What are your thoughts on the waiting times from companies for dolls?

Would I "stand for it" if I had to wait for a dress to be handmade for me? Yes, of course I would. And in any case, I'm not sure how I could speed up the process of handmaking anything, from a BJD to a wedding cake, even if I forced my way into the studio and took over the job myself.

I'm not sure I understand your second question -- what does ordering (or regretting not ordering) have to do with the time it takes to produce BJDs?

 

I would say that nobody is forcing you to order a doll from a certain company - and that a company can choose to release new dolls as and when they please - it's their business. It may seem 'unfair' for them to entice you with another doll, when they still haven't finished making your first order - but that's business - they need to keep the orders coming in, to keep going as a business, and they know that not every doll is going to be popular with the same people, so they need to offer new products to keep new people placing orders.

The wait time for my first doll was only 4 weeks, and it seemed like an eternity! But now I don't bat an eye over a 4 month wait, because I just accept that these things take time - dolls are very labour intensive to produce, and the weather conditions also affect how long it takes for resin to harden, etc. Also staff come and go - many doll companies are small, with just a few faceup artists - sometimes only one faceup artist - so it all takes time.

 

I'm new to the hobby as well, and probably won't see my first dolls until August that I'd ordered in April. Before I ordered my dolls I found the Fairyland waiting room and saw how long it was taking for orders to go out. It's pretty long at the moment. They're still working on getting their January orders out. People complain pretty often in there about the wait times and are annoyed at Fairyland for hosting more events when they are so far behind in their orders, but for me it's just something that I've come into the hobby knowing was the situation, so it doesn't bother me.
It's like elve said, it's business. They need to keep making money. As long as they're honest about their wait times it's fine by me.

I've looked at the history of the company, and they don't seem to be holding any more events than they ever really have, but they are more popular now, and obviously haven't been able to (or don't want to) increase their staff to accomodate the rise in demand for their dolls. Back even a couple years ago it was only a month or two for your order to be made and shipped out.

I think that the dolls are different from other things, like cars or clothes, because they aren't manufactured. They are art pieces that are hand crafted individually. There isn't a factory that can pump them out like Barbies.
Maybe it's hard to find people that either can or want to create these dolls.

 

I'm just starting the waiting process for a dragon doll. I feel very sorry for gong ming in his unloved state of them only making 100 but I do wonder how many of their other dolls are more popular and when I will get to see him. In the mean time I'm making corset patterns and other things for humans and later for the bjd's. Waiting is very difficult for me.

 

I don't really mind the wait times, as long as I'm prepared for them. My biggest complaint right now with FairyLand is not how long they're taking, or that they keep doing more events while being backlogged, but that they still have the old (and now inaccurate) wait times on all their pages. Simply updating them to reflect the actual time--or heck, even taking on an extra month of business days!--would honestly make it seem much better. (I wouldn't say things are slipping with them, though, even if the orders are taking a while; I recently received my January order, and everything was in terrific shape, some of the nicest dolls I've gotten from them.)

Each company is its own entity, and is entitled to run their business in whatever way they want. I ordered from two companies on the same day, back in January. (Literally placed the order at one site, then moved to the other and did that order too.) One of them was FairyLand--big, popular company, huge numbers of orders, and definitely backlogged, and it did take a long time for my order to show up. FairyLand is always open for orders, though they sometimes shut down certain lines (like the F60s currently), and if that's what they've decided to do, that's fine. The other was DollPamm--small company, not very popular, entirely run by one person. He's been open for longer periods lately, but the reason I ordered from him when I did was because it was the first day he'd been open for orders in several months--to avoid becoming backlogged, he shuts down all orders at certain times, so he can work on fulfilling existing orders and designing new dolls. I also got that doll very quickly!

But I've been around long enough that I do expect a longer wait, especially if I'm dealing with a more popular company, and I don't mind it at all. These are, as others have said, handmade items, and a wait is part of the deal with anything being handmade to order. As long as the doll arrives, in good shape, and I have some idea of how long it might take, the wait is just fine.

 

Look... it is what it is! These dolls have to be made to order. They aren't just mass-produced and sitting on shelves waiting to get shipped out.

Hiring more people means they need to be PAID MONEY, which means--dolls cost more.

It's not like companies WANT people to wait ages. Or want people to spend huge amounts of money. They try for the lowest cost they can and the shortest waiting times they can.

When companies experience difficulties, it's very easy for production to take longer. There are very few people working and they are already working as quickly as possible--so it doesn't take much for things to compound and cause delays. Even one person getting sick and not working can push back production. Or more orders than expected can cause problems. There is not an easy way for companies to predict how many or how few orders will be made. They can't just instantly hire more or less people. These people are trained and important to them--not just cogs to serve the desires of people buying dolls. They are members of a company and work together and have people who depend on their salaries.

I think that if you want something enough, you can wait for it. If you don't like waiting, then you can always buy something that is already in-stock and that will save you the time.

I use the waiting periods to talk to others in the Waiting Rooms. I try and decide what my doll's personality is like and what they will look like. I save up money and buy them clothes to fit them and wigs and eyes. I've waited 8 months because I've done 6 month layaways in order to get that doll. So much of the time the long wait is MY CHOICE because I don't want to, or can't, pay up front.

These dolls are luxury items. We aren't going to die if we don't get the dolls quickly. The companies aren't trying to be fair or unfair about it. They are trying to make dolls people want and get them to buyers as soon as possible without making the customers pay more money.

My thoughts are that people need to be realistic about the economics and how dolls are produced and either buy them or not. But I do wish they'd not get all bent out of shape if they need to wait... even if it's longer than expected. They should remember that there are real people working to try and get things done--not machines that never get sick or have to adapt to different situations.

 

Waiting is not a strength of mine, but it's something to accept in the hobby. It doesn't mean I like it! Very long wait times will put me off ordering. Since FL was mentioned, as much as I want to order bodies for my two event heads it won't happen anytime soon because of the current wait. I have had to wait on non bjd things. I had to wait for my car to come in when I ordered it. I have to wait weeks for my glasses to come in. My wedding dress also took several months. I was fine with the wait for it until someone at the store said it was there when it wasn't! I was so mad I cried.

 

I'm a patient person so I can wait a long time for a doll to be made. I seem to go crazy when the company tells me that they have shipped my dolls. I think I'm just paranoid that something will happen to them in the mail but other than that I'm good. I don't mind a four to six month wait but if I had to wait any longer than 8 months then I may reconsider my order.

 

I'm a pretty impatient person, so I was lucky that the doll I wanted wasn't from a really popular company. The wait times at dreaming doll are pretty short and just when I finally saved up enough they offered the doll I wanted on overnight delivery. I paid a bit extra but she arrived in just a few days so I was super happy.

I understand why the wait times exist but when I've spent months saving and choosing I really don't want to wait months longer for the doll to arrive!

 

If you are bothered by long wait times, you can always buy dolls second-hand instead! I recently bought my first complete doll second hand, and it was a wonderful experience. She only took about a week to get home, and it was a completely different experience compared to waiting 6+ months for a doll straight from the company!

On the other hand, being patient really pays off, because it allows you to buy dolls on layaway, which can make buying multiple dolls possible where otherwise you might miss out.

 

That.

If you don't like the wait, then buy secondhand. Otherwise, the wait is just part of this hobby. As was mentioned, these dolls are made to order, by hand. There are a lot of factors that can set production back; someone gets sick, a piece of equipment needs to be replaced, the weather turns sour (resin is finicky stuff, and if you order with a faceup during the humid season you're probably looking at even more of a delay because sealants don't like humidity), a mold needs to be redone...whatever. All I ever ask from a company is communication about their wait; if it's going to be longer than usual, put a notice up or something. That's all.

 

I'm impatient so I don't think I'll ever be able to order a doll directly from a company. If I wait too long, I'm afraid I'll become uninterested in the doll before it even arrives! But I understand why it can take so long and why they cost so much. It can be frustrating at times but as mentioned before, if you dislike wait times, you don't have to buy your dollies directly from the company.

I also find it so weird (in a good way) that these dolls are handmade individually. I guess it's just because I'm American so I just assumed they were made in huge factories by the hundreds. When I first got into the hobby I was like "WHAT!? Why would it take them that long!?"

Definitely makes you appreciate the dolls even more when they are made especially for you

 

I'm pretty impatient about the wait times, especially if the company keeps delaying >w<
The company delayed three weeks on my first doll T_T
But once I get the doll, I forget all about the wait time and turn into this happy little girl skipping around in a meadow with her doll in her hands.
So in the end, I guess I don't really mind about the long wait times as long as the doll arrives home =)

 

Actually, these dolls have become LESS expensive since the start of the hobby. Considering the material cost, the time it takes to sculpt a doll and the fact that the people working on them need to eat as well, I doubt they will get any cheaper.

As for waiting times: I once had to wait for a cabinet that was made to order. It took four months for it to be ready and shipped off to me. So, no, I don't think the wait times of these dolls are unreasonable. When you're not dealing with a mass produced item, this is simply the time it takes for people to finish your order.

EDIT
Just checked the wait times for a made-to-order car: At least a YEAR, if you're especially 'lucky', you'll have two wait two or three years before you can claim your prize. And that's of course after having paid tons, if not millions. I think I'll stick to dolls.

 

The dolls are an art piece, and like any good piece of art it takes time. I honestly prefer they take time than just rush them out to try and get more done. At least when you get your doll you know that they have taken their time and not just rushed it out so there should be no defects. And as for the price, well, art is pricey. I always think of them as an investment. If you don't bond with the doll when it arrives you can usually get most, if not all of your money back anyway, their value doesn't really decrease

 

If you're new to the hobby, everything feels as confusing as possible. I spent a long time not understanding what 'preorder' meant in a lot of cases- that item has been on preorder for three years, shouldn't it be out by now? It looks like a really bizarre practice unless you have a good feel for the dolls and what went into making them.

 

oh yes that is such a good point - almost instant gratification! The last doll I bought, brand NEW, took only a week for delivery - bought it from a dealer's stock, so it was all ready to be shipped straight out! (once my paypal had cleared funds of course) Downside to this is of course no time to buy clothes or wig for her LOL