Wait times. . .the sands of time. . .

It`s only been 17 days since my payment got recieved and I`ve already marked my calender for when he might be shipped off and looked around for msd-size things. XD
I`m pretty impatient, but I can wait as-long as I know he`s actually coming. [:

 

I really don't mind waiting at all. I expect a wait. It's when they start jacking with the schedules that it'll start to bug me. Like this whole business with the Soom monthly dolls. I'm fine with waiting. I understand that it takes a lot of time and effort to get these dolls made and shipped. Some people wait for more than three or four months for their dolls, which sucks, but they take it very well. I just find it really irritating when they say they're going to ship it out on a certain day and then the day comes and nothing's happened. I get that there's issues sometimes that cause delays. I'm fine with that. It's only when they tell you that everything's fine and dandy that it bugs me. If everything was "fine", there wouldn't be a delay.

I just think it's important to let the customers be in the know if there is an issue with something, particularly if it's not just one person's order, but a whole line of a product like the MDs. They really should let the customers know with a large notice on the board about things like this instead of having to waste time answering all of the messages in the Q&A from customers wondering why they don't have their dolls yet. It's really like empty promises, and a lot of customers might actually be hurt by something like this. For the MD Topaz, Soom said they'd like to send them out before Christmas, except that they're only now starting to ship. I'll admit that I'm a little bit upset that I won't get mine before Christmas when I actually might have, but I'm not heartbroken or anything. However, I know some people that were actually planning on having them for Christmas might be very upset over this.

Topaz would be the one I've waited for the longest. I ordered her Sep 25th and it's now going on three months. I didn't find it a difficult wait though since I had school to keep me busy. But now that it's the holidays, I'm really starting to feel anxious for her to get to me!!

 

I do not have problem waiting.
My daily job keep me busy.... so I forget sometimes for how long I have waited.
When the company does end up shipping faster than I get a surprise

In general, I would rather have a well made product than waiting a shorter time.

For BJD I have waited 4 months. But for my other collection of hand-carved Puppets, my longest wait was 2 years for a head to be carved by the sculptor. But I am happy with what I get at the end, so everything is all worth it.

 

I've just past the two month mark on my wait for the first doll from DoD, but really, I don't mind at all. Sure I'm probably mumbling about how badly I want him every waking moment of the day, but I understand I ordered him in time for the Christmas rush (I'm brilliant like that), and DoD staff are working till their fingers fall off to get all the events and the regular orders done ASAP.

At least they've informed me he will be shipped within 10 days as of now. I've waited for commissions and made others wait for more than two years, so I don't have any right to judge. xD

 

I'm a newbie myself and its driving me mad waiting! Bobobie said they'd ship my boy through DDE in 6-8 weeks, (this was Oct. 30 when I ordered) so I'm waiting waiting waiting still DX
I think he should be arriving in the next week or so but it's making me crazy- it's been almost (but not quite) 3 months.....

 

Well, I understand that it takes a while to get them, but I'm horribly impatient. Denver Doll told me my Shushu should be here within 6-8 weeks, so of course I'm paranoidly(that's not a word...) counting down the weeks until she'll be here. Though it pains me to wait, I will do so just because the wait was worth it for my first doll and it will definitely be worth it for the second. Delays in the process wouldn't anger me so long as I was informed. It's sorta their responsibility to let their customers know what's going on.

 

They usually take a month or two to arrive. Three is my limit... I mean, they have all the casts. All they really need to do is pour in the resin, wait for it to set, and do a bit of sanding and drilling. It shouldn't take too long unless it's commissioned.

 

Euclase is really proving that I can wait ages for a doll and not go insane. XD I guess it depends on how bad I want the doll - the more I want it, the longer I'm willing to wait for it in the end.

 

Even though I am so impatient I feel the same way. I just paid off my layaway with iplehouse. It comforts me to know that from what I've heard they are usually pretty fast. I'd rather have to wait and I have the doll I paid for then be dissapointed with a doll that was not cast/assembled/ect well.

 

Just finished one layaway and already started a new one...will it ever end??? lol

 

The casting process is a bit more complicated than that
First of all, temperature is a big factor. Certain resin colours can't be cast successfully in certain weathers. Remember that a few of these companies are very small and based in homes so a lot of work goes on outside.
Also there are times where the resin gets bad air bubbles so those parts usually get thrown out and need to be remade.
Then you need to consider how many orders they have to take. A lot of companies have 2 or 3 websites (most Korean companies have an international one, a Korean one and a Japanese one). They may also have Ebay shops, Tao Bao (?) shops and Yahoo Japan shops plus international dealer's orders to deal with too.
And don't forget these are human beings. They need to sleep and eat and have families to tend too and most probably hold down full time jobs as well.

I think I'm usually forgiving with long wait times. I get a bit annoyed when I have to wait 2 months for a doll but I get over it quickly.
I think I only get really anxious when I'm dealing with a company that is very new and has only a little feedback.
I'm sure that is understandable though

 

While the wait time almost always seems to take forever, there are tons of factors involved. The weather in the company's area, the batch of resin. They generally give themselves a time limit that they post on their website.. For instance, Fairyland has a time limit of 40 business days for the Ante that I ordered in December...and I do have to remind myself that it's BUSINESS days, and there have been a few holidays...

...but there was also an issue with a batch of resin, so I know they're backlogged for a little bit and scrambling to keep up. I remind myself that she's worth the wait, and while I do get the hopeful butterflies in my tummy each day when I check to see if she's shipped, I honestly don't expect to see her until next month.

Which seems so far away, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not so bad. I guess I was spoiled with my first doll, who shipped and made it to me two weeks (to the day!) after ordering.

 

When the estimated shipping time is up and the doll isn't sent, I send an email to the company and ask when the doll is going to be shipped. I don't really care if I have to wait longer, but a reason why is very appreciated. Companies that give customers regular updates on how manufacturing is progressing is a company that cares for its customers.

 

I'm in between being an impatient person and a patient person. I mean, I have just ordered my first doll (B&G Sapphira) off ebay and it's been just under 3 weeks. I know the reasoning behind any delays, due to new year and I believe in the old saying 'best things come to those who wait'

However, if I had ordered something and had yet to hear anything off them in 4 weeks, I would defo be emailing them. I can understand that the people in these companies are only human and alot of care and effort go into making the dolls perfect, but I still like to be kept up-to-date with the progress. Its good and friendly customer service that encourages the customers to come back. I just wouldn't feel comfortable dealing with a company that had poor customer service.

Thats my rant over

 

I really don't mind waiting, as long as I don't focus on the fact that I am waiting. XD My first doll was an Angel of Dream Wang Zi ordered practically right after the company started up. I waited sixty plus days for him, making him the longest wait I've experienced so far. With a wait like that straight out of the gate, I'm pretty much prepared to wait for anything.

I admit though, sometimes it can get annoying when I'm waiting for multiple things at once and they're all dragging, but I'm understanding. I wouldn't even bother to inquire about the status of orders sometimes ( unless the wait is just ridiculously long and I haven't even ordered a doll or doll parts ) if I didn't run so many group orders.

Some people just are not patient and get antsy, which is understandable, so once they start to get impatient, I have no choice but to inquire. However, I will only inquire once a specific amount of time has passed. As someone else said, posting a million status messages on a Q&A board will not make the wait any faster. A company isn't just going to speed up the time because someone can't handle the wait and even if they could, why would anyone want them to? That is how errors occur. There could be flaws, they might forget something or leave things off the order completely because they've been put under pressure.

These are people, remember? Not magical beings or magnificent machines.

What gets me is that some people know the expected wait time up front and still want to make a fuss about it. Um, yeah, that's not going to help anything. If the company has a MINIMUM wait time of one month, then hey, what can you do but wait until that point has passed? Do your research first, study the company processing and shipping time trends, but please do not badger the company. Or in the case of group orders, please do not badger the host/hostess about badgering the company. If you can't handle the wait, look for a company with a shorter waiting period.

It helps alot when you can keep busy or have other dolls or things to take your mind off the wait. The first doll is always the hardest to wait for, but after that it is much easier. Sure, it's okay to be excited and anxious, but have realistic expectations as well.

This is a hobby where waiting makes up for a big percentage of things. We have to wait for clothes, wigs, dolls, eyes, everything has a wait. Whether it's a few days or a few years ( I would hope not, though. ). If anything, being in this hobby has taught me how to be more patient than I ever was. XD

P.S. Posting in Waiting Rooms also helps a LOT! Chatting with others who are waiting just like you can help to take the focus off of the actual wait. I suggest that to anyone that is getting anxious. In fact, I feel like going to post in a few now...

 

I am a horribly impatient person and waiting for 40 days just seem too much for me... but then I know I have to wait since that's how long it takes to produce the dolls usually... As long as the doll comes around the time the company promises than I guess it's okay... I won't question and get too anxious about it... I guess I would be much more anxious with second hand purchase as shipping would usually only take a week, and the person I am dealing with is a stranger whom I don't know and I would be rather helpless if anything happens to that purchase.

 

I used to be very impatient about pretty much everything, ESPECIALLY dolls. Then ordering for Padriac, my migidoll Ryu/dream doll/pain in the butt started. His head was ordered in April and his body in early August, and he wasn't complete until late September/early October(there were a lot of delays, demivenom and I joked about his head running away at one point). I've found that since then, I've been really good with waiting! I ordered my Leeke Mihael about a month ago, and he shipped a few days ago and I wasn't even really that excited, I figured I'd patiently wait until he got here...until I read that he was in Canada. Then the impatientness came back hard. Hurry Air Canada, hurry!

 

To tell you the truth, I'm too busy to be impatient. I think my longest wait was for Hikaru and he took around 56+ days. Yeah, the wait hurt a little but it wasn't unbearable. I didn't have time to really feel the angst!

 

As of today, I've been waiting 102 days for a /standard/ doll from DoD. True, I did order during an event period, but I have noticed that people who have been waiting up to a month less have already received their dolls. That, and DoD saying they will ship by a certain date and then failing to do so, is very frustrating. I'm used to company waits, I've been collecting a long time. But even my patience has limits.

I think this is most likely due to a casting issue, as certain molds are cast in batches and then sent out as they are available. However, I have to wonder if our patience, as doll owners, in part contributes to the wait time phenomenon. A long wait for a doll in some ways almost becomes a bragging right. Rather than taking issue with companies for taking on more than they can handle, we continue to order from them. The time it takes for a doll to arrive is part of the doll's value, in some respects. Limited dolls with a lengthy wait command high prices on the aftermarket, possibly in part because it is a limited doll that can be purchased immediately. Dolls are handmade, dolls take a long time to prepare and send out, etc. We know these things, and so we wait. But are we waiting too long?

I wonder how much we make excuses for companies that are notorious for delays. If we were more insistent about the estimated schedule, and if we refused to order from companies--making it clear that the wait times are an issue--would the companies take steps to produce dolls with more expedience? Would they hire extra workers, or perhaps limit their ordering periods to stay abreast of the orders? I'm not suggesting that they do anything to reduce the quality, only that they accept that as a business grows, so too must the supply compensate for the demand. Specifically speaking in terms of standard dolls--but even 'standard' dolls have an aura of rarity. Nothing in this hobby is mass-produced, and the hobby rails against the very idea--I do myself. Is it worth the extra wait, even though more people want dolls? This is, of course, going on the idea of dolls as a product, as a business, not as rare art.

In any other business besides dolls, customers would go elsewhere rather than wait months for an item. It is part of the luxury artistry of the doll, and its unique mold. But it is also a commodity. Some companies deliberately keep their numbers low, even with standard molds. It's part of the designer culture of the dolls.

Nobody wants a rushed doll. However, companies overwhelmed with orders /do/ send out rushed dolls. Even after a 3-4 month wait, when so many dolls are being produced, mistakes happen far more often, companies are more harried, and customers are more likely to be disappointed after waiting so long. Tempers flare when customers are put off with promises that dolls will be shipped 'soon' or 'next week.'

I don't really have an answer to these questions myself. Are dolls a work of art? Or are dolls a product that needs to be shipped in a reasonable frame of time? The trouble is, I expect, is that they are both. We are impatient for the product we shelled out large sums of money to order, months ago. At the same time, we don't want a shoddy product, and console ourselves that the long wait is indicative of the quality of the item.

tl;dr!
Do doll companies have an obligation to sustain a certain production quota in order to keep wait times reasonable? And, do we have an obligation to inform companies when their wait times are not acceptable, from a consumer standpoint? Or, are wait times of increasing length a by-product of a rare item? Is this rarity a false construct?

I'm not advocating any hardline position on any of this. Even I'm not sure how I feel about the disparity. It's just the sort of questions I've been thinking of, waiting for fifteen weeks for my doll to arrive. I'm curious how other people might feel about it, that balance between rare and reasonable for the money that we spend, and the time we invest, in the dolls we love. A wait time is, after all, not very long compared to the time we will actually have the doll after it arrives. It only seems long when we're in it!

...much like this post. ^^;

 

I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to doll waits, the longest I've waited for a doll was a month and it's never been longer than that unless I'm doing a layaway, then it's been about two-two and a half months.

I think it all depends on what doll it is. U-noa take a while to get because the company is swamped with order when kits become available so it takes a little longer. But with companies like Luts you expect to get a doll fairly quickly because you're ordering a standard and expect it to be there.