Volks Dolpa - Dolls Party in LA 2015 - LAX Marriot (9/5/2015)

I'd love to see a modded F-05 and I'm sure Volks would too!
The Japanese staff took a ton of photos of my heavily modified Yukinojo at the 2007 Dolpa. I bought the ceramic knives from them, after all.
It is a bummer that some of my favorite Volks dolls are hybrids so I can never bring them to events, but I just can't afford to buy spare Volks bodies for special occasions.

 

Just got the email update about the Tea Party, and it looks like oneoffs will be in there? I wonder if that means there won't be any in the regular sales room? And a customizing contest! I wonder just how many people got into this event, it sounds bigger than I'd expected.

 

I just got the email too. Sounds like a lovely line up of events. I'm excited for the "Dollfie®☆LIFE Advice Meet"! Hehe.
Does anyone have any more info on what the "wonder party" theme means? Is that like Alice in Wonderland? Wait. It must mean that. I'm dumb.

 

Way to go Volks though. Let us know about a costume contest one month before the event and expect us to have time to come up with something. I'm going to be doing a lot of midnight sewing. *sigh*

One thing I don't understand -- when they say that you can only bring one doll to the tea party, does that include the doll you are entering in the contest?

I'm also still hoping that there will be limited dolls available for everyone, not just one-offs for the tea party.

 

I don't really understand the customize contest description. It says the doll must be painted by Volks or the owner, so I guess it's not a customizing contest but actually a styling contest with a Wonderland theme?

 

The contest is also tea party only? It sounds like they're just basically having all the events inside the tea party, and the rest of the dolpa is nothing but shopping.

 

I emailed them about limited release doll or dolls for the event, as maybe they just haven't mentioned it in the email because it is not an event. I am really hoping for something other than just some one-offs, even though I guess there could be quite a few? I know, I know, some of the attendees aren't there to buy Volks dolls, but I think there are probably quite a few that are, and as Dolpas are typically buying events, I thought I was somewhat safe to assume we would have some regularly offered limiteds for sale by lottery or for preorder by lottery...if this event turns out to be as well attended as it looks...there won't be much togo around in the doll department >,<.

Hoping for for the best though (preparing for the worst)!

P.S. I suck, that I had all these expectations based on other Dolpas, obviously now I am just making myself sound like more of a jerk because I am getting disappoint at every turn...ugh

 

At the very least, they could have the "Standards" in stock for a change.

 

They haven't sent the information to the second wave lottery winners yet. Kind of upsetting.. Seeing if a friend may be able to forward it over for now.

Also wondering how many dolls are being allowed. I'm assuming the one for the customizing will be the same as the one going to the tea party.

 

I'm pretty sure that it's a language issue. And that they mean 'costume' contest not customize. Volks was very interested and had a great time at the costume contest we hold for our San Diego BJD con. I think they found it to be fun and wanted to involve more into their little mini-dolpha.. .. but they are putting a lot of events in a very limited time slot - and I don't know why they are putting it just into the 'tea party' portion.

I think maybe they wanted to do more (like they did years ago in LA), but just didn't have the time or organization to pull it off.

 

First post on here in some time, but same question, Wonder Party? I'm guessing AinW as well? Huh. Not my favorite subject, but maybe I can think of something to make for my Ruby. :/

 

Yeah, I read through the email too fast the first time but since Volks says the one-off models and the charity auction model will be "characters of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" I think it's safe to say it's an Alice themed "wonder party".

 

I have to admit I am losing interest since it looks like all of the events/limited items will be for the Tea Party only. It's a long way to go to only be offered things I can just buy at the online VolksUSA store.

 

Why do you think I am still going? Besides Disneyland, of course. And takoyaki. I was promised takoyaki.

 

And it will be nice to meet you!

I'm looking forward to the "after-parties" just as much as the official events!

I need to get clarification about something, though -- I think that what they MEANT by this is that it's a COSTUME contest and that the face-ups can be Volks default or a custom face-up *commissioned by, or painted by* the doll's owner. If they're restricting it only to default or *painted by owner*, that cuts out a lot of people, and doesn't quite fit in with it being a costume contest.

If it's a *customization* contest, why allow default face-ups?

(In that case, some dolls would be judged on face-up-by-owner-plus-outfit, even though it doesn't say that the *outfits* have to be made by the owners -- whereas dolls with default face-ups will be judged only on costuming. Seems a bit uneven.)

-- A

 

I can understand why the auction might be limited to the Tea Party, but I can't believe they'd put the oneoffs behind an arbitrary wall like that...

 

Thank you! I snagged the modded F-05 head I'm so relieved. I actually wanted a modded F-05 before I purchased the DWC-02, but the F-05 wasn't on a Volks body....and like St. James....

I couldn't afford to buy a full doll AND a body...so I settled. Which is always a bad thing So glad I was able to snag another F05 mod. Not as happy with this one's faceup--It's absolutely gorgeous, but way too pretty-pretty Volks Princess for my taste. I probably won't have time to redo it before Dolpa, so who knows, maybe the faceup'll grow on me!


After buying, I just discovered that....modded dolls aren't allowed in the customize-we-presume-that-means-costume contest. Was a bit disappointed by that, but I'd rather have a doll I love, AND I do NOT need to add another thing to my schedule right now! Not if I actually have a hope of doing a small film for Dolpa...

At this point...with the Volks doll arriving so close to the date, I'll either have to do a non-Volks film, or I don't know that I'll be able to pull off anything half so grand as what I did for Dollism or Doll North (The two films are here: Dollism and DollNorth)

 

I'm hoping it means they're going to have some one-offs only at the Tea Party, and then others available for attendees to the Dolpa who didn't get in to the Tea Party part of the event. Restricting all of the one-offs to the Tea Party just seems...mean.

Like others, I'm also curious about the rules for the customizing contest. They don't seem very clear. I don't want to enter the doll I plan on bringing to the event in the contest (I've already planned out her outfit), but there's another doll I might like to enter. However, they've said (see below) that the "use of sanding, putty, or no face-up" is prohibited, in the face-up section of their rules. My doll doesn't have any modifications to her head (she has a standard faceup, though it is custom), but her body has modifications. I'm worried that this section of the face-up rules might also apply to the body of the doll.

 

I sent an email to customer service to ask about body mods (because mine has biiiiig ol' body mods), so I'll post what they reply.

 

That's great, thank you!

Has anyone asked them if the doll being entered in the contest (which will presumably be put on display for the duration) counts as the doll we bring to the Tea Party? I don't want to bombard them with the same question repeatedly if other people have already asked...

 

[MENTION=2315]Ashbet[/MENTION]: Are you going? I hope so, I would love to meet you!

 

I wonder why there are faceup restrictions? Seems odd! (both of my Volks have Volks faceups, so no problem for me, but it just makes me wonder why they worry about faceups... Plenty of people have changed faceups on their dolls, after all.)

Now I'm wondering what there will be for those of us who aren't at the Tea Party?

 

I'm starting to think it may be very little. If I hadn't already bought airline tickets, etc, I'd probably forego this by now. It's definitely discouraging that it seems everyone not in the tea party group will be left out of contention for the one-offs. My husband, who did get into the tea party, is pretty daunted by all that's going to go on during it.

At this point, I think I'm looking forward to Disneyland more than going to my first Dolpa.

 

As long as Jimmy is there with us, it will always be a party. Fageddabout the tea.

 

Yes, I am!! Oh, that's awesome that you're going to be there -- I'm looking forward to meeting you! *hugs*

I'm sticking around all day on Sunday for the "unofficial" hotel stuff, too

-- A

 

Putting out another call for 2 roommates at the hotel for 2 nights

 

I'm feeling a little frustrated that I didn't manage to get into the third wave of applicants, but it seems like a lot of people were left out. u_u I really hope the one-offs are going to be available to people outside of the tea-party as well.

 

I just got the mail back from Volks about further doll available outside these two events:

VOLKS USA is gradually releasing information in regards to Dolpa and the Tea
Party. Please look forward to future released information on our special
site and our facebook.


So, I am letting this make me hopeful...not sure why, but it kinda seems like their maybe something for regular lottery! I was sort of imagining...and this would probably be a one-off...but what about a Dear SD Alice/Lorina? I mean they released an English site for this >,>;;; No probably not lol

 

Heey so I just called Volks this morning to clarify some of the rules.
It's a costume contest not a customizing contest. It's open to people in the tea party only. Your contest doll counts as your one tea party doll that you bring in, so no multiple entries.
The one off models and the charity model are for tea party people only.
So I hope that clears some stuff up.

 

"Gradually...."?? : Ah, the gift of understatement! I would say that April to August is definitely on the 'gradual' side, yes.

So it sounds like the Dolpa event is just shopping, after all.

 

Really starting to regret the choice of (two) airline tickets, hotel, etc. just to buy what I could buy from home in my pajamas over the internet.

 

I'm mostly paying for the socializing! I haven't seen some peeps here for years & years.
If the sales tables happen to have anything good, I'll just consider it a bonus. (If the sales tables happen to have anything besides girl frills and baby clothes, I'll color myself surprised in the first place.)

 

Ummm... has there been anything set about the non-tea Party stuff? Is it just Volks setting up some stuff to sell? Is the dolly doctor inside the tea party or not? *sigh*

I guess I can wait to find out, since I'm local and don't need to make travel plans, but really, with the news about what's going on in the Tea Party part, I'm feeling pretty left-out and at sea with what's happening with the rest of us...

 

This is nonsense...they need to tell us more! It is literally a month until the event and we know very little about anything, and what we do know is now causing people to be upset about spending a bunch of money to come when they didn't even make it into the Tea Party which we now know has all the events! Ugh...I thought I was unjustified for a bit back there, but now I am realizing that no, I am not unjustified, but I dun wanna rage at Volks over email...particularly since I actually did get into the Tea Party...I am sorry for everyone who didn't get in, and I really hope there is more offered for us all to partake in together!


(end rant...Volks is making me bipolar atp)

 

Honestly, this is the big thing for me, too. I'm happy about the Dolpa, and I did get into the Tea Party, but even if I hadn't I would be flying down anyway. This event is really an excuse for me to haul myself down there and see friends.

 

So am I correct in assuming that the people making the offhand remarks about 'just coming for the socializing' are willing to give up their tea party seats to the people who didn't get it in since it's not important to them? If you're not, then don't dismiss the frustration of those left out. Just saying.

 

I didn't even get into the Tea Party, so, sure, you can have the seat that I didn't get. Knock yourself out.

 

It's moot to discuss giving up seats since Volks said entries were non-transferable. Yes, there will be non-collectors angling for dolls for their significant others, and yes, there will be collectors who will be happy no matter where they are so long as their friends are with them, and there will probably even be some people who got into the event and will still complain loudly about everything. That's every doll event ever, just with an extra dollop of Volks crazy on top.

Since the Tea is a paid event, Volks really needed to get that nailed down first. A free opportunity to come hang out and shop would necessarily be a lower priority in the staff's schedule, but I just kept sending in my suggestions and requests and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be some basic dolls too. We need to get our after party plans going too!

 

snerk! Well, an absurd complaint deserved an absurd answer. I'm sure Beckett would love to come to this particular party.

 

I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but Volks just got around to showing pictures of the one-offs for the Kyoto Hometown Dolpa, which is in FIVE days, so it's not just us who are being left in the dark until the last minute. Perhaps I've gotten my greatest lesson in patience from Volks.

 

I honestly don't feel that's a fair comparison, as the available limiteds and Sumika outfits/accessories were known the moment the guidebooks dropped. At this point, we have no comparable information. As [MENTION=3721]eleniel[/MENTION] said, for those who don't live within the same state, factoring in the cost of travel and time is necessary. As someone who has been a loyal Volks customer for quite a while but only now has a chance to attend Dolpa in person, I'm not going to lie or pretend otherwise - this is disappointing, especially compared to what I have heard and seen of previous US Dolpas and the perpetual Japanese ones.

 

I think Mosaic is frustrated because whether this is like every doll party ever, I don't think anyone here can defend Volks on their choices and their nonsense time frames for this event now that we are a month out and still are basically in the dark on most of the event. Some of us, using the past US Dolpas as reference, could be flying in from pretty far, have the ability to buy things that we could have bought online (though I actually suspect there will be more offerings than just the online stuff, but really I can get outfits for my dolls anywhere), and paying for flights and hotels only to come in with no friends or long time acquaintances we miss, and literally go home with little to nothing to show, particularly if they didn't get into the Tea Party it seems.

Now, I am going to acknowledge again, I don't resent anyone for having friends and fun, and I hope to meet some of you (particularly since you won't know who I am unless you recognize my doll >,< which I will be posting when I get him together), and have a good time no matter what. That does not in anyway make me feel less frustrated with Volks handling things in a completely different manner than usual and basically locking many people out of the main events. Please be gentle with us first timers, we are coming in blind and getting trampled on by Volks, but both sides need to be civil with each other! We are fans of Volks dolls firstly, and some of us fans of the Volks company and their events and business practices lastly, so I encourage everyone to see both sides of that!

 

Aw thanks, sorry to step on your snappy comeback but I'll be in GA for Labor Day weekend.

 

I've actually always been surprised by how expensive travel within Japan can be. A round trip Shink trip from just Tokyo to Kyoto I believe is about $160 and I know that there are fans coming from as far away as Hokkaido, which would pretty much double the cost. That we have an even bigger country and correspondingly higher travel costs isn't Volks' fault nor is it mine for living in the same state where they happened to decide to hold a Dolpa. However, I've never been to a NY Dolpa, because the cost of travel didn't outweigh the off chance of bringing home some swag.

Having said this though, I do understand that Volks isn't giving you enough information to decide if it would be worth it to you to go. Certainly with the events in Japan and I think even with the NY Dolpa, they did release at least information about the limited items well before the events. I never said that your frustration wasn't justified -- just that Volks is never predictable either for us or their Japanese fans and I, personally, have just learned to be patient. Even for my part, I'm still in the dark as to whether there is going to be anything I'll like at the sale and even if I do fall for one of the one-offs, I may not win it.

You are absolutely right, which is why I and others keep trying to emphasize how much fun we are going to have just being with other Volks fans.

 

I don't know that it will be read or heard by anyone of any importance, but I sent Volks USA an email detailing most of the frustration their US customers are feeling (a very very polite email!). I encourage others to do the same if they have these frustrations, and hopefully we can get some more helpful info out to everyone ASAP when they see the demand. I don't even know if Volks has an official account here on the forums, but I also linked them to this thread in hopes they may see more evidence first hand of our feelings.

I was wondering if there is a small room we could get together in after the event possibly? Or maybe a bar area we could all gather in to sit and chat? I am not sure what people want to do for after events exactly, never even been to a meet up admittedly >,<. Perhaps it is better planned by more experienced Dolpa and Doll events goers? I am certain I will want a drink though, so booze being involved at some point would be great...<,<...>,>;;;

 

The Century Pavilion seems like the perfect spot for a meetup, but it would have to be available.

 

Agreeing with all of these comments. I'm going to be delighted to see a few dear far-flung dolly friends, and it will be neat to meet others. But I'm frustrated at the lack of information, and that people who don't get into the Tea Party can't try for the one-off dolls, enter the contests, etc. I'm also very irritated that the lottery system has turned Volks fans against each other. Even in this thread you can see some people who are still stanning for Volks or who are inclined to be optimistic being angry at people who are expressing genuine disappointment. If Volks had planned better, with a larger venue or a venue where they could increase capacity depending on tickets bought, or had even just released information and attendance requirements earlier, I think Volks fans in general would be a little more chill. At the beginning I was a lot more upbeat about the event, but I don't feel that way anymore.

In terms of Volks' bottom line, I ended up spending a big chunk of my saved-up dolly cash on a different company's doll, because that company had a clear ordering period that was open for a month. The month-till-Dolpa date was right after the other company's ordering period ended, and the complete lack of information from Volks, coupled with the reduced access to one-offs, pushed me over into spending my money elsewhere. I'm sure from Volks' perspective, someone else will surely want the things I don't buy, because they haven't been producing numbers to meet demand for the past several events. I'm hoping that they'll increase access to dolls, dolls that people certainly want and will pay for, but I don't think they will. They seem to like it when we argue with each other and feel bad about losing out. It would be great if Volks did more rounds of online one-offs like they did for the U.S. webstore re-opening and for the holidays, but I'm not expecting it anymore.

And I'm tired of the "Volks has always..." excuse.

Other doll companies experience problems, and fix them, or face reduced purchases. Volks isn't exempt from that basic rule of business. I'm very glad that they're having an in-person dolly event! But it's also possible that I'll leave L.A. feeling like I wasted a bunch of money to travel halfway across the country just to see friends who live on the east coast anyway. Or like I could've done a clickwar in my pajamas.

 

It was not my intention to be dismissive of the disappointment expressed here, I've just had this happen to me so many times - even event date changes after I've purchased airfare - now that I feel like I've hit my quota of posts about being disappointed in Volks. Sadly, there are always fresh faces for them to disappoint and confuse. Marketing choices that seem obvious to us and to highly adaptive companies that accept outside feedback are rarely the choices Volks makes. Regardless of size, they are still a multigenerational family run business, and that makes decisions more reactionary and emotional. I doubt that they have an accurate enough sense of the American market to even filter out the crazy email requests from the sensible ones, so they fall back on the business methods they know. Their Facebook page is always awash with people asking for impossible things.

 

I'm disappointed too, and I got into the tea party. I'm disappointed my best dolly friend won't be in there with me having fun, but stuck outside. I'm bummed we still don't know what dolls they are offering. I was excited initially about this event, but as time goes by I seem to be having a bit of a damper thrown on everything. I want to have fun and hang out with dolly friends. I haven't done that in years! I am really lucky that I'm in driving distance too. But my heart goes out to the ones who have to fly over.

 

I SO understand the frustration. I'd be totally frustrated if I wasn't local to L.A.-- mostly because there really is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to organizing something like this. There ARE people who have experience with these things in the US and know about timing and organizing so there is enough space, etc. For one thing, they could have had Tea Party Reservations very early so they would know how many people wanted to go and then found a place to accommodate enough people, so everyone could know they got in before they had to make travel plans...

I'm not so frustrated because I see this sort of thing happen all the time to not just Volks... So maybe I'm jaded. But I still feel for you all! It just makes it seem like Volks (or whomever) don't care enough. I mean, they are getting a full Tea Party, so it's not like not enough people are showing up. I'm sure they don't intend for people to get frustrated and have problems, but it's still happening. It's too bad, really! And it's not something that had to happen, at least to this extent. But I'm sure most everyone who is going will have a great time and it will be a good event... And yes, there will always be people who have problems due to all kinds of factors... but it's annoying when things don't have to be problems! Ah, well.

----------

If they have one of these next year, it should be less crazy because people will know more what to expect, having been through this one. Both Volks and the participants will know more! So much of this craziness is because LA Dollpas are kind of an unknown (there was only one previous and it was so many years ago and it doesn't have to be at all the same as this one--and really won't be!).

I think it's probably best for those who are traveling far with no guarantees of anything to just try and wait for next year. I know--it's too late for those who made non-refundable travel plans already! But if you're on the edge of deciding--maybe waiting would be better!

 

Here's a breakout thread for discussions of meetups outside of the official Volks events.

 

I think the most disheartening part for myself is the constant dropping of the Canadian dollar. The tickets are already purchased, hotels in place, events planned. But the dollar is so unstable that I don't think a doll purchase at this Dolpa is gonna happen or justifiable. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some of you since Dollism! At least that's in the budget.