Dollshe Classic 8B (39cm) Robin & 6G (35cm) Rosa

It would be great, but I don't believe it either. They usually tell you that it will be ready in two months and even after those two months they aren't ready. My experience with new sculpts and Dollshe is that it usually takes him about one year to finish those sculpts and starting to send off the dolls.
So I don't expect my Rosa to ship before September the earliest.

 

I received a note from Dollshe this morning. For the record, I'm dubious about July, too.

This is Mr. Kim the website manager of Dollshe Craft.
First of all, We are sorry to inform you of the delay again.

We promised it will be shipped within May, however, there will be another inevitable delay.

We would like to give you more realistic shipping schedule and a honest explanation about our current situation.

We have decided to reduce the scale of business due to Dollshe ki-yong’s health problem, illegal copy issue, and some other internal/external issues.
In result, some of the production staffs ended up leaving the company.
Therefore, we now have less staff to make the dolls and it is taking longer than usual to make the dolls.

Your doll is currently being casted and it will take about another 3 weeks. We are making the spunge and boxes at the same time so the entire Rosa&Robin orders including yours can be shipped within July.
You have been our loyal customer for a long time and we are truly sorry to deliver such a disappointing news. We believe the only way to repay your inconvenience is to send you the most beautiful doll in the best quality.

All our staffs including Dollshe ki-yong are trying their best to finish the production as soon as possible so please allow us a little more patience.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Sincerely yours,
DollShe craft

 

Yeah, and in July they're going to tell you that the sponges or the boxes aren't ready yet, because it turned out they don't fit the dolls,...yadda yadda... and that they're going to ship them as soon as the new boxes will be ready in September. And then in September they are going to ship exactly one doll (usually from someone, too, who ordered fairly late) and then for 6 more weeks: nada. And then the rest of them slowly appear, one after the other.

Been there. Bought the t-shirt.
Yet the dolls are fantastic, that's why I keep dealing with this.

 

So, he has had a mass staff walk out? And just issued another discontinuation threat, forcing people to panic buy and load the company with more orders? Oh wow.

 

Exactly. If he's trying to wind down, this is not a good way to do it. I keep wondering if THIS is the last time -- that his health issues will finally cause him to close down. I wonder, too, whether he suspected some of his casters of selling his designs to recasters -- the message seemed a little bit more paranoid than usual.

If only he didn't make such magnificent dolls. <forlorn sigh> We do this to ourselves. Oh well ... it's only been eight months since I ordered the kids, and far less than that since I ordered Arsene ... the full gestation period hasn't expired yet. :-p

 

All of your talk about these dolls interested me, so I went to the Dollshe site to see pictures. I was enormously surprised to see that the dolls are being offered still, and at sale prices! I almost leaped at the chance to order a Rosa (gorgeous doll!) but it seemed too good to be true, so I thought I would ask all of you: is it the real deal? Are the dolls really being offered now, or is this an old webpage that didn't get scrubbed?

 

Yes, there are a number of dolls that are listed as on sale on the website -- this is the current "real deal." Be aware that the dolls have not yet been completed, although it's likely that DollShe is closer to having them complete then, say, in October 2015 when they were first put up for sale. The dolls ARE being offered now, but they will not be delivered any time soon.

 

Thank you, Julie M - I have heard such glowing things about Dollshe dolls, and the pictures show such amazing poses, that I have a lot to think about. But yeah, everyone I've ever talked to says that the wait times are extreme!

I hope you all get your Rosas and Robins soon, and share pics!

 

DollShe dolls are absolutely magnificent. I have 14, with three currently on order. EACH time I order, I remind myself about the frustration of waiting forever and a day ... but it hasn't stopped me from ordering, yet. I feel as if I shouldn't be awarding the company with my patronage, given the bad behavior with constant promises and then regular delays, but the work is exceptionally fine.

 

Is there a separate thread for the fashion size Robin and Rosa (I couldn't find one)? Or do they go in here too?

I'm considering saving up for 22cm Rosa, so I figure I'll throw myself in here in order to stay up to date with any developments, which will hopefully apply to fashion as well as classic.

 

@passionasfashion Thank you! The thread and link is much appreciated!

 

I really want a Rosa, but I have some reservations. It seems strange to me too they're still accepting orders, considering their troubles. Is buying one at this late a stage a good idea?

This will be my first doll, I'm not familiar with the production process; will all the dolls be released at the same time, or would I be looking at another 8 month+ wait for mine too?

I wish there were some finished Rosa's to ogle over ;-;

 

When Rosa (& Robin) was first introduced, she was offered at as sale priced so that's no big deal. That's when I purchased. I wouldn't consider Dollshe to be troubled. This appears to be normal when a new sculpt is introduced.

 

As has been remarked upon very eloquently in another DollShe thread, DollShe lives in his own space/time continuum/alternate reality. Apparently (*cough*), the regularly sized Robin and Rosa will be shipping very soon. I suppose that a ten month gestation isn't too much longer than normal for a child. :-D However, I hear from an extremely reliable source, that the fashion size Robin and Rosa have run into a snag and will be a lot longer before they go into production. It would be a good idea to avoid them until they have gone into production, just in case.

If you are a first timer, there are a few things you must know about ordering from DollShe.

1. If a doll is established (i.e., the classics -- Hound, Saint, Bernard, etcetera), if molds have already been made (and remade, etcetera), you are safe. Some of the folks ordering the classics/standards have received shipping notices within ten days to two weeks. This is likely contingent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to the resin you've chosen, whether any dolls have already been made, if stock remains because of a cancellation, etcetera.
2. If you order a doll that is being shown for the first time, be prepared to wait. And wait. And wait. When the pure body came out, it took eleven months and three weeks before my Bernard(s) were sent to me. I say Bernard(s) because I ordered one, then DollShe dropped the price by 50%. I received an email inquiring whether I wanted a refund of the extra 50% or a second full doll. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't get the second doll, so went that way. And then I waited more. I was one of the very first people who ordered the pure body on the first day it was offered for sale -- and I was one of the lucky ones, apparently. Quite a few people waited a year or more for those first pure bodies. Those of us who ordered Arsene when his sales opened up aren't really expecting to see him until the holidays (December), if then.
3. While you will wait forever for a new DollShe sculpt, DollShe dolls are worth the wait. The sculpts are mature, refined, and elegant. I looked at DollShe dolls several times a week for a few years before I got an opportunity to purchase an unfaced-up Saint in the marketplace. It took me another several years to find somebody I wanted to provide him with the faceup I wanted. (I used to paint porcelain dolls, but I have a limited amount of time and prefer sewing for them). From that first Saint, my DollShe population has burgeoned to 14 in house, with Robin, Rosa, and Arsene on order. There are four (*gulp*) Hounds. *sighs* This is in addition to countless others from Volks, Dollstown (poured by DollShe), Iplehouse, Alchemic Labo (Unoa), Souldoll, the late, great Unidoll, Elfdoll, Dollmore, Fairyland, early Customhouse, and Lati (I'm sure that I'm missing a few here).
4. DollShe is unlikely to take the money and run. He is a brilliant artist and an exceptionally chaotic businessman. We see his regular discontinuations and, shortly thereafter, resumption of castings and take all of this with a grain of salt. I don't know if, when he sculpted that first grail doll, Bermann, he realized that he would become a star in the doll world. Either way, he is our creative genius and his dolls, our grails, are his muse.

Ordering a new sculpt from DollShe is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you will angst about your money for the months that it COULD be gone before your exquisite new resin person arrives, you are probably better off finding a doll elsewhere. If, however, you want a truly extraordinary sculpt, welcome to our legions -- the (occasionally) frustrated but resigned DollShe faithful.

 

Thank you Julie for your very welcome information. Although I had read about the long (really long) wait for Dollshe dolls, most have said, like you, that they are well worth the wait. So I continue to patiently wait for my Rosa and think of how thrilled I will be when I finally lay eyes on her. Having many Dollstown dolls, I know the resin will be just beautiful.
I have been a little preoccupied lately, and haven't made time for much dollplay, but hopefully when Rosa arrives, she will inspire me to make more happy time.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate your taking time to reply. You've restored my confidence for sure. So far I've also liked Iplehouse Lisa/Dollmore Narsha, but honestly, next to Rosa anything else feels like a slight compromise; I've no problem waiting for quality. I've decided to leave it a week and see if I still want her as badly, but I think I already know what my first doll will be. : )

Julie, having blessed Dollshe with so much custom, what's your preferred skin/resin type? I'd like a natural fair, porcelain look, but not paper-white.

 

I know that many people love the honey resins. They are slightly translucent, and glow. However, I've also read that some folks are having problems with color leaching and changing. This was also the case with some of the dolls made in French resins by other doll designers/manufacturers. Because if I want a "wax" doll, I'll buy a REAL wax doll, I've stuck with the opaque resins. My DollShe dolls represent the widest span in coloration. I have a whiteskin Hound on the original body. I traded for him -- he was punked out and entirely interesting looking. He has remained a mellow near ivory color, and I believe he was probably manufactured somewhere around 2005 or 2006. At the other end of the spectrum, although I haven't gone for ebony, I do have a tan doll -- which is VERY dark. He has been sitting atop a china display case in my living room for ... I don't know -- when did the Pure body finally ship? I think a bit over 2.5 years now -- and has had no color change whatsoever. The "pale tan" is actually fairly dark, as well.

I think that my favorite amongst the opaque colors are oriental skin, which most closely resembles my pasty (grins) skin, and the newer copper oriental color.

If you'd like to see what they actually look like, I've posted comparison shots in the DollShe Discussion list. That, or message me with your email and I'll send you some photographs. I have one female DollShe (Amanda) -- although Rosa will be a second, when she finally shows up.

 

There has been another delay on the children. I am not surprised. However, if the sponges have not yet been done, I think that it is likely that we will not see the kids in August, either. They are worth the wait -- but those of you who are ambivalent or openly worried when dolls don't show up on schedule, as promised, please take heed. Those of us who are die-hard DollShe fans, we're used to this. * resigned sigh *

Here is the note I received:

=========================

First of all, I am sorry for the delivery being delayed for a long time. When I inform you the delivery would be able to be done in July but we had no choice but to inform you the delivery being delayed again. I don’t know what to say.

I finished The original form of hands and feet parts as perfect as I can. After that, Producing Silicon mold to cast them is being done currently. Producing Protecting sponge for dolls will be done 2 weeks later. This one will be the last about delivery. I apologize again that I have done it several times.

Shipping will start from 2 weeks later and it will be done in August.
After that, We are thinking about a delivery schedule guarantee or new way of delivery that will not have a case like this happening again.

I’ll try not to let this problem happen again.

Thank you for not canceling and with patience you have been waiting for a long time though.

I’ll try to do my best to produce the best dolls to reward you.

Sincerely yours,
DollShe-Ki-yong
DollShe Craft CEO/Master Sculptor