Do you try to order within your own country?

I'm in Canada and there's precious few dealers here (I only know of 2) and the number of companies those dealers have business with is limited as well so it really puts a crimp in your buying habits. Generally, I'll buy new dolls direct from the company unless there has been some noted issue with the company, then I'll use a dealer for an extra layer of protection. I'll also use a dealer if I find the company website confusing/cumbersome to use. If I'm purchasing multiple things from multiple companies, I'll also use a dealer as 1 shipment payment and trip through Customs is generally better for my wallet than multiple shipments and trips through Customs. 2nd hand dolls... I've purchased from as far away as Australia, Norway and China as well as buying from the US and even within Canada (yea! no Customs then!).

I loathe Amazon with the passion of 10,000 burning suns and only buy from them if they are the absolute last place on the planet that I can get what I want. I've had utterly deplorable customer service from them on 2 separate instances in using gift cards which completely soured my views of them. The amounts on the cards were only $20US yet it was a 2 month fight with them (both times) to try and redeem the cards.

Evilbay is... evil. I dislike their policies and they are hypocrites of the highest order that don't enforce their own policies about pirated material. That being said, jeerymya (sp?) is an awesome seller on ebay and I have nothing but the highest praise for her and her business practices. I have every confidence buying from her on ebay but any other ebay seller.... I'd be super cautious just because I have my own experience with the piracy ebay continues to allow on their site.

 

I do (mostly because I'm impatient and customs seems to be taking forever to clear things these days) but I'll buy internationally if it's something I really want or just can not find in the US.

 

I do try to buy dolls from dealers in the US as it makes things easier when it comes to shipping and communication. But pay less attention when ordering from etsy. It's actually fun to get packages from different parts of the world and it adds to my enjoyment of the hobby.

 

When I search eBay, I typically limit it to the US. With high international shipping fees, I feel like it's much more economical to buy within the US. Of course, for some rare, limited doll, I will search worldwide, even employ a shopping service to help me get it.

 

I do like ordering within my country (faster shipping, communication, etc.), but it's hard to find the items I want.

 

I stick to buying within the US when I buy used dolls, although I did take a chance on a rare head from Australia, and had a completely positive experience. Even though eBay, PayPal and other sales platforms may have money-back protection, it's more about the frustration of not getting what I ordered. My one Taobao order was fine, though I can't say I saved much money overall.

 

We have people in our local community who have limited themselves a lot: no Paypal, bad English, general fear of everything outside the realm of their own country.
And honestly, when I see how they struggle with even the easiest things (like ordering a doll or finding a certain wig) or have to rely on the help of others constantly (because no own Paypal) I just ask myself why they restrict themselves so much in a hobby like ours.

If I look at my collection I know that such a collecting style would have been absolutely impossible for me, dealer can only offer so much and many things have to be bought from the maker direct (no matter if it's a doll company or a seamstress, face-up artist or whatever) if you want to be satisfied.

So, no, I do not try to order within my own country.
It's partly because of a lack of options, partly because the overall quality here in goods is not very good anyway (as in, no exceptional talented artists for commission nor people who collect quality things they sell once in a while, so even trades are not an option).
I've ordered from many sellers in different countries now and I'm glad about this, many dolls or other things wouldn't be here if I wouldn't have done this

I'm not from the US though, so maybe that makes a difference.
Still, I'm pretty sure even if I'd live in the US I would have still ordered a lot from abroad.

 

Well I can see this two ways: There's only buying items that are being sold within your own country (but originated elsewhere) or buying items that are made & sold within your own country.

I mostly purchase items from overseas but also own dolls made by several US sculptors & follow their work closely. But mostly, I simply can't find the items I want domestically for my boys.

 

When I need a quick fix I order within the US. Sometimes I go to MoC or DDE and see what they have in stock so I can get a doll or item in a few days. Same with etsy. Quick fix then in stock in the US.
Otherwise I'm not picky. I'll order from anywhere.

As far as where I order. I usually stick with MoC for dolls since they're fairly close to where I live and I can go pick up the order from them.
I only use ebay for clothing and amazon for nothing.
I love etsy for clothes.

 

If it is possible to get the sculpt I'm looking for from a UK dealer I would go with that in a heart beat, mostly I aim to try and get my dolls from within the EU or China so I don't have to pay customs. If customs weren't and issue then were I order from wouldn't be an issue.

 

As I'm in Australia I try to buy locally if I can. Between high postage, distance and rotten exchange rates it makes sense. I have bought heaps on ebay, usually from the US and UK and have had very few problems.

 

Admittedly, I buy what I can from wherever I can. I like to stay local, and then in the US, if absolutely doable, but sometimes what I want can only be obtained from overseas. Honestly though, I believe most of what i have has either been purchased new or used from my home country.

 

I would love to buy within my own country if I could, but we don't have that much items here and even if we do, we only a semi-hiatus doll community and I have to rely on their yearly doll market (there have been no announcements for this year as of yet). I'm hoping to buy in Hong Kong or Japan if I can go there this April or May.

 

I prefer to buy overseas. A lot of the stuff that interests me still ends up being cheaper after shipping than stuff I've found within the country before shipping. If I need something asap I'll prioritize ordering from within the country.

 

I try to buy within Canada, but it is so difficult. Since everything is in USD, I always forget about the exchange rate, so I don't actually know how much it is. Then customs is a hassle, I feel customs between countries are the worst, it's like they spend more time there then actually traveling.
When you're finally about to pick up something for another country, there's usually custom fees on it, and you die a little bit.

 

I would like to purchase locally, but there is very little in the BJD field available in Australia. Mostly I purchase dolls, wigs and shoes directly from the companies who make them, but occasionally I'll purchase a doll from the DoA marketplace, providing I find one at a reasonable price that's on my wishlist, as it saves that horribly long waiting period.

Clothes, I mostly make myself, but sometimes something on Etsy may catch my eye, and providing it's well made I will purchase no matter where it's from. I also purchase boy clothes from Iplehouse from time to time as I'm not fond of sewing for boys.

The exchange rate is pretty awful at present, but I usually buy and sell in US$'s anyway, and we do have one advantage when it comes to Australian duties . . . there's no customs/import fee on items under AU$1000.

 

I try to buy the smaller things as clothes and wigs within my own country. The shipping costs are high for these little things so I like to save money by buying in my own country. But when I like a lot of clothes or wigs from the same shop, I will order there. When you buy more, the shipping costs aren't that high if you compare it to the total value of the things you're buying. When it comes to dolls, it doesn't matter for me. If I love a doll I would buy it from the other side of the world

 

Mainly problem with international shipping is both time and cost. But I often buy things from outside my country (due to the fact that community here is not as large as in USA for example). But if there are two people selling the same thing for the same price I would certainly buy from person within my country, since it's less hassle ^^;;
I don't mind buying from all around the world tho, and I usually buy supplies for my outfits from Korea, China or Japan.

 

I've purchased items from so many different countries on etsy, ebay, amazon, and I've never had any issues. I think I've been pretty fortunate! But, recently, I've been searching in my own country more as I'm tired of the long wait times (up to a month from China!). One thing I've noticed is that the prices here in the US are oftentimes higher, and the so is the shipping costs -even for items that are secondhand. I know supporting local sellers is important (I am one myself). I would rather get my doll items in the US, but I'm just not finding what I want. I do buy my bjds from MOC as I like the safety of having a dealer here in the US, but have ordered directly from overseas companies as well.