What Constitutes a Doll In Mint Condition

I have been purchasing dolls for a long time, and have seen many advertisements for In Mint Condition, Near Mint, Flawless,etc.
DOLL THAT IS IN MINT CONDITION
1. Has original dress with no tears, rips or other damage.
2. Has no smudges, moth holes, or other imperfections.
3. Comes in its original packaging (hopefully) and has Certificate of Authenticity (hopefully).
4. Is well taken care of, comes in what I call in Brand New Condition, even though the doll is 20 plus years old.
Buyer beware, what is Mint to one Seller is Not Mint to You:
Some sound tips for potential buyers of MINT CONDITION DOLLS:
Please ask seller many questions prior to purchasing a MINT DOLL, such as are there are flaws in the dress, face, etc. Many sellers, unintentionally believe that if their doll has been in there possession for many years and well taken care of, the doll is in perfect condition. Many dolls out there that are advertised as mint, come with dolls with dirty faces, smudges, rips in clothes etc. Make sure that you ask, ask, ask.
How you can get hurt...If you look at an advertisement, e.g. Rare Lenci Doll in Mint Condition...(these dolls are my very favorites)...you look at the picture, and the doll seems perfect, and you don't read the tiniest small print, where it does say something about a flaw...That doll is yours with a smudge. The good thing is that Ebay protects you from misadvertisement, but the truth is when you have looked forward to purchasing that precious one, wouldn't you want to get what you bargained for?
Most sellers try to let you know the rips and tears, and other flaws, but some sellers are slightly misguided. In my opinion, its preferable to tell the buyer, all that is wrong with a doll, pictures sometimes are deceiving, at times, the item looks so fantastic, you just take a chance. Read the description and ask the questions. Also I would recommend to stay away from sellers that tell you they sell the doll as is, and don't believe in refunds. Aren't we here to strive for customer satisfaction?
Most vintage dolls are not in MINT condition, they are either in excellent condition, (some have never been taken out of the box), trust sellers that state they want you to be happy with their item, and will refund you the monies if the item was misrepresented.
Make sure that you want a vintage doll to begin with...some are truly not MINT.

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