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Worst time to order?

Sep 29, 2010

    1. If there is anything like this please feel free to delete mods!

      Aright, so I just ordered my doll during the beginning of September, then a week in I realize the following week is going to be a Korean holiday, thus production time slows down even more. It was an agonizingly slow week to say the least with him being my first doll. Then the following week I find out of a Chinese holiday halting my clothing order.
      I think this is the only hobby that has made me loath weekends. xD
      But to my point.

      When do you think is the worst time to order a doll?
      Do you think Seasons make a difference?
      How do you feel during holidays?
      Ever plan for a doll to arrive during a certain time?
      Did the time work out?
       
    2. I think the worst time to order is during events, especially when your order does not pertain to or qualify for the event xD I personally don't see seasons making any difference, but holidays do. The Chinese/Japanese/Korean holidays don't bother me since I know the doll isn't ready yet, but once it hits the US and is in my city but not at my doorstep yet due to holidays, it drives me crazy! Its here but I can't have it!

      The only planning I've done was buying my dolls before the christmas rush to avoid an insane amount of orders sent to doll companies crammed around the same time as mine and the mail system slowing down due to an increase of packages shipped out. My timing has worked despite Fairyland taking several days off since I've placed my orders. I should have the second Pukifee I ordered by the end of October.
       
    3. Actually almost every time of the year there is one thing or the other hindering the production...

      Now it's the Korean Thanksgiving and Chinese National day. Starting from November the Christmas Events will start to pop up...in January many companies close for a short while to regroup/have a little holiday...if not that then they'll have New Year events...again, slowing down things. Many doll manufacturers make events when they have their anniversary...slowing again. Not to mention some smaller Easter events...and then we arrived to the Summer, when it's humid, rainy and hot, making resin casting harder...topped with some annual Summer Events. Oh, and now we are back to this time of the year and all is starting again...

      There really is no 'right time' to order...delays can occur almost every time...actually a week long Holiday like this doesn't hinder their average speed as much as a bigger event would...the doll takes 3-4 weeks to get cast anyway :sweat Still, my shortest wait was during an Event from a company that's well known for its slowness...I still can't understand how they managed to send my doll in just 8 days...it's really unpredictable :lol:
       
    4. Any and all holidays and observations. It urks me when my doll is shipped and I have to wait thre extra days because there was a holiday.
       
    5. When do you think is the worst time to order a doll?

      During the Holiday season i think is the worst time to order anything, the mail load is bumped up way higher than normal and it increases risks in shipment.

      Do you think Seasons make a difference?

      YES! I believe it most certainly does.

      How do you feel during holidays?

      Usually i feel happy, it's a decorative time and such and i love decorating. But as for ordering, i don't. ever.
      The last time i tried ordering things during the holiday rush, 2/5 packages were lost, and one was damaged. since then i have all of my online shopping done before December, and if i absolutely MUST buy something, i ask the seller first if they can hold off on shipment until the holiday rush dies down a bit.
      It may seem paranoid or obsessive, but thats just how i am with it.

      Even back when i sold doll things (before closing up shop to rework everything) i had a shipment cut off date of December 17th, and a list based off the postal site for when orders would need to be processed to guarantee Christmas arrival. After December 17th, i took the shop offline until January 4th. There was an option to still place an order, but only if the buyer agreed to the terms of it not being shipped until the store was officially open for shipment.

      Doing things this way i honestly felt really did more for me and my customers as it decreased the amount of lost packages and such.

      Ever plan for a doll to arrive during a certain time?

      Nope. If i ever DO order a doll thats due for completion during the holiday rush, i would definitely ask the seller not to ship it out until the rush was over.

      Did the time work out?
      Not available.
       
    6. Holidays and events can slow things down (though if you're wanting an event item, clearly you'd need to order then anyway). Rainy season can slow some companies down as the resin won't cure as easily. I've never planned around anything specific when I've ordered dolls, except when I got my Soom Gems in a basic kit sale. It took a little longer to get them, but the wait really wasn't bad. That was several years ago, though. Any more I've been buying mostly second hand off the market place.
       
    7. I think the best time of the year to order a doll is right now, after the Chuseok/Chinese Autumn holidays. The weather in Korea and China is better for casting because summer is over and it's well before the Christmas holiday rush. As long as the company isn't holding an event (buy a doll get a free dollhead or 20% off clothes sale!!) the normal waiting times apply.

      I agree that the worst time is during the holiday rush. Wait times can often extend by as much as a month or two and your doll may not be in tip top condition because the company rushed to get dolls cast in reasonable time to keep impatient customers off their backs. That's why IMO it's not a good idea to wait until the last minute of an event because your doll will be at the end of the casting line and quality will suffer. (I learned my lesson from the conditions of my two latest dolls, both of which were put near the end of the priority due to the dates the orders were completed on my end.)

      It is hard to make the decision to buy a doll at this time, because your company may announce a super cool promotional deal for the holidays right after you order. But if you wait, you'll catch the cool promotional deal, but be prepared for a long wait for your resin kid to come home.
       
    8. I find it kind of amusing that after spending two years involved with the hobby, I'm only just now buying a full doll from a company. Before, I've only ordered clothing, furniture and accessories from companies, while piecing heads from the MP or group orders together with secondhand bodies or buying full dolls secondhand. One of my group orders was closed in October, and I got the heads in early December, I believe, and the other was in February and I received the head in early April, I believe.

      When do you think is the worst time to order a doll?


      I'm going to say that the worst time to order anything is around Christmas. I get pretty paranoid about getting anything shipped around Christmas because it's petty much the only time I have had packages "go missing" and get stolen right from my doorstep, not to mention that Christmas events and promotions just about everywhere bog the postal system down to the point I could practically walk to customs and get my things faster than if I was to wait for them to be delivered.

      Do you think Seasons make a difference?

      I think seasons make a considerable difference, even within your own country. I work in a place that does send-out gift services, and what might take 3-5 days normally may take 3-5 weeks during the major holidays due to overload and inclement weather, and 2-3 weeks during graduations.

      How do you feel during holidays?

      Holidays for me are chaotic at the calmest of times. The last thing I want to worry about is whether or not I'm going to get a package on time. I'm typically working on most holidays, and my birthday is on Christmas day. I've got a split family, so i'm often being pulled from one family to the other, both of which have their plans for Christmas, and then not days later the friends want to go out, then again for new years. I wouldn't change the chaos for the world, but I surely wouldn't consider buying a doll around that time for myself because I wouldn't get a split second to toy with it or enjoy it.

      Ever plan for a doll to arrive during a certain time?

      I had planned one arrival before, and a few have been where I've ordered the doll, then found I would need it for something after the fact. For the most part they work out fairly well, but sometimes they cut a little close for comfort, so now I just choose a month I'd like them to arrive in and call it good. I'm a little nervous about the doll I ordered, as it's reached a small snag and is supposed to ship out in a couple weeks tops, but I've just today made an offer on a condo and I want her to arrive before the close of escrow if I get the place so I don't have to worry about changes of address or anything until she's safe at home.

      Did the time work out?

      One of my planned times worked exactly, the other was more coincidental. One doll's head was planned to arrive on Halloween, and come Halloween, the head was on my doorstep. The other was a bit less specific. I bought an MD Miho head and it arrived in the first week of February (Aquarius). I bought the second Miho head via group order and it arrived in early April (Aries). Because the two were supposed to be identical twins, I chose March, the month in between the two, and added their arrival days together to get their birthday, and they ended up being Pisces, which I liked because of the symbol of the twin fish.
       
    9. I understand completely about the holiday rush! The paranoia about ordering things online during that time is awful.
       
    10. Bwah, this thread is frightening me... My body will be shipping right at the beginning of November and from the sounds of it that's a pretty bad time, huh?

      I actually ordered a doll during the Luts anniversary event, and she didn't take very long to ship... She was ordered on June 3rd and shipped on July 22. That's a little bit under 40 business days, plus she shipped very quickly and with absolutely no damage. The doll itself didn't seem rushed either. A tiny air bubble on her thigh that's barely noticable, some seam lines, but that stuff is fairly average.
       
    11. I ordered my very first doll in a Luts Christmas event actually, although (I think) I was near the front of the line so I really didn't have to wait too long. He arrived on the 12th of January. I can't remember the exact date I ordered him, but I think it was the 8th of December or thereabouts.
      My second doll took around that long as well, even though I didn't order her during an event!

      As for ordering dolls to arrive for specific times, I bought a Pukifee Bonnie a few months ago, hoping she would arrive for my birthday. The day after I ordered her, Fairyland started an event so I really wasn't expecting her until early November or something but I received an e-mail a few days ago, saying that she was on her way with a guaranteed delivery date of the first! (my birthday is the 9th) So, as long as nothing bad happens, she should be here in time! :3
       
    12. When do you think is the worst time to order a doll?
      I was going to say during an event, but then I remembered that one of my dolls came in less than a month, and she was ordered during an event.

      The worst time I would say to order a doll is mid-late July. Most companies seem to take a holiday in August due to humidity issues. Then, with another holiday in September, that postpones production even more. October and November also seem like bad times to order dolls because of the approaching holiday season. I saw something on Denver Doll's facebook about a month ago telling buyers that BJDs need to be ordered soon to guarantee that they arrive on time.

      Do you think Seasons make a difference?
      Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. One of my dolls was ordered a few days after Christmas, seemingly a busy time, and that one arrived a few weeks later.

      How do you feel during holidays?
      They don't bother me at all. Workers deserve their time off. :)

      Ever plan for a doll to arrive during a certain time?
      No, not really. I mean, my most recently doll purchase I'd like to have before Christmas, but considering that she was ordered about 5-6 weeks ago, that shouldn't be an issue.
       
    13. I've ordered dolls and doll stuff at all times of the year, and have never had a real problem -- yes, even during the Christmas season (though I do live close to a major port). It is true that holidays and events can often slow things down though. I find that the biggest slow-downs, in general, are around "winter event" season, "summer event" season, and in some cases Chinese New Year. Additionally, some delays can occur during the summer rainy/humid season, as it can interfere with faceups and whatnot.

      I've never tried to get a doll to arrive at a certain time -- when it comes to things like my birthday and Christmas, by the time I even start to think about it, I am at least 2 weeks too late to order in time. ^^;
       
    14. Christmas through March is a pretty bad time to order. If it isn't Christmas, it's the new year, or the Lunar new year, etc etc. However, most of the really cool events also happen during these time periods, so that often also bumps up the load. The best time to order though is right about now. At least in my experience. I know that might not always hold true, but I found it more in the 60 day wait time vs. 3 to 4 months :)
       
    15. When do you think is the worst time to order a doll?
      During the christmas holidays. I ordered two doll right before christmas. I thought for sure I would get them by my daughters birthday in mid February. I finally got them at the end of March. The waiting was made worse by the fact that they were so bombarded with orders and people trying to contact them about their delayed oreders that trying to get any info from them was near impossible. I could go on about this but I'll save you the details. I know I promised myself I'd never order before a holiday again.


      Do you think Seasons make a difference?
      Yes see above


      How do you feel during holidays?
      No way. I promised myself never again. Production comes to a stand still because they were overloaded with orders and communication was horrible. They took forever to even answer any inquiries about my order. It was the first time I had ever ordered and sent so much money. The dolls were great once they got here but it was nerve wracking.

      Ever plan for a doll to arrive during a certain time?
      Yes I had planned these dolls to arrive for my daughters birthday. They came a month after. Total wait came to three months!

      Did the time work out?
      No but it was solely because of the holiday season and everyone ordering.
       
    16. I guess I might have ordered at the wrong time of year. No sooner did I make my last payment on my first BJD - I was told that there was a delay because of the Korean "Thanksgiving" holidays. It is nice to get some idea of when the best time to order... however, what if you are into a super limited doll? You may have to jump on it and order no matter what anyway....
       
    17. I would say during seasons are the worst and the best time to order..........

      To say it is the worst time as the factory will got loads of orders, this makes your payment confirm to be slow enough to make you worry like crazy if it went through well or not, also you can expect your doll to be late ship out.

      About being the best time, seasons is when each doll factory will launch their latest promotions including free gifts or limited edition dolls and stuffs.

      Well, it depends on what's your plan ^^
       
    18. When do you think is the worst time to order a doll? During event periods, definitely. Because so many people order then, it takes forever to get your doll! And I usually don't want the event items either, so it's not worth it for me.
      Do you think Seasons make a difference?Not really, there are holidays and things during every season that can slow things down.
      How do you feel during holidays? I'd rather not order over a major holiday (like Christmas or Chinese New Year), because too many people seem to, but other holidays are ok, because they only take a couple of days off and then get back to making your doll again.
      Ever plan for a doll to arrive during a certain time? Yeah, I've ordered dolls a couple months ahead of time so that I'd hopefully get them in time for my birthday or Christmas.
      Did the time work out? Surprisingly enough, yes, they arrive pretty close to the time I wanted them to, like within a week before or after.
       
    19. Since most of my dolls were bought second-hand, I tend not to notice holidays. But I do wish someone would have come up with a chart for resin quality/color/texture for each season. At one point some Delf buyers were toying with that, trying to account for why some dolls turn yellow and others green, and others hardly change at all, and if the seasonal conditions had anything to do with it.

      The only events to worry about, I think, are from companies who seem to run events one after another and repeatedly overload their capabilities (are you listening, CustomHouse?).
       
    20. I wouldnt order in December and early Jan. This is usually the time, as people have said, a lot of companies have events. Couple that with year-end bonuses, the general 'need' to spend money at christmas, and the postal departments going nuts... yeah...

      That being said, I'd be wary of ordering in late Oct/Nov as well because delivery time will land right in the Christmas/New Year period. I did that with DOD last year, plus they were having an event, and I guess I was lucky because it only took 8 weeks to ship :P ... I say lucky because there were people after me who took 9 to 10 weeks.

      Adding to the Dec/Jan period... if a company takes roughly 5-8 weeks to ship, this would also mean shipping will coincide with the Chinese/Lunar New Year - and seeing as how I live in a country that does celebrate it - it'd mean some companies, businesses, postal systems get shut down for a week at least. So those are some things to watch out for

      As for seasons... I don't know if I'd want a doll delivered in monsoon season. I'd fear for it getting all wet, boxes or not.