Dollshe Discussion - Part Nine

I would think, no, Leonardo di Caprio didn't give permission for the portrait doll. And the price is presumably because he intends this to be an LE.

ETA: I know it's cruel, but all this talk of a new project when old ones are incomplete has riled me. I went to look at the February schedule of work.

Estimated Time Required for Shipping


– 28M CLASSIC – 2 months


Pose Plus Body King Corey orders will begin shipping from the end of March and will be finished by the middle of April. We will be able to ship the other types within 2 months after submission of order.


– 26F CLASSIC – 2 month


Shipping of Erica Snow will be finished by the middle of March. April. We will be able to ship the other types within 2 months after submission of order.


– 18M CLASSIC – 3 months


Existing order will begin shipping as soon as the beginning of April and shipping of all orders will be completed by the beginning of May.


– 8B CLASSIC – 2 months


The production of silicon mold has begun. Existing orders will be shipped as early as the beginning of March and will be completed by the middle of April.


– 6G CLASSIC – 2 months


The production of silicon mold has begun. Existing orders will be shipped as early as the beginning of March and will be completed by the middle of April.


– 28M FASHION – 2 months


All existing order will be shipped by the end of February. Pose Plus boy will begin shipping from the beginning of April.


– 26F FASHION – 2 months


All existing order will be shipped by the end of February.


– 18M FASHION – 3 months


We will begin shipping from the beginning of May. We will announce the ship date depending on the order volume.


– 8B FASHION – 2 months


The production of silicon mold has begun. All existing orders will be shipped from the end of March and all orders will be shipped by the end of April.


– 6G FASHION– 2 months


The production of silicon mold has begun. All existing orders will be shipped from the end of March and all orders will be shipped by the end of April.

He is so very far behind that he needs to shut up shop and get the outstanding orders out before even thinking about anything new. No more sales events. No more projects. Just get the backlog cleared and then start thinking of new stuff.

 

Huh, so this is what happens when I go off grid for the weekend.
I'll just be happy when I get my Grant, then I can wash my hands of this weirdness.

 

I'm with you @Quiet and Insane after I get my orders, I will forget Dollshe exists except for secondhand. I kind of wish I hadn't ordered the pure body in a moment of madness. This is whole thing is crazy.

 

I'm thinking second hand for me too if I should ever feel like expanding my collection.

 

I genuinely like most of their dolls. And would love to buy a few more.
But if they are not shipping my first order by September like they said they would, I'm likely not gonna order anything else. ever.

does anyone know about the delivery time for the clothing BTW? I hope it's gonna be quicker than the dolls.

 

I ordered directly from Sartorial J on etsy and the shipping time was normal. I cannot speak for if it would be affected by going through the Dollshe website. The clothes quality is excellent.

 

I'm sorry to just suddenly butt in but is the Pose Plus body still in development phase for the 28M Fashion line? It's a little worrying if Mr. Dollshe doesn't clear up the backlog considering the amount of orders. I have not waited as long as some of you here but isn't there a point when you'll go "that's it, I've had enough"?

 

@amewarashi1130 I'd love to know this too! I don't feel right poking him just yet, as I think it hasn't technically been three months since I placed my order. When I placed the order, I put reminders on my phone to chase it up after 3, 6 and 9 months, and I'm still okay with waiting - I have a Doll Leaves order that has inexplicably taken nearly a year and I still don't have it in hand - but I am feeling more antsy with the most recent decisions. The fact that the doll/bodies LOOK finished makes it worse haha, I can see it but I can't have it...

 

I ordered David strawberry honeyskin Dec last year, then changed it to pose plus version Feb.18.
no sign of any extra joints actually being worked on. (took my money quite quickly though)

 

My family is getting more than a little sick of this whole thing. They pooled together to buy me a Grant Phillipe, in fresh skin on the pose plus body because the page said it would be a 2 month production time so he should have been there in time for my birthday in April. The order was placed on 01/01/16 and any contact I have had to initiate. It's like pulling teeth to get any information on this.... And I was promised multiple times that my order would be completed within the month... These promises started back in May.... I really don't know what to do, try and claim the money back through PayPal or ride it out

 

hahahahahaha. so I guess I should tell my receptionists not to expect the package in a few weeks? LOL I had it shipped to my work place, and I already told the receptionists to keep an eye out for a big box that may or may not come in September lol

 

@SalmonNugget, depends on what you ordered. If a completed sculpt, they seem to be coming out quickly at the moment, after the sales event. If a new one, anyone's guess, but one year from ordering is a fair estimate.

 

26f girls seem to be coming the quickest. Both the origional and the modified list shows about a month wait for them.

I just wonder why they take so much less time than the others do.

 

Here's hoping I can order my Erica Snow before she is gone forever. Hoping to order her before December for Christmas

 

@Reiyuu, I'm sorry to hear that. It must be so frustrating for you and your sweet family

The way I see it, Dollshe's 'artistic' side wouldn't let him do anything other than what he feels like doing at each moment. Given that he has a casting crew, I doubt classic rosa/robin/arsene are even complete, let alone fashion. Otherwise, the dolls would already be casting and shipping.

I do wonder, however, if he knows he's upsetting his customers more than ever lately. If he does, his bold confidence would surely amaze me.

 

I too am exasperated with Dollshe. I have gotten so many emails from him promising delivery the next month - two weeks and then it does not transpire. I may give up purchasing from them too although he makes my favorite dolls.
My last doll from them was Erika Snow and I was just comparing bodies with my old females from Dollshe. Are my eyes playing tricks on me or does the Snow body have wider shoulders?

 

I mean, I can very well understand Mr Dollshe's way of working - I too have my periods of time where I'm showered with new ideas and new projects, and then there's times when I just want to sit with one of my dolls or one of my projects and work with that until I feel satisfied. However, because of this, I don't run a business. That's why I don't take commissions for face ups or wigs or even clothes, because I know if I get orders of clothes when I'm in a face up period, I won't be doing the clothes. Mr Dollshe really needs someone to just say "Stop. Don't. This isn't working anymore. If you want economic support for your projects, start a patreon and let the casting and the company work on the side."

I love Dollshe's creations and he IS a master of his craft. But what he is not, is a businessman. My ever growing concern is that one day I'll open up my gmail and there will be an e-mail saying "sorry, Dollshe's bankrupt, we're closing business, you won't see your doll or your money ever again". For his sake and for all his customers' sake, I hope there's someone in his life that will put a stop to this and make him see reason.

 

This. I am also of that personality and it was one of the main reasons I gave up a career in the arts for one that doesn't require that sort of on-demand inspiration. And, like you, why I also don't take commissions, as "artistic personality" translates to "flakey" when you try and make money out of it.

What I hope is that this is a blip and things stabilise. It seems things are headed towards crisis, but let's see if he can pull it back from the brink.

 

Well said. This whole situation is as frustrating as it is sad. I'd love DollShe to continue being a company with amazing dolls, but that may not happen.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that @Reiyuu , let's hope Dollshe manages to pull it together and you'll get your doll soon. It must be really frustrating for you and your family. I spent the majority of my earning from my first job on a Dollshe Grant Philipe Fashion and it's not here yet so I guess we're on the same boat. I'll wait until November and if it doesn't arrive until then, I'll have to just let it go and convince myself that I might never see it.

Hopefully everyone will get their dolls soon (especially the doll owners who ordered a Rosa or Robin, one year waits? That must be really tough for you guys.) I do hope that Dollshe knows that they are losing their customer's trust when they can't keep their promises.

 

I think if he was going to learn, he would have by now. This is not the first year long wait and not likely to be the last as long as he can stay in business. He gets away with it because of the artistry but for how long?

 

Is the situation really this dire or is it something that is being assumed?

 

This is the first time he has openly said he has put new dolls on the backburner to go after a new idea and that he isn't inspired to continue them as yet. So yes It is very disconcerting along with the rash of company emails not making a whole lot of sense.
Unfortunately, this has all the signs similar to a ponzie scheme; get new buyers to pay for older sculpts while he pursues another artistic dream doll sculpt, while we wait for the fruits of our earlier investment for dolls he doesn't want to finish.

 

I'm... kind of wondering if I should switch my Rey Lewis back to the normal body instead of waiting for Arsene's to be completed. All of this news is extremely disconcerting. At least the molds are complete for the 28M body. :/

 

I just got an e-mail about Dollshe making sponges for Rosa and Robin. O_o Could it be that the messages of complaint (which I'm assuming have come from at least some of us) have finally lit a fire underneath Mr. Dollshe's butt? Or is this just normal operating procedure? >_>

 

I received the same email. All this means is that the kids are yet again being pushed back a month. I have no idea when he will actually get to Arsene.

And yes, this is Standard Operating Procedure. The man is an artistic genius, but a business disaster.

 

I have just written to DollShe. I will let you folks know if/when I get a response.

-------------------------------

Good day:

If the silicon mold has only just been produced, it will take time to pour the molds, to cure, clean, and assemble the dolls, right? And so what this message means is not that the dolls are delivering, but that the little children have been delayed yet again.

Please let me know when Arsene will be completed and ready to ship. The doll was ordered in January, and from your last messages, it appears that it will be put to the side in order to finish the fashion sized dolls.

There is a great deal of concern, even from your most loyal customers, about this ongoing cycle of sales followed by increasingly long delays in delivery on new sculpts. If the situation is not remedied soon, you may lose customers even from among those of us who absolutely adore your superb style and excellent workmanship.

--------------------

Let's see what, if anything, we hear in response.

 

I realize I must be in the minority here, but I am not even slightly surprised or disconcerted by the disorder reigning at the business level. Sure, maybe I've just imbibed too much Dollshe Kool-aid, and it may have something to do with my own glacially slow (at times) creative process, but I'm never able to look at this stuff strictly through a business lens. I'm supporting an artist I like. Unless he actively rips me off or collapses under the strain--both of which would be really sad--I'm okay waiting.

 

@green_judy I feel very similarly to you, so you're not alone! I don't mind the wait - and I did buy the product knowing that there'd be a huge wait since I'd read the discussion threads and waiting room, so I haven't had any nasty surprise or anything I didn't already anticipate. The only reason I feel a bit anxious is because if worst comes to worst, I may never see my money again and have no doll to show for it. Hopefully it won't come to that though!

That said, it would be really nice to see some of the sculpts start to appear in the wild. I can't remember when exactly Arsene and the two kids were revealed, but it really has been some time. I can certainly understand it frustrating anybody who placed an order on or near the time of release that they're still incomplete now. I suspect that the frustrating thing for people isn't the wait, but the repeated statements of "x months shipping time" which aren't adhered to or are retracted.

 

It isn't the wait. We expected that. It is how it's being managed that is the problem. As we have said, there are a number of sculpts sitting around waiting to be finished and he is moving onto something else, just as he did when he called the discount sale when he should have been finishing sculpts. Given his comment about not having motivation to finish things, we are starting to lose faith that these dolls will ever be delivered. He has thousands and thousands of dollars of people's money and needs to knuckle down and get them their dolls.

 

Yep, I agree with that too! Especially now the waiting list - which only contains orders declared on here and not all orders that have been placed - is very populated. The longer he leaves it, the more overwhelming and unmanageable it will become, and the more in danger everyone's orders are.

 

@jo1961, there were changes to the 26F body after the debut of the original Ausley Love -- I bought the fashion-size Ausley, and her body is a miniature of the newer style used for Amanda, Erica and now Ausley. Even the hands are different! As well as the boobs; original Ausley has the "natural" droopy boobs, compared to the invisible bra of Amanda et al.

**I forgot to mention, I have the original launch edition of Ausley Love! **

 

Thank you, MadameMauMau. You understood my concerns completely. I have more than a dozen DollShe dolls, 9 of which I have ordered directly from the company. Yes, I quite foolishly order the ones I like on or near their day of release -- fully knowing that the dolls will take forever.

What disappoints me the most is the continual ... well, let's see ... if my kids did it, I'd call it lying. If a doll is going to take a year or more to delivery, how about taking half of the price upon order, and half when the doll is ready to deliver? I am deeply concerned by his cycle of calling sales (which I suspect happens whenever he is running short of capital funding). Too, I do not like the fact that new projects are launched regularly before dolls launched for sale are actually in production and being delivered.

I worry that one of these days he will just disappear. To date he has come through. However, that can change at the drop of a hat.

 

just wait until they expend the pose + bodies on the 18M and 26F lol #WaitingRoomLimbo

 

Well, so long as they keep offering the coupons for 1 year club members, I'm not complaining. >_>

 

I fear over-validating the coupons may have been one of the factors that lead Dollshe to this point. I'm afraid between his quick cash strategies and assumingly not enough number of orders, he has cornered himself financially. So what we are generally concerned about here is that, we might never get a chance to use those coupons ever again, because there are no more dolls to be bought.

I wrote to Dollshe on how irrational and unsettling the recent events are, and that he should really finish and deliver previous orders instead of starting a new project.

Like @SteamWitch said, this series of events has an uncanny resemblence to a Ponzi scheme, except there will be no returns for earlier investors if it turns out to be so. So, I genuinely hope he does not have an ill intention and that these are just poor decisions made by not a very strong sense of business. If so, these urging mails may help him come around and carry out his responsibilities like he should.

 

Was Leo always showing as sold out? It seems like either he got all the orders necessary in double-quick time, or he's changed his mind.

 

Dollshe sent me a reply. The response time was quick, and I felt it was quite sincere.

He said 6G classic, 8B classic, Pose+ Body, and King Corey sculpts are complete, and 18M Arsene will be soon to follow (and he did post pictures of 6G and 8B silicone molds on official site).

Dollshe also acknowledged the negative feedbacks on his recent business decisions, including Leo BJD. He said there will be changes and announcements on those soon.

I suspect he did not expect such negative reactions concerning the recent events. And how often he seems to get lost in time and translation couldn't have helped at all. Perhaps he simply needs vocal customers to sync him with reality. At any rate, I believe taking a step back is sometimes uncomparably better than blindly pushing forward, so I am willing to give him another chance and see what those changes will entail.

 

@eldarling wow, that sounds like a pretty great result actually! Also a very mature and considered response, which I can imagine may have been quite hard in the face of negative reactions.

I'm really eager to hear about further progress in the fashion lines. If he's able to get back on track with those, I may save for a Rosa before the dolls are discontinued.

 

@nattherat I agree, it must be quite a difficult
thing to admit. I hope it will turn out right for all!

I'm afraid fashion Rosa and Robin were not really mentioned in the correspondence, and in the 'latest shipping schedule', they are still the last orders to be completed. But honestly, with such tiny fingers.. I cannot really say I can't understand why they are taking extra long.

 

Haha yeah, I can fully imagine the fashion-size versions of them will be very delicate to cast! I'm playing it safe on that potential order though. Once my King Corey order is safely in my hands - if that happens before the discontinuation of course - only then will I feel relatively safe in making an order for Rosa.

 

Man, I'm sorry you guys are in waiting room hell. :[ Hopefully he decides to put the new stuff on the backburner, gets off his laurels, and starts shipping your dolls out!

 

I had ordered a doll from him last year & had fuss to get my doll in 3months.... Now with the sale I ordered another with 2 pair of shoes. His time says 3 months, I'm holding him to that this time!!

David & Markus

 

I have a little favour to ask :-D
I'm ordering some gloves for my dolls, and the tailor asked if I can provide pics of their hands next to a ruler.
But I don't have any Dollshe dolls yet, can someone post photos of the 28M and 18M hands with a ruler next to it please?
Thanks very much :-D

 

@eldarling - Nice to hear you got a response. Fingers crossed things start looking up.

@SalmonNugget - Hands from which 18M body specifically? I've got the 28M ones, but the only 18M hands I have are from the Pure body and I know there's a difference in them all.

 

@Quiet and Insane they are for the 18M pure body. I'm gonna make him a black suit and we're gonna cosplay Billy the puppet from the movie Saw LOL, and Babadook for the 28M boy. If they'll arrive on time that is.

 

The response to the email I had sent him came as well. (Edited name for my privacy only)

Dear Walter

First of all, I’m sorry to my customers who have been waiting for a long time but still support us.

However, I think I should make everything clear about your misgivings about the new project.

As a Master Sculptor, my schedule and Dollshe Craft dolls producing schedule is different. My schedule is making a prototype of the doll. Currently I am done producing the prototype and sent it to the casting company, that was my schedule.
I am proceeding with several new projects at the same time. Sometimes it could be a non-discloser or a discloser Order-made BJD like Leonardo Di Caprio.
We are currently taking preorders for Order-made BJD for Leonardo Di Caprio.

I respect customers opinion who worried about us so I decided to defy this project for a while.

My health problem is severe itching from immune disorders that is called Dyshidrotic eczema. It makes blisters and bleeding. Excessive stress and irregular lifestyle have made this problem.
So I have tried to follow my schedule to my irregular life style to regular one.
I can’t avoid the problem but currently I’m able to manage my work so whenever I get better I work hard on my dolls.
I want to stop work for a while and have a rest but I can’t do it until I finish my plan next year. Relaxing makes me get more stress.

As the shipping notice, the dolls we have taken orders for so far will be shipped in 3 months. The incomplete prototype will be done in a month and I will release new non-discloser dolls afterwards.

Sorry for making you worry. I will let you know our schedule earlier.
It will not happen again.

Sincerely yours,
DollShe-Ki-yong
DollShe Craft CEO/Master Sculptor


Dear Mr. Dollshe,
I sincerely hope you will consider actually finishing King Corey before you go on to making this latest new inspiration of Leo di Caprio.
I do not mind waiting if I think you are actually working on a doll/dolls that were ordered but too many people are waiting while you have our payment in full on products you have not actually produced. You know I am a good repeat customer and I love your artist works but your business practices are becoming far too strange to be considered acceptable.
Yours truly,
Walter

 

Walter, I received a nearly identical response from him yesterday, with an extra sentence or two about the children and Arsene.

 

i hope they make the pose + body for 18M and 26F too. and I'm hoping for some 16F revival :-P I'm #TeamIttyBittyClub lol

 

I'd love to see a pose plus for the 18M, even the 26F. although some wouldn't like all those joints on a woman, I like bendy.
a friend received the same letter with the added info about Pose Plus & Arsene not ready to cast. pretty soon everyone will get 'the letter.'
at least it's from Ki-Yong himself. (or dictated to someone by him)
oh, well.... not surprised.

 

I do feel sorry for Mr. Kim, but I am worried about all the projects he is doing and not taking the proper rest he needs. You can get sicker from not taking care of your health or worse. He really needs to consider that as well. I do love his dolls and yet they do take a long time to arrive. My advise for him would be to get some rest and finish the orders he already has before doing another project.

 

Thank you Bemiette. I really like the broader shoulders and the arm definition on Snow. Dollshe just keeps improving on the original sculpts. I have ordered a second Erika Snow, this time in copper oriental. I may order a third in honey peach fresh once my other 3 dolls arrive. I have found resins from other companies that match four of Dollshe resins. But i have found the Dollshe resins hold their true color better than other companies I have purchased from.
This is my Ausley body in H peach fresh with IH head and hands in peach. close match

Going away on vacation soon and hoping that on return I will find my dolls are ready to ship.

 

Thank you @Therealwalter for posting the reply from Dollshe. I know what he's talking about with Dyshidrotic eczema, it is not fun and is made worse with stress. For anyone who doesn't know what it is here's a description.

"Dyshidrosis, is a type of dermatitis, that is characterized by itchy blisters on the palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet. The blisters are generally one to two millimeters in size and heal over three weeks. Redness is not usually present. They; however, often recur. Repeated attacks may result in fissures and skin thickening."

That is the basic description of it. The blisters are small and deep seated ( they don't pop easily) itch like crazy and are easily irritated by such things as washing your hands or hot water. They eventually kind of form together and end up as an itchy callus. I can understand his delays health wise because of this, business wise he's still working in the Twilight Zone.

 

OK, I gave in and bought an Ausley LOL #WishMeLuck. But absolutely no more until they ship me at least one doll #MyPoorWallet

 

well, at lot of us have health issues, and we've sent hundreds of dollars in good faith for a product that isn't even made yet. so I'm empathetic, but still waiting.
his dolls are so brilliant. darnit.

 

@SalmonNugget - Cool, I'll get some photos for you tomorrow once it's light out.

@Therealwalter - Thanks for that. Well I think he's now a little more aware of what's going on. Let's see where this gets us all...

@T'Mari - Hoo boy, that sounds really unpleasant.

 

Indeed. And too unwell to finish existing sculpts is too unwell to start new ones. As I keep saying, it isn't the wait and the reasons that are the problem, it is the reluctance to tackle the boring stuff and get people the dolls that are so very nearly finished and have been for nearly a year.

 

Reading all this, I'm a tiny bit alarmed... But to clarify, the 18m from the sale are supposed to ship around May? I'm a first time customer, so his erratic business practices are definitely unexpected for a company so established in the hobby.