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Who are you and why should I trust you?
First and foremost, I am an avid collector of Royal Doulton pieces and have been for over 10 years. Given my interest and experience with Royal Doulton and facing the reality that my collection has outgrown my space, I decided to open the Royal Doulton Collector Store. The store was opened in 2005 and since then I have enjoyed without exception every new customer and making some new friends.
I like many collectors have had some experience trading on eBay. Initially, the good experiences far outweighed the bad. In recent years the bad experiences numbered 3-1 to the good experiences. Descriptions are ofter inaccurate and faults and restorations were becoming more common and frequently not disclosed. Returns are difficult and costly. Given these increasingly bad experiences, I was confident that I could do a much more professional job.
It is understandable that you might be uncomfortable dealing with someone you don't know and buying items you can't personally inspect. In these times, it is hard to know who to trust especially after a few bad experiences on eBay. However, the reality is that the ability to search the world wide web has greatly increased the chances of finding what you are looking for. In the past, unless you were able and willing to travel great distances, you might never find that one piece you need to complete a collection. Clearly, most people believe that the benefits far exceed the risks especially if you take precautions to protect yourself. After reviewing the Royal Doulton Collector Store, you should be able to recognize that it is a legitimate if not professional enterprise. It takes literally thousands of hours to construct and maintain a site like this so it is hard to imagine why anyone would spend that much time and money to construct a site for the purpose of scamming someone. The Royal Doulton Collector Store accepts and processes credit cards through PayPal which automatically provides you with two levels of protection against fraud. You can get more information about this by contacting your credit card company and/or PayPal. Lastly, you're welcome to email me to find out if there is a real person on the other end who will respond. I am here much of the time but not continuously. I will be happy to call you if you give me your phone number and a good time to reach you.
Thanks and happy collecting!!
Don Mead
What are the details of your 100% Satisfaction Guarantee?
My 100% guarantee is straightforward. You can return any item for any reason for a full refund less shipping charges. There is no restocking charge. If somehow a material mistake was made in describing an item then upon return of the same item in the same condition as delivered, you will receive a full refund including any shipping, handling and insurance charges. I cannot be responsible for errors, omissions, assumptions or mistakes made by independent sources or by the buyer. A good example would be if a large character jug is listed as 19 cm high in the Charlton Standard Catalog and it is in fact by your measurement only 17 cm high. Keep in mind, a large character jug is still a large jug. To return any item, you must contact me first. Again, all items are returnable but only with Prior Authorization. Refunds will normally be remitted in the same form as the payment was received. Email me if you have any questions about this guarantee.
I am uncomfortable buying on the internet. Is there anything you can tell me to put my mind at ease?
Yes! Only buy from stores that have secure certificates with 128-bit encription. I use VeriSign, the industry leader who gives you the highest level of consumer protection possible. Another good practice is to use your credit card when you don't know who you are trading with. Using PayPal gives you another level of protection. I accept credit cards through PayPal.
Unfortunately, their are a few bad people who can make your life a mess if you don't use common sense. Identity theft is a nightmare which is why you should never purchase online from sites that don't have secure certificates with 128-bit encription. Scams are reported daily and lead you to believe that fraudulent crimes are common. In virtually every case, if reasonable precautions were taken by the victims and they used a credit card, losses and damage to their lives could have been avoided.
What forms of payment do you accept?
For convenience and security, I accept payment by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) through PayPal. Credit card purchases are only limited by your credit card limit. Also if you prefer, I will accept money orders, bank funds and personal or business checks drawn on U.S. banks. Simply submit your order via Email; a link for this purpose is provided during checkout. Items will be shipped after payment is received and credited to my bank. Bank funds, money orders and checks must be in U.S. dollars and should be made out to: Royal Doulton Collector Store.
On larger international sales, wiring funds is acceptable. Please contact me for details. cs@royaldoultoncollector.com
What is PayPal and can I use PayPal at no charge?
PayPal was founded in 1998 and is the global leader in online payment solutions with 56 million account members worldwide. Available to most countries and currencies around the world, eBay, online retailers, online businesses, as well as traditional offline businesses conduct transactions through PayPal. PayPal, enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, safely, easily and instantly send and receive payments online. There is no charge or fee for a buyer to use PayPal. PayPal's service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and utilizes the world's most advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems to create a safe, global, real-time payment solution. PayPal has received close to 20 awards for technical excellence from the Internet industry and the business community at large. Now, purchases from the Royal Doulton Collector Store are limited only by the customer's credit limit.
Tell me what your thinking is on judging condition and value?
Condition matters to most collectors because collectors expect to pay an amount which is commensurate with the market value and condition of any given piece. I am amazed at the number of online stores that simply have a name and a price - no picture, no description and no condition report. I suppose there is a lot of communication back and forth between potential buyer and dealer.
This is how I judge condition. Every piece is carefully examined and devaluing faults are described. These are devaluing faults - restoration, repair, cracks, paint scratches and chips. A good or professional restoration is differentiated from a poor or unprofessional repair. Some cracks are tight hairlines while others are longer and more obvious. Size, number and location of paint scratches and chips influence value differently. Devaluing faults are inherently subjective but I believe the prices quoted are fair relative to market value and overall condition.
I do not sell new pieces. Most are several years old, and some are 50 or more years old. Every piece to some degree is hand-made, hand crafted and hand-painted. If you have owned as many pieces as I have, you have the opportunity to see that no two like items are identical. Therefore, it is difficult to proclaim any one piece "perfect." In this case perfection lies in the eyes of the beholder. Any description offered on this site is given in the context of having seen 1,000's of Doulton pieces. Pieces described as "excellent" or "like new" are those whose condition has not sustained any faults (i.e., no chips, cracks, crazing, scratches or restoration) since originally produced. Original, production or factory flaws are not considered faults. The condition of a piece relative to age and rarity plays a large part in the collectable value. A 75 year old piece for example is often described as being in good to very good condition having only some crazing or light scratches. This would be considered as normal wear by most collectors. These pieces would be considered by most collectors of being as in good a condition as is normally found. Therefore for valuation purposes, even though the piece is in good or very good condition with any and all faults described, the piece would still have a premium value according to most collectors.
Do you sell reproductions?
First of all, it must be acknowledged that there are many Royal Doulton reproductions produced. Many are sold routinely on eBay to unsuspecting buyers. I assume that a portion of these sellers have no idea they are selling a reproduction. Many a collector, myself included, have been defrauded by purchasing a reproduction. The most common reproductions are figurines followed by character jugs. Some are very well done.
I guarantee every piece for sale is an authentic Royal Doulton.
Do you ever accept offers on items for sale?
Generally the answer is yes! If an item is already on sale then the likelihood of my accepting a lower price is small. If an item is unique or it is one of a kind, then it is less likely that I will accept a lower price. There are always extenuating circumstances and of course, if you are interested in a number of items, then do not hesitate to make an offer. I have sales regularly but when an item is not on sale, then it never hurts to make an offer.
One word of advice - don't ask for my best price. What you see is my best price at any given moment. If you are looking for a price reduction then make an offer! You will get one of three responses - sale, no sale or counteroffer. Thank you!
Can you appraise or give me the value of my piece?
Sorry, I am not qualified or certified to do appraisals which is what you would need if trying to insure a piece. On the other hand the value of a piece is specific to the sales venue and circumstances of the sale. The valuation can vary greatly. For example, what I would pay for an item compared to what you or another collector might pay is likely to be very different. In short, it is not possible to provide you with a meaningful or useful valuation.
Do you ever purchase pieces from private sellers?
Rarely, do I purchase pieces from private sellers. The reason for this is that the margin between what the private seller wants for their piece and what I will likely receive for the piece is too small. However, there are exceptions and if you wish to contact me about selling a piece contact me at doultondon@royaldoultoncollector.com
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