How will the recently implemented tariffs affect your doll collecting?

My Fairyland order arrived today with no drama. I was tracking it over the weekend from Korea and it just stopped updating. My partner heard something being dropped on the front porch this morning and that was it. Nobody rang the doorbell, so no tariff charge, just the box waiting. Here's hoping that preorders for all are as drama free.

 

I currently feel like I shot myself in the foot. I ordered the most basic of the 73cm yin long from bjd divas (I needed a long layaway). If the tariffs stay the same, I will be paying the price of a whole SD doll on customs alone.

That's not Including, clothes, hands, and another doll I had ordered.

This will most likely be my last company doll and since I rarely if ever see people do 3d printed SD dolls, I likely won't have another doll till I learn to make my own.

A while ago I swore to stick to one size Instead of hoping around. It's about to save me a ton of money since they'll be too expensive for my budget, now, lol.

I had meant to body blush everyone so it's happening now for sure.

 

And even if there are artists printing / casting in the USA, where does the resin come from? I suspect a lot of the materials used in molding, casting, or printing come from other countries outside the US

 

I have 3 out-standing dolls - all coming from China (even though the doll maker is from another country - Meadow Dolls). One might come before the < 800 tariffs take effect. The other 2 (possibly all) will be very expensive to receive! I won’t be buying anymore dolls because it appears that I will have to be paying as much in tariffs for them as I did in the first place.

 

I was lucky that the last few dolls I ordered are all home now, but I did have some others on my wishlist that I won't be buying now because this mess is just too unpredictable, my "allowance" is just too tight to try to wildly guess how much I might owe and plan for it. I do check the secondhand market regularly, and will still buy secondhand within the US if anything really calls to me! I also do check out US dealers and Etsy shops for clothes and accessories, but my dolls have very specific styles that I can't always get here.

About fabric--I'm at the point where I rarely buy new fabric anymore unless I need something really specific. With JoAnn's closing, there aren't any other fabric stores near me. (I don't count Walmart and Hobby Lobby...) I go to thrift stores often, though! Buying clothes to cut up is often cheaper than buying fabric, and being pre-owned, it's usually been washed enough that staining isn't a concern. Spring is here, so yard sales are also a great option, you can get some good clothes/fabrics for really really cheap.

One thing I did take a risk on was the Leekeworld closing sale. I just could not pass up wigs and eyes that cheap. I'll update on whether I have to pay any tariffs on it. It should be here this week. Even if I do have to pay, it'll still be significantly cheaper than the order would have been at full price.

 

Update on my package from Alice's Collections-- the big doll box arrived today via DHL with no customs fee due.
I have no clue why not, but I'm happy!

 

I’m still new to BJD, paying off layaways on an in-stock doll and a pre-ordered doll as we speak, and I might have to keep it to those two for a long long while once I’ve paid for them in full. Especially for the one I pre-ordered which I don’t expect to see anytime before the latest tariff roulette is enacted, even if I payed the layaway off today.

Depending on the future I might not be completely SOL to expand my collection. Buying in-stock dolls instead of pre-orders might become more feasible as long as it’s coming from somewhere like Denver Doll or BJDivas if they absorb some of the pricing of importing. And if that doesn’t happen then I will invest in learning how to sew and become the best face-up artist to make variety happen with two dolls. Maybe learn how to make wigs too.

 

That's the spirit!

 

As a consumer there is the possibility of higher costs of items and we'll just have to cut back on what we buy. Ultimately I'm more worried about the artists that depend on an international income as their primary source of revenue. It seems like it took many years for these companies to build an international audience and it may hurt their bottom line when we're purchasing less because of the increased cost. How these imposed tariffs affect doll companies because of shrinking spending habits is what I'm more concerned about than the higher prices.

 

There are no tariffs when importing under 800. That ends in may

 

SAME. BJDivas said because my yin long was a fullset, he wasn't in the last shipment, it was only blank dolls. I won't be able to afford his cost twice over if he arrives now and they charge the tariffs to us and I doubt they'll give me a refund so I have no idea what to do. I've waited over a year for this doll and the whole situation just sucks.

 

I have a package from Leeke's closing sale that got to the US on the 2nd, as everything was going down, and it has not moved. Scanned in to the sorting center in Jamaica NY and then nothing. I'm really worried about what's happening with that. At least it's not a doll or something, but still. We're certainly also going to be seeing postal slowdowns, but this is getting to be a long time...

My biggest worry now - aside from US folks dealing with not just tariffs on preorders but daily life - is definitely all the companies. This is affecting US collectors very obviously, but what will happen to other economies, and especially small businesses... not sure what to say but that it's profoundly upsetting, now that we have a much better idea of how bad it is/will get.

 

I just had a package from Japan arrive, no fees. Ordered March 29 from mandrake.

Edit- shipped with EMS

 

European countries asked for their gold back and he folded on tariffs

 

LOOOOOOLLLL Hurrraaaaaay!! Good going. I'll sit on my hands and not say anything about the Orange hmm hmm. Just, ohhh lordy.

 

DHL doesn't seem to use a standard waybill, so I can't tell what value was put on the package. Maybe it just squeaked under the limit. Thanks for the info.

 

Have to stay positive through all of this somehow

 

If it helps, I've had packages take a week or so to move once they hit that same sorting center, and I'm in NYS. Hopefully it'll update for you soon! My last one to go through there didn't update until it was out for delivery in my town a few hours away!

 

I just came here to check if anyone was worried as well. I also have some dolls I preordered and now with all this…I hope I don’t have to pay twice as much for them. Plus, everything else becoming more expensive. But it’s really upsetting that this is happening somewhat suddenly and people who preordered items before all this will still have to pay for it.

 

I remember the orange ....... proclaiming his faulty tariff "logic" all the time on the campaign trail but never in a million years did I think even one person, let alone millions, would vote for the......... by now. So I did order Moth Girl in September, but after Nov 6, realized time had come to take a break.