not going to enjoy it, might as well just not pull it".

if i want her to sing, i will just prop her next to my laptop. haha!

poor elsa, chilling in some bubble wrap. haha i really want her gone. she was taking up space in my curio. i was thinking of making her into a limited edition doll but i think i got swept with the frozen frenzy and realized a while ago that i don't care for the movie or the characters. good thing no one left the theater after the frozen fever short (or as i like to call it, adventures of tipsy elsa) because i would be like "SIT. DOWN. SSSSSSSSS. >:l" haha! no hate for frozen, just not my cup of chilly tea.

<3 good luck with taking it out!
 

Is that just the classic Hans doll? He looks way decent for a classic


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You don't have to open their boxes to turn them off. Their on/off button (facing doll) is on your right by their side waist. Put your finger through the box opened circle and voila!
 
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shiftyraccoon said:
Is that just the classic Hans doll? He looks way decent for a classic
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Yes! That is the Classic Hans doll (from the Disney Store, and not the JC Penney version). It's rather amazing that DS can make a great $17 Classic doll that is almost on-par with what they did with the DFDC Princes, which if you split the cost of each DFDC set between the princess and the prince in each set, comes to $65 for each DFDC doll at retail cost.
 

well, do you want to debox her cause you want to play with her or do you want to debox her just to satisfy an itch of deboxing a LE doll?
just from reading your post you sound a lot like me and for me in many ways and i usually get a small high when i'm deboxing a doll but then a day or so later i regret it. sometimes i'd even sell the deboxed doll and buy the same doll nrfb again (i've done this with "cheaper dolls" like ever after dolls and with pricier ones like pullips... i don't want to think how much money i could have saved if i just never deboxed them in the first place!)

having said all that though, if i had a double of an LE aurora, i'd be deboxing her right now rather than replying to this thread cause my self control is nigh non-existent.
 
I'm loving Designer Snow White de-boxed - her skirt looks much better.

Whilst it would be nice to see my dolls de-boxed (LE Aurora in particular has a beautiful full skirt), I think most of the dolls still hold up well in their boxes. Plus dust gathers like crazy here and I wouldn't be comfortable exposing them to that.
 
I opened mine and regretted it. Mostly because you're paying for the box too and other people don't want open ones if you do choose to sell


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I think there are different definitions of deboxing. Mine is to simply remove all the plastic holds, repose, and then set back in the box. I can't imaging tossing the box.
Funny story -
I saw an ebay listing a couple of years ago for a designer Belle....the person was asking $200 for it and said her daughter only played with it "a little". Her bouffant was totally unraveled, and she did not keep the designer slip cover that went over the plastic display box. I thought, the only person who is going to want this doll is for the dress, and it is not worth 200 bucks.
 
Doll_Enchanted said:
You don't have to open their boxes to turn them off. Their on/off button (facing doll) is on your right by their side waist. Put your finger through the box opened circle and voila!
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Thanks! It worked easily. I feel so stupid. For some reason I thought the button was in the back and I need the dress open to get at it. I have no idea where I got that idea.



Both kinda... I really want to mess with the doll (pose her, twirl the skirt, adjust her hair and display her) but there is also that thrill of deboxing, especially since I never thought about deboxing one. I find if I'm going through a no spend period, I'll start deboxing dolls to help with the withdraw.LOL I actually don't think I've regretted it afterward. It just feels wrong somehow to debox before I do it. Certain dolls I have no interest in deboxing. I thought the LE dolls were like that, but I guess not if the box is damaged. I cringe every time I watch a Youtube video where someone is unboxing an SQ Elsa. If I were lucky enough to have one and deboxed it, I would certainly regret it. I don't any of those people had a clue much they would be worth. You just never really know.

My thing with the Pullips is that they look good in the box, because it's usually so pretty and detailed, but they also look amazing out of box. I never thought I'd debox my Pullips, but that's kind of what got me into deboxing. I ordered one that arrived damaged and was nearly sold out, so I contacted the seller (Pullipstyle through Ebay) and worked it out they'd give me a discount to order another doll with a good box. It was the Du Jardin Alice in mint. I love having her out of box. She's so pretty posed. Anyway, it was all downhill from there. Most are still boxed, but I look for reasons to pop 'em open. Some I don't, and if I'd bought them when they were hard to find, or if they are LE, I won't debox. I have Helter Skelter Ririko and Myra. Those I'll never open, but would love to find deboxed ones on Ebay. At least for Helter Skelter. She has a long red skirt and it's begging to be displayed.

Yeah, after I made the post about the doll I had a really hard time not popping the thing open. I'll crack eventually, I'm sure. I like the idea of trading/selling the doll for one I don't have, but its only a doll. It'd be nice to have unboxed LE. I wasn't even planning on ever owning pink Aurora, but it was going for around $100. I couldn't pass it up.
 
disneysfreakingprincess said:
do you maybe have any tips on deboxing them back. I want my ariel back in her box but i am struggling
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Sorry for responding late!! When I re boxed my aurora, I first studied pictures of her in the box, then I attach her to the box with the original wires around her waist and legs to support her in the box, then I sew her dress gently through the plastic tie holes to get the same look. Then I twisted and bunched her Hair like she originally came in. It's not that hard to do, you just need to plan ahead and think how your going to make her look the same.
 
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I personally love to debox, I think it has to do that I have no self control, and opening boxes is fun! Lol! The longest I went without opening aurora was literally a week exactly! I had reasons to anyways, I barely had space for one doll, and I still want to get three more so I said ,"oh well might as well". My doll is safe from harm and I don't mind a little dust really. I enjoy the doll better if I can see all the details.
 
Many people don't know this, but there's actually an on/off switch above the right hip of those motion activated dolls.
 
I debox all the dolls I 100% plan on keeping and could never trade or sell. Do I get a little anxious that I'll regret it? Sometimes, but it allows me to see more of the dolls details, to pose it, and honestly I just think they look beautiful out of box. If you're a collector who KNOWS you won't ever want to sell your dolls, I say debox them and keep them out of the sun and dust. They won't get hurt nine out of ten times and I love the way mine look deboxed, they seem more real I suppose.
 
I don't remove them from the box only because they are so much easier to keep clean and keep the dust out of the hair/dress. I have Madame Alexander dolls that have been displayed and keeping them clean is a mission. With the Disney dolls being packed in such nice boxes I don't feel bad that they are kept in the box. I do love the way the other person posed their Snow White. It makes the dress and doll look so much better. You just have to think of what you want to do with them. If you enjoy posing them and getting to touch them I say go for it. It's the reason we bought them, right?

Enjoy your dolls
 
There is an on/off switch on my singing elsa located on her side, is that not the case with others?
 
Today I deboxed my Frozen Fever Anna doll and I must say she is gorgeous! I'm so happy to have this doll! I didn't regret her deboxing
 
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I absolutely prefer to unbox all of my collectibles and let them be free. Boxes just add too much clutter for me, and prevent me from posing them and seeing them well.
 
First, I'll say I don't have any LE Disney dolls yet...but if I did, I KNOW I would debox them. Because my sister and I collect non-Disney dolls and we ALWAYS open them. You can't really "play" with them in their boxes, and I'm one of those people that likes to take her dolls outside and take pictures, change the setups on our displays, and stuff like that. If/when I ever get purple Elsa (she's my favorite LE), she will be coming straight out of that box. Most likely to be friends with my little sister's Tonner Ellowyne and my 17" Monster High Elissabat, lol.
That being said, I'd certainly be very careful opening her and keep her box, of course. I like to keep doll boxes if you don't have to destroy them to get the doll out.
I canNOT leave dolls in their boxes for any length of time for some reason; it's like I HAVE to take them out or else.

One exception: my deboxing rule (or lack thereof) only applies if you are 100% sure you'll be keeping the doll in question. I never buy dolls unless I know I want to keep them, but if I thought I ever might want to sell one, I'd leave that one in the box.

edit to add: and I have never regretted deboxing any of my dolls
 

Exactly my case as well. Down till purple Elsa, if I ever get her, she will come straight out of her box and the box would be the house for here where she returns after photos and posing and playing are done.
 
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