since people like neko :-)

[theodoric]

LOL - no problem Always happy to help infiltrate the elitist party with more obitsu-loving bourgeois hahahahaha Or anyone else for that matter

hehehehehe ..... wondering if that makes me one of the Elites .... since Mio is one of those fancy Iplehouse girls

[Greyhaunt]

LOL - no problem Always happy to help infiltrate the elitist party with more obitsu-loving bourgeois hahahahaha Or anyone else for that matter

hehehehehe ..... wondering if that makes me one of the Elites .... since Mio is one of those fancy Iplehouse girls

Nope, you'd have to own a Volks to be elite. Volks is considered the creme-de-la-creme of the bjd universe.

[theodoric]

Nope, you'd have to own a Volks to be elite. Volks is considered the creme-de-la-creme of the bjd universe.

ahhhh ok


LOL ... Volk's anti-American business policies cost them over a thousand dollars ... and more, counting what I have bought for her since

Volks was the first BJD company I discovered .......... then I discovered that if you want anything other than a very tiny selection of standard models ... you have to travel IN PERSON to their one and only store in America, in Los Angeles ... so you can order it in person from one of their sales people on a saturday or a sunday between 11am and 6pm ... because those are the only hours their American store is open each week

I wanted an SD16 .... they are the same size my Mio is


then I found Iplehouse and discovered I actually could get a doll that I wanted ... the smile on the EID Luna won my heart ...... I am now very happy with my Mio

[Greyhaunt]

ahhhh ok

LOL ... Volk's anti-American business policies cost them over a thousand dollars ... and more, counting what I have bought for her since

Volks was the first BJD company I discovered .......... then I discovered that if you want anything other than a very tiny selection of standard models ... you have to travel IN PERSON to their one and only store in America, in Los Angeles ... so you can order it in person from one of their sales people on a saturday or a sunday between 11am and 6pm ... because those are the only hours their American store is open each week

I wanted an SD16 .... they are the same size my Mio is


then I found Iplehouse and discovered I actually could get a doll that I wanted ... the smile on the EID Luna won my heart ...... I am now very happy with my Mio

Anti- American?

Volks has the same type of showrooms in Japan so they must be Anti-Japanese as well then. Their entire philosophy about the dolls is that instead of buying a mass-produced generic doll, you go to their showroom and carefully put together your "dream doll". It's meant to be a personal and intimate experience - it has nothing to do with being Anti anything. And believe me, they aren't missing the money you didn't spend there, given how much they make off of people who will buy nothing OTHER than Volks they are extremely well off in the market. Volks also throws regular doll parties known as "Dolpa" where they roll out exclusive (to that event) dolls and products. You can enter lotteries to win the right to buy certain types of their dolls too - but again, that applies to everyone in any country, not just the US.

Personally, I don't own a Volks because I haven't seen one yet that I seriously want - it's usually the costume, not the doll, that makes me cry "gimme". Same reason I don't own a Soom...it's the whole package I'd want and they are out of my price range (though the new centaur is very tempting).

If you want to learn about companies and hobby specifics, I really recommend you get signed up on Den of Angels - for all their tendancey to Volks preferences, they are the single most comprehensive web source for all things BJD.

[theodoric]

Anti- American?

Volks has the same type of showrooms in Japan so they must be Anti-Japanese as well then. ...

I've never found anyone to talk to who had gotten a Volks doll in Japan ... all I have to go on is my own personal conversations with the Volks store here in America ... and yes I called them when I started trying to get a bjd

yes ... putting their only American showroom next to Hollywood ensures that they will always have a steady stream of rich people who can afford to buy their dolls ... no argument there
... and it also lets Volks doll owners feel "special"

I've seen their ad's for the Dolpa's ... the last was number 25 if I remember correctly ... and I was not impressed by seeing that people had to bid on the privledge of buying a doll

... other than DoA, which you say is pretty much a "Volks" forum ... I seldom see Volks dolls discussed in any of the other doll forums I am (or have been a member of) ......... just because something is hard to get, does not automaticall mean it is worth getting

ok .. so I'll rephase my opinion of them ... they are "anti" anyone who isnt rich and snooty


I understand about none of the Volks dolls that you "seriously" wanted enough to get one ... I have seen comments posted openly by people who consider other brands of dolls to be better looking ... (as well as having the advantage of being affordable )
... I know my Mio has a deliciously "womanly" figure compared to an SD16

as for joining DoA ... no thank you ... snooty websites bore me to tears ......... I prefer being around "real" people

[Greyhaunt]

But if we go by your logic, then Iplehouse, SOOM, Fairyland, LUTS and other big sellers are the real "Anti-American" companies because not only do none of them have physical stores in the United States, none of them even have 3rd party dealers, like Junkyspot, to make buying their products easier. Volks is, in that sense, far more accessible and far less "anti" than these others.

What it comes down it is that most all of the big companies are the same. They release limited dolls that you can only buy either at a certain place, or for a certain time period. None of them is worse or better than the other. Most of us don't buy dolls for the company name, we buy them because we like the way they look, or pose, or whatever our criteria is.

I apologize if I'm coming across defensively, but I will flat out admit that when you make blanket and unfounded statements about any company like "anti-American", etc... and pass judgement on them for where they locate their business it does bother me.

they are, after all, a business. Where would you recommend they open their store - Podunk, Iowa? Would they be less "elitist" or less "snooty" if they'd opened it in the middle of NYC? Actually, I thought they had one in NYC - but my point is that as a business yes, they are going to go where the money is, they'd be damned fools not to. The Volks business model is that they are not just selling a person a doll, they are selling an experience - and you can't get that "experience" by mail. And yes, it makes their owners feel special - for Volks that is the whole point of the deal.

[K2!]

The Volks' "bidding" which has been mentioned is not an auction, it's a lottery. The price is already fixed and you are essentially putting your name in the hat for a chance to purchase one of the limited items sold at each Dolpa (Doll Party). It's fairer than a "first come, first serve" sale and easier for them to manage.

One of the reasons for "limiteds", "sale periods", and "lotteries" is that the companies producing BJDs are relatively small and can't afford to have their money tied up in stock sitting around unsold. They need to make sure that if they produce 100 units, they are going to sell 100 units immediately to recoup their costs. Keeping dolls "in stock" to them is money lost.

Also I'm guessing that a BJD store front is a very, very low traffic business, which would explain the limited hours.

[Gift_in_Edge]

The Volks' "bidding" which has been mentioned is not an auction, it's a lottery.

I hate when radio stations do stuff like that. "You're won the chance to be in a drawing!" What? Can't I get a t-shirt or something too. :I
I also found Volks "bidding" a little funny "You're won the chance to buy something." LOL

[Greyhaunt]

I hate when radio stations do stuff like that. "You're won the chance to be in a drawing!" What? Can't I get a t-shirt or something too. :I

OMG, I had that happen to me once! I won a "bracelet" that let me get in line early to buy tickets to a concert I didn't even want to go to The worst part was I had to drive to the far end of town to get this cheap plastic thing that I was told I had to LEAVE ON for two days until the tickets went on sale (I was going to give it to a friend who did want to buy tickets). We heat stretched the bracelet to get it off me and on her hahahahaha. What a total waste that thing was ;p Only time I ever got through to answer a radio question and I end up with nuthin.

[K2!]

I also found Volks "bidding" a little funny "You're won the chance to buy something." LOL

There is no bidding. Nor is the Volks lottery a contest to enter and win prizes. It's only for people who want to purchase that item. Volks has a limited number of an item they are going to sell and instead of just "opening the doors to the store" (like Best Buy does the day after Thanksgiving), you now have an equal chance as everyone else who wants that item. You don't have to spend hours online trying to get a connection to their overloaded servers, hoping they haven't sold out already. If you're going to sell limiteds, it's a pretty fair way to do it.