BJD sweatshops?

Like many have said, I don't really think that they are made in sweatshops. It wouldn't make sense why it would take so long to get them. Infact I know Luts recently got so many make up/doll requests they had to stop because the person/s (I don't know how many artists they have exactly) doing them was so backed up. I waited almost 3 months for one head.

I know there's alot of question about things that come from Asian countries. Considering how many "bootleg" things come from China. But I don't really believe that is the case here

 

Is the debate question "would it bother you if your BJD was made in a sweatshop" or "would it bother you if the company you bought your BJD from used sweatshops". These are two very different questions.

Take Volks, for instance. I assume that their resin dolls are all made in the Kyoto factory (although I have no proof of that). I don't really know where their other items like wigs or clothes are made.
However if I found out that Volks used sweatshops (as opposed to legitimate factories) to produce any of these, I'd be concerned and would stop buying from them. It wouldn't matter if the things I personally bought from them were made in Kyoto. If a company uses sweatshops to manufacture ANY of its products, I will boycott them.

Of course none of us can possibly know where every single item we use came from. But I think once we have strong evidence that a company uses sweatshops or child labour, we as customers have a collective moral and ethical responsibility to boycott them.

Just out of interest, has any member of this forum (apart from Paulette) ever visited a BJD factory in Japan, Korea or any other country?
What were the conditions like?

 

Hmm That topic has come across my mind a while back when I picked up my DZ in Hong Kong, I actually had the manufacturer's address. I did not inspect it further, Basically the X-2 Dolls ( Vampire ones ) Also came from the factory of my Tintan on my receipt. The question that factory was in Hong Kong's sweatshop area I have no idea.

I know a lot of the wigs can be traced as " Made in China " Unless specified, many items don't have " where the item " is made. I know a lot of BJD shoes from Mimiwoo are from sweatshop deals. ( Like 3.$ a pair, when I was in Hong Kong they cost me 1$ per pair ) Usually at prices like that, the workers are very lowly paid. Even if it takes skilled people to cast resin, mold and sand, it is pretty easy to learn these trick when you are desperate for cash in asia.

So unless items are specified where they are made in, you can't be absolutely sure.

Even if I knew a company was using sweatshop workers, I guess I would have to say and try not to buy from them, BUT in everyday life everything we buy is made in China ( Around, what 80% of everything? ) My friend tried not to buy Made in China things and she gave up within a month.

 

When you start seeing BJDs for sale at K-Mart and Target (not that I'm dissing Target, one of my favorite stores, lol!), THAT will be my definition of "mass-produced." Look at all the cheap resin cr@p you can buy in junky stores in the mall- little statues, clocks, etc.- THAT would be cheap resin. So at some point, yes, I could see the BJD thing getting to that point where thousands of extremely low-quality dolls flood the market (look what happened to the porcelain doll market- when they first came out they were generally high quality, artist's dolls- now they're dirt cheap, poorly-made, of inferior materials).
In the meantime, it is unfair to call dolls from companies such as DZ, AoD, and Bobobie as "cheap". "Inexpensive", perhaps, compared to other companies. But, although I don't have a Volks doll, I do have some from some of the more expensive companies, and I have to say that the "cheap" dolls compare very, very well to the more expensive ones.
As a professional artist myself, I know that these items, whether the expensive or the "cheap" ones, involve a lot of fine, trained labor. I personally have not found the flaws on my dolls that you would find on something that is mass-produced. Things like seams not matching, joints not fitting well, etc. (In fact I have to say that my "cheap" dolls have finishing that is just as perfect as my more expensive ones).
All of these companies do very limited runs- hence the pre-orders and long waits to get your dolls. The "cheap" companies tend to be the newer ones who are struggling to gain a place in an increasingly competitive market. One way to do this is to offer an item at a lower price. Another thing is that you may notice the difference in websites between the brands. The more expensive ones have complicated websites with lots of graphics and links, etc., plus offer a lot of extras like clothing, wigs, eyes, etc. All of this is expensive in terms of development and overhead.

 

Yup, I've got a doll...

Hey! You got one too!

Thats cool....

Aww who cares where you got it? IT'S BEAUTIFUL!

Sorry, I just don't care. If I love it, If it's available to me, I've gotta have it...
Besides...

The kind of people employed into sweatshops are people like my dad... and honestly.. he couldn't even paint a straight line on the face to save his life.

This all started because someone was jealous that their own creativity and talent can't compare to the wonderful BJD artists'. I love my dolls, You love yours... you paid big bucks for whatever work that was put into them and so have I.

If they were made in sweatshops... why are they so gorgeous? Why do they even exist? They wouldn't exist because no one but the artists themselves can make such beautiful artwork/friends/children/muses/whatever your dolls are to you.

ps

American Girl dolls are UGLY.

 

Does anyone have any idea how one would go about getting access to the factories or workshops where these dolls are made? My experience with Volks was that they were not very willing to have people poking around and asking questions, but it may have been because of my position as a random unknown student writing a paper.

And if it did turn out that a company was engaging in abusive business practices, rather than outright boycotting them and making the company go under, thereby causing all of the workers to lose their jobs, wouldn't it be a better idea to try and lobby them to create better working conditions? I don't know how likely it is that it would work, but considering that the ball jointed doll community really isn't *that* big and ultimately they're relying on this small population to buy their products, our combined concern might actually be able to have an effect on how they run things.

Honestly not sure that it would make a difference for Volks 1/6 dolls, though.

 

It doesn't sound like abjds are really made in sweatshops, so I don't think you have to worry too much. Hypothetically, though, if a company is abusive to their employees, then don't buy the products. If people buy the products and the company is continuing to make money, it's unlikely that they are suddenly going to decide to change the way they're doing things. Hitting a company in their pocket book is one of the more effective ways of getting them to listen.

In the case of Volks, their Super Dolfies are made in Japan where there are no sweatshops, and I believe their is post earlier on made by the woman who runs Dollfair that explained how things are typically done in Korea. Most of these companies are very small (Volks is one of the largest--might be the largest??) and don't actually employ more than a few people. Not exactly a sweatshop type of set up. Human clothing, though--that's a whole nother story :P

 

just have to point out:
if you are ever boycotting a product, for whatever reason, it is vital that you inform the company of your reason. if you don't tell them why you're choosing not to buy their product, they will likely assume that it's because of changing fashions, and nothing to do with the human rights, environmental, or product quality issues that actually caused your boycott. if enough people tell the company they're boycotting for the same or similar reason, positive change may actually occur.

 

Yeah, that's more along the lines of what I was thinking. I realize that hitting them in the pocketbooks is going to be the most effective way, but I feel like it would be smarter to either threaten a boycott before you start one to see if they respond or at least send them a letter of intent or a petition when you start the boycott.

And yeah, I was speaking hypothetically. Sorry, I didn't make that clear. ^^; All evidence so far seems to point in the non-sweatshop direction and I certainly know that Volks isn't doing it with their resins. But I'm still curious about the conditions. They might be working under unsafe conditions without realizing it, after all. And I was also thinking of not just the dolls, but also the clothes, shoes, and wigs as well. My main point is that unlike, let's say, name-brand clothing for human size people, we probably have more of an influence as a group in the ball jointed doll market so we might actually be able to make a difference if we did find out about bad treatment of employees and such.

Not that I'd have the money to travel across the world to check it out to begin with... ^^;

 

Making Bjds is more of an art form then say just the making of the first doll head then mass producing like Mattel or other large doll companies.

I dont think it would be an easy thing to have little children in 'sweatshops' sculpting and painting and sanding etc.

I think statements like that are designed to make people feel that they should' buy american' . That is to much of a blanket term and unfair .

 

if bjd's were made in sweatshops, dont u think theyd be lke a barbie? i really dont think companys would do this, or else the whole concept of bjd would be different, and the quality would go straight down the pooper(lol).

 

I had to read through all the documentation and other posts, but I think I have my decision here.

On the "What If..." Subject-- If I discovered that my beloved doll was made in a sweatshop, I wouldn't sell her. If damage was done, the healing won't come from getting rid of the reminder. I sure as heck wouldn't buy another from that company.

On the subject of "Is it possible?"-- I doubt it. Knowing what it takes to make anything by hand well, I seriously doubt they could be made well by miserable, destitute people who don't have the skills or facilities.

 

So, because of the level of skill required, I also believe that the dolls themselves are not produced in sweatshops. But what about things for our dolls (clothes, wigs, etc)? Although their demand is not as high as things normally made in sweatshops, is it possible/likely? I don't know if this was addressed earlier, I didn't read the whole topic through.

 

I have been wondering about doll clothes and wigs and what manner they are made in, do they have several people sewing for hours at a time all day long, do they make decent wages, are they treated fairly?

 

I doubut it.
Too much detail and concentration for sweatshop workers to do, unless maybe they were good at it.
I don't know, I think it's just hearsay.
:]

 

I don't think that is true. Even casting the resin from a mold requires a high degree of skill, it's not something you can learn quickly like basic sewing skills or whatever. Same goes for faceups and such, you have to be quite talented and experienced. So I think it's not the type of thing that could be done in a sweatshop. To me, that statement sounds like it was made by someone who has the idea that everything made in Asia is made in a sweatshop, which, of course, is just not true...

I'm not sure on the clothes and the wigs, those could be more easily mass-produced, although I know a lot of the clothes are made in limited numbers by just a few people.

I would not sell my dolls if I found out they were made in a sweatshop - I mean, I already bought them, the damage is done. But, if that were indeed the case, I don't think I'd ever buy another one. I'd just make things for the ones I have.

 

if the doll were made in a sweatshop, then why does it always take about months for the dolls to finally arrive?
im very sure it isn't the shipping, I bet all those months was on making the doll and faceup and etc.

 

LMAOROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *snort* This says it all IMO.....

I truly DO NOT believe the initial comment came out of Malice or for a desire to do damage to the hobby - especially after ready Paulettes post!! I think honestly it was a slip of the tongue about BJD "sweatshops" and in complete earnest I'm of the belief there is NO WAY any of our dolls are produced in sweatshops - the wages may be low for some employees dependant on the company but the expertise required to do this stuff..... not gonna happen with someone dragged of the streets - it would cost the company more by way of rejects and miscasts than to hire someone qualified to do it

And would I STOP buying dolls if they were produced in sweatshops... emphatically YES. Not only because of the imorality of the situation but also the quality would bottom out and I'd rather be stuck with a bunch of 1980's fluro - shaved headed and shoulder padded Barbies.....

 

Wow, this thread sure has been dredged out of the ether ... and I read it anyway.

I'm not going to give my personal opinion of Goodreau's dolls here (given it elsewhere, pretty clear), but it just seems pretty ignorant to claim that other bjds are made in sweatshops. The clothes, maybe. The wigs, maybe. The shoes, maybe. Certainly if they're being made in China it is entirely possible that they are being made under conditions that violate some sort of human rights convention, or that the people manufacturing them are paid enough to live ... in the middle of China. It's possible the conditions are not conditions that most of us would endure for any significant period of time, but the job might be considered "a good job" in China.

Someone implied that sweatshops don't exist in Japan. Yeah, they do. They exist in America too. It's not just the Chinese and Filipina girls who are tricked into coming here, told they'll be "waitresses" and then end up working in the "happy ending" industry. There are lots of men and women who come here from South Asia with the promise of good pay and a brighter future, but then they are worked 6-7 days a week, 18 hours a day, and at the end of it all, paid about $1000. And they put up with it because it's better than working in their country.

There's no doubt in my mind that Asian bjds are generally cast and painted by talented people who care about and love what they do. However I wouldn't be surprised if some companies in China had very sweatshop-like conditions, as that's a risk when you do stuff in China. Because it's China. But it's not cheaper because it's made in a factory by 8-year-olds. It's cheaper because the yuan is cheaper than the won or yen. And if the prices are comparable to the Korean and Japanese companies, I would guarantee you they're making a huge profit.

It's all fine and wonderful to not want to support sweatshops and unfair business practices, although I think it's pretty impossible. Even stuff that's "made in the USA!" is often made in US territories under terrible conditions. And I can just hope that no one working for Volks has to do oodles of unpaid overtime until they snap and die of karoshi or jump in front of a train, as happens in many many many companies here. It doesn't have to be in China to be a sweatshop, and it doesn't have to be in a developing or undeveloped country to suck.

 

Nicely put! The whole post.