MIB- Item meets the above requirements but the box may or may not have been opened at some point. It may only be suspected that the box has been opened. We frequently use MIB for items that were not purchased directly from the manufacturer or a major retailer but were purchased on the secondary market. Most of these items would meet the NRFB criteria but we do not want to mislead inadvertently. MIB items are complete to the best of our knowledge.
Mint or other condition with box. Item has been taken out of the box and its condition may vary. Item may or may not be complete. Read individual descriptions closely.
Mint- meets criteria above for condition, may or may not be complete, (may be part of an ensemble or lot). Has no original packaging. A mint item will not have been played with and will show no damage, no abuse, and almost no handling. Hair will be in the original style.
For items that have been handled outside the box we frequently use the terms shows minimal handling or moderate handling . NEW- if we describe an item as new that means we know personally that it was never played with, either we received directly from the manufacturer, deboxed it ourselves or obtained it from a private collector whose standards equal our own. Please note; new items will often contain common factory aberrations that will not be noted in descriptions unless they are extreme, these included pinholes from where clothing is sewn to packages or other clothing pieces, blemishes from mold detachment and from mechanical handling, faint marks from elastic bands used to secure dolls and other items in original packaging. NO original packaging is included with any item unless noted in the description. Flaws from the manufacturer that will be noted include prominent discolorations, obvious damage and size variations.
Minimal handling is a secondary term used with mint, near mint and excellent condition to indicate that while the item might have been displayed or stored in less than perfect conditions, it looks as if it were only handled for a very short period of time after by its original owner. For example: An item may show minimal handling and still only be in excellent (not mint) condition if it were exposed to heat in storage or if it were otherwise affected by poor storage or display (ie: flattened clothing, sunlight or smoke exposure). Hair may not be perfect but will be generally in the original style. A article in near mint condition with minimal handling would still have that crisp mint look or appear one or two degrees less than crispy mint. An item that has been minimally handled was displayed, stored or even played with but with great care. (An example: I have a platinum PTS with lavender lips that was mine as a child, although not my favorite, it was the most beautiful Barbie I had. I was fanatical about preserving that doll in mint condition, especially the hair. I lost numerous friends because I would not let them touch her. She still appears mint to this day but in reality I played with her every day for many years. She shows no evidence of that play, in fact benefited from it as I discarded earrings early on and later in years replaced the rubber bands. We are in Texas, it gets hot here! Some of my childhood dolls show play but none have green ear and none have rubber bands melted into their hair.)
Moderate handling: This item has been handled and appears used ( not new or mint). Moderate handling covers all surface conditions, (including minuscule scratches on dolls and tiny imperceptible spots on clothing etc). An item that shows moderate handling has NOT been abused, damaged, soiled, nor is missing a vital part. If a moderately handled item has an interior part that is broken (such as a knee joint) it will be described and will usually not be evident in display. A moderately handled item may have been cleaned, but in such a way that the cleaning is not overtly apparent in display.
Minimal and moderate handling labels are not a statement of condition but rather a way to elaborate on the condition of the items which have been taken out of their boxes without going into extreme detail.
Excellent condition. This item is in excellent condition despite not being in its original packaging. It may show minimal to moderate handling (see above) An item in excellent condition will at first glance appear near mint or mint. Only upon closer inspection will flaws be apparent and most will not be visible to the naked eye. Excellent condition items may be been cleaned but in such a way that the cleaning is not overtly apparent or they may need a light cleaning. An item that is in excellent condition has NOT been abused, damaged, badly soiled, nor is missing a vital part. An excellent condition item has no broken parts, no vital parts are missing. (For example: Clothing ensembles may not be complete but individual pieces will be intact unless noted. For example a lined coat will not be missing the lining but it may be noted that a snap is loose or missing). Excellent played with condition is a subset of excellent to indicate the flaws the item has resulted from obvious play (or mishandling by an adult) rather than from cleaning, exposure to the elements or poor display condition.
Very good condition: Item shows flaws even when displayed but has not been abused or damaged in such a way that the item is undesirable. For example, hair may have been trimmed but not badly cut). Very good condition items will show noticeable differences when compared to the mint item but these differences will not detract from the overall appearance of the item too much. They may have been cleaned or need cleaning.
Good condition, Item shows numerous flaws, some minor damage, if a part it broken it is not evident in display. Good condition items will show noticeable differences when compared to the excellent condition item but the overall appearance of the item will still be acceptable.
Fair condition. This is ordinarily the lowest condition in which we offer any item. This condition covers items that have wear and tear from time, slight damage from poor display or storage practices and item that have survived a lot of loving but active play. Again no abuse is evident, any damage is not a significant detraction from the display appearance. This condition covers items with flaws that can be covered or hidden in some way but will be stated in the description. Items in fair condition will not have broken parts that are not evident or described.
Poor condition: Normally we do not sell such items individually unless they are rare and desired items. We may occasionally offer some poor condition items in our Other section for parts. We attempt to state all damage or show it in photos but by purchasing an item in poor condition, buyer accepts that the item may have flaws too numerous to list.
Other terms; light cleaning- an article could use a light cleaning with common cleaning agents found in most households; such cleaning can be done by any adult. A light cleaning is optional as the article will display just find without it and is done at the buyers risk. Pro cleaning- article needs cleaning by a professional to avoid harm. Note: cleaning and restoration is at the risk of the buyer, some items do not benefit from cleaning or restoration. Surface dirt: dirt that accumulates over time with handling; surface dirt may or may not come off with a light cleaning. Most out of box items have some surface dirt simply by having been touched by human hands. (Many NRFB items also have surface dirt, you just do not know it.) Other types of soiling are described in more detail if applicable.
By purchasing an item from us the buyer accepts our statement of condition of all items offered for sale by Ruskras Corner for Fashion Dolls unconditionally as well as these definitions of terms. Item conditions are subjective and so are not negotiable or open for dispute. We are not responsible for errors or for condition changes after purchase over time. We do our best to describe conditions and handled all items with care throughout the buying process. These descriptions of conditions are exclusive to Ruskras Corner for Fashion Dolls and are copyrighted by Deborah Kralich c 2005.
) 
