Dream of Doll (DOD) bad expirience

Well here in Finland they charge 27% of the price. And they are too well aware in the customs of these dolls already that they almost always get caught even if the package is marked down.

I guess the reason why the doll companies don't like to mark down the packages anymore is because they can get into real trouble if someone would look into it. Wasn't Luts having some big trouble with the Canadian customs about this?

 

I wouldn't blame DoD for that fully. Its a bad experience but I wouldn't automatically be on it like you are. You knew the taxes/fees where high and still ordered from them. Its not your fault you live where you are or how expensive the stuff is or how things are run, BUT You should have prepared yourself just incase, having the money at hand. Yes it was possibly a slip of mind with DoD to mark the package a lower value, but then again its cheating as well, isn't it?

 

Some customs places DENY packages from senders who repeatedly mark the values down. I believe a major company had this happen to them before due to values.

I think the simplest thing I can say on the matter is, either accept your stupidly high fees like everyone else, or don't order a new doll from a company so far away, cuz internal "adopted" dolls wil evade that tax and customs charge.

 

I can honestly say, if I were DOD, I would not agree to lie about the doll's value to save you money. Not to be harsh but why should a business risk their good name to save a customer money that their country requires them to pay??? There is usually a reason for taxes and custom charges and a country has the right to charge them. It sucks but I don't think you can blame DOD for respecting your country's right to make tax and custom decisions for their citizens.

 

It's too bad you get hit with such awfull customs fees, but it's not really DOD's fault. When a company marks down packages there are risks involved--if something were to happen to the package, the insurance would only pay the amount that the company listed. It's also illegal, and they can get caught. I remember a thread awhile back where someone ordered a doll from Luts and it got trapped in customs, because the customs people caught on to what Luts was doing. No company is obligated to mark down the cost of a package.

 

I don't know about Greek or Korean laws, but in the US it's kinda illegal to lie on a customs form. It sucks to pay extra fees, especially fees that high... but blaming DoD for not being able to cheat the system isn't all together fair either :/.

 

Everyone else pretty much summed it up. DOD can get into some huge trouble. I'm guessing a lot of the doll companies understand this now, and won't mark their prices down.

I certainly wouldn't mark it down just to spare a customer some stupid taxes, especially if it meant losing my buisness.

Sorry you got hit with fees though. We all think it's stupid but there's nothing we can do about it.

 

We get hit with customs fees if it goes above a certain amount as well. The problem is that as these dolls get more popular and more people order them, customs become aware of how much they cost. Marking your packages down could get them hit with huge fines and ensure every package entering Greece gets stopped and checked. This isn't fair to their other buyers. Most companies state that they won't mark down packages. I've sold a couple of dolls and posted them overseas. I have to insure them for their actual value as should they go missing, I'm sure the buyer won't say "hey, so it got lost, no problem, I guess I should have insured it". If your package had got lost, would you have been prepared to take an $80 settlement?

 

To be honest they gave you a service before that you were in no way entitled too. It was never their mistake and indifference...there is no way they must do it. As you said it was a request , it was never a service or a right you had. Yes naturally they should have informed you I agree on that.

You buy something that expensive? than you know you have to pay customs.. That is a part of the deal. There may be few BJD owners.. but a lot of people in other hobbies try to pull the same stunt. And trust me, customs will start to notice that and will take longer to process things as they will have to second guess everything that comes in.
I pay a very high custom value as well and I am fully prepared to do so.. that's the bad thing about being in the EU.

And good luck as there are more and more companies who will refuse to mark down the value. After all why should they get the trouble and the huge fines just so you can pay less? And yes I know it is illegal in greece to lie on forms..

Even if marked it down and they had checked the package you would have gotten the Fees.

 

Ok, without going into the whole discussion about VAT, importing taxes and additional postal fees (that would get me into writing very long essays about how the whole thing is unfair, sucks and many time is ILLEGAL on the side of government)... did DOD agree to mark it low? You say you asked them 3 times. Did they reply to you telling that they WILL do it?

Because I got Valentine's day event couple from them this year and not only did I need lower value, but also needed to have an invoice inside the box with lower value (here we have 21% of VAT, plus 5% importing tax, plus about 10€ on handling fees on top AND every package require to have a printed invoice inside, otherwise - oh boy, you don't wanna know!). And they did both! They included the invoice stating that dolls were valued $100 plus $50 shipping and they declared the package for $150 as well. But we exchanged several emails while discussing it, and they confirmed they'd do it.

Where am I going with this? If they did agree to do it and didn't commit to the promise, then I truly understand why you're angry. I knew they usually mark in full, and I was prepared to pay the tax in case they'd say NO. The V-Day event was such great deal, I wouldn't have minded to pay full tax. But would it be some other company and some other order and I knew marking low was not an option - indeed, I would have thought twice if it was worth buying it directly, or would it be easier to find one in EU some time later.

 

I'm sorry; When did you say that before?

Also, maybe you should have told them (just in case) that if they weren't going to mark down, could they please inform you of that?

I understand your frustration, as I have had to pay over 90 pounds, which is about the same you had to pay (plus my country's parcel service gave the the run around and endless stress), in customs before, but as others have said: Illegal. That's basically the end of the argument.

 

I don't know about other countries but in the UK by law the recipiant is the one who is responsible for any fraudulant declaration of how much a parcel's worth not the sender so if the laws same over there then it's not actually any skin off DoD's nose to mark it down.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just pointing it out.

 

Well, that sucks then! I usually get prepared to pay the tax anyway in every case, even if I get solid YES from the company (when the DOD V-Day package came, I was opening the door with a wallet in hand containing 150€ - that would be the tax if they put an invoice for full value inside). Well, mostly because marking low and gifting thing only works in like 10% of cases here, usually they ask you to send them the actual invoice. And I would recommend it to everyone to be ready for taxes in any case.

But I see your point. The fact that we pay 1/3 of the price in customs fees is really ridiculous when the dolls are already that expensive. And if the company agrees to help out, setting one's mind in peace and then doesn't do it - it's not a nice feeling, especially when you didn't see that sudden expense falling on your head.

It's harder for people outside of EU (and other countries with strict customs, like Canada and Brazil, for example) to understand your (and mine) position though. One really needs to experience giving 150€ to postman in exchange for your package when you already paid $600 for it a month ago to realize how does that feel Yes, everyone can say "Well, that's how your government is and you need to obey the law and be prepared. If I lived in EU, I'd just save for both the price of the doll and the tax." But when it comes to reality, it's REALLY hard to accept that stupid VAT (ok, can't help it - the VAT that we're being charged ILLEGALY, because it's supposed to be deducted by sellers when they ship abroad. It's called double taxing and it's against the law. Only the customs would always pick the law that suits them better as far as I know only Volks is deducting the tax from the cost of their dolls, turning it into a handling fee) and the enormous customs delays.

 

I'm not saying they didn't, and it makes sense that you woud expect them to if they had done it for you before, but I don't remember you saying they agreed to it. When I was reading the first post, it sounded more like you were repeatedly reminding them mostly because they hadn't said anything about it.

 

The same thing was happen to me for my DoT Camine! I wrote to DoD to declare a lowered price on the package a lot of time, but they don't do that. And I've payed a lot for fees and taxes! I was sad, because they tell me that they wrote all the things I had request on the package... But was a lie! ;__;
I love their dolls (and my Caliel!) , but my experience with their company was bad! :-(

Sorry my english isn't great, I know...

 

that's strange... 2 years ago when I ordered my DOC Zen, DOD marked the package as "gift" without me asking at all... @__@; It didn't even get tangle up in customs, nor was I charged any fees. I was really surprised!

Prehaps it was a different person/staff handling your order? There seem to be many unsatisfied customers with that company recently... I know how disappointed you must feel having to pay a large sum of $ for it and all... I'm sorry I can't be much help, but I hope you get your Ean soon... T__T;

 

I was waiting 8 weeks for my kirill(he comes home tomorrow)and i must pay duty....why don`t they write:Gift on the packet?!!!!
No...if i want to buy a Dod doll,i´m surching in Yahoo Japan...no more there!

 

@Aerthis in germany it helps a lot if there is a Gift on the packet!They look at it(thats normal)but don`t want the money for it!

And i know a person from Japan,she make auctions for me!^^

 

I'm sorry but here in Brazil we pay 60% of taxes...

But I agee with you on disapointments about DOD. My Tender Yen came in full priced, but luckly I didn't pay any taxes for him... But there was another bad experiences after him >>'
I really don't plan buying anything from DOD ever again.

 

Yeah, "gift" has a limitation, so you'd still need to mark the package down...

 

Yikes~! Well I knew customs charges could get outrageous but I never knew they could get that high! I understand your unhappiness. Well I'll definitely have to research it more for future orders I do with Korea in general. I got lucky the first time I ordered dolls from Luts and DoD cause I went on vacation in Korea right as the dolls were ready for pick up and they shipped it to where I was staying in Seoul for free and refunded me on the shipping charges I would have had to pay if I had them shipped to the US. The next time I decide to order, I won't be flying there anytime soon so I'll have to brace up for customs fees.

 

It is not the responsibility for them to mark the value lower, it is against federal laws in all countries for that. As far as the "gift" marking goes, i know that here in the US that only goes so far. I know a lot of you probably hate me for making comment on this since I am in US and don't have this problem, but frankly by even asking them to mark it down and trying to cheat your way out of paying taxes is you making a federal offence against the country you live in.
Now we all might mark things at lower value as individuals on occasion, I personally will admit I've done so for someone who requested it but I have never lied more than $10 worth, but DOD is a company, they send dolls out to many. It would be bad for their business record and if they did it not just at request they could get in larger trouble if something happens and the package is damaged. Even if you say you would take responsibility, working a job where customer service is key for 5 years now, it does not mean that you will always keep up your end of the bargain to them, and you could go ranting and trying to make them look bad in the end. I personally think they look worse for even telling you they would mark it down

Sorry if any offence is taken by my two cents worth, but it is purely my opinion on the matter.

 

No, you won't, there's no fees in US for importing toys That's where my big point is coming from, that many times it's harder for people in US to be sympathetic in this situation darkangelxix is coming through. Because you need to experience it or at least to live for 6 weeks in fear of the package getting stuck forever in customs and getting slammed with huge tax to see what is it about.

We all know the part about legal and illegal. I spoke about that too. And about double taxing too, which is also illegal, but governments get away with it perfectly, because they are the law and they can play the card in their favor every time.

 

I agree with bunnyboo.Maybe people in the US dont know how worrying it is.Also about governments being greedy.
That is why we in europe can only hope that more doll companies will come over here to sell.
I could rant on for hours about this matter,but I dont see the point.It will just make me angry. Customs fees suck.

 

I read awhile ago on the forum about Canadian customs blacklisting Luts and holding someone's package hostage. Luts eventually had to send them both the dolls again, and I am not sure if they ever got the original ones back. This would be a huge loss for the company, so I think DoD is just trying to save themselves. Even if they tell you they will mark it down, I would not expect them to. Even though I live in the US, I might be hurt if they did mark it down, as well. Under US law, the recipient is guilty of mail fraud if the sender marks the package value as lower than it was.

 

I think people who have to worry about customs understands what darkangelxix is upset about. DoD said they would mark the parcel down and then didn't hence a lot of extra money spent and I've no idea what the exchange rate for greek currency to US is but I'm betting it's a huge amount to have to pay. If any doll I bring in gets hit by customs, I'm up for a minimum of $150 fee. As Australia has a $1000 AUD limit, so far I've been ok. I bought a Soom Sabik that could have gone over the limit, but I got Soom to split up the order into 2 lots and luckily customs didn't hit me for any fees. Even though the order was split, I still could have been charged as our customs is computerised and technically if you order from the same place within a month, they can hit you with fees for going over the $1000 limit. I've just ordered an Elf Chiwoo and Nanuri head. I could be facing customs fees for that order. I'll just have to wait and see. I figure I've saved a huge amount on fees in the past so if I get hit with them, I'll just have to wear the cost. DoD probably meant to mark down the package, but this is a small company usually 4/5 workers maximum in a little flat trying to get out a huge number of dolls. Mistakes get made unfortunately. I agree it's frustrating and I'd be kicking walls and muttering as well, but you're going to get a fantastic doll (I love E-an) so don't let the fees spoil your enjoyment of her. I have a friend in Spain who gets dolls and has the same problem with customs. Everytime I send her something, I'm putting personal notes etc so it looks more like a gift. She has endless trouble importing dolls.

I forgot to add, I can see everyone saying DoD didn't have to markdown the doll was getting you upset. I think you'll find that most people regard customs fees as an unfortunate part of the hobby. You try to avoid or minimise where possible but there's always a risk of getting hit. I don't think anyone agrees with them, but there's not much you can do once you've been landed with them. It's upsetting that you got charged, but let's face it, DoD is never going to refund you custom fees. It's one of those times when it can be really annoying to be dealing with BJDs.

 

Hopefully you'll get your money back....

 

Totally for and against this. I do believe though it is VERY unfair in a lot of countries people have to pay an arm and a leg just to receive a package though. I talked to a postal worker the other day and he was telling me in some (not all, just a few he mentioned not a good idea to visit) countries some customs people go through the packages and even take stuff out of them. Here in the US we don't have that. I totally feel bad for people who have to go through being charged!

BUT I put a disclaimer on my pages when I sell anything. I think a lot of these companies should do the same to warn customers ahead of time if they won't mark anything as a gift before someone buys something and is stuck with high customs charges.

Customs sucks, but true it is the law, at least here in the US. I sell a lot of items international and never mark anything as a gift. When you ship anything out to another country you have to sign your name on it. And it could cause a lot of problems for anyone who is shipping something not to be responsible and put the right information down on the item. Especially when you sign your name, you are saying you have read the fine print and everything on that customs slip is true. If not, you could get fined or worse, jail time. Both parties should not do it under any circumstances. I see it done left and right on ebay and everywhere else, and It might seem like nothing, but when it comes down to it, its still breaking the law.

I think the more its done, the more the USPS and other facilities who ship items will start to crack down on people who don't write the correct info down on the forms. Its only a matter of time.

Still think customs charges are sucky tho >_<

 

Why would a company need to warn customers that they won't lie on customs forums? This should be a given.

 

Like others have said it is law. Most countries charge a sales tax of some form within the country so charge it for imported goods. It is one way for countries to ensure that they keep a certain segment of market share within their own borders. yes it sucks to have to pay more but it's a legality issue, and customs seems to be picking up on how much these dolls are really worth. Now if the package is only insured for the whole $80 that was written on the box it can be easier but then if anything happens you could be out a fair amount if a company declares it a shipping issue and not a manufacturing issue. Someone pointed out about the luts canadian issue - they were holding a lot of luts packages (even my clothes were held up an extra two weeks at customs until I could provide proof of value) because they were marked down. So customs went through the process of getting proof of value for a lot of packages coming in (might have only been at that time but I don't order from Luts too often). I believe the company may have been fined and until those sorts of things are cleared customs can choose to refuse a lot of packages from a particular company if it decides it wants to go after it.

I pay about 13.5&#37; in customs here so yes it can hurt (I think the most I've paid in customs fees is about $300). I keep the receipts though because if I choose to sell the doll outside of the country I can file for a refund. You may be able to appeal with your customs however it's tricky because you can get yourself into a lot of trouble.

For the most part though companies are not obligated to mark packages down, and I think for some they're starting to be more wary about it as the popularity of the hobby grows and more packages start coming through.

Unfortunately customs fees and taxes are a part of doing business so it's better to have the money saved up just in case you get caught with them rather than having the companies mark packages down as that just opens a whole can of worms.

 

My words may not mean anything because I live in the US, but I agree that DoD aren't obligated to lie for their customers. I'm sure that they have been requested by others to the very same thing and each worker took different paths on how to approach them. Some look out for the customers, some look out for the company. People have different set of beliefs on how it should all work and sometimes, it's conflicting. It's more efficient to keep everything simple and similar in a systematic manner.

I understand the custom fees in your country and other places in the world come across this. It's like this over in Vietnam when my parents need to sent things to family members back home. It's not easy nor it makes life any better. However, it should not be ignored. It's best to be prepared for anything in case things don't go right. That's how life is.

 

It is possible that DOD agreed at Valentines day and then realized what big trouble they could get into. I believe Luts ended up paying a large sum of money in penalty fees. You better believe that all of the doll companies read this forum and were aware of the problems other companies have had. The fact that you asked them to commit fraud and that you have posted that fact could potentially get you into trouble. Be careful. It would seem much easier to pay the fee than do the time.

 

Hi, just to help darkangelxix reiterate because I see a few new posts saying it's not DoD's responsiblity to mark down prices for her so that she can avoid paying customs.

darkangelxix is unhappy because she asked DoD to mark down the package and sent it as a gift when she paid and she got a reply from DoD saying they WILL do as she asked.

So yeah, sure it's DoD's perogative not to commit customs fraud but I think they should have at least informed her upfront that they won't mark down the price for her. And she reminded them two other times which is more than ample notice for them to tell her, sorry we can't do it.

It's freakin' annoying when doll companies make mistakes and buyers have to pay for them. When I got my Soo Ri from Iplehouse, I didn't ask them to mark down the price BUT I was asked by my local customs to pay around US$350 in custom fees because whoever sent my package from IH had illegible handwriting and the amount they wrote ended up looking like US$7117 thereabouts.

I was like 'WTF?! NO! This doll didn't cost me US$7117!'. Luckily, I paid by Paypal credit card so I had the actual amount stated on my bank statement which I used to prove how much I really paid and I ended up paying US$30 in customs intead.

But still, I shudder to think what if customs hadn't accepted my bank statement =_="

 

I'm sorry about your experience but I've also heard about the opposite experience where they mismarked the box and started getting blacklisted by certain countries. Customs would hold the doll until the owner paid the fees and they would fine the doll company for improper labelling

Perhaps the problem is they should not have agreed to something that would get both you or them in trouble

 

You still haven't even received your doll? That's messed up.

Customs is such a horrible place. I mean, I know it has to be there, but it's just such an awful thing.

Canadian customs has been holding my sister's doll for a week now, with no sign of releasing her. It's so stupid.

 

darkangelxix I'm so sorry you got hit with such huge fees! I do agree that if DOD said they would mark the package down for you that they should have done it.

Though I live in the US and haven't been hit with any fees myself. I DO know what its like to have a doll stuck in the customs office. My first doll (DZ Megi) was held up in customs for nearly 2 months last summer. I never got taxed on it, but I also was never given a reason for the hold up.

 

when i bought my doll,i asked them to mark down, and they actually mailed back saying that they couldnt do that, but when it arrived, they actually did mark it down to 120$. i was lucky that customs didnt find it suspicous. if not, they probably wouldve locked my dolls up or smth :p
i still had to pay a lot for that 120$ so, i'm happy they marked it down even if it is only a little bit

good luck with getting your doll out of custom, i know what a pain it is

 

It's too bad that they said they'd mark down the package and then didn't, but honestly, I think it's absurd to get angry with a company for obeying the law. It's a shame if you feel your country's importing and tax codes aren't fair, but that's not a doll company's problem, and every time they lie on a customs form they run the risk of getting in trouble and having to pay a ton of fines. Dolls are luxury items, and if you want to import them to your country you need to be prepared to pay to do it.

 

I can see why you are angry-- but it's just plain silly to be it.
and saying that you will never order from DOD due to not abiding to your request is absurd. Honestly, you shouldn't be in this hobby if you are going to complain about customs over the dolls you purchase.

You were asking them to do something illegal. Just because they did it then before, doesn't mean they can do it now. :/

edit: and you should be more respectful towards other countries. Just because the US doesn't get hit with customs when it comes to dolls and toys, we do get hit with other things. Each country has their own way of handling things. You should be directing your anger towards customs rather than a doll company.

 

If you're moving your postal service will likely have a forwarding address option you can pay for. This is generally a good idea anyways since there's always some place that you forget to update your address. You may want to check with your postal service about that. Also if the new people moving in are nice they'll sometimes let you know if you leave your contact information behind as well.

 

Huh?? Honestly, that's quite a statement, I gotta tell you. I complain every time when something gets stuck at customs for months (dolls or whatever) and I complain almost every time I have to pay the fees. And I certainly don't think I should be out of any hobbies because I choose to complain.

I think many people are missing the point. It's not about being legal or not. Luts (and many other companies) always ALWAYS declare as a gift without anyone asking them to do so. Now let's all go BOOO them, because they're constantly breaking the law, shall we?

It's about the company making a promise and breaking it. Intentionally or by mistake (more likely they just forgot to check their records when they were filling in the forms) and thus creating unexpected delays and problems for the customer.

 

darkangelxix how bout paying a trip to customs to see the hold up? that's how we get ANYTHING out of customs in my country. >_>; just go there and ask politely if you can go get your package, and if you haven't paid, pay on the spot or before hand and present the reciept. ^^

 

wow French. O_o

ouch, that IS a long trip. >_> i guess i'm lucky i live in Manila lol. Well, since that will take a long time, just keep calling them asking for your doll. I assume you've paid the fee already, so just keep calling them to remind them about your package. that may get them on their feet.

 

O_o okay that's weird, even for us. they have to allow you to pay? o_o wow. well, i hope you can pay for it soon! ^^

 

Well, I've managed to avoid customs so far *hope I'm not jinxing myself*, and I can't say I know my country's customs policies very well. I can imagine how much it must suck to have to pay a whole lump of extra cash when you expected not to receive any/little fees...

I have no clue what DOD marked my package as, it was a year ago though. Anyway, I thought your little map thing was really cute, and it certainly proves how different it is for people from different countries. Where I live it's so small that it'd take me less than 2 hours by bus to go from one end of the country to the other

 

I still stand by my statement. Hobby is all about enjoying. Why stay in hobby if you're going to complain and have added stress? That's not what it's about eh?
Complaining to us hasn't really done anything has it? A notification yes, but honestly, the companies have are under no obligation to us to mark the packages as free gifts or lower the value of the item. Just because they had done it before, doesn't mean they will do it now.

Now that Canada has a crackdown on Luts, maybe DOD is taking precaution. Saying that Greece doesn't know about them much and hence will pass on a large box from a doll company is likely a fact, but doesn't mean DOD knows that. and I highly doubt they will take the time to learn which countries they can or cannot mark down, so they do it for everyone.
Besides, they are a company trying to make money. Do you honestly believe in their promises? Would you confide in McDonald's if they made a promise?

DarkAngelxx just wanted to avoid customs, as does anyone who lives in foreign countries. I would too if I were in that situation. There are reasons countries tax on these items, but that would be off topic. But anywho, its nothing to get angry about. She wasn't able to avoid it and pins it on DOD for breaking their end of the deal. Maybe they just didn't want to be penalized. Who could blame them? I rather be honest than pay fees.

In the end, she decided she will not buy from them. It's her loss in my opinion, but she can always get it secondhand through the marketplace, and I wish her the best of luck