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GOing for Event Items... and Taking the Cheap Way Out...

Sep 9, 2010

    1. Fairyland just had it's bi-yearly monster Event Item giveaway, and as per usual, GOs popped up all over the place looking to make the huge amount nessissary to get all the items.

      And as usual people decended on them desperate to get the pieces they wanted without having to pay heaps for the single item givaways.

      Me included.

      Upon my search I noticed that the part I wanted was largely gone, which was fair enough... (marketplace here I come! :)) But I also noticed a lot of GOs screaming for more members as they just couldn't make up the amount, even though all their event items were claimed.

      In a lot of cases this seemed to be because two or three people in the GO were getting dolls or doll bodies, but many of the others were just tossing in small things, like wigs, hands and such in an attempt to get their event piece.

      What do people think of this?

      Is it fair for people to join GOs with something cheap thrown in for the sole purpose getting the event item when it prevents people with larger purchases joining to make up the full amount, or is it understandable that some people just don't have the money at the time and REALLY want the EI?

      Does it annoy you when you try and join and see the item you want gone to someone with a wig, when you want to add a whole doll, or is it a first in best dressed situation?

      And is it okay that often the last minute price makeup is often left to the organizers and (from what I've seen) the GO members already contributing lots or is that understandable because the make up is really left to the people with the money to handle it?

      Personally not biased either way, I can see both sides, but I'm curious on what people think?
       
    2. I am so new to this GO thing and I am sure it has more merits than negatives but I'm guessing it works best when everyone has agreed unanimously what is fair for all? I probably would feel a bit miffed if I was buying a full doll set and someone in the group who only bought a small item gets something significant out of the event giveaway. On the other hand, if the same people end up in GO and take turns in a fair manner I guess it would work?
       
    3. Group orders are open for everyone, and in the case of events, it's first come, first serve usually. You can be iffed about it, but some people really want event parts, and it would be kindof silly to force them to buy a doll they don't want just so they can participate.
       
    4. Same thing sort of happens with Splits. You have people running splits (expecially for Soom monthlys) where they will claim just the head, leaving the rest for people to get. Often times you'll find Splits that fail because no one comes along to take the body. I often have to ask/wonder is the splitter doing the split because they really only want the head (and want to put it on another body such as a female one when it comes with male, etc...) or are they just doing the split to get just the head, because that's all they can afford right now. If it's the second case I worry about joining the split because those often fail.

      However often I've run a GO or Split because I knew I wanted the part people didn't want (such as a body in a soom split), or was buying stuff and didn't want/care for the event item. I am in the minority I feel.
       
    5. I wanted the event items and a extra Minifee A-line body for the M-head. I found splitters for the Chloe head and outfit VERY fast. Some other people added a wig and hands.

      In my split & GO posts i very clearly stated i wanted the event items (and kinda feel entitled to them since in my 1800+ order the fast majority of the money comes from me). No-one seemed to have any problem with that.
       
    6. It is actually against Marketplace rules to price up free Event Items in a Split. The items are free from the company, therefore they should either be claimed (for free) by participants in the split, or sold on the Marketplace on arrival from the company. The moderators can't be everywhere, so it's advisable that if members see this practice going on, please report the offending threads.

      It is up to the GO host and participants how the free items are divided among the group, whether first priority goes to the person spending the most or whether it's first-come-first-serve with claims, however, selling an Event Head when it is free actually makes money for the GO host and hosts should not be making a profit from other members by running the GO or Split.
       
    7. I dont quite understand what you mean with price up Jescissa, probably due to English not being my first (or even my second) language.

      The head i sold in the split is the head from the fullset Chloe doll, not the event head, i want to keep the event M-head. (At least for now, with none of my dolls i can promise i will keep them forever).

      ~~ I edited my post because 1. i disclosed a bit much about my horrible overspending. 2. i did not think my sentence above was understandable~~
       
    8. I actually really like the way the Gos were run this time with fairyland, I managed to take advantage of one and I really wish I could have made a bigger order, but Im very thankful I could keep my event item with my measely purchase. I think the first come-first serve basis is fair and effective, and i most appreciate the fact that it gives people a chance to get items they wouldn't be able to get on their own. Its more of a team effort and every little bit counts, everyone benefits even by free shipping, so i only see these Gos as positive and I really appreciate them :)
       
    9. cyberspacegirl, I was not talking specifically to you. I was reminding members that it is against the rules to for GO and Split hosts to put a price on free Event Items and allow other members to buy them from you. Particularly as the OP said;
      For example, Company A is selling Doll B. If you purchase Doll B during a limted time, you will receive Head C as a free gift. While it is perfectly acceptable for someone to host a Split for Doll B selling the head, body, eyes, wig, outfit seperately, they cannot sell the event Head C at the same time. If no one in the Split wants to claim Head C, the Split host must wait until the order arrives before putting Head C for sale on the Marketplace. Since the event head is free it has no set company value and it is intended to be a gift from the company to the buyer.
       
    10. I'd rather not join a GO to get a certain event item I would not be able to get on my own. There's still the secondary market, if I really want it. Should someone say they have no interest in the event item, but would like someone to spilt shipping costs with, then I may consider it. For me it feels kind of off to ask someone else to "pay" for something that I want, but if someone is letting me have an item I would otherwise not be able to get, it's different.
      Clarity about who gets what is very important in GOs with event items, because you'll have a drama on your hands, if you're not careful. Other than that piece of advice, I don't mind how people divide event items in GOs I'm not involved in.
       
    11. No no, they're not selling them- well not so far as I can see. The GO is open, and event items are given freely to whomever opts for them (thus claimed) but say in this case, they need to make up $1800 to qualify for the event items, all the event items are spoken for but the total of the purchases only come up to $1200 because a number of members only want small things... That's what I'm putting forth.

      Interesting answers so far. I personally can sympathise with both camps, I've been a doll collector without money before and I've also been a GO member. I saw the trend and wondered what people thought of it.
       
    12. Disclaimer: I'm not 100% sure I understand the DOA rules for GOs so my opinions below are based on what I feel is fair rather than what is or isn't in accordance with the rules. Were I to participate in a GO I would make sure to properly know the rules.

      I find it rude to "call shot gun" on a free item and assume that others will come along and put in the needed money.

      To me the fair thing would be to asses the value of the free items and compare it to the money needed to obtain them.

      Say there's a free head, a free dress and a small free doll. Let's say to get all this you need 700 dollars. Say the head is worth 100, the dress is worth 50 and the doll is worth 200... that's 350 worth of free items. For fairness sake the person who wants the doll should put in atleast 400, the one who wants the dress 100 and the one who wants the doll 200.

      They can always sell what they bought on the marketplace later.

      I really feel it is unfair to say that you should get a valuable item for next to nothing and that somebody else should just come along and help you get it.
      The only fair way IMHO is to contribute proportionally to the thing you want.
       
    13. I understand what you mean, OP. Personally, I would be very hesitant to join a GO with the intention of getting a free item for that very reason. If I couldn't afford to put forth a significant amount towards the final cost, who's to say that enough members will join the GO? If not, it's kind of unfair to to the organizer to back out over that, but then you're stuck with a wig/eyes that you might not have purchased otherwise (and that money certainly could have gone towards the event item on the second hand market).

      If I were to organize the GO, in the case with Fairyland where the amount needed is much higher, I would only allow members who wanted event items to purchase something of significant value/contribute a certain amount.
       
    14. Idunno, sometimes people join in those group orders just to save on shipping and not because they want the event items. While it may seem rude to you to ask people to join in even if the event items are claimed, it may not bother everyone. After all, there are plenty of group orders going on outside of events too, when the only gain participants get is cheaper shipping- no extra items at all.

      If you don't like the way one GO is dividing up the event items, you can also start your own group order, or even order on your own- especially if you're going to be ordering a higher-priced item anyway, as one of the scenarios in the OP suggests. I don't really pay attention to the specific price thresholds since I'm generally not interested in event items, but it seems that they're usually priced in such a way that you get the bonus item for a certain line or size when you've spent about enough to buy one doll from that line, which makes sense since you'd need a doll of the right size to put the parts on anyway. Alternately you can wait and buy on the marketplace as you've already mentioned- there always seem to be plenty of event items for sale when the orders come in!
       
    15. Second this. If I need to spend $100 to get Event Head A, I should at least be willing to contribute $100 worth of stuff to the GO. Even if it's $100 worth of small items. Otherwise it seems unfair to call dibs on an item that everybody else has to work for.
       
    16. People can choose which GO they wish to join-- so if someone's GO terms seem unfair to you, then create your own or go join another one. If you don't want to be part of a GO that allows people to only buy a wig, then go join one that requires a $100 minimum purchase or something. Could be that the person who just wants the wig has no interest in the event item, because all they want is 1 wig; while they get to save on shipping, they have no problem helping the organizer get the event-item in the process.

      And if you don't want to be part of a GO in which the organizer has already claimed the event-item, at all, then start your own & claim it first. What I don't quite understand is why somebody would even join a GO that has terms they don't like. It seems to be asking for bad blood and econo-drama.

      But it is first-come-first-served, so there's not always the luxury of shopping around for long... So when time is sensitive, I guess it does help to have a circle of people you already know & have done business with before, so you can all get moving without having to hash out so much drama first.
       
    17. I would be pretty miffed if I ordered alot and didnt get an event item and some1 with a wig did. I dont do group orders though Id just purchase the items myself so I wouldnt have any issue.
       
    18. It could also be that the person who buys a whole doll wants to save on shipping costs, but has no interest in the event item and would be happy if someone who wants it gets it. There have been event items I had no interest or use for and I imagine it's been like that for other people too.
       
    19. I've seen where they other GOs who are a couple of hundred dollars short of their goal get miffed at the people who open new GOs for those who want the event items. Something like, "how dare you open a new one when you can just add to ours so we can meet our goal." The GO organizer had to explain that the GO was for those who want the event items and who hadn't been able to claim one in another GO.

      And many of the GOs I see say, "no resins" so it's not like there's room in the order for big purchases anyway. Which is somewhat strange, considering some try to qualify for "free shipping" but they don't want you to get expensive items to easily reach that goal for free shipping.
       
    20. Hmmm. I've never been involved in any GOs, but I have inquired about a few to specifically save on shipping costs. I found that sometimes I wasn't really saving all that much on shipping anyway, so I just ordered the items myself.

      I think it's really up to the individual to check out the rules being laid out in each one (e.g. raffles for event items, first-come first serve, GO leader gets the main event item, etc) and pick the one they feel works best for them. If not, there is nothing stopping someone from organizing their own GO with the rules they think are most fair.