The older outfits used to come nicely tucked into a box. There were no cords or ties to cut off.

With the zipper ties in order to fix something wrong with the dolls like loose joints or stuffing you have to replace the whole zip tie... the cord allowed you the ability to fix the dolls yourself instead of sending them to the very expensive doll hospital.

Samantha had historically accurate undergarments.

Actually they used to only be $100 for the doll the book and her accessories were an additional $20. They do continue to go up in price and they do continue to be made more poorly.