New Chinese Piracy

Doll companies are designing and sculpting their own dolls, they're just being cast by someone else. It may be too expensive or the original company might not have the facilities to do it themselves--resin isn't easy to deal with and is very fumey. It doesn't bother me at all that they do this as the doll is still very much the original company's work.

 

MANY companies making many things farm out the manufacture of many if not all of their parts, that's nothing new. The difference is that it is done legitimately, with the companies consent, knowledge and most importantly - quality control. Hiring a company that specializes in casting resin to cast the dolls a company has sculpted allows for BETTER quality and lower prices, than having a company who specializes in sculpting and creating have to either learn how to cast resin themselves, or hire in-house workers to do it.

It's the design that is important - just like many "american cars" aren't actually MADE in the US any more, but they're still considered "american" because they were designed in the US and are produced under the authority of american companies.

I don't particularly care where my doll is cast - as long as it was done with the consent and supervision of the company who owns the rights to the sculpt.

 

as if I needed another reason to avoid buying things made in china, thanks for the heads up

 

I appreciate all your feedback...so as I understand it, if Volks started farming the manufacture of their dolls to another unknown country/company and later you found out the resin wasn't the quality of your original Volks dolls...for whatever reason, you wouldn't have a problem with that as long as it was a Volks design?

 

I suspect a lot of people would have a problem with the quality going down. Now, if Volks were to have another company manufacture their dolls and have the resin come out the same quality I'm sure less people would complain than the first scenario. There would be many people disillusioned about Volks as a company though - a lot of Volks' image relies on their 'feel' and production. If they outsourced, some of the Volks magic would be lost. (Same with other companies, in my mind.)

 

..That;s kind of stupid.
Just a lawsuit or whatever just waiting to happen.

 

I imagine that Volks is the only company wherein them outsourcing would be a problem, as Volks' entire image is built upon them creating their dolls in house, with love and special Volks magic. You can actually see the Volks factory if you visit Japan. Not take a tour but see it from the outside, mind you. I personally would not be amused to learn that they were outsourcing to China because I am willing to pay Volks prices for their consistent quality and company image. If I wanted a cheap Chinese doll, I'd buy from one of the lower end companies.

I've always figured most other doll companies hire resin casting services to fill their orders. I think for any of those companies, it's not quite the feeling of....betrayal to find out the doll was made elsewhere as it is a quality control problem that they have let their standards slip and are selling shoddy dolls.

 

If Volks started farming out the manufacture of their dolls, they would carefully monitor the quality because they know they would lose business if the quality deteriorated. All companies do this. It's not lesser-quality materials that make outsourcing manufacture cheaper (though they do have to keep watch on that), it's the lower labor costs.

For Volks it's probably a moot point, my understanding is that they were casting resin before they began making these dolls, so they already had the materials and experienced workforce. But for a new company created by an artist or sculptor, it's far more cost-effective, and will offer better quality, for them to have some other company who already has the facilities, equipment, trained labor force, and expertise in casting resin do their casting.

Looking down on smaller companies of sculptors and creators who don't cast their own dolls in-house, is a little like looking down on authors or comic book and manga companies who don't run their own printing presses to create their books.

 

I probably should've phrased myself a little better, the way I think about it, if a doll company is having cheap, knockoffs made by some company in China and it keeps growing, then the doll company may have to make changes (ie: increase their prices due to lost profits or even worse). I know this a bit farfetched and I don't mean to scare anyone, but I know I wouldn't like to see any doll company have to resort to this especially if you happen to like that particular company and it's products.

Sorry if I confused anyone. ^__^;

 

What worries me is I am interested in purchasing a Soom and I don't own any already. I buy most of my dolls preloved. I am worried I could unknowingly end up with a pirate cast with nothing to compare the quality to. It makes me think twice about the second hand market which is sad because I like to know I'm giving a less loved doll a new home and helping to fund a genuine collectors next dream doll.

 

I wonder if a company that brazen and open about recasting might not mark the dolls with their own logo, so people will know where to go to get them - rather than masquerading as the real thing which would send newbies to the original companies. Unlikely, but who knows?

 

That's true, I hadn't thought about that. I don't think it's such a far out thing to think. Like you said, they are broadcasting the fact that they're not actually making their own designs If people buy directly from them, they know the dolls aren't the real deal. Why should they bother to try to replicate the same markings/head plates/whatever when they could remind people where to go to get cheap BJD knock offs in the future?

If I were them (and I would NEVER want to be anything like them) I think that's probably what I would do.

 

No need to completely count out anything manufactured in China - DIM doll has their premium dolls cast in Korea and their Minimee bodies and heads are cast in China to make them less-expensive to manufacture and thereby more affordable to the customers.... Its the Bootlegs that are coming out of the woodwork and are now easily accessable on many different auction sites that you need to avoid


On another note - would it be worth asking the mods to add known-bootleg web-sites to the Banned list? Just to make it easier to access the information all in one place... especially for newer collectors doing their research? I bought a fake before I joined DoA.... as some people here know... I had NO idea even once I joined DoA I didn't find easily accessible info about the seller - I only found out if was fake after someone messaged me on ebay

 

Atomic if you are concerned about buying pre-owned dolls, DoA is a huge help--if you buy from long-term members with good feedback you'll be in good shape. I love pre-owned dolls too

 

I'd rather spend a lot of money knowing that I am getting a good quality, real doll, than to save money and get a knock off. D: That's just horrible!

 

wow, that's really shocking and to be so open about it too is really strange.

 

That is horrible. And even worse, they may show up on the secondary market with sellers saying they are the real thing! Argh.
Pam

 

That's awful.

 

I really hate these copy cats!

Their behavior brings shame on all Chinese people!