Iffy auction?

Oops, never mind. ^^;

 

Hi,

I've been collecting dolls for years, but I've just started with the BJDs. I have been searching the market for more affordable dolls, because they are so expensive, and since I can read Chinese, I've been going on Chinese auction sites such as Tao Bao and Yahoo Taiwan as well. It is very difficult to buy from Chinese auction sites because they don't take paypal and I don't have a Chinese bank account. I actually wrote to AOD because I found their auctions on Ebay as well as Tao Bao. They said that they can make Ming in both 1/3 and 1/4 sizes, and that they and Dollzone are the two leading BJD manufacturers in China. I have been doing some research on this company, because I am interested in becoming a doll agent. Now, I have no experience in selling dolls at all. It's just that I went head over heels for BJD, and thought being a doll agent might be fun. The idea came to me when I placed my order with Bobobie for Ophelia. On Dennis' forum he was looking for distributors/agents for his doll. I don't know how realistic this is, as I do have a full time job, and this will more be of an online thing for me. But, I thought why not give it a try and see where it takes me. Anyways, I asked why the big difference in price between the Japanese/Korean dolls and the Chinese dolls, and if there was a big difference in quality. The answer was that due to cheaper labor and material costs, they are able to offer good but cheaper BJDs. Of course, the design will not be as good as non-Chinese dolls, but they are working on it. I think that's a fair answer. I've asked them to send me some sample dolls so I can see for myself the quality of their products. Of course, I would be paying for the samples. I am wait to hear from them on this matter.

 

Hi Linda,
So do you know if this auction is being run by AoD or by a third party?

 

HI,

According to the reply I got I think it's from AOD. I acutally got a signed reply from their marketing manager. It was written in Chinese, he or she gave me the last name and said that he/she was the marketing manager. It's not unusal for the Chinese to give one's last name only, so I have no clue of this person's gender.

 

well.... I still hope the ebay auctions are legit and that they can explain the discrepency in the body photos.

 

One thing though, the person's last name is different from the one responding to Lady Feather's email. I think the last name of the person that wrote me back is "Chang". If anyone can read Chinese, it's 張.

 

So....

The company Angel of Dream is legit then.

what about the ebayer?

 

I have asked several question of the ebay seller and all have been answered. It really sounds to me like they are part of AOD and are totally overwhelmed by the response and all the questions they are getting about their auctions. The last one I got from them said they were in the process of adding the 1/3 dolls to their site and that the site sometimes showed older or newer versions that what is in the auctions and they are working to make it all match up consistenetly and will be adding more items to both their website and their ebay store. They also said the dolls on ebay are instock and ready to ship, exactly as shown in the photos.
I thnk now that they know there is a lot of interest they will try to get their english ordering site working and be able to handle a group or individual orders direct. I will definitely order when they do.

 

They are one and the same; this morning I received this email from AOD when inquiring about how to purchase a doll:

Thank you for your mail.We have set up our e-store on EBAY with a name Hotdollzone.Please find it and buy what you love with paypal.That would be the best for both of us.Because it will go against the law of ebay if i sell our product in this way.Please be noted that this email address [email protected] is our company's international market access.If you have any question,just mail us.

 

brilliant!
looks like we have a new company to play with.....

*i'm having a dim day so sorry if it had already been answered...*

 

Great! I'm so glad they are legit! I've been eyeing them over the past few days and didn't see this thread till now. I'm loving several of them!

 

I, too, received my response from Mr. Chang, the marketing manager. Mr. Chang wanted me to let everyone know that if you ever have any question or concern, please send your email directly to him. His email address as Lady Feather had indicated in her post is: [email protected]
He is the only one in the office fluent in English, and he takes care of all English correspondences. In his email he acknowledged that in their haste to launch their products to the overseas market, they didn't have time to work on updating the pix and info for their dolls, especially the 1/3 Ming, and they had to use old pix for the auctions. The hind sight is that it would have been better to wait and get everything ready and running in English prior to selling their products on Ebay. He said he'll not put up another item again until everything has been updated. He sent his apologies to everyone for all the concerns and confusions caused, and he said that they are a reputable company and sincerity is their motto, hence their Ebay seller ID: Top Sincerity.

 

Mr. Chang says they are the 2nd BJD manufacturer in China. They are able to offer great prices for their dolls and accessories because they have their owe factory, R&D dept, and faceup artists. He says the high prices of BJD prevented many doll lovers from owning them, and that one of the goals of AOD is to make BJD affordable so anyone that loves them can afford to have one, or two, or more. After one year of hard work and dedication, they now enjoy the approval of many a doll loves in China, and they are ready to present their dolls and accessories to the rest of the world. They are working first on updating their Chinese website and they will work one the English website very soon.

 

Mr. Chang also addressed in his email the rumor that they copy Dollzone dolls. He emphatically denied that they copied anyone’s doll. He stated they have a great Research and Development team and that there is no need to copy anyone elses work. Some may find similarities between the dolls, but even we humans look similar sometimes. Their dolls are definitely of their own original design. He says that the mistake with the Nana picture was an oversight and an honest mistake of one of his employees, and he has pulled the picture and resolved the matter with management of Dollzone.


Well, this has been a very long post that I had to split it into three parts. I think Mr. Chang is very honest and sincere, and I personally believe that Angel of Dream is a trust worthy company. I will order one doll of each gender and size, along with some accessories, and as soon as I receive them I will post pix for everyone here.

 

YAY

i've also emailed my interest.
I can't wait to see owner photos!

 

Thank you for those posts and clarification!
I think the confusion stemmed largely from their use of DZ dolls in their auction pics - but hey, mistakes happen right? I'm really looking forward to seeing owner pics, so I hope people will post 'em.

 

I agree that noone can be too careful, but I think we should also keep an open mind. I don't see the descrepencies you saw. I think the reason why you think that they look different is because the painted face has the head tilted down and slightly to the side. Where as the unpainted one is a straight on view of the face. As you've stated, just because someone has a website and respond to emails doesn't mean that they are definitely trust worthy. By the same token, just becase someone posted here that they've been banned from the Chinese forums doesn't mean it is the truth. After all, we don't know what these Chinese forums are and if they even exisit. How many times did people go on line to spread rumors just for the heck of it? I'm not advocating for people to go and buy their dolls or even bid on their items, I'm just saying that we should take everything with a grain of salt. That includes the pros and the cons. I am ordering two dolls from them, because they've convinced me that they are a honest company. I'm not asking anyone else to do that. In fact, please hold off on bidding on their dolls or buying from them. Wait a couple of weeks to maybe a month?? See if they willl send me the dolls. If they do, I will definitely post the pictures here. If they end up scamming my money, you can be sure that I will post it here and everywhere I can about it.