Your opinion on Volks?

^^^ This exactly. I so feel the pain of people who cannot participate in the Volks.... what would you call it.... lifestyle? I would love to go to all of their events and participate actively but Volks doesn't really care about the international community as much as their home fan base. That's pretty much the norm for a lot of Japanese companies. I do think we're super lucky to have a Volks USA branch and I hope they can stay afloat despite all the craziness around their website releases.

I do so love the Volks brand... love all the dolls actually. Some sculpts are not to my taste (but, really, who cares what I like- it's what YOU like!) but the quality of their product line is really lovely. I collect both their vinyl and resin and couldn't be more pleased with them.

 

Way back when nine years ago, when I ordered directly from the Volks USA website before they changed everything, I loved it. Everything was super smooth to order and in stock. To this day, I love my doll, she's always been a favorite. Volks BJD are some of the most, well, doll-like dolls to me, and that is still part of the appeal for me. In the beginning, I enjoyed how they walked the fine line between realism and stylism, they were definitely dolls, and yet more real than the Pullips and Blythe I was also collecting. I won't even touch on the current site, and I know how frustrated people get with trying to get dolls in the US, but I do see a reasonable number pop up in the MP when I snoop. Outside the availability, often the largest complaints I've seen are how boring their dolls are, but for me that made them the ultimate blank canvas. When you see a Volks doll with a custom face-up, a lovely wig and the other TLC invested by their owner, I can't help but be impressed. The customization options, the potential, that's why a lot of people are here.

 

I admit it, I used to be a Volks non-believer. I put that down to two things - what with them being one of the oldest companies with the most variety, trying to find a sculpt you like is actually quite difficult. There's just so much to choose from and so much research to be done it was easier to just go "if it's meant to be, the doll will find me". This is not helped by the difficulty of actually getting to the international Volks website store in English - would that I could be in the USA! Secondly the sculpts that do get the most attention are those which do go for astronomical prices - I knew about Volks' Rozen Maiden sculpts and their prices/sought-after-ness as soon as I got into the hobby though I had no idea what they actually looked like. This made me think, irrationally, that all of Volks dolls were therefore going to be around that price. Which is not the case. I feel there are a lot of misconceptions about Volks which I wish I'd known weren't true when I started out.

1. Volks dolls, when bought from the company, are generally no more expensive than other dolls companies considering you're buying a fullset. The secondhand market is to blame for the impression that all Volks dolls are hideously expensive. SD Lieselotte, who rarely goes for under $1500 secondhand, was sold by Volks for around $900 complete with faceup, eyes, wig, shoes and outfit. Which is pricey, but not incomprehensibly expensive considering other companies' pricing (Little Monica dolls for example, would probably cost you around that much for the same amount of stuff).

2. The majority of Volks releases are limited edition dolls. They have their standards - which don't necessarily mean they'll be in stock when you want them - and the FCS, which are comparable with other companies' pricing (last I checked an FCS for an SD doll depending on your configuration can run you around $800+). But for limited edition dolls, as with all limited editions dolls, they'll be pricier secondhand because of limited availability.

3. You have to put in the effort to buy a Volks doll, which you might not necessarily have to do for another company. You may need to stalk the MP here, or learn how to use Yahoo Japan auctions/Mandarake. It's all a bit more time consuming.

All of this was a pretty high hurdle for me. But I jumped it because I gradually started to like the Volks aesthetic from time on Flickr, browsing all the owner photos of beautiful Volks dolls. Eventually I thought I should buy one just to see what the fuss was all about. And now I'm hooked. There's something elegant and timeless about their sculpts - though I definitely do not love all of them - that I find very appealing. I like how they come complete, there's no need to buy anything extra before they're ready to be dressed up and played with. I'm not a fan of hunting down the perfect clothes or wig etc, I'm a bit of a lazy hobbyist in that way.

I have issues with the way Volks run their business. I don't like how scalpers can ruin the Volks experience for newbies. I'm not the biggest fan of how Volks bodies pose or look. But there's something special about my Volks dolls. Something I can't put my finger on, that distinguishes them from the rest of my collection. And that's how I ended up with 4 Volks dolls when upon my entry into the hobby I thought I would never buy one.

 

I have nothing but respect for Volks, both as a crafter and as a business. The fact that they've been succeeding with what is essentially a very small niche market for...what, sixteen years?...is astounding. Yes, I know, BJDs are not the only thing Volks makes, but if the line weren't profitable they would've discontinued Dollfies ages ago. To me, it doesn't matter if their dolls are difficult to acquire directly from the company; it's very obvious Volks' business model works very well for them, so power to them. They're catering to a Japanese market specifically, so they're going to do things in a very Japanese manner. We over here in the rest of the world might be up a creek, relatively speaking, but I'd wager that we are a much smaller part of their business than the Japanese market is. Makes sense to cater to what's getting you most of your profit.

As for the molds themselves...

When I first got into the hobby, Volks did not ring my bell in the least. Yes, they were nice and all, but they didn't appeal to my aesthetic -- with one enormous exception, and that was Shirou Tachibana. To this day, eight years later, that is still my favorite mold of all time and essentially my grail doll (I swore once that once I got a Shirou I was done collecting, and that may well hold true even today). Over time, I've grown to appreciate Volks' sculpts a great deal more. The company has a cohesive aesthetic, and it's a lovely one, albeit very different from my little CP/Elfdoll/Dollshe crew. (I may add a sunlight F16 to the wishlist; I freakin' LOVE that doll and it's all @Xi-feng's fault. I miss Dee.)

 

My personal opinion of Volks is that we have a lot to thank them for being the trailblazer for abjds. While I am not a fan of their aethetics, I know there are many who are.

I don't think people that own Volks are "elitist snobs" nor do I look down on people that own more economical dolls. I assume they get their dolls for the same reason I do... because they love the aesthetic.

 

A lot of people are passionate one way or the other, but I'm one of those ehhh people. I don't love them, and I don't hate them. They're completely off of my radar. I've never really cared for Volks sculpts. Their dolls are what I would categorize as shoujo girls and bishi boys. I prefer dolls with a gritty realism about them.

 

A few years ago I went to the US Volks store in Los Angeles. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I was planning to get an FCS doll, but I found Yo-SD Ayumu "A Pretty Egg" (the doll who appears in my avatar picture) and decided to get him instead. I tend to like Volks headsculpts, and I really enjoy my little guy--the face-up, outfit, and everything just create a harmonious whole. Sure, it would've been nice if all the seams were sanded and his eyes weren't glued in, but those aren't dealbreakers for me.

As much as I enjoy Volks, though, I enjoy dolls from other companies just as much. My first doll was a Dollzone Ying. I still have him to this day, and I plan to keep it that way. ^_^

 

The Zoukeimura face-up brush in size 1 is one of the best face-up brushes I've ever found! Though I would recommend a 20/0 spotter to go along with it. Also the Volks acrylic metallic eyes are BEAUTIFUL! Some of the finest acrylics I've seen and super cheap. And soon enough ZM finish spray may be the only game in town as supplies MSC Flat dry up...

As for the dolls, well, I like them very much, but trying to GET them, not so much! If they weren't all limited and expensive and SO so hard to get I'd probably have more Volks dolls. I have a fair number though. They are really good quality and very heavy. But I find a lot of Volks items, dolls, outfits, wigs, over priced. I don't like trying to find things on the website and they quit offering the lotteries for Dolpa dolls on the site so they are frustrating enough and limited enough that I mostly ignore Volks because I know I'll never be able to buy the things I want from them. Honestly, the second hand market (if you can afford the mark up) is the best way to get Volks dolls.