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How long is too long waiting for an expensive bjd?

May 19, 2010

    1. Hi all,
      Just a friendly discussion on the issue of waiting for months for our dollies...
      The scenario:
      Our money has been paid and cashed in by the doll companies within a few days, yet they make us wait like forever for our dolls. I know they take time to make the dolls -1 month is fine but waiting 2 months or more? Is this the norm? Is this acceptable? If yes, why is that so? I am currently experiencing a doll company that has to delay my order because they have too many orders to fulfill. The question is, why are they still taking orders and causing more delays at the customers' expense? Is it worth all the agony, and frustration of waiting and wanting? Doesn't it make you feel like you are often times at their mercy? Shouldn't these doll companies do something to speed up their services? :
      We doll collectors are sure a tolerant lot!
       
    2. We are in a hobby that requires vast amounts of patience, that's for sure! I guess we've learned this patience because, well, it's necessary. Some hobbies aren't as effected by weather as ours is but if we couldn't hold our horses during inclement weather, the dolls probably wouldn't set up right, not to mention how we can't do much of anything with MSC when it's icky and rainy. I think other people/hobbyists are equally patient though, most intense, time-consuming, money-consuming hobbies like ours and surely others require resources and expertise from various places and it's a fact that bringing all that together takes time.

      It's so worth it, right? :D
       
    3. Also you must keep in mind that rushing the process will create problems with the dolls, we get enough damaged dolls as it is, more would make everyone unhappier plus backlog the company futher.

      I understand why you would want the company to only take as many orders as they can handle but I see this going in three direction 1) Ordering periods, 2) Set sale amount, 3) Prices raising (which would force the amount ordered down). I'm pretty sure that no one wants any of these things to happen.

      If the wait is getting long there's no reason not to ask the manufacturer about it as long as you're poliet. But I don't see what else could be done about it other than only buying in stock and second hand dolls.

      In all up to 1.5 months is usual, up to 3 month is not unexpected, and 6 months is just pushing it but I have waited this long.
       
    4. I'd say - if you're waiting over a year, that's probably too long. :sweat Three to four months is pretty normal, especially when you factor in the rainy/humid season that makes producing dolls and doing face-ups in Asia much trickier. And if the company has a large amount of orders, that adds up too.

      Working with dangerous chemicals and pouring molds and allowing the resin to set - all these things take time and preparation, and in most cases doll companies are not, as I understand it, large-scale companies. Not to mention they also have to sculpt the dolls in the first place, maintain the website, handle customer service (often with people who don't speak the same language they do), assemble the dolls, handle wig/clothing orders (or in some cases, make the wigs/clothing), et cetera. Even if they have 50-100 (or more!) employees, if they also have 50-100 (or more) orders at any given time. . . well, that's why Soom has had wait times of six months or more.

      So, is it normal and acceptable? Certainly. Is it worth it? Well, I think so. It depends on how much you rely on instant gratification, I guess. The wait can be agonizing, but when you finally open that box, it's worth it, at least for me.

      ALL that said, if you really want your doll right away, you can always stick to ordering from the stock dealers carry in your own country. All they have to do is mail it to you. ;)
       
    5. Most doll companies put the amount of time needed to deliver so I am usually okay with the time frame they give, which is about 1 to 1.5 months, up to 2 months. For my first doll, I waited a little over their specified time. On one hand, I was dying to get my doll ASAP but on the other hand, I didn't mind waiting a little longer for a quality work. Better they spend a little more time making a good one than rushing and sending out a poorly made one. The wait was definitely worth it. However, I do feel those over 3 months are a tad long, but common; I even heard of a few waiting for 6 months or so! :o
       
    6. As said before, waiting is normal in this hobby. Since long wait may sometimes be necessary, I would only buy from companies that are trustworthy.

      Again since this IS a hobby of mine, I do not get frustrated from waiting. And in this hobby, you wait for many things not just the doll - face up , commission, weather to clear blah blah blah.

      As long as I know the person / company will do the job and complete the job to give me a prefect doll - I have no problem waiting. Time is important for an artist and I have plenty to give to make sure my doll which I spent a lot of hard earn money will come up right.


      BTW waiting is not just this hobby. I collect other things - these are real one of a kind and every item is sculpted by hand. AND if the artist does not feel like making that character then I have to wait.

      for BJD my longest wait is 5 plus months. For my other hobby, my longest wait is 2 years. No big deal
       
    7. While I'm accustomed to waiting 6-8 weeks for a doll, it's really distressing to me because it means that if a doll company decides not to give you the goods you paid for, it's been so long that you basically have no recourse. I just recently resolved an issue where a dollmaker took over six months to produce a doll head, and then agreed to refund me but straight-up refused to do so for over a year after I paid her. Because the transaction took place more than six months previously I couldn't get help from Paypal or my bank. The only reason she eventually sent a doll head (which I no longer wanted and immediately sold, at a loss to me due to paypal fees and shipping) in lieu of a refund was that she wanted to take new preorders and wanted the transaction "resolved" so she could advertise on DOA.

      I'm now really iffy about waiting more than 45 days for a doll. I'd actually be happier if, rather than taking as many orders as they get and ending up with massive delays, doll companies would take as many orders at a time as they could fulfill in a reasonable timeframe, say four weeks, and then open to orders again. This would shift a lot of the wait to waiting to order instead of waiting for manufacturing, but at least it would make it much harder to take someone's money and run. With the issues some companies have been having (look at Felixdoll and Charles' Creature Cabinet) that seems like more and more of a risk lately.
       
    8. I suppose that 'to long' is however long it takes to convince you to never purchase a doll from that company again. :/

      For me personally so long as the company is honest about it I will wait however long it takes.
       
    9. It's always good to look into a company before you make an order- at least then you'll know what their typical wait is, and how reliable they are, before you order. Some companies take ages to send the dolls out but are still reliable and send good quality dolls- Soom for example has fairly long waits for their MDs and while it's very frustrating at least you know that you're probably not being ripped off even if it's been 4 months and no doll, because that's more or less typical for them (actually I think they're a bit faster now, but 4 months seemed pretty standard for last year's crop). If you really don't want to wait longer than a month or two, you can avoid companies that take that long to ship. For example I probably won't be ordering from Soom again- I knew the wait would be long and that they were a legitimate company but it still annoyed me. And no matter how many super cheap sales Customhouse runs, I wouldn't want to be one of the unlucky ones waiting a year for my dolls only to have them arrive with casting flaws. Reading the feedback and discussion threads about a company you want to buy from can really help you avoid a bad experience.
       
    10. That's a bummer about that head, Chibaraki. It does make me more concerned about waiting when there seem to be so many flakes around.
      I was quoted 2 months for my current incoming doll but I've been waiting three months now, due to delays. I can (just about) remain patient but it is annoying not being able to plan around delvery times - what if I'd bought it as a gift or was planning to go on holiday? Also if the doll arrives damaged in some way it's another long wait to send it back and/or get replacement parts.
      For some companies it might be viable to keep some of their dolls made up and in stock but I can see for smaller companies that might be too much of an outlay.
      Personally I think about 2 months is acceptable but if things are taking longer I'd like to have communication from them keeping me updated.
       
    11. Yup, to me, communication from the company if there are delays are important. nothing is more frustrating than a delay and not knowing anything about it AND being ignored. A prompt but short, simple reply is sufficient enough for me. I dont mind waiting a bit so long there is update and they respond to my emails promptly (but of coz I don't mean you should spam like every few days lol).
       
    12. I think a wait of a couple of months is reasonable, but there is a point where the companies either have to accept their limitations about workload and if climate is such a huge problem, look at climate controlling the workshop. I think we do put up with some business practices that we shouldn't necessarily. They have us over a barrel because they're the only ones who make what they make. All of the doll companies I've ordered from have shipped within a reasonable timeframe, though. (Volks, Soom, Iplehouse, Crobidoll, LUTS)
      (I'm actually more annoyed with urethane eye makers than doll companies, as they get away with some stuff no other small company/dealer would x_x.)
       
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    13. Unless it's a brand new company and nobody knows its track record yet, take a look at company feedback and see if there's an average wait-time. At least then you'll have an idea of how long it's going to take and there's less chance of an aggravating shock ^^

      People who have been in the hobby for many years: I'm keen to know if long wait-times have always been part of the hobby, or if they are newer, perhaps as a cause of more and more people joining the hobby and doll companies being overwhelmed? ^_^
       
    14. When I ordered my first doll, in 2005, he was home within 5 days. I ordered him from Luts, without a face-up but with a ton of stuff, on Thursday and he was in my home the next Tuesday! And that was within an event period, where you got a pair of free shoes! However that certainly wasn't the norm, and I was really surprised to have him that quickly XD I do remember thinking DoD had extremely long waiting times(2 months, pretty much the same they have now), the average waiting time for other companies was more around..3 weeks or so. Now, 2 months is considered quite quick, I just waited 2 months for a blank Leeke Mihael head! Everything does seem to take longer nowadays and I do think it is because there are more people and more orders, but personally I don't really mind. As long as the company is trustworthy, I know it will show up at some point and if I really don't want to wait that long, I'll see if I can buy it second hand.

      Though, I don't think I could wait for half a year or longer, like some people did for Unoa kits, older Soom Monthlies or the Bermanns. They're worth it, I just would lose enthusiasm and inspiration for that doll. I know me and my friends used to joke you could buy a Bermann, get pregnant, have a baby and STILL not have your Bermann. Now, it happens way more often that you have to wait that long for a doll, or even eyes, or clothes(like Mio). Luckily it's not common, but it's less 'OMG, how long?!' than it used to be. I would hate to wait that long, but if you're that patient, kudos to you *_*
       
    15. I have to say that I am put off by a company when I hear about very long wait times. I've been lucky that the two dolls I have ordered from Luts have come very quickly (less than a month!) and the limited tiny I bought from DreamHigh Studio was ready-made when they released him so he got in here within a couple of weeks. The dolls I am looking at in the future are from Dollmore and Dollstown and both have a good reputation for fast shipping. That said, I could handle the wait if it was something like a Soom monthly and I knew it would come eventually and be amazing :)
       
    16. I once waited about 8 months for a doll, but I knew there would be a long wait and the maker was steadily shipping the dolls as they were completed. He was worth waiting for and I didn't mind because I knew I would eventually get my doll. The best advice I could give someone about to buy a doll is to research the company very carefully, and especially to find the threads for other customers waiting for the companies' dolls to get an idea how long it is taking. I would also read the reviews for the company on this forum to find out about their customer service track record. There is a vast amount of information about doll companies here to help new doll buyers make an informed decision. Many companies consist of only one or two persons, so naturally, there will be a longer wait time for those dolls if a lot were ordered during the ordering period. For these companies, 20 employees would be a big operation. I think Elfdoll is only two or three people, and Limhwa is only one woman.
       
    17. The longest I have ever waited was about 2 months and that was for Volks FCS. That is about as long as I am ever willing to wait for a doll, and the only company I'll make an exception for is Volks because I trust them to be reliable, provide excellent customer service during that wait, and deliver a superior end product.

      I personally find the Soom waiting times ridiculous and would never purchase from them or any company with similar time frames. The year long wait for the last run of Bermanns was simply mind boggling to me. It should not take an entire year to make 11 dolls.
       
    18. The longest I have waited for a doll thus far is 2.5 months. That was my first BJD too, so the wait was extra difficult to bear!

      I have to say I try to avoid companies with longer wait times, but the heart wants what it wants. I wouldn't refuse to purchase from a company that is known for 6 months - a year wait times if a certain sculpt calls to me. I simply prefer it when companies can ship within 3 months. Personally I think I'd go batty waiting longer than 4 months, though. *_*
       
    19. Honestly, for me it depends on the company. Not only that, but if you have a longer wait time, it's perfect to build up some money to spend on wigs, eyes, clothes, ect. for the incoming doll. With layaway included, I think the longest I've ever waited was 4 months for my Yrie... might have been 5. I kept myself occupied with the waiting room, oohed and awwed over dolls that came in before mine and that kept me very hyped up for my own Yrie!

      It's all dependent on the buyer's patience I suppose...
       
    20. How long is too long? A WEEK! *AUGH*

      Okay, kidding. The longest I've waited is for a layaway with The Toy Shoppe in Richmond, VA, which doesn't deal with a lot of BJDs, but they had the OT Kim Lasher doll I could NOT live without, and if I hadn't gotten her on layaway before she sold out, I wouldn't have her at all. That was 7 months and very well worth it--but the doll was already made and in hand at the store, and all I had to do was give them money until she was paid for.

      Otherwise--I generally go after what Denver Doll or JunkySpot has in stock, because I usually DON'T have that level of patience and life is too damn short to piss around waiting for what I want (mind, I'm middle-aged, so--more in back of the cart than in front of the horse, as my grandma used to say). I am seriously considering ordering a ResinSoul Apollo in lt. tan, however, and that isn't in stock anywhere in the known universe, so....yeah. Patience is a virtue, and virtue is its own punishment...