Why are DZ's considered cheap?

I think the other posters have really covered the issue. DZ's were once cheaper if not the cheapest dolls around, but that is no longer the case. I find their quality to be wonderful. They are so sturdy and have a wonderful weight. I have two DZ dolls and I adore them. I am so impressed by the quality and sturdiness that when my oldest son wanted a doll of his own we chose to go with a DZ doll. I know this doll will handle slightly rougher handling than many other dolls. He isn't a rough child, but he is still a child. I also appreciate DZ's availability and posability. They are easy dolls to own in my experience.

 

I have 2 DZ (Yuu and Brant) and 1 Aria Doll (bought on the forum). The DZ boys are great, the resin is ok and the posability is impressive^___^

 

It depends on who you are comparing DZ to. DZ is more expensive than Bobobie, for instance, but less expensive than Fairyland (at least, an MSD full package I want from Fairlyland is $700 with all the trimmings, while an SD from DZ is... under $600 full package as I remember...)

I would consider DZ to be more affordable, but I would not call their dolls cheap in a derogatory way. Same with Bobobie, their dolls are beautiful (though their site pictures need help badly) and just happen to be very nice on the wallet. ^_^

 

I wouldn't call them "cheap", honestly, nothing in this hobby is "cheap"! XD I will never get over that. But, Dollzone dolls are less expensive than some, but more expensive than others. They're fairly middle-of-the-road as I think of it. At the moment my sole DZ is my most expensive, but I bought him as a fullset, with all the bits and bobs that make him pretty, mostly because I wanted the default face-up, it was gorgeous, and it still is, two years later. ^-^

He's sturdy, though we're still quarreling over some of his posing quirks, I'm mostly over them, if I were motived more I'd get off my butt and suede him, but for good posing and quality without spending a fortune on a doll, they aren't bad. I tend to... Erm... 'Bargain' hunt, so all of my other dolls are like, half the price of him, but he's by no means a shelf-baby. My DZ guy goes out with me just as often as the rest do!

 

Well, the only reason i think theyre cheaper is because down here in austin, our doll shop only sells volks. so the first ABJDS i really knew about were uber expensive. but i have a a Volks SD and Yo, and personally wanna give DZ a try. i LOVE some of their sculpts.

 

DZ has some fabulous dolls. I just saw some at a convention here that were painted and costumed by Val Zeitler that were to die for. I have a small DZ and some of their animal dolls and they are wonderful.

 

I remember when Dollzone where one of the cheaper brands but now not so. From what I've been reading about Dollzone, their quality is excellent and this can justify the price rises. Dollzone dolls are full of character and I really love looking at them. Would love to get a Reiko one day.

 

I have many Dollzone dolls and also have Luts Delfs and Volks Dolls. Dollzone is a company that has improved a great deal from it's beginnings and I would say their resin quality is on par with Delfs. Volks resin is probably better in that it seems to be more dense and very heavy, but not by much. Dollzone are better posers than Volks - especially the new double jointed bodies. There is still a lot of negativity around Dollzone left over form when they started. Don't let it influence you. Dollzone are a great company and the dolls and clothes are excellent quality.

 

I have never thought of DZ dolls as cheap, but I haven't been in the hobby for that long so...

But the doll on my wishlist now is from dollzone, and I wouldn't let anyone's opinions about the company change my opinion on the doll.

 

Most dolls are cheaper than some other doll... but if you buy what you like, it shouldn't matter. In fact--it is good, since you are saving money!

As others have said, Dollzone has a bit of a history back when it started. And also as others have said, everyone has opinions and they can all be quite different. It's good to research into it all when buying a doll, of course. But you definitely have to make your own decisions about what you want to buy, even if you take things into consideration.

 

While it's been said here already, Dollzone's price has gone up.
Along with their shady past (as previously mentioned) i believe there were a few quality control issues in the early years too, which may have been why they used to be as cheap as they were.
However, i haven't heard any "quality problem" stories in a very long time about them and have recently purchased an MSD doll from them myself.
I can tell you this, they have AMAZING quality. i can't even find seams on my girl and her resin is very nice heavy quality. If you love one of their sculpts then i'd sad go ahead and buy one, i don't think you'll be displeased with them ^_^

 

New to the site and browsing around ... and boy did my jaw drop when I read the title on this thread! Cheap?! Hmph. DollZone Cosmo was my first BJD so granted I've not much ground for comparison, but I love his mature sculpt and face - it's what drew me to consider a BJD in the first place. My friend and I were having a discussion not so long ago about doll brand 'snobbery.' Seriously?! I'm contemplating my next acquisition and I can tell you I wouldn't consider turning my nose up at a doll that catches my eye because it's not considered a high-end brand!

 

If you read this thread again you will find people explaining very nicely why there might be this perception. Idrisfynn sums it up well on page 1. I am not sure why you need to dive in with accusations of snobbery? No one here was insulting DZ or anyone else for that matter.

 

I never knew DZ was ever considered "cheap." onO;

Personally, I love them < 3 Sadly, it'll be another three dolls before I'll get my hands on one, however I find all of their sculpts pretty amazing and gorgeous.

Though I also have to say, I've never judged a company's quality by their prices.

Bobobie actually has amazing sculpts- and their new double jointed girl body is awesome! Sure their stringing is a little loose when they arrive- but in the long run I'd prefer a too loose doll over a too tight one (resin cracking).
Meanwhile CustomHouse is selling their 35cm dolls at $320 a pop, BLANK, with extreme seamlines and a 4 to 8month waiting period. (I'm not saying they don't have nice sculpts, not at all, they're adorable, but I mean, really? Around 380$ when you include shipping for that type of service...?)


Still, I digress... I'd never call a company "cheap" since this surely isn't a "cheap" hobby to being with :P

 

I looked around when I was first shopping for my boy. First I found two ringdolls that I kind of liked, but they didn't call to me. Then I saw a few other brands, still no connection. Finally, I found a silver haired beauty. DollZone Wing-2. I fell hard for him. And now, he's sitting on the back of my couch, and goes EVERYWHERE with me. He's taken falls and no problems, he poses great, though his arms are strung too tight. His face up is default and gorgeous. The only problem with him is his default outfit tends to mark the resin either red or black, depending on what's touching him. He has two flaws in the resin itself, but that just makes me love him all the more. There are no seam lines, and his resin is so damn smooth, I love touching him. And, soon, I will have a set of jointed hands for him, from DollZone. So, to say that they're cheap? I certaintly don't think so, especially when you see box openings of more expensive brands and see the seams on the resin....

--EDC

 

I'm new to this hobby so I don't know about the company's history but as the very proud owner of two new DZ (65-70cm range) boys now, I can also vouch for how great they are. Technically, as far as "nothing is cheap in this hobby" goes, I think they (at least the bigger dolls) are price fairly well compared to other companies I've seen. I also would like to add that the quality of the resin is excellent and their molds and sculpts are my favorite by far. (Even their design diversity. Cosmo looks like he came out of a comic book while Wing looks very anime styled. I wouldn't have guessed they're from the same company if I didn't know better. lol)

 

I love my DZ guys, Hid, Wing and Yuri. Their resin is smooth and heavy and they pose wonderfully.I'd buy another DZ in a heartbeat!

 

XD Chinese makers tend to use cheaper resins, but that doesn't mean quality is sacrificed in fact the cheaper resins have been known to be more sturdy but don't look as pretty as the the more expensive..where expensive ones have that egg shell kind of feel and the cheaper epoxies have a plastic like texture...so long as you love your doll it shouldn't matter where its from...what resins is used...so long it isn't a counterfeit then you should feel cheated lol... but that's a rare case

 

I agree with the previous comments aobut DZ's shady history. When we first got into the hobby, people were still very nervous about DZ, so I avoided them. Then I saw a Megi in person...he had so much personality. Now we have a couple of DZ's in the house and contemplate more to add to the family. Ours are just gorgeous, and definitely on par with the other 'bigger' name companies we have experience with.

It just proves that a company really can get their act together, even if they have a rocky start.

 

Eh? Not really, I mean I get what you are saying about the resin and early DZ dolls are NOT like the Dolls they put out now *but* That really isn't where the stigma on Dollzone comes from, it's definitely all about the shady past. Which I think they've gotten away from. >-> But copying another doll's company lingers long after the idea of inferior product (which theirs isn't but, you get the idea)