Dollshe David Superhero Classic discussion

My mom and I have been waiting over two years for dolls that have been cast multiple times for years and aren't just 3D printed/rendered/sculpted prototypes. We've gotten two out of eight and one of those was only due to a canceled/defaulted layaway with the dealer matching exactly what was ordered. I'd trust a convicted conman with my money more than I'd trust Dollshe ever again.

He also acts like a petulant child and deletes the negative comments. He can't stand the heat, but dang, he sure wants to stay in the kitchen.

 

@celga No need to single me out. I haven’t said give Dollshe all the money and buy into everything he does! I just meant it truly is up to an individual what they decide to do, for better or worse. All the threads exist and there is no shortage of reviews/reports/etc. I don’t think anybody could possibly be misinformed at this point.

Back to watching from afar for me.

 

I think we should perhaps stop talking about Dollshe in terms of "wait times" at all. Because it implies that if you resolve to wait the often cited 2-3 years, you will get your doll in the end. While the truth of the matter is that only a fraction of orders are ever fulfilled, no matter what type of doll, and most of those are not even the actual dolls that were ordered, technically speaking, but cancelled orders of other people that coincidentally fit the bill, or downgraded versions of the original offer. "Wait times" makes it sound much more tolerable than it really is, like you only need to be patient and you will be rewarded, you know?

 

Dollshe sculpts are amongst my most favorite dolls - I have several in my crew and would never sell them. But I would never advise anyone to order directly from Dollshe. It's far better to purchase them on the secondary market, although admittedly, this can be challenging, if you're seeking a specific sculpt or skin tone.

Case in point - my friend and I waited 2.6 years for a doll (not a prototype, but one that's been cast and sold for many years). We only recently received her because someone canceled an order at BJDivas that just happened to be the exact same doll (sculpt / skin tone) that we'd ordered. Otherwise, we'd still be waiting and waiting and waiting - endlessly.

No matter how intriguing a new Dollshe sculpt may be - no matter how tantalizing the so-called "sale" - there's a distinct possibility that the customer will never actually receive the doll they paid for. And if they do actually receive said doll, it may be many years down the road.

Is it really worth the risk?

 

I also want to reiterate for anyone lurking who is "on the fence" about ordering this doll or any others from Dollshe... yes, it's your money and your personal decision on whether or not you order from Dollshe. However, if you do, please realize that you are participating in a scam and you're not helping an already terrible situation for many others in the community.

As @celga stated, we as a community really need to be more vocal about calling this what it is... a scam. Collectors who feel like it's just a super long wait time are very misinformed. As @Mandagore pointed out above, as time passes we have more and more orders going unfulfilled rather than those that are. Dollshe's company is financially in trouble. He does not have the means to fulfill all the outstanding orders and is now attempting another sale for a doll claiming that it will help generate funds to finish orders. However, I doubt adding MORE orders (especially when it looks like it's going to take a lot of materials to make this guy) is going to solve his problem. At this point I'm very fearful for the collectors waiting on their dolls already. There have been many companies over the years that have gone through financial crises, and what typically ends up happening in the worst case scenario is the company folds. When all the money is gone... there isn't anything left to give refunds, purchase materials to finish dolls or pay the few workers to finish up the orders; and therefore everyone is left empty handed without money or their doll.

I think a great deal of the community in these threads and beyond (who don't belong to DoA) are misinformed and think "Oh it's just a long wait time, but the doll is so cheap/cool I can't help it!". I also think that the few dolls that make it home help potential buyers delude themselves that dolls are being delivered, and therefore they aren't taking a risk. As celga mentioned, if the community as a whole continues to support him, Dollshe has no reason to fix his behavior. He can keep operating at a glacial pace, and be avoidant and dismissive of complaints. He's in a big deep financial hole, but every interest free loan someone gives him for a doll he doesn't plan to make 1-2-3+ years later is helping dig that hole deeper.

If you are reading this DO NOT BUY FROM DOLLSHE.

 

Genuine question - and I really do mean genuine, because I have no horse in the race, I bought from (and finished my business with) Dollshe directly years ago, so I’m not waiting on anything nor have I experienced firsthand any of the current events. I also don’t really spend any time in wait rooms or on many community haunts because I just quietly enjoy dolls by myself, so forgive me if I seem startled on my end.

Genuine question; if it’s gotten this bad and it’s widely and fully agreed he is a scammer, why is Dollshe still allowed (ie not banned) on DoA? Shouldn’t there at least be a front page notice given the severity of it?

 

@nattherat : That is a very good question, and probably something only the Mods can answer. I think it's been a situation where at first, people just shook their heads and said "It's just Dollshe being Dollshe again!"... but now as it increases in severity and we're seeing Dollshe publicly avoiding the situation and not taking any action to fulfill outstanding orders, it needs to be done to protect other members in the community.

Personally, I would be in favor of a warning thread like they have created for other situations in the past. I don't particularly live under a rock in this community, but I don't keep up with every company in BJD-dom. Just last year I started researching getting a Dollshe boy in the green resin and was shocked at the waiting times exceeding 2+ years!!! Had I not checked the waiting thread on DoA I wouldn't have known, so safe to say there is a lot of power in this forum when informing collectors.

 

@Dybbuk A front page warning seems like the best course of action, though I suppose that didn't happen when concerns were flagged up about BJDivas and Angelesque (this is apples and oranges though, those dealers each had their own problems that aren't the same problems that Dollshe has, though there is a parallel or two here and there. Plus tbf they both got cautions put on them, which is a similar PSA). However, there are BJD companies that "ran off with the money" so to speak that have been warned about and/or banned, as you're probably referring to. It seems like this particular situation has escalated to the level where that should happen here too!

 

Banning is a tricky subject and definitely one only the Mods can address. But if such a banning did occur, I would prefer it just be Dollshe as an artist / company (with a warning not to buy directly from him due to his extremely questionable business practices). That said, I would not want to see the dolls themselves banned here, as many of us (including myself) own and love our Dollshe dolls.

 

Being somebody who was fortunate enough to get my Dollshe orders in an amazingly reasonable time frame (3 months for a head, 6 months for a full doll in honey resin—this was back around 2016-17)—I side with everyone else stating to be extremely cautious in regards to purchasing anything from Dollshe. Sure, the new guy is very...interesting (I'm oddly fascinated by the very...enhanced features), but with Dollshe's very spotty record—I wouldn't trust that man with my money ever again. I would highly encourage anyone even remotely considering ordering this new guy David to save their money and spending it elsewhere.

I have to say that I too am surprised that there isn't some kind of warning thread or front page notification warning everyone about what could be summed up as the Dollshe financial scam. I wouldn't go so far as to suggest a total outright ban, but there needs to be more efforts made to bring awareness to the situation. Many assume that everyone in the hobby should be aware of Dollshe's schemes by now, but there are plenty of newbies and others who don't frequent social media sites or the specific Dollshe discussion threads that are unaware of Dollshe's history. It would benefit the forum and the hobby at wide to bring more awareness to this dire situation to prevent more people from falling victim to his scam who might otherwise have avoided giving Dollshe their money if they'd known.

To ignore the situation and let it keep going without bringing proper awareness to the situation is practically equal to becoming complacent to it. We need to spread the word far and wide, and by whatever means (within reason, of course) necessary.

Whatever you do:
DO NOT BUY FROM DOLLSHE!!​

 

A while back, I asked the mods why he was not either banned outright, or at least have a pinned warning against him to let people know the specifics of his ongoing scam. The response to banning made me feel pretty silly, because I hadn't really thought it through (I was just mad, and wanted something significant to be done). But the fact is, he neither posts nor advertises here...so banning would be kind of pointless. As for pinning a warning, the consensus seemed to be that there are plenty of threads where people discuss his poor business practices, but others continue to buy from him anyway. I'm not sure I agree with that logic, since as @jade-eyed-cat said, not everyone reads those threads before buying (for myself, I rarely go into a waiting room until I've made a purchase) - but for now, apparently, it is what it is. I hope that this will change.

 

I guess it could also be because people have received dolls/refunds, even though it's been a really long, really sporadic game of roulette when it comes to which dolls are made and who gets their order. Honestly, I think he just draws a sculpt name and resin color out of a hat and that's how he decides. It sure as hell isn't by order date (which someone at Dollshe has claimed they don't know the exact order dates, which I say is bs).

But yeah, I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't know what a dumpster fire Dollshe is right now. He deletes all the evidence on his instagram and not everyone reads DoA/social media. When we ordered, the wait time was around a year. It will soon be 2 years and 9 months for our first order, almost 3 years. We've gotten only two dolls from that order within that time frame and one was a canceled/defaulted layaway so I don't really count it as being from that order.

Dollshe is an amazingly talented sculptor. He makes stunning dolls with some of the most beautiful details (Dollshe hands are some of the best imo). But, for me, even that can't outweigh the continuous lies and broken promises. I'd rather give my money to other talented artists who actually seem to care about their customers, their craft, and their own reputation, instead of a man who becomes hostile when confronted with unhappy customers who have been waiting 2+ years and blames the wait on too many orders (usually specifying through overseas dealers, but I'm pretty sure there was only one dealer when these waits started because the others dropped him).

 

For me it's not a "long waiting time" anymore, but a full blown scam.
My friend just received her Dollshe order. After over two year wait.
The problem is that shipping prices rised from the moment that dolls are sold. And Dollshe is telling customers that they need to pay double the original shipping (my friend paid 80 dollars for shipping two dolls and was asked for extra 100$) if they want to receive their dolls strung, so in fact - if they want to receive the full product that they paid for.
Which is just ridiculous. Customers paid prices for full, strung dolls, and that's what they should receive...

My friend didn't agree to pay extra shipping and she received doll kits. With shipping and taxes she paid $1400 for two doll kits!
On top of that, they came in obscure boxes, without any instructions or information sheet on how to put kits together, packed in NEWSPAPER.

So basically Dollshe is now holding the dolls hostage, after 2-3 years wait, making customers face a decision if they would pay more or receive a doll puzzle.

It is not just waiting times now, but customers actually not receiving the product that they paid for.

 

Every time I see a new sculpt on the Dollshe website, I visit the Waiting Room and change my mind. As a few others have said, I would buy secondhand. In the case of this sculpt, I’m not interested. I don’t need another doll that is hard to find clothes for. It breaks my heart for all the Dollshe fans - we love the dolls but dislike the business practice.

 

I'm actually really glad to see all these posts warning about Dollshe. Of course, there will always be people who refuse to research, don't have an account or know about DoA, or just aren't able to stop themselves. His deals really are too good to be true. As long as we can stop everyone we can, I think we're making an impact.

I agree on the discussion of "wait time". It doesn't count as wait time if the doll never shows up! You can't even expect to ever get the product. Additionally, his request for extra shipping money is scummy and he doesn't deserve a cent extra from anyone with an order from him.

I'm not a mod so I definitely have no say in anything, but it would be really tough to ban Dollshe. You could in theory ban all his dolls from being discussed, but he's made years and years of dolls that would no longer be allowed. People would be so upset! If you banned dolls made after X date, the people waiting wouldn't be able to discuss their doll if/when it arrives. The mods are really in an awkward position, though I wish a big post or notification would be made to warn people who don't bother going to the waiting room thread. Who knows if that would be seen by the people still buying from him though. A lot of people just keep to social media these days and some don't even use the internet outside of ordering things online. We're not going to stop everyone, but I'm happy to see everyone in this thread loudly warn anyone tempted. Let's keep warning everyone who will listen.

Also this is a good reminder to everyone, no matter what company you buy from, to do your research! Dollshe isn't the first or last to dig themselves into a hole, so even if you've bought from a company in the past, check the feedback for more recent orders. Dollshe was reasonably reliable once and things could change at any time.

 

I have to agree with the mods here though, even though I too had asked myself why he's not banned or has an official warning thread.

Like I know it sounds mean, but no matter if there is a giant DO NOT BUY FROM DOLLSHE banner on the frontpage or not, people will still buy from him. Either because they think they will luck out or "oh well, I don't mind waiting years!", or simply because they don't do any research. And both of these fall into the "own fault" category.
You can't force people to make the smartest decision, or put in a tiny bit of research into a company before buying from it.

And pretty much all our community places (DoA, Facebook groups, Discord etc.) are FULL with Dollshe warnings, or the moment you post a question about them people will swarm your post to warn you I see it all the time, someone asks about Dollshe and BOOM 30 people yelling at you to stay away from him. What else could one want?

To avoid even a crumb of information about him you really gotta be willfully ignorant/lazy at this point.
And then there are still the ones that will keep buying from him despite knowing what he does, those people just can't be helped.

 

For all the people looking for a similar doll, I am keeping an eye on this artist, who was even advertised here on Doa: Ulia Kunkel

She closed her first preorder recently. You can wait for owner pictures to see how the actual dolls look like. Luckily, there is a world of indipendent and talented artists on IG that could offer the same (if not better) style.

I am one of those who preordered two dolls during the discount and I am taking this "philosophically", as in my native language. I hope that my dolls will show at my door someday, and then I will be happy. But would I recommend Dollshe even to my worst enemy? No. I don't think any buyer is at fault, because it's not some small artist or company involved, but one that got recognition in several years of doll making.

Obviously, the man behind Dollshe knows who he is, and I think this is partly the problem with what is happening.
It's not new for BJD companies to have big sales sometimes or to crowfund new projects, but everything that works for other indipendent artists does not apply to Dollshe because of his attitude towards his work and his customers.

What hurts me the most is that he is overreacting over people's concerns. Customers got angry with a good reason, because there is lack of communication, transparency and connection. If someone fails to guarantee these in a business, then it's the end because you have lost your customers' trust.

There are a lot of competitors around with a better service and ideas, and he GREATLY fails to realize this. If you have purchased from Dollshe there's nothing else to do but keep pestering them with emails and crossing fingers. You are NOT alone and there's plenty of people who will support you.

But if you are looking for similar dolls, then opt for Granado, SartoriaJ, Lost Chronicles BJD and many indipendent artists on IG and in dealers' websites.

 

Agreeing with other comments made here. If one wants a Dollshe, there's always the secondary market. If one specifically wants a Super Hero type guy, there's many other excellent artists / companies who make similar dolls, and who actually take their customers and their purchases seriously and in a good business manner. No reason to keep throwing money at the volatile Mr. D., despite his offering continuous "sales" with "deep discounts". I have never seen a poorer business paradigm than his. In my opinion, if he keeps this up, he is heading for eventual bankruptcy and closure of his company. Oh well, he can always fall back on his soap business.

But if Dollshe does fold - alas for his customers still awaiting dolls, doll parts or refunds.

 

So if he posted that doll and offer in May, we should be seeing them delivered soon, a good indication if he is delivering on his promise. My guess is he may deliver a few, and fund some back orders.