1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
    Dismiss Notice

Are you tired of new companies every week?

Feb 21, 2009

    1. I think it's irritating. I don't think there's much originality in the majority of the new companies, nor do I think many would have the same quality as the older, more established companies do. It's seem a bit like they're jumping on a bandwagon, really.
       
    2. I'm rather indifferent. It seems like as fast as they pop up they sort of fade-away. A lot of these companies look rather amateur and their sites feel very hurried. It seems like more often then not they’re deemed off-topic or don’t catch on and little is heard of them after that. I’m not really annoyed by it, nor do I salivate at the thought of another new doll company. I usually take a quick peek at their site and if there’s anything interesting I’ll bookmark the site.

      BJD are, for the most part, expensive and if I’m going to spend a pretty large sum of money on something chances are I’m going to buy from an established reputable source like Luts, Iplehouse, Volks or SOOM rather then “Good Time Doll” or “Number 1 Fun Friends.”
       
      • x 1
    3. I really do not pay attention to newer companies. Not that they are not nice, but I am pretty much stuck in my ways. I love the molds of the older companies and I know their quality and customer service is awesome so I do not tend to venture from them very often. Though, there are some molds that can lead me to other doll companies, but I tend to wait until a company has been establish for a few years before I buy from them.
       
    4. I think it's important to note that, as a general consensus, as long as human beings have been around we've been creating things. And, more importantly, have been inspired by things that are either preexisting or that came to be in our minds. I think it might be a bit unfair to lump all companies together at either end, saying that all are uncreative or all are exciting. Each doll is, IMHO ideally, the outcome of human inspiration and creativity, and I do think it is important to note that it's not Billy or Suzie's fault if they thought of something new a little later than everyone else did, nor should they be penalized for it.

      By that same token, this hobby has expanded remarkably in the relatively short time it has been around. Doesn't it logically follow that as the hobby expands more people will be exposed to it, including capable artists who might then want to participate in this art form? It is easy to forget that behind companies there are original people, that the sculpts came before the labels, and without those integral components there would BE no company but most importantly no art, no dolls. "Company" is not always completely synonymous with "cutthroat drive to make profit, edge out competitors, let's do whatever we have to to keep up with pop culture." Artists have to earn a living too, without new companies imagine how many new talented people might be languishing elsewhere? I say we have a little faith in human inventiveness and try to appreciate newcomers for what they bring to the table.

      And imagine when BJDs first appeared on the doll scene. I'm sure there were plenty of fashion doll collectors and Tonner enthusiasts who looked at each other and said "these new dolls are just made to capitalize on our hobby, they all look the same to me!"
       
    5. I suppose everyones trying to break into the bjd business :sweat
      Personallly though, I don't really mind. I mean its not as if their throwing their dolls in our faces and saying "buy our dolls, they're the best!!!". In the end its up to us whether we view their site or not.
      And you dont know, you may really like a sculpt from a new company. I think they deserve to be given a chance without people rudely saying "I'm sick of new companies every week. -_-". I know if it was me, I'd want people to at least consider my company before making such comments.
       
    6. the only problem I have with new companies is the fact that the dolls look cheap..there are some on ebay that have this odd glazed over look..there is nothing special about them..it's like they were sculpted fast to get the mold and made quickly..the faceups are unimaginative and the dolls look "dopey"
       
    7. It doesn't bother me at all. More companies mean more variety of doll sculpts, and they might just have the perfect doll for you. I'm quite happy that are new companies all the time.
       
    8. Are you tired of new companies every week ?......

      I feel overwhelmed!...there has been a surge of new dolls of late, it's hard to keep up, it makes me feel "full up""...as if I've seen enough/too much to take in all at once!
      I'm big on quality not quantity, it seems like a lot of "the same" sort of dolls are being produced at the moment.

      I do look at these new companies to see what they are offering.....I'll save them if I see something I may be interested in....


      So in answer to the original question that Ponygery asked...yes, I do feel tired of them at the moment......

      xen:)
       
    9. Haha! Why, everything's been done before, it just hasn't been done by you(or in this case a fresh artist wanting to try their hand at dolling) yet! Healthy competition, more variety, and lower prices for us... it sounds like a pretty good thing to me, actually. Digging your claws into 'tradition' only gets in the way of what is otherwise a dynamic, constantly evolving hobby.
       
    10. I agree with most, I don't see a problem with it. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

      If there were only a few companies like in the past, there honestly wouldn't be much variety. Everyone's dolls would look too similar, since every company has their own aesthetic. Personally, I really don't like most of Volks' sculpts. Though I don't own one (yet), I do like some of Luts' work. Competition is healthy and stimulating in a retail market. It would be pretty unnatural for no new companies to spring up after a product's success, especially if there is no patent on the design/technology.

      I'm not big enough into the hobby where I feel I need to know every company, sculpt, etc etc. Granted, I'm fairly new (got my first doll last fall, ordered my second this morning). But I like going up to owners at meets and asking what make/sculpt their doll is -- it's a great conversation starter!
       
    11. I actually like the idea of more, and more BJDs comining out. It just makes you excited, and wish for that new doll!
       
    12. I'm bothered by it to the extent that it seems to be people making cheap and not very original sculpts, i.e. stuff very similar to Volks, in order to "cash in" on the BJD trend. I'm also bothered by it when the new company doesn't maintain good standards for customer service.

      And, I'd like for more companies to actually take the time to develop and sell doll bodies. There are lika 152323 head companies out there and a relatively small number of body companies making bods for the heads to go on, and many of those bods are not very original. I realize it's a lot of work to develop a body and that bodies are costly so you might not sell as many, but if a company is really interested in adding to the doll field creatively rather than just grab money and run, making new bodies would be a challenge to consider.
       
    13. Those complaining about how the dolls look for new companies must have forgotten what some Volks and Luts dolls looked like when they first started out. =/ I saw nothing intensely special in their sculpts or body design or even in their face ups (something that you can customize on your own :roll: ). Much of what we're getting now has been through a developmental process through four or five years. You've got to start simple and then work your away up before you start making things complex and that's what these new companies are doing. Have to start somewhere.

      I don't really care much either way. It's not like they're forcing me to buy them, and really you don't have to look at their sites or their information pages if they're that annoying. :lol:
       
    14. Nope, I'm not really bothered, though it is so hard to keep company names straight these days! XD Though as much as I agree that variety is a wonderful thing to have in the BJD hobby, I'm not all that impressed by many of the new companies that have been springing up. But, companies that do make it and stick around usually "step up their game" after awhile and do something innovative or to make them stand out. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right? :daisy

      I do tend to be kind of leery of new companies though, but that's because they often don't have any feedback or many customer reviews yet. And call me crazy but I'm not too keen on the idea of sending a few hundred bucks to China on good faith and hoping that I get a doll in return. :sweat
       
    15. I'm enjoying the proliferation of new companies. It gives more to look at & some offers nice, inexpensive options for bodies. While many of them are rather generic, there are also some wonderful new sculpts being offered.

      As most of these new companies are Chinese, it's also interesting to watch the changes in their dolls in general. Their early offerings were often quite bland with poor bodies & face-ups. Now some of the new companies are offering much more artistic sculpts with good face-ups some on a par with the Korean companies but much less expensive. It's always fun to watch things progress & it gives newbies a chance to get an interesting doll at a lower price.
       
    16. Actually a lot of us (including me) weren't even in the hobby then, and I know for a fact I would never have gotten in the hobby if Volks and Luts had continued to be the main producers. I'm already pretty bored by a lot of Volks and Luts so when new companies show up looking like just more Volks and Luts, that's going to put me off worse than if they appeared offering products that looked like Unidoll or Dollshe.
       
    17. I really don't mind because I know that, like many "fads" (it's a strong word, but the closest descriptor I could think of, hence the quotation marks), the idea of starting a BJD business will give way to something else. It's pretty much the same with any other profitable endeavor. Take Beanie Babies for example; when they got popular there were plenty of bean-filled plushies released from various companies, but when the "fad" portion of the popularity wore off, the Beanie Babies remained. Not to say those other bean-filled plush aren't still out there, but I really haven't seen them in the mass quantities that used to be produced.

      So, I feel that in the end, the companies with nice quality product, good customer base and customer service, and unique, original, or sought after sculpts will remain. Eventually time weeds out the lasting companies from the "fad" ones, and the "fad" ones move on into new endeavors or cease to exist.

      I'm happy to see such interest in the industry though; more companies means more choices and more power of choice on my end. If I don't like the customer service or product of one company, I can choose from a variety of other companies to suit my needs. Bad for my wallet though :lol:
       
    18. I'm not bothered at ALL by different, new companies popping up. In fact, it bothers me more that most of the "new" Volks, and Luts dolls are starting to look all alike to me. It seems that the newer companies have taken note that the economy is just NOT strong enough to support a new "600 dollar doll" company, and are making more affordable dolls, to compete in these newer, more risky economic times. I just saw the new Dragon Doll company, and their dolls are GORGEOUS! not to mention that it's only like 268 for a doll!

      Frankly, i hope to KEEP seeing newer companies. :) It's going to give the older companies a run for their money, and force them to step up their game, instead of popping out the same stuff over and over again. The newer companies, to me, don't have dolls that look like anything out there right now. And that makes me happy, becuase i've completely quit going to Volks, or Luts sites, for anything other than the clothing. And that's saying alot, considering that over half of my collection is CP Delf. The molds are just really starting to look like the same rehashed thing over and over.

      So in the end, a new company adds a breath of fresh air to the stagnant pool as of late, IMO.
       
    19. I OOVVVEE IT!!! XD its soo much fun to see new dolls and have a new doll to add to my wishlist
       
    20. I think everyone saying things about the OP, how she must not like that many dolls or companies really ought to check out her collection, lol...I would say she has taken a chance on...perhaps one or two.

      I don't really care about the new companies. If I like something they have, I'll wait and let everyone else rush to check out the dolls and their quality. If it's good, I might buy it. My dolls are scattered among 11 companies. Sure, a full third of them are from the same company, but I'll still consider any company, provided the resin is good and the product appeals to me.

      I do have concerns that all these companies were rushing to get in, to cash in on the fact that the rich North Americans and Europeans (and all around the world!) are craving these dolls and as the fanbase gets younger, the demand for cheaper becomes a raucous screech that the new companies are only too happy to supply...but now with the recession heavily affecting how North Americans buy dolls, and the prices of the more premium dolls falling, it baffles me as to how the new companies keep coming with all their affordable sculpts...

      I do fear oversaturation. The board right now is evidence of that on a smaller scale because of the recession--how many sales are being made versus how many dolls are for sale? As more and more companies enter the scene, they make it harder for the existing ones to compete, to the point that the market will collapse due to oversupply. I don't have the world's best understanding of economics, but this is what I fear happening.

      Oh, and the ugly anthros from all these new companies seriously need to stop, in my opinion. I love anthros, I have a pack of them, but a lot of the ones that keep coming down the pipe that are newer to the anthro scene are quite frankly atrocious. As long as SOMEONE loves them, I guess.