Exchange Rate killing you?

There are many talented Europeans I wish I could purchase from but the exchange rate is crazy. 1 Euro = 1.13 USD or even more because in the end I pay more than what google exchange gives me. This is why I don't like to purchase from those places but I found a very pretty vinyl doll from the UK I couldn't just ignore. It was for £368 but I paid $544.70

 

Wow this is so sad ! It's so unfair ! But at the end if you like the doll that you chose, that doll is priceless ! I know it's difficult to get that...But I'm glad that I bought Ronia and Grammy...Even if the exchange rate is like crazy.

 

THIS! I asked dollmakers many times if it was possible to pay in Korean Won instead of USD but naturally, they refused. They probably make a huge profit by selling their products in USD.

 

Oh yeah...so many beautiful dolls from European and Russian artists (the latter who like using USD too).

Ugh I know. *shakes fist in the direction of Canberra*

 

Oh I don't even want to get into this... it's not the individual government's fault, guys. The dollar did not tank because of the Liberal party being in power. If anything, the Cons were doing much worse by Canadians.

It's supply and demand. A currency's value is dependant on other countries wanting it (and even moreso, wanting our resources). Our dollar sunk because another country was producing more oil for cheaper (the US buys a lot of oil from us, but our main production right now is from the tar sands in Fort Mac, which is one of the dirtiest and most expensive varieties of oil production).

But yes, I will agree that the exchange rate currently SUCKS. My $287 US body became $358 US after shipping, and then exchange rate on top of that made it $473 CAD. What annoys me even more is that I could've saved about $12 US on shipping if I was having it shipped to me in Canada, but because I'm going to be away and may potentially miss the delivery, it's gonna be shipped to my boyfriend in the US.

 

Australia doesn't produce enough oil to bother exporting it, but we do produce a lot of iron ore that gets sold to China, so I know where you're coming from. Still, it doesn't change the fact that all the current Aussie politicians are idiots and I am so glad the election's coming up soon.

 

Dolls became more expencive in 2 times for Russians.. though they weren't simply affordable for us ever, because RUB costs nothing i don't give a f to all those politicial and economcal games, it's just a fact... it's so sad that even such dolls as Littlefee, Minifee are too expensive. You can buy 1-2-3 in several years, but can't have a big doll family Of course I am talking about middle class people.

 

Funny fact: i was dreaming of bjd doll for many years, i thought they were too expensive and i would never have one.
And then ruble fell, prices on dolls became higher in 2 times...and then i bought my first doll)))i n bad condition, but brought her to life. The next year I bought the second...third ))) and all this time i think i could buy 6 dolls (instead of 3) 3 years ago

 

The exchange rate is why I am trying to limit myself to using only funds from sold doll stuff or doing trades. Still loose some money since you rarely make back what you paid but at least it something.

PS - Paypal can be set to charge you in USD onto your credit card (at least Canadians can do this). I do this as I'm not thrilled with their rate but am still probably getting hosed. >.<

 

Oh, the supply and demand thing is true. Dang, if only our industries were greener, all this mining. That gives me a whole other thing to be salty about haha. Thanks for the reminder though :p

 

Hey, if it weren't for mining, the computers you're using right now wouldn't exist. Sure it's not the greenest way to do things, but it certainly has helped us. And this is coming from a geologist.

 

My two purchases this year were both Dollshe. I bought Amanda Beauty and a 22cm Rosa. The plus was that I got them both on sale so I figure that offsets the price I paid for them, but yeah, every layaway payment felt like I was bleeding due to the exchange rate. We bought a 'new' house almost 3 years ago now and I hadn't bought much because I was doing so much renovating. It felt wrong to spend $500 on a doll when we needed so much done around the house. Now things are a lot more liveable but I have two kids in private school so I was't planning to spend much anyway until the eldest graduates next year. The way I look at it is that the exchange rate is helping me budget. I am looking at local ebay a lot more however. I plan to sell some of my dolls shortly and rethink my whole collection. I'm basically only keeping dolls that aren't made any more and ones that I really adore. I've been in this hobby so long that I have too many dolls. The problem with shopping when the exchange rate is good is that you overspend because it's so much cheaper and you know that it won't last forever.....

 

Ugh damn right! I don't know what's wrong with my country. They even tax the doll and everything more than $50

 

yeah the pound is stupid weak atm because of this moronic EU referendum. So our buying power is just fluctuating wildly. The same item has bounced around by about £30 in the past few weeks and it's driving me mad. How can you save when the exchange rate is so unstable? Hate it. Just.. world currencies, stop jumping about the place, sit down and stabilise. we need to save!

 

Hahah we get charged for anything over £15, and £15 doesn't buy you much. It gets you like.. 1 budget Barbie. We don't pay customs till it's over £130 or something, but we pay stupid VAT over £15 and it's making importing super prohibitiviely expensive. It used to be a lot higher but our government was all "derp, we need more money, let's screw people"
It's so frustration because on top of whatever the VAT (that's GST to aussies) is we also then get a whopping £13 "admin" fee on top to release our item. It's a ransom is what it is, and it's disgraceful. If you buy something that's £15, that admin fee alone will almost double your landed charge!

 

Living in Australia sucks sometimes since we're a first world country and it feels like we've all be banished to the ends of the Earth!
It also doesn't help that I technically live in a "rural area" so shipping kills me plus the exchange rate on top!
Ugh! Sometimes it's just so infuriating!