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Severe ongoing issues and concerns with Dollshe Dollshe Ban

Ever Afraid X Sculpt Will Be Discontinued?

Apr 13, 2011

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    1. So...strange question here today. Not sure if this has been asked before, I did a little search, but I didn't see anything pop up. If I'm mistaken please correct me!

      I was curious to know if anyone else had the same fear I currently hold. Have you ever had a dream doll that was never marked as "Sold Out" on the website? Or perhaps they just make new versions of your doll with different face-up/clothing, ect.? All in all, you always have the opportunity to get this doll, eventually, so it's okay to take your time and save up.

      But what if the sculpt was discontinued? What if there was never a chance for another new version to be released again--ever. And the website removed the doll completely?

      For me, personally...my dream doll is a Volks Williams. I want this doll more than anything in the entire world. But even if I sold all of my dolls, I STILL wouldn't have enough for the fullset I desire. I know I'll just have to wait until I am an adult, most likely out of college, and have a steady job before I can bring this boy home. I'm looking at a 6 year wait, minimum. What if, by 2015, Volks discontinued the Williams sculpt? This is all hypothetical, and I don't really believe they would stop selling such a popular product at Dollpas, but what if? This would just crush me, and it's honestly one of my worst fears, as silly as it may sound.

      I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced a similar fear? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
       
      #1 I<3MySD, Apr 13, 2011
    2. This has already happened to me - well, kinda. The sculpt wasn't discontinued, although at the time I thought it was gone for good. Close enough, I hope? ; u;

      I really, really wanted CastleAnne's Laurent in cocoa pink resin, but she sold out right before I had enough funds for her. So, sadly, I removed her from my list and instead bought another doll I wanted (and could afford!), and suddenly she wasn't sold out anymore! Apparently someone had decided not to buy her, but I had already purchased that other doll so I couldn't afford her AGAIN. >:C

      Back then she was the only Laurent on the site, but now she's available in ivory and coffee so I can make do. Cocoa pink Laurent will always be my dream babygirl, though. :'D

      (Side note: now I'm absolutely in love with cocoa pink Han, but I know it's not gonna be long before she sells out - it's been months since she was first put up for sale. Arggg.)
       
      #2 Tangerine, Apr 13, 2011
    3. Yes, very much so. That's why I try to order as soon as possible if I see a doll I really love. Luckily, I haven't had this issue happen yet. Though I did have a panic or two when I saw Dollzone was discontinuing sculpts when I'm still deciding on a Yuu. Fortunately, they discontinued particular faceups and fullsets of molds rather than the sculpts themselves. Woo! XD

      Limiteds are a different story. Sometimes, even if an ordering period is long, I still can't get it together. But, I figure if I can't, I must not have wanted it bad enough. That helps me with the fact I lost out. :-/
       
      #3 malvagitabella, Apr 13, 2011
    4. If a sculpt was discontinued & I happened to be wildly deeply really truly in love with it, I would scour the secondhand market until I found one of my own.
      Nothing is ever truly impossible.... not limiteds, not one-offs, & not discontinued sculpts. They are out there to be tracked down mercilessly by those with true grit.
       
      #4 JennyNemesis, Apr 13, 2011
    5. Sadly I fell way too hard for Soom Chalco, so I've been around the bend with that- scouring the marketplace and whatnot. xD
      But that's not to say I don't have so many other sculpts I adore and would be crushed if they were discontinued before I got them. ;3;

      For me currently it's Spirtidoll's Firson. They've discontinued sculpts before, so I'm just all a tither over the thought of them discontinuing Firson before I get my own. Dx The doll will be the embodiment of one of my dearest OCs I've had for over five years, so it makes it that much more special when I get one. <3
       
      #5 Zest, Apr 13, 2011
    6. I've never really feared of sculpts being discontinued because I haven't seen it on the companies I stalk UNLESS it's a limited sculpt in the first place. Right now there is one limited sculpt I really want, but, at the same time, I don't want to pay $800+ for a tiny. So everything remains to be seen. If I REALLY wanted a limited sculpt, I could probably find it. XD I'd hope.
       
      #6 pinksugar, Apr 13, 2011
    7. A lot of companies do give some sort of notice before a sculpt is discontinued (Volks comes to mind along with the company I follow closest, Blue Fairy) and if I had my heart set on that sculpt, I'd probably try to scrounge together the money to buy that doll then.

      One thing to note, your dream doll, Williams was an LE. Volks will often keep re-using LE sculpts for One-Offs but whether they get re-released or not is always up in the air because they were a LE, and are usually limited to a particular event (say GW Dolpa and it's After Events.) It's not quite the same thing as when Volks discontinued Hisui, Kohaku, Mario, Misia, and quite a few other standards.
       
      #7 rkold, Apr 13, 2011
    8. This is true. But, in looking at the marketplace, sometimes the price goes beyond what I can sacrifice or even save, especially if it's limited. That's when things get disheartening. Hence why I like to buy right when available. But, this is true. Hopefully, I won't run across too many dolls that are sold out/hard to find and have to resort to second market prices. But, if you love a doll, it's well worth it. :D
       
      #8 malvagitabella, Apr 13, 2011
    9. Well, Williams is hard to get without being discontinued... But there is the second hand market, no matter what. So at the very least there are XXX number of Williams out there in the world and they are bound to change hands. That is the same for just about all dolls except artist dolls.
       
      #9 Chehime, Apr 13, 2011
    10. Williams isn't really that hard to get. Perhaps expensive to get, but difficult? Not so much, there's always at least one for sale in the marketplace. He's popular, has had several releases, and is often being used for one offs. There is a good supply of them. I am sure in several years, the situation will still be the same.

      Now, finding discontinued, limited, unpopular sculpts from a company that has rocky footing? I still kick myself for not getting a Customhouse Nyll when I had the chance, and they simply just don't exist to be had. I can think of one on all of DoA, and I doubt his owner is looking to part with him anytime soon.

      It's just the way collecting works. If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it. I would love a Nyll, but I certainly am not willing to pay a crazy price for him or go on an endless hunt, so in the end, I don't want one bad enough to do the work to get. That's the real inconvenience when standards are discontinued. An easier time acquiring becomes more difficult and you have to decide if your want is strong enough to warrant the extra leg work.
       
      #10 Kim, Apr 13, 2011
    11. Most of the dolls I really want are limiteds, so... O.o


      But for those that aren't, I'm actually paranoid about them being discontinued. I have terrible luck with things like that. If it's going to be discontinued, it'll be discontinued just before I get the money together to buy it. >.<
       
      #11 bewaretheshort1, Apr 13, 2011
    12. Well, Williams is an LE, so he can't really be discontinued, he's just not available from Volks very often. He is a regular One-off, though; I remember on a Japanese One-off board they used to always comment on where "the ensign" was in a given month. With recent re-releases, he's actually probably a little more reasonable these days on the aftermarket. But I understand your worry. Few LEs or discontinued sculpts are impossible to find if you keep looking, though! Although there are a couple that I worry that they won't be around when I finally have the means for them (LEs, not standards, so not normally available anyhoo) -- Crobidoll Elias was not very popular, and while he's currently available at Dolkworld, who knows when they'll sell out? *sigh* If I'd been more willing to pay aftermarket prices, I'd have my YoSD Colin twins, too, but now it's kind of hard to even spot a Colin for sale. Oh, well, what can you do but wait, try to save, and keep on the hunt? :)
       
      #12 timid, Apr 13, 2011
    13. I do worry about dolls I want being discontinued before I manage to buy them but I know it's not the end of things.

      The first doll I bought was more or less sold out months before I ever saw him. My HyperManiac boy was discontinued two years before I knew he existed and it took me over a year to find one - but I found one. Same with my Kanon Yui head. I recently managed to find a Custom House Chowon, a doll I didn't think I'd need when he was for sale but had to find once I realized he was gone from the CH website.

      I would prefer to buy a doll before it's discontinued though, usually they are dropped due to poor sales and I think if I'd managed to buy doll X sooner it might not have been discontinued. I swear some standard molds that were pulled due to poor sales are harder to find than limited dolls second hand.
       
      #13 idrisfynn, Apr 13, 2011
    14. I actually just bought a doll I don't see around terribly often for exactly that reason: I'm worried she might eventually get discontinued. I'm not often in a position to do that, but when I am, I do.
       
      #14 surreality, Apr 13, 2011
    15. JennyN you took the words right out of my mouth! True Grit....LOL! ;)...that's exactly what's needed in this hobby...there are times when nothing short of a John Wayne/Rooster Cogburn attitude of riding full speed towards a dolly deal with credit cards or Paypal a blazin' will do! Saddle up Sis! There's another Genji, or an even more manly man, out there somewheres on the horizon! Yee-haaaa! :)

      Hugs, Juli DC :)
       
      #15 julidc, Apr 13, 2011
    16. This, mostly.
       
      #16 Rosslyn, Apr 13, 2011
    17. ^This. And I agree with Kim. Williams isn't hard to get, he's expensive to get. There are a few dolls on my wishlist that are a lot harder to find (damn you, Kanon Louis!!!).

      I'm not worried that a sculpt will get discontinued. Yes, on the secondhand market the price of said doll could rise, but then it's up to me how much I'm willing to pay for one and to let some pass when they're over budget. Patience and determination are everything.
       
      #17 Silk, Apr 13, 2011
    18. Most of the dolls I like are relatively popular enough, so I don't really have that concern... though looking back on it, I'm glad I finally got up my nerve a few years ago and bought my first doll, as the Clara is a discontinued sculpt now.

      Though I agree with what most other folks have been saying. If a sculpt I truly adored was discontinued, I would scour the secondhand market and keep scouring until I found it (and it was reasonably within budget XD).
       
      #18 ChibiJaime, Apr 13, 2011
    19. My wishlist continuously evolves and if I am concerned about a doll being discontinued, they go to the top of the list. If I don't manage to snag one, though, I haunt the marketplace and occasionally I get lucky. In the end, there's bound to be a couple I'll never find, so I just wait for another to come along that I like better. Actually, the relentless search is part of the fun; it makes the triumph of finally finding one really great.
       
      #19 linakauno, Apr 13, 2011
    20. YES. All the time! I always feel as if the dolls I'm saving up for (as in the dolls I'll be buying years from now) will be discontinued once I can afford em.

      Pleasepleaseplease Volks never discountinue any dolls x_x I really liked that one MSD that was once a standard model (Shinsiya I think)
       
      #20 CelestialSnow, Apr 13, 2011
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