Archive for March, 2009

Bratz and Barbie War

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

No More MGA Bratz Dolls
Collectibles Yardsale Privacy Policy


New Collectible Releases at Kimmy Shop

Mattel Wins Lawsuit Over Bratz Dolls

I got a little interested in the Mattel history when I realized that the popular Bratz dolls were going to be discontinued due to a legal dispute over the copyright for that line. Apparently, an employee of Mattel had the idea for the Bratz dolls while still working for Mattel so, there’s a law that says ideas originating while still in the employ of a company belong to that company.

I don’t know all the details but do know that Bratz (the Bratz dolls put out by MGA Entertainment before this lawsuit stopped the manufacture of them in December of 2008) will be highly collectible in the future. I’m already regreting the half-dozen Bratz dolls I sold at yardsales for 50 cents each.

Although Mattel is well-known for the Barbie dolls, clothes, accessories and entire Barbie line, they put out a vast number of other popular toys including the Matchbox and Hot Wheel cars, various board games and other products.

An interesting part of the Mattel legacy is that Mattel and Fisher-Price merged and that that merger was further enhanced when Tyco Toys was also added to the line. This move has helped make Mattel the toy giant they are today.

I am curious to learn whether Mattel will come out with a new, revamped Bratz line or if they will just go on putting out the same Bratz dolls that were formerly made by MGA Entertainment. Either way, the old MGA Entertainment Bratz are now collectible in my mind and I won’t be selling any more of them for 50 cents!

strawberrycentral.com affiliate program

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

strawberrycentral affiliate program
not paying my earned commissions



Review of Strawberry Shortcake online affiliate program

I have been very hesitant to make this post. In fact, I posted and then removed, back in November of 2008, hoping to resolve the issue.

 I always try to believe the best of everyone I work with online.

I still want to believe that in this case, regardless of how it appears.

However, after three years promoting the affiliate program at strawberrycentral and getting paid zero, I have decided to post this information for other webmasters who sell strawberry shortcake items and might be considering joining the affiliate program at strawberrycentral.com

Up through November of 2008, I had emailed repeatedly, called repeatedly and left message after message with no response whatsoever. I also called every number available on the website repeatedly and left message after mesage with my contact information and the reason for my call. No response.

I finally decided to post a review on my blog and sent a copy of that to the customer service email on the site.

Finally, after sending a copy of the post I put on my blog, I did get a response. 

It was a short email asking me to send my affiliate info to an email belonging to an architectural company, rather than the strawberry central domain. 

The email was unsigned so I did not know who I was talking with at the company.

I asked for a name and asked why I was not emailing the proper domain with my concerns.  I got a reply but still no name. 

The second response asked how I was getting these figures and that I didn’t show up in their system as an affiliate. 

I sent all the required information although I’d already included enough to identify me in the system and asked again for a name of a responsible party there.

Finally, on the third email I got a name….Dom.  Also got reprimanded for being “harsh”. There may have been some validity to that at this point. I was frustrated with the terseness of communication to that point.

In all my communications with Dom, I never got an apology for non-payment, even after he found and verified my record in the system.

 I was told that the matter would be investigated.  That was in November of 2008.  I followed up asking how the investigation was going on.  I never got a response to that follow up email.

If there is a legitimate reason why this company is not paying the earnings showing in my affiliate account and not returning any of my many, many emails or phone calls, I will be happy to remove this post or amend it.

As an affiliate who works very hard to promote companies that I like, it is always frustrating to find that the hard work is not recompensed as agreed. I would like to spare other affiliates the same experience.

Also, if there are strawberrycentral affiliates out there who are getting paid regularly, let me know who you are dealing with because maybe Dom is not the appropriate person there.

Below are the earnings showing owed to me right now by strawberrycentral.com
that last column with zero in it is what has been paid out.

2006
December$0.59
Total Amount$0.59 $0.00
2007
May$4.09
September$22.38
November$7.89
December$50.77
Total Amount$85.15 $0.00

2008
January$35.61
February$51.37
March$12.39
April$20.93
Total Amount$120.32 $0.00

Vintage poster dairy council of chicago

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Vintage Posters / Advertising Collectibles



Vintage Dairy Council of Chicago Poster
from the Child Feeding Posters Program

21 x 28 3/4 inch poster for
schools, featuring healthy
lunch guidelines.

Dated 1963 with
Copyright of 1958

The poster has one tear on the upper
right side, a very small tear at upper
left side and a few pinholes at bottom
left, from where it may have been pinned
to other posters.

There is some age discoloration present,
mostly on the back.

Print reads
My Lunch
for a happy school day

1963, copyright 1958
National Dairy Council,
Chicago 6
Child Feeding Posters

$25 plus shipping. Refer to My Lunch for a happy school day poster. Buy vintage Dairy Council of Chicago Poster

I’ll be adding more vintage posters in days to come, including more from the Dairy Councils and some from the dental association too.

Vintage Dairy Council of California Poster
Lake Louise Vintage Poster

click thumbnail to see
larger poster
chicago 6 vintage poster

Vintage Poster for Schools, from the Dairy Council of Chicago