Sio2 Dolls

@stray.dream , there is no discussion thread for SIO2 in the mini section yet, but they have not made any dolls that would technically belong there yet. The new deer boy is 35cm tall so by height this would be the correct place to talk about him.

TwT Anyway, my Ragdoll arrived a little while ago but forgot to post it here whoops~
I have some frustrations with they way they were designed and they also arrived with a chip on their knee joint, but I am still very happy to have them and really excited to work on them when I get the chance.
Sorry they are extremely incomplete, what little they have is temporary and this isn't a very good photo but here they are. I have plans to dye mine similar to an actual Ragdoll cat and will probably make a project journal here documenting it when I have time to work on them~


Also the new deer boy is really gorgeous but I definitely don't need any centaurs and sadly his proportion/size in relation to other dolls is rather awkward so he wouldn't really fit in with typical 1/4 or 1/6 dolls (smaller than even a Minifee Moe girl so definitely wouldn't work with 1/4 dolls >__>), even similar anime styled sculpts so i'll have to pass. If there was a human option for him i'd be super tempted to get him to go together with my Ragdoll since I love his face and proportionally they'd probably go together pretty well. Hopefully some others will grab him though!

 

@Arkelle thanks for the info! Your Ragdoll is super cute.

I am on the fence about the deer boy. I think the aesthetic of these Sio2 dolls is really different and awesome, but I'm not sure about the price for a doll of this size. I know it's an art doll price but I just don't know if I am ready to venture into that super high end side of the market yet. Looks like I have a few weeks to decide whether to order or not.

 

I really like the new deertaur boy. Only issue, besides the price, is I don't do centaurs. Oh well. If he had a human body, I would seriously consider getting him as his face is so sweet.

 

I really wasn't into fantasy dolls or even dolls with anime like faces, but SIO2 definitely changed my mind. I hope I can get a ragdoll eventually, and I'm in love with that deerboy, but i have the same problem as @stray.dream the price is reasonable for such a gorgeous doll, I just can't afford it now. Maybe in the future I'll find him on the secondhand market

 

Hiya!

I just wanted to let everyone know that many SIO2 agents overprice their dolls by quite a bit. According to the SIO2 website, the deer boy is only about $550.

 

Yeah, I noticed that too. It's rather shady if you ask me. Taobao proxy services usuallt only charge a 5% fee, plus internal China shipping which I saw one agent claim was 100 rmb - but even then that is still only $14.44 USD. So (550 + 14.44) x 1.05 for the fee = $592.66, before international shipping which I would expect is $20-30, so at most he should be around $623 shipped.

Meanwhile, dealers all have him at $795 before shipping. That's nearly a 30% markup...for what? Not cool, if I do decide to order I will use Basetao or Bhiner.

That said, even so $550 is pretty steep for a 1/6 scale doll. That's the same price as most 1/3 scale dolls. On the other hand the body makes him maybe twice the mass of a normal 1/6 doll.

 

Yes. Hi. Hopeless centaur enthusiast here, forever wanting an anime style doll and this is both so I'm 500% interested in this guy. (Also the little ragdoll cat was adorable and I wanted a sort of anime face like that but not a kitty, and I've liked these SIO2 dolls a lot that I've seen man, dang!)

I'm really wanting this deerboy and the cost is throwing me off.
May I ask about how one would go about buying it at the not-so-marked-up price through a proxy service or anything else? Assuming that's possible. $550 sounds way more reasonable to me for a centaur and I also really want him in a range I can actually afford.
Will he be available on Taobao or anything? I've never used a proxy or anything but maaaan.

Why is it so pricey on staceyspinkocean? I cry. I really want this guy dang.

-- EDIT
After lurking their site, one page has some links to a taobao sale? So I'm going to assume this is how we can purchase him.

 

@stray.dream I think the deer fellow is actually a 1/4th scale not a 1/6th. O= I consider $400 pretty standard for an MSD, and since this guy is a whole fantasy centaur I like his price! (The one listed on the website for $550... the marked up one makes my wallet hurt, and I don't think I can pay THAT much, so I'm with Nattou!)
I'd love to know other places to buy Sio2 dolls, this company is on my raydar now hahaa, that ragdoll was precious,...

 

Why is the mark up so HIGH at all of the agents that carry this doll! *cries*

 

@Nattou @P-Aei couple months ago I got an order for bjd eyes + craft supplies from Taobao via Basetao, everything went well and even with the fee the price was better than ebay, plus obviously better selection. If you google taobao proxy, taobao service, or how to taobao you will find lots of guides to the various proxies available. You can also buy directly from taobao technically, but that option requires setting up an Alipay account and that's too much hassle for me.

I think my link isn't working for some reason, maybe it's because I am on a phone, but go to the Sio2 taobao shop link in the first post in this thread and you can find the deer boy's listing from there.

The more I think about the dealers the less sense it makes. Like, look, I buy Nendoroids from AmiAmi (dealer of anime merch) instead of GSC (the actual producer of said merch) because AmiAmi gives me a discount, which they are able to do because they are able to order in bulk at a discounted wholesale price from GSC. If AmiAmi charged MORE than GSC, nobody would buy from them and they would go out of business.

So the bjd dealers thing completely baffles me. What is the incentive to go through them? Are people just unaware that there is another way? If people just want to order with an english speaker in case of disputes, well Basetao does that too - in fact in my order one of the taobao shops sent the wrong item to Basetao, Basetao caught the error and got it corrected before I even brought up the issue.

As for the original price of 550, the more I think about it and the bulk of the doll - he may be technically short enough to be in the 1/6 but you're right taking in consideration the size of his deer body/his length he is probably the same size as a 1/4 doll - the more that price seems reasonable. Plus it is a single artist after all, producing a very small run, so they can't afford to reduce margins as much as a company that can place a lot more pieces. It's just a matter of whether I personally can afford it. I just purchased my first big doll, so I don't know if this is a good time to splurge. Sigh...

 

As @stray.dream has already mentioned, using a Taobao agent would be your best way to go! I've never tried Basetao, but many people on DoA and in the doll hobby use TaobaoTrends, myself included. They're very well accustomed to BJD orders, and I've never had a single problem with them. You can ask them about specific details regarding your order (for example, you can request they order you the single-jointed body vs. the double-jointed one, or a faceup vs. no faceup) and they'll make sure to take care of it for you.

Of course, you will need to pay an agent fee. TaobaoTrends charges an additional 10% on top of whatever you order. You'll also need to pay for local shipping (shipping from one part of China to another is generally only a few dollars) and international shipping. Those extra costs do add up, but they're nothing compared to the markup on Stacy's Pink Ocean or TBSS. I'd estimate it to cost you an additional $50.

This is the official sales post for SIO2's deer boy. However, there are agents on Taobao that may also be listing the deer boy in their own shops. I'd be careful to make sure you're not dealing with a recaster at that point, but if they promise to order directly from SIO2 and there are no signs of their other sales being recasts, then I'd be pretty confident in assuming that they're just agents, sort of like Alice's Collections.

Many people are unaware, and the ones who aren't are scared of using Taobao. Yes, it is true that there are some recasters on Taobao, but it's really easy for me to tell if a specific Taobao shop is selling recasts. If you know how to spot a recast on eBay then you'll know how to spot one on Taobao, too. It's not like they're hiding it.

People are also scared of using an agent, in general. I guess since they can't buy from the store directly, they don't want to deal with the in-between stuff? I don't even know, man. Using an agent is so simple, and I find it easier than ordering directly because they take care of everything for me. All I have to do is throw money their way, LOL.

I think people like Stacy's Pink Ocean (and sometimes even Alice's Collections or Jeeryama/Clover-Singing) mark the prices up because they can. We're told to trust these people, even though they're literally robbing us, so everybody flocks to them. On the other hand, people say to avoid Taobao because of recasts (even though I can spot a recast from a mile away!) and potential "untrustworthy sellers" so everyone's too scared to use it. At least I'm not spending an extra $200 + shipping on a doll.

 

@stray.dream I use AmiAmi too! I also have used proxy services like Shoppingmalljapan to order from yja. Awesome, this is sounding better. I'm kinda sorry I can't afford to go through stacys Pink ocean because it might be slightly easier, but I'm definitely going to look into taobao agents. I have a friend recommend spreenow, or something.

@NekoNyanMew

I've seen recast Kinoko juice dolls up there awhile back and pretty much assumed that I shouldn't buy anything from taobao, but you're right. Spotting recasts there are pretty easy. I don't think the deer will be a problem so much since stray.dream linked their website which I think probably leads to the taobao listing. Thanks for all the help! =D Do you guys have any of the other tinies? Sion stuff is really cute lol. I'm glad I didn't find them earlier or I'd be even more broke...

(Mobile, stop auto correcting, yeesh. Typos galore)

 

I've been waiting for this for too long. Finally an anime boy you don't have to hybridize. (Sorry, not the biggest fan of the SmartDoll boys, especially in comparison to the girls! If Danny had released boys that were as cute as the girls, that would have been the best!)

But I would also prefer having a human body versus a centaur. It's a bit frustrating, as I feel the price and the centaur body may decrease his sales. The artist may think anime boys aren't as popular as girls (true, but that is mostly due to a dearth of options!), and start an extended anime girl kick.

Is there anyone who could talk to the artist and mention that many would prefer a human body? Even if she doesn't do it, it would be good for her to know there is a lot of interest in cute anime boys!

 

So true Lycansea! If he had a human option, I'd be figuring out Chinese buying services and placing an order asap!

 

I've fallen in love with this cutie and I'm considering getting him (although I shouldn't), but the price he's been sold for on Stacey's Pink Ocean website is so high.
My friend told me about getting him through a taobao dealer and now I read that many of you recommend the same.
Of course I'd prefer him cheaper, but...am I wrong or is there only one little photo of him on the page? I don't know any Chinese, but there doesn't even seem to be a proper description, and you can't choose between double and single-jointed body, as you can on Stacey's page. I'm not worried about getting a recast because it seems to be Sio2's official page, but...how can I trust a page with no details, no photos and spend money on it? Don't you guys (ladies) think it's scary?

 

This is SIO2's official website with more information on the deer boy : 子迁他家 | 小鹿 夫男-贩售+相关属性资料站
On Facebook there are more photos of the doll like this:

 

Not really. You're supposed to e-mail SIO2 with any questions or concerns you might have. They don't have a lot of pictures up because he's still in the making and isn't quite complete. An agent would be able to contact SIO2 and get more information from them.

 

Thank you for the reply!
To be honest, I think it's even scarier that he's not complete and such. They are taking money for something still in the making? I feel sorry for them, they seem to be very busy, but still...they could have waited with starting his order period until he's a ready...