Valium Wasn’t Enough
Nope…Can’t touch this
Classic Evening Gown Barbie® Doll
Apparently even Valium wasn’t enough to carry the day for Mattel’s latest scheduled platinum sale. According to Mattel, a server error before the sale even started was enough to cancel the entire thing for that day and no date has been named for its release as of this posting. I have experienced Mattel and Barbiecollector system issues for years (YEARS!) before this hence my previous blog post “Get your Valium Ready” but even I did not anticipate a complete customer fail.
Customer Fail = to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved.
What?!!! This begs the question, if one server error was enough to bring this sale down, exactly how many servers were allotted to this event? I am thinking….2. Come on people. It is a platinum sale. You hold it once a year. You know…I can believe that weird system things happen. Believe me, I have experienced just such a thing. The system issues that Mattel and BC experience at these platinum sales are consistent not just a “one-off” thing. To come in two minutes before kick-off and say “We are sorry, but we have a system problem”, just comes off as poor planning to me.
Don’t want to arm chair quarterback here but, if you don’t have the server capacity or you have had problems previously with the capacity, one would think you would have a back up plan…perhaps RENT some additional server space or start to question the ability of your system to handle the load you place on it during these high volume sales. There are companies like Amazon and Microsoft that offer up services to handle and solve such issues each and every day. If you can’t diagnose and treat the issue, perhaps it is time to seek outside help. Just a thought. In the meantime, Mattel and the BFC have left their most avid and loyal collector customers with a decidedly sour taste in their mouths. I have no idea if it is the IT staff at Barbie collector who plan poorly or Mattel Inc. itself that simply has not allocated the funding and resources necessary to handle these sales. It is entirely possible that Mattel has told Barbie Collector and its IT staff they must make bricks with no straw on this one. If that is the case, I feel for them. Either way, it leaves the collectors questioning whether they want to purchase the product or not. Not a positive customer experience. Not a good day for Mattel and the BarbieCollector brand.
As of this posting, no available date of sale has been given by Mattel or Barbiecollector for this doll.
Get Your Valium Ready
Mattel is serving up their first platinum edition doll of 2015 to BFC members next week. You have to be a BFC member to have a chance at this doll and you have to be a prepared and ready BFC member to have a chance at her. I highly recommend valium while doing this LOL! There will be system delays ( cough…crashes…cough), there will be frustrated collectors, there will be disappointed collectors and there will be euphoric “ I made it through the obstacles and got it” collectors. There will also be, I suspect, a fair number of scalpers in there just trying to score a doll they know they will be able to make a profit on later. It is the nature of the beast when you have low supply and high demand. So what is all this fuss about you ask…..let me show you.
Classic Evening Gown Barbie® Doll
Designed by Linda Kyaw
Release Date: 5/13/2015
Product Code: CGT31
No more than 1000 units produced worldwide.
Retail: $85.00
Doll Details
Body Type:
ModelMuse
Skin Tone:
Neutra
Facial Sculpt:
Aphrodite
Fashion Sewn On?:
No
Eyelashes:
Painted
Included with doll:
Shoes, Earrings, Bracelet, Doll Stand
I have to admit…she is pretty. I would not expect anything less from Linda and her beautiful and classic sense of style. The jury is still out in my mind if I will enter the shark tank for this one but I wish luck to everyone who wants to try for her. May the force, fast internet connection and the healthy spirit of the hunt be with you.
Barbie Fan Club Membership Renewal Starts Today
If you were a member last year, you can renew your membership starting today 1/7/2015. If you want to sign up as a first time member, you will need to wait until 1/14/2015. The BFC has sold out for the last couple years but it has taken a while to do it so don’t know if you need to rush for this one. It looks like there will not be an “official” club doll this year. There are, however, a number of club exclusives that make it worth my interest.
Here are some of the fun perks of the club this year.
source: www.Barbiecollector.com
Adorable redheaded St Paddy’s day doll!! I will be adding this one to the collection.
source: www.Barbiecollector.com
This may be another platinum offering like the previous black and white collection offerings but don’t quote me on it. If this will be a platinum offering, I predict this one will go fast like the others. I may actually enter the shark tank for this one 
source: www.Barbiecollector.com
Aaaaahhhhh! Do my eyes deceive me??!! A pink Silkstone offering for 2015?!!! Ummm…no brainer…I’m in. Please oh please don’t make this a platinum offering. If it is, I would not only enter the shark tank…I would bring a honkin’ harpoon with me. Just sayin’ it up front people.
source: www.Barbiecollector.com
This would be the adorable preview we saw at convention this year I believe. I will be adding this one to the collection too. I mean come on…the picnic basket alone is worth it.
source: www.Barbiecollector.com
Added to these exclusive goodies you also get:
-Up to $80 in BarbieCollector.com Online Shop rewards – $20 per calendar quarter*
-Quarterly “Designer Videos,” sneak peeks at upcoming releases, downloadable goodies, and access to the exclusive Barbie™ Bulletin Board
-First access to audio interviews, collector spotlights, Fun Facts, and looks “behind the glam” with the passionate people on the Barbie® Collector team
If you are a current member and want to renew, you can click on any of the official Mattel photos above and it should take you to the membership renewal purchase page. I don’t know when they will open the links today but I am betting it will be sometime between 9AM and noon PST.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 