Russian doll artists

I bought a doll from a Russian artist and it was difficult to pay her layaway because Russia was not listed for Etsy Pay and Paypal was not working in Russia either. So we both had to go for Payoneer -which was something similar to Paypal- to be able to make transactions. If any Russian artists didn't know about it, they can check this Payoneer, maybe it would work for them?

I also bought a doll from an Ukrainian artist. The post update on 22/2 said : "Item has been processed outward office of exchange and already in transit to destination country". But until now, no more update.
PS: The artist had managed to make her way to Poland with her family, safe and sound now.

 

Russian wig artist SophyMolly is still taking commissions despite having to leave Etsy. They've asked me to pay Western Union, which I understand isn't protected, but they're an established name so I'm not worried about it.

Love, prosperity and peace to all

 

I just spoke with a Russian artist I frequently buy from, and she said Etsy has suspended her account, and she isn't sure if she'll be able to reopen or sell things again. It's a really sad and scary situation. I had planned to buy some things, but really that isn't even important at all right now. I just hope that she and our other Ukrainian and Russian friends and artists stay safe.

 

I've been in contact with a Russian BJD artist who was supposed to be holding a new preorder after issues with Paypal last year caused him to cancel his last batch of prerorders. I'm not sure what he's planning on doing just yet, but he said he'll let us know. Honestly, even if he has to hold onto a doll for me for ages to wait for safe shipping, I wouldn't mind. I hate the thought of Russian artists suffering because of something their government has done.
Likewise, I've been in contact with an artisan in Ukraine (not BJD related) who has said he and his team are going to keep working no matter what and boy oh boy am I worried for them. A Ukrainian musician I follow has also not posted anything in a couple of days after daily updates and I'm so worried for her.

This whole situation sucks.

 

I had just paid for a commission with an Russian artist on Etsy when the war started. Etsy has since closed her shop, and per their announcement for Russian sellers, is closing all Russian shops now due to suspension of the main payment and shipping methods. She assures me she and her family are doing alright so far, and she plans on keeping working. Etsy lets the sellers either refund their open orders (or refunds them for them if they see fit) or complete them within the time frame the sellers have given their buyers at the time of ordering, under the usual Etsy protection and rules. But the sellers have to find working shipping options for themselves, or payment options if necessary. So it is going to be very difficult for the foreseeable future.

I know all of this is probably the least concern now that elsewhere people are dying every day and every night. It is a good example of how war is going to damage everything, even the littlest things, for almost everybody, everywhere.

 

A lot of my Instagram feed is Russian and Ukrainian artists... the silence and grief that's all over their stories now is so heartbreaking.

 

I did find out that a couple of Ukrainian artists I follow have made it out of the country with some of their family (spouses and older sons are fighting). It's a relief but also sad, as of course they couldn't take much with them, so who knows when they can set up shop/have any income/have ANY form of stability in their lives again.

I also feel sad about all the Russian artists I follow losing their livelihood as well as their connection to fellow hobbyists around the world. I am glad the last thing I bought from a Russian artist was before all of this happened, and though the item was shipped before the war began, it still had not made it out of Russia, and who knows if it ever will. Even if I never receive what I ordered, at least the poor artist has some form of payment, even if that is no compensation for losing their Etsy shop and almost all ways of receiving payment.

So many consequences, even in our little niche hobby...I hope one day we can all reconnect and exchange creativity again!

 

I could not remember whose insta story, but I just read that now Russian artist cannot use: Paypal, PaySend, Payoneer, Patreon, Etsy, Western Union and Wise.

I am not sure even if we can pay them how they would be able to send the parcel out? I think Russian post (and EMS) had some country restriction such as USA and EU, DHL stated they cannot take inbound shipment to Russia (but nothing on outbound), UPS said they suspended activities for Ukraine, Russia and Belarus...

 

I think some are daisy-chaining deliveries and payments through non-sanctioning countries, though how stable (or legal) that is, I don't know. I know some shops are trying to work through Boosty (which is like Patreon) and that is allowing Paypal transactions (at least for now). It's been like whack-a-mole for artists trying to keep their shops open. :/

The fact that China is still open to Russia means there is a possibility that more official workarounds will develop over time, unless other countries outright ban anything coming from Russia. As far as I know mail is still going out, only it's ground and sea only (and going by diverted routes), meaning it will take a lot longer to arrive.

 

Yes, it's quite common among Iranians (apparently worthy of getting a whole Wikipedia page about it). It's secure and lets you transmit large files. You can send videos and images without really needing to trim the length/make the size smaller, which is pretty important when you're trying to keep in touch with friends and family. I know a lot of people are like "What the heck is Telegram?!" when they first hear about it just because it's not as common as apps like FB Messenger, but I promise it's legit.

 

Hm. I just remembered I had some glass doll eyes (well, irises to make eyes) that I ordered from Russia just as the war began. They've not contacted me yet and the payment was successful, but no idea if they'll be able to ship them to me. I hope there's a way they're able to still ship because I'd really rather not have a refund and then have them lose income. I did have a wig from Russia arrive (on the same day I made the eye order funnily enough), and it only took two weeks! Which is phenomenal given normal non-war-non-covid-times post from Russia usually takes two months to get to my country.

 

Do you think they can't access DOA? I've sent several messages to some Russian/Ukranian artists who I know are on here to see if they are okay but I've gotten no response. Are they cut off from us on here too?

 

Russian BJD-fans, collectors, artists have been on my mind since the first news came in. Especially because the Russian show a sophisticated talent and enthusiasm to style dolls. I am the fan of many Russian-owned dolls - not the sculpt but specific doll characters.

 

You might have better luck trying to contact them on social media? I don't think logging in here would be their top priority right now?

 

I'll have to see if they have their social media linked on here - I didn't follow them on any other website besides here.

 

Well, my eyes were shipped out from Russia today. As long as they get to me I'll be happy. Even if it takes months (and even then, they're just eyes at the end of the day, and I can always easily buy more). I hate to think about how many lives this is ruining on both sides of the border.

 

Russians will have access to DOA while they have access to the Internet, a niche website like this won't be blocked.
However, many people there are depressed and terrified, I don't blame them that they don't check on hobby stuff. I also barely can do anything, I'm a Russian living abroad. You might have better luck contacting them on socials as they are also sources of news, but Instagram will be blocked starting tomorrow, and then it might work with VPN like Facebook does, or it might not, we'll see.
As of Telegram, it's similar to Whatsapp, and it's been around for years. It's safe to use.
I also see many artists are moving now to vero.co as it's apparently more visual like Instagram, but I haven't checked it out yet.

 

I've clicked on the vero.co links...it kind of feels like flickr, but I haven't had a chance to explore it much. I too follow so many Russian artists, so am trying to find the ways to follow them on the different platforms. I signed up for Telegram and so far it works for me...however I wish it had a translate option....

My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people. My grandparents are from Ukraine and this just hurts......

 

I feel the same as many of you- I bought something small from a Ukrainian seller just before this all set off, and I kind of don't care if I don't get the item so long as that person is safe and can use those funds to get food and comfort.