Shipping Has anyone ever requested a smaller box from a dealer/company?

I remember a few years ago I did ask a few companies (can’t remember which companies) if they could send without official box and unstrung but I got all no’s
This was a really long time ago so idk maybe they’ve changed their minds it wouldn’t hurt to ask

 

You might ask... but they might forget and send it in the usual way, all done up, anyway. I'm sure there's some companies out there that ship un-assembled, but a number have cutouts in foam specifically to help protect as best as possible against breakage, and if blushing is done, to prevent rubbing.

And doll boxes frequently seem more sturdy to me than just parts in a box. My mom got a doll box that looked like it had been used to kick a goal at the World Cup in the last seconds of the game, but the doll inside was safe in the foam cutouts, I'd hate to think what pieces parts tumbling around might've had happen to it.

 

Regarding nos you may receive/that @ellie experienced, I think a lot of companies probably just stock the size(s) of outer shipping container that complements their doll boxes and so having to pack it without said box would incur inconvenience— they’d have to put it into a smaller size of shipping box than they normally use (thus not something they’re likely to have around already). They would also have to use extra inner packaging like foam/bubble wrap/peanuts to fill the protective and securing functions of the inner box (a departure from their normal packaging protocol and thus extra efforts; also, incurring a risk by deviating from the tried-and-true safe packing procedure they’re used to.) These are two big reasons I feel a company is likely to turn down the request (unlike secondhand sellers, who will probably accommodate this). It can’t hurt to ask, though.

 

One thing that might yield positive results down the line is to tell a company politely that you would be interested in being able to buy their dolls in unassembled kits, if they were to make them available in the future. On occasion those have been offered from different makers, and if there is interest, they might be again/ from a new company, who knows!

 

I don't think companies will do so, unless they already offer to ship dolls unstrung and in a plain box as it's probably quite troublesome and time-consuming for them to do so. And time is money!

They already have a set production process and specially-sized boxes and packing material all ready for their dolls after all. They'll have to set your order aside and find you another box and all that.

And I think dealers, especially, probably won't be willing to do so. From my experience, they are more like a forwarding service that checks your dolls before sending them to you, and they usually send you your dolls in their original packaging. They most probably won't be willing to add the extra process of having to repack your doll and look for another box, etc.

 

Considering insane shipping prices these days, this topic should be talked up so company's take notice. I think stringing your own is a great idea and an option that saves paper, gas, lowers pollution, etc.

 

Many years ago (2005, maybe for a few years afterward as well) SoulDoll did an unfinish kit sort of sale, around the Holidays. That's how I was planning on affording my first full-resin BJD. I was still in college, so affording a doll of this kind back then wasn't easy for me, there were no less expensive options like there are now. They offered to send the doll unstrung with the string for the purchaser to string it with, with or without a face up, in a smaller box -- or in their original fully strung boxes. In the end, my first SoulDoll was a gift from my mom and my bff, so I didn't have to pay for him, but the doll did cost a lot less than had I not gone with the strung/unassembled option. I did get him with a face up, and original full-sized box (because I am a weirdo and keep all my resin BJD in their boxes) but even then, just the not strung-together-option saved us a lot of money back then.


I can't say whether companies would suffer from sending dolls un-strung monetarily or timewise; more likely than not, they are already including the cost of stringing the dolls in the final cost (as well as packaging since packaging is expensive, the fancier it looks, the more it costs to produce). I would imagine they would have to make adjustments if they ever considered that, but I don't believe it is something they often get asked to do. Now with current world conditions, they might get similar request to send dolls unassembled and in smaller packages. Probably something not too far behind, due to the limited shipping methods the world over, and higher costs of shipping in general. It can't hurt to ask, in the end it is up to the company or dealer to decide whether it's worth it to them or not. I wouldn't hesitate to ask, because you're not requesting something crazy, in the end it is something only they can chose to say no to. Good luck, if you decide to go head and ask. (:

 

Like others have mentioned it will probably depend on how convenient it is for the company to do so be prepared to hear some 'No's.
And definitely less protection during shipping would be a concern.
But I just wanted to mention that I recently ordered a SoulDoll and they emailed to offer to send it unstrung for around half the price of shipping it strung (which i took them up on as unstrung shipping was $49 whereas strung was $100+), so I think some companies are starting to notice the high shipping prices as a problem.

 

I just received my order from Souldoll and they were able to ship my two MSD order unstrung. The shipping was still expensive but I'm sure it would be a lot more expensive if it was shipped via the normal box. I dont plan to keep their boxes and pillow anyway. Plus the restringing was a nice bonding time since I been on a doll hiatus.

 

I asked doll family h to ship disassembled in a smaller box when i ordered from them through alice's collections. Alice was against it and didnt want to ask them, but dfh was very accomodating about it in the end. I'm sure I would have been charged the same shipping if not for having reached the free shipping threshhold, but my concern was in heat warping the doll (as has been happening more and more often lately), not in shipping costs, and receiving the doll disassembled was a great relief to my worry about that potential.

 

Regarding shipping, I just recently received my first doll - a giant of a thing, an Idol (72 cm) doll from Impldoll. When he arrived, his box was not the huge box I was expecting, which confused me at first.

And then I opened it. It seems that some time during the pandemic (according to the card that Impl had carefully placed on the top of the box), they switched up how they send out their big dolls. He came partially strung! His head was unattached, as well as the lower half of his legs. They'd explained it saves on shipping costs, which I'm all for. I wasn't exactly prepared for having to do some stringing my first time touching a BJD, but thanks to that helpful card and the instructions they put on it, Leander got put together with no problems (if you don't count me swearing up a storm while trying to get that second leg on cause good lord that tension).

But for anyone in the future who's considering at least a partial strung option, Impldoll is a great choice! I feel more companies should start doing it this way.

 

As far as what to do with nice doll boxes you don’t have room for, giving them away to local collectors who might want them for storage (or offering them to others online for the price of shipping) is also an option. Just obviously don’t give along CoAs or other paper paraphernalia >_<

regarding the doll kits from Souldoll that were mentioned, actually quite a few companies used to offer those as options in the 00s, Volks had minis that came that way standard, Soom used to have a recurring holiday sale of kits that people looked forward to, it’s too bad that’s fallen out of favor (except Alchemical Labo/Unoa who still does this I think?), potentially because more consumers come in expecting a doll that’s ready out of the box versus the more garage-kit-adjacent early days of the hobby.

 

Id recommend against selling or giving them away. Unfortunately boxes are a big sign of legitimacy, and people could easily take your boxes and use them to sell recast dolls as legitimate. It's really a nightmare scenario but it is feasible.

I dont know if you're crafty like i am, but the few doll boxes I got rid of i recycled myself, putting them to use in other ways than just throwing them out. Like i used the cardboard from one box to back prints I sold. I used a cut down sd box to make a yosd wardrobe. Stuff like that.