How long is too long for wait times?

This is almost exactly how I feel. I'm more or less in the same boat as you -- I've been waiting on a preorder from Miracle Doll since early June, and it's frustrating, especially since it's been complete silence after I finished paying my layaway, but I'm not nearly at the point of giving up yet. I'm in agreement that more than a year would probably be my breaking point.

 

4-6 months would probably be the longest I can handle, though that limit is from that I would likely go insane from impatience rather than loss of interest in a doll... I got a doll from a company with less than a MONTH waittime (fantastically short) and the 2.5 months that it took to reach me (thanks COVID-19 shipping) had me on complete edge

(I don’t order full sets {at all} or face ups that add more than 1-2 weeks estimate though... so I’m just a lil justified in my limit )

 

Depends on what I ordered. If I’m ordering from resinsoul, I’ve ordered with the understanding that I’m going to see that doll in ~2 months, so if it takes 6, I’m not going to be thrilled, unless I get an email at some point letting me know there’s a delay. If I order from Dollshe, and it takes less than 2 years, I’m going to be stoked, because I’m prepared to see that doll in April 2022, but I’ll check in in April 2021, after a year.

with small artists who don’t do their own casting, I’m even more willing to wait. I bought a doll in early September who I know the caster won’t be doing till after December, so I’m hoping to see her before my birthday in May. Same goes for the purple girl I ordered, who was ordered I think in October. When there’s one person doing all the sculpting, and the dealing with customers and the website and all everything, if things take awhile, that’s okay.

 

I think it depends on context. If it's obvious that the wait time is because there is love, care, and artistry going into the doll by a small team (or even individual artist) then I think longer wait times are acceptable. If it's clear that the artist or company has simply bitten off more than they can chew and are prioritizing profit over production, then that's when things get dicey. For example, I was fully prepared to drop money for a Dollshe sculpt upon my re-entry into the hobby but after reading through the discussion thread here extensively, I realized I wasn't comfortable waiting up to two years (or more) when the context seems eerily closer to the "profit over production" example.

But if I know it's a small, one-person show who's casting limited quantities, and that some real love can be seen in the result - then sure, sign me up for that long wait time.

 

This is a really good point. I think, personally, I'd still have to really, really like someone's work to be willing to wait over 12 months with nothing to show for my money, but the artist or company's behavior definitely matters. I'm a lot more patient if there's an obvious good faith effort to keep things under control, but I've seen too many situations (both in the bjd business and outside of it) where an artist takes on far more work than they're able to produce in any reasonable amount of time, and instead of being forthright and communicative about the situation they just keep taking on more orders because they've already spent the previous money while jerking their previous customers around regarding when they're going to receive their product. When it's clear someone has spent money that isn't technically theirs yet, it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

 

I think 6+ months would be my limit? I really couldn't imagine dropping a large sum of money and waiting 1+ years.
But I do admire people that are that patient! Couldn't be me.

 

I feel that my acceptance of waiting times has changed over the years and with experience. As a newbie I would think nothing of waiting forever, I even thought it was a requirement in this hobby to be that patient; ironically back then you did get almost all your doll orders in 1-3 months, there were few exceptions.
Fast forward 16 years and after a lot of bad experiences and loss of money I am now in a place where I am only ordering from a company with wait times longer than the paypal buyers protection period if their long-term track record shows no habit of unreliable, inexplicable or irrational business management. I know this cuts out first-time ventures, but it helps me sleep better at night and so far I have still gotten all the dolls I really wanted in the end^^

 

5+ months is too long for me. I had to wait for about 6 months twice and that was quite enough. I would prefer buying dolls made by these companies secondhand until their waiting time becomes more or less appropriate for me.

 

I think, a long waiting time is a big commitment. By ordering from companies, which, we know, have long wait times, we concent to wait as long as we were told, be it 6 or 11 months. Any reasonable delays are... reasonable. As long as customer is told about such delays and reason for them in timely maner... and such reasons do not include soap making instead of casting orders, or not casting any orders in specific resin for almost a year, but not mentionig this anywhere and taking money for such orders anyway (I'm looking at You Ringdoll)

My longest wait time was 8 months. I waited for a blank head from Ringdoll. I was told 6 months. Other people got it in 4 months. I got mine, not without a fight, after 8 monts.

It is too long for me, if wait time is 6 monts or longer. Especially if after promised production time You are told, idk when it will made lol.

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I am not even sure I will have the same taste in dolls in a year time. Or still have money for shipping and customs. Or if I will be alive, considering situation in the world... or if the maker will be alive.

On another hand, I would order from a company with long waiting time anyway, if I like that doll very much and it matches my OC. And maker proved to be trustworthy.

My shortest wait times were with Alchemic labo (17 days before shipping and 5 days of shipping) and Telesthesia doll (8 days of production, shipping with delays and problems 2 months). Blank heads both times. Short wait times are pleasant.

 

I think I can handle a wait up to 7 months. If it's longer than that, I start to get antsy. This happened when I waited for a body through a dealer that took around 10 months.

 

If it's over 6 months, I start to get suspicious.

 

I don't want to wait more than 6 months for a doll I paid up front for. I think its irresponsible for a doll company to expect a paying customer to wait longer than that for a product the company has already accepted money for. I waited 18 months for my last Dollshe doll and said no more. And many folks have been waiting 2 years for Dollshe. I think that's ridiculous. As much as I do love their dolls, a LOT can happen in a years time, much less 2 years, and I think its really irresponsible of them to take a customer's money and then expect them to wait over a year for the product.

 

Wait for long time is fine for me if they tell me the exact wait time, the only time Im not accept for waitting is campany promise me the ordering time will be three month and they made me wait more than that without any notice.

 

I actually like waiting weirdly enough. Having the immediate gratification of buying something and having it arrive is nice but I find that I become a lot more excited for an incoming doll the longer I wait for it.

 

Unfortunately, I, a foolish idiot, ordered Dollshe for my first first hand doll, so upwards of a year doesn't feel abnormal. This is both good and bad, because I'm impatient, but also, I'm shocked at how speedy other companies are when they drop a doll in 6 months.

Obviously communication weighs heavily on this, and it definitely makes it feel less like a scam if the artist is in contact

 

I don't like waiting any more. I've had a few times where my dolls turned out not as they should be and it put me off waiting. The disappointment is too great when things go wrong.

 

6 months is not speedy. It does not take to make a doll so much time. By the speed of companies, we can tell how booked up infront this company is.

I am not talking about sculpting here, because it really can take from month to years. I am not talking about individual artist too, who need to order casting company to cast their dolls.

I am speaking about casting process: making molds, pouring resin, removing boobles from resin in presure or vaacum chambers/pots, letting resin set, removing from molds, removing seams, packing.

Harucasting (caster/doll maker) told people, what it takes 2 weeks to make molds for dolls. You can use one mold to cast 20-25 dolls. 24 hours are needed for resin to set. He could make 22 dolls of the same sculpt per month.

Time can warry, obviously. But the time it takes to cast a doll would be around two weeks and two working days before shipping. Less time means molds were already made, place in pressure pots was available.

Most of our long waiting times we as customers are waiting for companies to simply start making our dolls.

 

When I first got into the hobby, there was this one popular company I was looking at that was notorious for their long waits . . . of around 12 weeks. I get that demand is a lot higher now, but I am still rather miffed by companies (except small artists) that can have really long wait times of 5-6+ months. It makes me think that they either don't have very good management, or are prioritizing production of certain orders over others.

That said, I'm going into month 6 of what was estimated to be a 5 month wait for a basic blank doll from Xaga, and I'm not sure if I'll undertake such a long wait again, at least not while my collection is so small. I think 4 months may be my comfortable upper limit for wait times.

 

Honestly I’m still waiting on a couple that have had waiting almost a year at this point. And I’m not sure I trust the company for a short wait time at this point. I’m not worried they won’t ever come but I likely wouldn’t order again which is a shame.

 

During the Dollshe Pure release I waited 14 months for mine, and hated it when I got it. I kept his body and ordered a new head for it (from Dollshe, the wait was only two months) and all was fine. But I swore I'd never order from them again.

The nice thing about that wait, is that it made all other waits seem reasonable, even 6 months, which prior to that had been agony. So now I don't really think long waits are all that bad. I even ordered from Dollshe again last year in June! I've found that if I expect a long wait up front, it's not as awful than if I go in thinking it's only 3 months and ends up being a year. Or if it is from a company that normally doesn't take that long, and other people are getting their orders in a timely matter, and I've been waiting a really long time by comparison. I'd be afraid my order was lost or something then, and might ask. Otherwise I don't even bother the company about it. I just order, and don't worry about it until I get a shipping notice (then I start being impatient! lol).
Incidentally my last DS wait was only about 8 months - so short!! - so that was a nice surprise!

I am waiting on a doll from Miracle doll since June however, that's making me nervous...only because the order page for that doll is gone now, and I've seen nothing about it since, anywhere. I at least ordered through a dealer, but I have no experience with Miracle doll so I don't know how reliable they are, or even where to go to contact them. So this hasn't been a great wait, only because I have no idea if I'm ever going to get the doll I ordered. I don't even know if it exists anymore, or if it ever did.