I take issue with the term 'Random Eye Color'! Do you?

When I bought my Dorisy, I asked for grey eyes....they sent her with blue eyes, but included an extra pair of silver eyes as a gift. They didn't work for the doll, but it doesn't hurt to ask!

 

Third-ed, or something.... >_>;;

People with Entitlement issues is one my major peeve in this hobby, some people just reek of "Spoiled Little Rich Girl" Syndrome. Who expects everything to be perfect right out of the box. /rant

Personally, I have no problem with receiving a random pair of eyes, they are good as a place holder until I buy a better pair in a color I like.

 

But there is the option of choosing eye colour. Its called buying the eyes you want

With the exception of fullsets, the eyes that come with dolls are usually el cheapo freebies. This hobby is all about customising your own dolls to your own taste...I don't know anyone who has actually kept the eyes that came with their doll for that doll, even if the eyes happened to be in a colour they either liked or requested.

I'm not comfortable with quibbling over the colour of something that is free. I'm far happier saying 'Thank you very much for the gratis eyes,' and moving on.

 

I see that all the major points on being grateful for and graceful about what you get with a doll purchase have been covered, and quite nicely indeed.

Since the actual question asked referred to the TERM "random eyes" I was a bit confused: I was thinking "why on earth would anyone object to the term? It says exactly what it means - they choose a pair of eyes from their collection of cheapies, completely at random, and either stick 'em in the doll or include them in the package.

 

I don't really mind what colour although if it was really important to me to have a particular colour then I would politely ask on the company's Q&A board or in the comments box when I order, I find most of the time if they have it in stock they're quite happy to accommodate you. The dolls are usually so expensive because of the production costs - making the mold, casting it in resin, labour of sanding and assembly ... that's why its so costly if you want to commission as resin casting comapny to cast something you've sculpted yourself, I look at the eyes as being something the company puts in to give a good asthetic to the finished product when its shipped and you open it - strange as it is, it feels nicer to open a box to a full doll eyes included than have blank eye sockets staring back at you lol

 

I totally understand why they just give a random pair, it's just a last little extra, I think. It's better than no eyes right?

As long as the actual doll is in great condition from the company (no cracks, chips, ect) and the face up looks close the the sample pics (if ordered) I'm happy

I usually don't care about the default eyes/wigs etc. As I usually make/order my own for how I want my doll to look. That's part of the fun I think!

 

Heh, I guess someone could argue that because the eyes generally match they're not completely random - something along the lines of "Until I receive a 12mm blue eye and a 16mm brown eye in a single doll I refuse to believe that they are truly random!"

 

Ack, can you imagine?

Volks typically has an assigned eye that goes with both their standards and LEs. I think LUTS and Fairyland might operate like that, too. Other companies offer random eyes, and state so clearly in their sales listings. As they have let you know, I feel they've done their part. As others have said, those eyes (and occasionally wigs) are freebies added to the doll.

I don't use acrylics or glass eyes, only urethanes, so the random eyes included are more a minor annoyance than anything else. I should probably start asking companies not to include them, as was suggested above . I typically don't use anything that comes with the doll on that doll, even with fullsets. It's part of me making the doll my own.

The term itself seems reasonable enough. Nothing about it bothers me.

 

In my personal experience, even when they say it's random, they will take you in consideration if you tell them you want a particular color. Obviously this doesn't mean everyone do it though.

 

One of the reasons that I love ordering from Dollmore so much is that they DO give you the option of requesting the eyes and wig that your doll comes wearing from their instock items. I'm extremely grateful that they give me that option, and it is one reason that I go back to them again and again. I don't expect all doll companies to do this, but if it hasn't crippled Dollmore I consider it ridiculous to pretend it'd cripple all other large doll companies. I've heard stories stories about plenty of companies will try to work with you if you ask nicely. If I'm reaching into my pocket and giving my money to a company, I'm entitled to a well made doll with all the items included in their sales description. I accept 'random eyes' as a part of that package when I buy a doll that lists them, but a company that gives me better service gains a better reputation with me. Even if it's just by giving me a choice in my $6 pair of eyes.

I disagree about the random eyes that come with the doll as being "free". If the description of a doll says that the doll includes random eyes and wig... I consider that included in the price of the doll. The companies don't usually say the doll comes with "free" eyes these days. This isn't the early days of the industry, and it's not like buying from an individual on the marketplace who is giving you free random eyes for a doll that they might break even on or might even sell at a loss. If the company doesn't say it's a freebie, why should I call it one? Just because it's not expensive on its own? Is the certificate of authenticity a freebie? No. It's part of what I'm paying for, just like the presentation box or bag. The fact is that we all are used to the eyes being a cheap random pair that we won't want to keep anyhow, and most folks don't really care anymore as a result. I think that way too when shopping for dolls on many sites; but, when I think about it, the attitude that something coming as part of my expensive new doll is just a "junk" piece to be replaced is more ungrateful than hoping it could come with a color I'd like to use.

My Elfdoll Mir came with random glass eyes that were the color I'd wanted anyhow, so... despite having already bought "default" eyes for him.... he wore the random pair for a full year before I even felt like playing with them. Next doll was a fullset, so she had the glass eyes pictured and still wears them almost all the time. My Dollmore dolls came with requested eyes, and I bought eyes for them at the same time (from Dollmore's glass line when possible to show my appreciation, despite the fact that I could have gotten the style a little cheaper elsewhere.) I still use the requested acrylic eyes sometimes too. The requested wigs from DM are a much bigger deal to me, especially considering the price difference between wigs and eyes and how much use I've gotten from them. I like having multiple wigs, so I request the secondary default wig for the doll and try to buy the primary default from Dollmore too. That way in case the wig I want most goes out of stock while the doll is being made, I still know that the default's coming with my doll... secondary isn't such a big deal if for some reason they can't do it. That happened with one of my doll's requested wigs, and I always pick backups in case a request goes out of stock. If a company is willing to work with me like that, I'm more than willing to be flexible right back and to be understanding if they can't give me my first choice. I'm also more than happy to reward them with more of my business.

I'd love it if more companies accommodated you like that, but I'm not going around demanding they all do it. I'm simply grateful for the ones that do, and I show my appreciation by opening my wallet.

 

Even though I don't use them, I tend to give them away at meets or when I do ABJD panels at local conventions. They make great gifts for new doll fans who may be ordering from a company that DOESN'T send any eyes. Or just a fun thing to use as a prize for correctly answering ABJD trivia!

 

It doesn't bother me what colour eyes they arrive home with as I like to buy urethanes for them anyway. When I bought my first doll I did find it strange that you could choose almost everything else but not the eye colour, although I can understand the practicality of not letting people choose as they'd probably sell out of blue and brown a lot quicker than, say, red and yellow.

 

This is exactly how I explained this thread to my other half, because let's face it.. sometimes they are a little AHH! *lol*

OMG this.. I have to admit I tried to leave this thread alone because everyone else has very eloquently and patiently described some astoundingly simple, common sense suggestions on how to perceive this "problem" and I am amazed at this thread on so many levels, but also delighted to see so many sensible opinions and ideas.

But I think the OP has long since abandoned this thread in light of it's measured and polite responses of varying disagreement.

But this just cracked me up!

 

It doesn't bother me since they're usually free. Not all companies include eyes as part of their basic set. And I like the surprises so it just makes it more exciting for me.

 

It doesn't really bother me that much. If the eyes are the wrong size or I don't like the colour, I'll just get a different pair. There are SOME companies that do let you choose the eye colour depending on what doll you purchase, but I don't think it's a very common practice.

 

this totally cracked me up and I sort of want a doll to arrive that way just so it's all o.O at me hahahhaa

 

Hmmmm...

I think for BJD collectors who have been around for awhile...we are used to it. There are SO many doll companies now.

I do think that you should, if it is a Full Set, get the eyes pictured, and not random eye color.

I think it would be great, maybe more so for well established and/or higher quality companies, to offer eye color choice for free.
We are spending a large amount of money for doll. We do this because we love them. I say established company and/or higher quality because of price point. The more I spend the more a company should cater to my wants. I'm in retail and I do it all the time. lol

If I'm spending 1000+ for a doll...yes I should get to choose the eye color. If I'm spending 200 for the same sized doll, maybe not as high quality...random eye color is appreciated, but I wouldn't expect to decide I want X color.

 

I've never received random eyes with any of my dolls. My Pipos kitties came with the advertised eyes, and my Soom MDs all came without eyes included at all. I can't imagine being annoyed about the colour of free eyes, not matter what the company chose to sent me. Free eyes are a gift (even if you spent $x on the doll, the eyes are free, unless you had an option to not include them and pay less), and I can't imagine complaining about a gift.

Also, because a lot of my dolls cost me almost $1000, and none of them included free eyes at all, the argument of "well, if I am paying so much, I should get to choose eye colour" seems pretty odd to me

 

I can only think of one reason why getting a random eye colour would annoy me and that would be when the eyes are glued in with super strong glue and can't be removed without damaging the doll. So far I've only had a Volks head with the eyes glued in with hotglue so it only took some effort to get the eyes out. Most doll companies use some form of putty to keep the eyes in place, which makes switching eyes out pretty easy.
If you don't like the eyes, switch them. It's part of what makes this hobby fun.

 

If one can save multiple hundreds of dollars for the doll, plus several tens of dollars for shipping, surely ordering an extra pair of $6 eyes to ensure you really get the colour that you simply must have isn't going to break the bank. This isn't a cheap hobby. I feel like people who proclaim "I pay X for the doll, I am entitled to Y even though it is not stated on the purchase site" are trying to stretch their money as far as they will go while blaming the company for their expenses on luxury items rather than just accepting that this hobby will eat your wallet and then some. Of course you can be smart about your purchasing choices and be as thrifty as possible but in the end, this hobby costs money. You should not rely on the company to save you money. What others have experienced in the hobby for years sets the precedent of what is normal and abnormal, whether you like it or not.
Throwing tantrums here for things that aren't due to the company failing to fulfil the description of what you have purchased is idiotic. If you're not happy with what you're getting and it's superfluous to what is offered by the company, either send them a nice email with suggestions if you think it's a reasonable idea, or find a different hobby. There's no need to freak out.

Personally I love random eyes. For a while, the best eye colours I had for my dolls were random glass. They were my favourites for a long time, and they helped me to decide to get all my dolls either glass or silicone for oddly shaped eyewells - previously I'd only had acrylics and the odd pair of silicone. The best part about getting random eyes is being able to have a stockpile to go through to give a doll a new look for fun.