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Should dolls come with sanded seams?

Oct 16, 2009

    1. I don't think you sounded like a n00b. It is a fair opinion although I personally don't share it :) I also find it interesting to read everyone's thoughts in this thread!

      I have sanded and unsanded dolls. It is not too scary to do. I did it on my very first doll and I started around the ankle area so I could get comfortable practicing. My latest doll I didn't bother because his seams were not very pronounced.

      If the seams bother you try sanding down a small area slowly so you can monitor your results and get comfortable. :)
       
    2. While I don't feel that it should me required by all companies to offer seam sanding, I would really like it if more companies offered it as a service for a fee. I personally can't stand seams on any of my dolls and I loathe doing it myself (probably am doing it wrong but the process lasted me for weeks on oneof my minis). If I knew a company could do it professionally, even if it meant paying a little extra and waiting a little longer, for me it would absolutely be worth it since it would save me the hassle of deciding to send them out to someone else to do it or to waste my own time working on it.
       
    3. I personally prefer dolls sanded. I think we really pay a great amount for them and if cheap companies like Bobobie can sand them for free, I don't think the bigger ones would get ruined for offering it. Maybe I'm spoiled, my first BJD was an Elfdoll and they keep sending their beautiful dolls sanded, except in cases like the first Ruru who was tanned.

      Of course if sanding the doll will damage her (like in tanned dolls) it's logical to have them unsanded, but then, they would try to take care and make the seams as small as possible. Again, they're expensive items which should be well finished. Though I must admit seams bother me a lot even in tanned dolls, I ended up sanding my tiny suntan Lucy because her legs' seams where more visible than any miscoloration would be (no miscoloration after all, she's so tiny i think the color went through all her resin).

      Even if I wouldn't like to pay more for having seams removed, I like to see some companies at least offer it for a fee. If I have to pay, probably I'd end up sanding them myself, but it's nice to see other buyers have the choice if they want. And if a company doesn't give me the chance to get the doll sanded, even if I pay for it, I'm not going to hate that company forever. If I like the doll, I will surely buy it. But I will respect more the companies which sand the dolls for free than the others who don't. I just think it's a better customer service.
       
    4. I have Elfdolls and BBB/RS dolls, so I guess I'm spoilt. When I get my Beyla, I'll have to sand-I don't like seams, particularly since I want to get much better with my photography and I want to try for that realistic people look. Seams sort of put a crimp in that.

      I sanded my DIM Sergei mod, Danica, the other night. It was an all-over sanding, since her body was yellowed and I'd tried a couple of the standard things and they hadn't touched it. What a chore! Took me all evening with the respirator on. Seams alone would be much easier, but I do think companies need to offer the option for a fee at the very least. Not everyone has a respirator and the right equipment to do it, or the desire to. And these are very expensive items. As yrdin said, they should be well finished.
       
    5. My first doll...well, I'm assuming he was sanded, because he was extremely smooth when I got him. So I didn't even know it was an issue until we got my best friend's Cherishdoll body. The seams on his arms are so prominent I fear I'm going to cut myself when sizing him for outfits. @_@ I haven't done it yet, but I understand it's time consuming, which is probably why the companies charge so much to have it done. Personally I would rather keep the money and just do it myself if it bothers me. ^_^;
       
    6. Sometimes I love purchasing from smaller companies because they actually sand the dolls and their prices are super reasonable. I know Lume Dolls does it and I think that's great. I really wish other companies would start doing it too. I really wouldn't mind if they bumped up the cost a little but I wouldn't want to pay an additional $100 just to get them to sand the seams off my SD dolls. That's really too much. :\
       
    7. Your post implies that companies who do not sand do not care about their work??????? I hope you are kidding because that is just wrong.

      Before the "soapbox" ask yourself where the dolls are being sanded? My guess is that labor might cost more in Japan for example. I am not sure by how much, but labor costs do vary from country to country. However, to really understand what is causing the problem one would need to ask the companies lumped into the "they don't think very highly of their product" group. I am guessing time is a factor. Oh...and they might believe that you want to care for your doll yourself.

      My one Volks doll is not sanded. Considering all they do for their customers I think they care about their dolls. Actually I am SURE they do care and they are not just heartlessly kicking products out the door as fast as they can. I also own an unsanded ShinyDoll and I can't imagine a more diligent, caring, and involved BJD artist than Shin. He talks to all of his customers regularly! He cares deeply about the quality of his dolls and the way they are perceived by the doll community.

      I always saw our dolls being like kits. Look at Unoa! It is a hobby and it is our place to take care of our own doll (string, clean, and sand) If you hate sanding (and god knows I can relate! Ahhh High School memories of Shop class haunting me) pay someone to service your doll care needs.
       
    8. Saying seam sanding should be included at no charge is like saying faceup, eyes, wig, and clothes should be included at no extra charge. A doll with seams may seem "unfinished" to some, but a doll with no eyes, wig or faceup is definately unfinished. Sanding is part of customizing just as blushing, faceup, and sueding are.
       
    9. You're right. Labor costs a LOT more in Japan than in China, it also costs more in Korea. Japan's economy is on an entirely different scale from China's, it's like comparing apples and oranges. The Japanese are some of the best paid people in the world.
       
    10. what bugs me most is when you get a doll thats kinda expensive (like $300 and over) and they don't even bother to sand inside of the head... i mean a freaking bobobie is sanded thoughout and someone that charges double or triple that amount can't even bother to smooth the inside of the head? i know that you can't see it or nothing but it annoys me...

      as for someone charging $100 for sanding... well i can see why. its dull and extremely time comsuming... i tried to sand my doll and gave up in 30 minutes because it took sooooo long to do soooo little... but $100 is a little much. maybe $75 or $50.... but im so cheap i would just do it myself and buy some shoes or wigs instead...
       
    11. BBB is in Korea, are they not? So presumably they have the higher labor costs. But they sand their dolls, which are some of the least expensive out there. So I can believe it might be a choice on the part of the companies thinking that their customers prefer to sand the doll themselves as part of the customization process (but then why offer totally face-upped and body-blushed dolls with honking huge seams?). To say that it's too expensive to do it because of labor costs doesn't make sense-except maybe in Japan. Presumably BBB is making money on their dolls (or they wouldn't still be in business) and presumably they can do that while sanding the seams, or they'd stop doing it.

      Their bodies are rather simplistic. Perhaps they don't have much of a seam problem, compared to the more realistic dolls. Perhaps it's a lot easier for them to deal with seams.
       
    12. Actually BBB is in Shenzhen China so their low cost makes more sense than if they were in Korea. They could also cast seamlessly like angell-studio, I don't know.

      I don't think $100 is unreasonable for full body seam sanding. I mean it does take a long time, and that's time the employee could be spending making another doll.
       
    13. Sorry don't mean to offend, but I looked at the Bobobie website and it seems a lot poorer design-wise compared to most other doll companies I've seen. Maybe that's how they can afford free sanding? (This is merely my take on it).

      I work part-time as a waitress, and I get paid 18 dollars an hour. It's hardly a glamorous job. I'd expect the artists at doll companies to be paid at least 18 dollars an hour. Hence if sanding takes 1-2 hours (probably more) 40 dollars and up is reasonable (Volks charges $55 for their sanding services I think, I'm not too sure).

      Once again, no offense, that's just how I look at it. I serve tables for 18 dollars an hour. Doll artists sanding potentially dangerous materials deserve way more than me, honestly.
       
    14. I think it would be nice if they came sanded especially from luts! Every doll I've ever owned from luts whether it be a cp delf or a luts delf the seams are horrific. I've wished for years it was standard with more companies whether the price go up or not becuase my first doll was a dollzone 3 years ago when they were like the chepaest of the cheap and there isn't a single seam or even casting line on him. With current experience I won't even bother sanding the doll if it's over a year old due to potentail color difference issues due to surface oxidation.

      The thing that beefs me about seam sanding and companies is I don't particularly mind paying a company more to sand it for me becuase the time is really intensive... it takes me roughly 6 hours or so to completely remove the seams off an SD doll. But the one time I did order seam sanding on a doll was from dolkot and the seams were still there, still bad in certain spots and the surface texture was terrible feeling. One bad experience with paying a company to do it has left me not even bothering to want to pay another company to do it becuase I mean what are the standards to these companies? I know I can do it myself to my liking if I just take the time so why risk anymore of having another bad experience?
       
    15. Bobodie is not in Korea. I don't know which other companies sand and where they are located. I am suggesting that location could have something to do with it :) Labor costs do differ from country to country and that is not a fact to be ignored.

      I think companies who offer the sanding are companies building up their customer base. Naturally any company who is attempting to grab customers from other companies will offer extra cool stuff with their product! Like when a new bakery opens on the street and for a month you get buy one get one free cookies. Their goal it to steal customers from competitors. Newer companies need to set themselves apart in some positive way, and in the doll world sanding it a nice bonus for some.

      But because a few companies make that extra nice offer it does not mean that the rest of the companies don't love their product too.
       
    16. Inside of the head?:doh Well I can live without that myself.

      It takes hours to sand a doll. I am guessing to sand it well enough to make it "sales worthy" would take a long time. I don't think a person exposed to a toxic substance for hours should be paid so little. Also, such a crappy job might not attract the most "skilled people". Meaning, I would rather do it myself and do it the way I want it done.

      Again who is charging the 100? If it is Volks then maybe that is because they are in Japan and people get paid well in Japan.
       
    17. It's not Volks. They charge 5250 yen for seam removal. I'm curious as to which companies will do blushing without seam sanding. I know Volks won't do body coating without sanding also being purchased as well.
       
    18. Companies are going to allocate their resources differently--it depends on what works for them, and there is definitely differences in the cost of manufacturing between Japan, China and Korea. Spending less on things like websites and advertising could certainly translate into having more cash to put elsewhere. Thank goodness for owner pics is all I have to say.
       
    19. My first doll was an FCS and I got full sato gaeri options which included seam removal and MSC coating. The second doll I got was an oldskin Volks who had very obvious seams. They were still never an issue to me.

      If it's an issue to someone then that's fine, just pay someone to sand it or get the tools and read how to do it on their own. But it's definitely not something companies should do by default since it's very time consuming and a lot of owners don't even want the service enough to pay a marginal fee (when compared to a whole doll) for it.
       
    20. In mu experience, not all companies dolls really need the sanding.. All the dollzones I've seen (Including my tan yuu) don't have any noticable seam problems *shrug* However, I did spend 9 HOURS sanding down the horridly visible seams on my Dollmore model Kyle.
      So... if it's a company that really needs it, I think they should include it.