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

That really sucks kersuru! I was not aware the current economic situation in Canada was so poor? Maybe they will make a YoSD available to everyone, and that would be a little more affordable for you?

I am waiting for the answer back from my Dolpa email, though I have a feeling it will just be: "We apologize for any problems caused, we will work harder in the future, please keep watching for information on our website, facebook, and monthly news letter....".

I sort of had this feeling they might make a limited release doll or two available to us outside the one-offs, something for both Tea Partiers and regular Dolpa attendees, and simply didn't have the foresight to publish that info before the other, or possibly the actual email wasn't ready for release. I don't think I've heard of a (US) Dolpa that had no limited release correct? Maybe not since they are really pushing this AiW One-Offs thing, which knowing the scale of those kind of lotteries (barring the current one for Kyoto), that would only be like 20 dolls for possibly over a hundred people. This may end being another thing we have seen where we all bring lots of money into our Volks hopes and dreams and they just don't want it hahahaha

 

I want to start a bit of a new trend here, since I'm a bit concerned this is getting kind of focused on the bad. Let's talk about things we want to see at the Dolpa and things we're looking forward to. Plus maybe some hopes for things that aren't currently suppose to be there. Hope maybe they'll take some suggestions!

I for one am looking forward to seeing everyone. I made my vacation plans around this originally just at least to make it so I can see many friends in real life all in the same place from all over. I'm also happy to see how many people are coming in and are.. going the distance. :P

I'd like to see at the Dolpa a large variety of product that is not currently possible to obtain off of Volks USA. I'd also like to see and find out about more things that are happening at the Dolpa. Right now all I know of is the stuff for sale and the Doctor, who is only doing restringings.

What I really wish for is them to have the full FCS including the Sato limited dolls. As some of the dolls are being discontinued, this would make many people very happy to have a chance to do this. I'd also really like to see some more standards and another release of the SD10 body with the double jointed elbows. The DearSD is cute, but I'm not sure I want to see if as much as I do like the SDGr female body finally added to the FCS.

 

Ohh, I hope that those SD hand parts include SDC!! (It says YoSD-SDGou, so...maybe?)

 

Wow! That looks like a great list! All of the standards in stock and some older models to try for. A Kei is very tempting!! But how to decide whether to go for one of them without knowing what the one-offs are?

If SD16 girl and boy hands are available! And Velvet Paw outfits!

 

I'm kind of blown away! This is more than I expected. While there isn't a specific limited for the event, the number of other choices is kind of amazing. I'm with you though, St. James -- how to decide which to get??? Oh, and also, we'll be fighting over the Velvet Paw outfits.

I have a feeling that I'm going to come home very broke from this Dolpa.

 

I think this is a wonderful list of goodies to try for!

 

You and me both. Seriously, the SDC line gets the least amount of love. I need hands for my girl.

 

I can't be more disappointed for what they have released so far... the limits are very nice if we ignore the quantity part. Oh, and no one-offs for people not in the tea party... I should have waited for the informations before I book the tickets

 

The offerings look great! I can't wait to shop through the clothes (I want a kimono for the girl I'm taking with me) and hands! I need some SD16 girl and white skin SDGrG hands! And the dealer offerings are always nice, I just hope I get a good enough line number to get some!

 

There's going to be a Kanu...

This is a good interesting list of things available.

Editing because I just want to say how excited I am there will be small a chance to get her because she is definitely my grail doll.

 

Wow-- 65 miles of girl stuff, surprise. So maybe they'll have some ZM Powder Spray, that's something to hope for.

Not holding my breath for that! They never make anything for SDCs. But if they do, it will be girls only, because they never make anything for boys.
My boys have been wanting fist-hands and Pull My Finger option-hands for the past decade or so.... I hate to get their hopes up.... ;;^^

 

Sorry, I love Volks, but compared to the previous US dolpas, this is a pitiful offering. Yes, they're offering a few of the Kobe cruise dolls, etc, but it feels akin to 'this is what we had in the storeroom' as opposed to a thoughtful, cohesive dolpa release. I was very disappointed that moving cross country and being between jobs put the kibosh on my attending, but now I'm actually glad I won't be going.

 

I'm really excited for hands and the Dress up Box! It's great they've released what dolls they will be in the lottery so it's not a split decision but I can only weep as a $2200US Reisner would turn into $2900CND Reisner. So yeah, no dolls for me on this vacation.

 

Oh, WOW -- that Rose Rose dress!! NEED!!!

I hope they have some SDGrG hand parts -- I only have the default pair that came with my Tae, and I've been wistfully envious of people who had all those pretty, expressive hands to switch out!

Even though the quantities are limited, there are 3 Lieselottes and 2 Reisners, and with all the other limiteds up for grabs, I might get lucky on the ones I'm hoping for! And they'll have Standard Models, so if all else fails, I may be able to get Saki

I'm so glad that there are a decent number of things being released/re-released for Dolpa -- I felt really bad for people who got shut out of the tea party, so I'm happy that they have some options. Wish the one-offs were open to everyone, but I am hoping that there is something here for the people who were bummed-out about not knowing what the Dolpa itself was offering. *fingers crossed*

I'm really excited -- it's going to be great to get to see a bunch of far-flung friends!!

 

For a collector who prefers WS dolls (kinda why I was hoping beyond hope for some kind of limited offering of Alice/Lorina, so there would be a way for me to actually try for a doll more my size and with the color of resin I wanted, but alas)...there is little on offer for me, it seems like even the coordinated dolls which I would maybe want...are gonna be post-Dolpa offering? Do you think the hand options will be offered in white? I just...this is why I was scared of the offerings, because I agree with everyone not looking for a doll: The clothing options looks amazing, they are extremely limited mind you, so getting them will be really hard with the number of people going, but they are outfits, you can always get another outfit somewhere if you don't get one here, or have one made similar, but actual doll offerings? Not so great. I agree it is a case of "what we had left" probably in the instance of coordinated models too since they have been running those so often in Japan lately.

Sorry, I know, more complaining, maybe I wouldn't be so sad if I had a decent chance of managing a WS doll, but that may never be the case outside of FCS, which I need to just accept.

Lyrajean, I agree, Chiyo is sooo beautiful, easily my favorite new standard as soon as I saw her, were she offered in WS, I would be all over her!

 

To be clear, I meant if they offered her in WS at the event >,< I always keep up on my FCS options, because I have a personal shopper for the Sato location, and I get all my FCS from there! Thank you for trying to help doh!

 

[MENTION=57109]Artemos[/MENTION] I am a whiteskin fan too, so I'm hoping they'll have the hands in white. At least now I don't have to figure out how to afford an Alice or a DearSD! So unless there's a Kaelin or white SDGr girl one-off I'm going to be doll-free at this Dolpa.
Maybe someday I'll have a connection to a Sato shopper again, but until then I'm at the mercy of whatever VolksUSA has in their limited online FCS. :/

 

It took us so long to get another Party in the USA I don't want to not show up and make them think it isn't worth it to have more parties. But that is also spending money on a hope, not a fact.

 

Now I'm thinking I might just want to relax up at the Getty Center on Friday....I'll have to find out if they'd allow BJDs on the grounds at least. They don't let you carry bags into the galleries.

 

I wish there were more available in quantity, but I'm excited. Hopefully I manage to snag one. The megu is very cute too.

 

I'm also wondering about SDC hands. Sadly my poor girl is rather yellowed so the recent resin won't match well though. I do wish they were more popular. They're fun dolls.

As for Alice, we don't know what the one for all doll is yet. So there is that too.

I agree there's not a lot of things being offered, but I am interested in trying for Lieselotte again after loosing one once already the one from earlier this year. She's right now my grail to obtain doll. I am glad there's a few people who have a chance of getting their grail at least. I also feel their offers are being played very "safe." I think right now, we hope the event goes well because the better it does, the better we'll have of options if they decide to do it again.

I am also very curious about the vendors on if they've worked out a deal to bring product or are flying them in or what. I'm not sure what they did last year, but I thought this was a nice tidbit because it really to me makes this event feel more like the Dolpa's over in Japan. Does anyone else feel this way as well?

You can meet up there in the garden. My first doll meet I went to was at the Getty. I haven't been back since though (2007?). I've been meaning to go back. This might also be a fun place to meet. Maybe add it over to the meet up discussion thread?

 

I wish that we could meet at the Getty Villa, but I guess that is at a distance. Is the Getty Center very close to the hotel?

 

Unfortunately it's not. It's a 1 hr 20min bus trip or 25min drive. There's a lot of interesting this to do in the Los Angels area, but they're not that close to the hotel. They're a short drive or a bit of a trip but public transit distance out. The public transit system is pretty decent so it isn't too bad but I'm not sure how many people will want to make the trip. I do think an outing of some sort would be rather fun and the Getty garden would support a pretty large group of people though so it's a good idea. It is pretty close relatively speaking compared to some of the other options and also less towards the busy downtown area.

Edit: Going to Torrance or Little Tokyo are my two main favorite spots and Torrance is pretty close by. Torrance has the Mitsuwa and Marukai plus some other interesting stores. This also being where Volks's new office (with no showroom ) is also located.

 

The Center is a straight shot up the 405, which theoretically takes 20min. The Villa is about 30min away up the coast if there is no traffic. I wasn't going to rent a car though, so it isn't a firm plan.

Oh, and re: the Japanese vendors - they don't fly them over, they just bring some of their items. They did the same thing in 2007. The only vendors who were there in person were those whom they selected from the US.

 

Thank you, Biff & St. James! As St. James knows, I'm very good on public transport and even walking, but after an early flight, I may just spend the day hanging around the hotel. I even bought a new swimsuit to be able to try out their pool. Cocktails by the pool, anyone?

 

I love the Getty Villa, it is free but requires reservation. It very easy to get on their site, since it is the Labor day weekend I would plan ahead if the Getty Villa is a destination.

I am not sure what I think, I don't like the uncertainty of the lottery, especially since the numbers are so low and it feels like they are bringing over what they found in the storage room. But on the other hand if I go without planning to get a doll then less damage to the bank account and it's not as big a deal as an event. I am local so I will go anyway.

I do look forward to meet some people and making new friends very much

 

You guys could take a lyft and share it. It shouldn't be too expensive that way.
[MENTION=68992]Etoile[/MENTION] I'm in the same boat as you. I plan on trying for a lottery, but it's a crap shoot.

Is there supposed to be an unannounced doll coming in the dolpa for the "One for All" event?

 

Totally. So there will be one offs for tea party attendees only, very few LEs from past events for general Dolpa attendees, and SDM CMs for everyone with access to Volks USA site later.

Well, I have said I will be content with just one doll earlier this year, perhaps now is the time for me to test the truth of those words, lol.

I do like the lilac rose dress, I hope it's not limited in number too.

 

I was quite disappointed when the one-offs were for the Tea Party only. I'm glad to see there are things for the rest of us too!

I'm especially excited about the Best Selection limiteds, but those low quantities Wish there is more of a real chance at getting them.

I look forward to seeing what the Coordinate Models look like. Hope they will have some boys. In general, I hope there will be more stuff for the guys. There are lots of nice things for the girls (that Rose Rose dress!), so the guys need some love too.

I really like the Dress up Box Lilac dress, and I will probably try to get that for my future MSD girl. I definitely want to check out the kimono collection too.

By the way, your chances of not hitting traffic on the 405 is about as good as winning one of those one-offs.

 

Heh. On the other hand... someone gets their name picked for those One-Offs! I just about had a heart-attack when that happened to me the first time I did it! I went to other events and have never tried again because that's a lot of money to pay out when I wasn't expecting it--and I really thought it would never happen when I put in that ticket (at the L.A. Mansion Tea Party in 2006)!

 

3 Charlotte's will be there! Aw, man I'll have to see if I can come up with enough to try for one before next month. I quite like the outfit that comes in the dress up box. I'll have to at least try to get one of those.

 

Do we have any ideas on how much the dolls will be?

 

Depends on the dolls. MSD Coordinate models run around $500. The one offs vary heavily depending on size/body/outfit from YoSD dolls around $500 - $600 up to about $1500 for the very elaborately dressed full sized dolls.

 

Would like to point out this being in LA you will have to pay CA sales tax, so maybe add something on top if you do plan to put toward a bigger item. (At least, I'm pretty darn sure that you'll have to pay tax...)

As a random note, I feel like Volks went into deep storage for those DD. It is nice to see they brought something for the vinyl crowd, but man, what hole in the wall did you dig them up from? XD

 

Yeah, wow, those are ooooold. Did Mai really sell so badly that they still have a lot? D:

 

They probably just made a few more specialty for the event. After all, they are the manufacturer. Don't see why they couldn't do that.

As for pricing, store items will be the same price at the show plus sales tax. California tax is pretty close to 10%. My real question is what exchange rate they're going to base the pricing on. This has changed a lot on the last 6 months. It's gone from about 116 to 126 yen vs $1. This to me is way more notable then the sales tax because Volks still has items priced closer to 100 yen to $1.

I did email and ask. They said they'd announce it once they figured it out.

 

Thank you for the info regarding the prices. Yep, tax in LA is about 10%, and I also wondered about the exchange rate. If the rate is high then it might be better to buy things from the International site. I feel bad not supporting the USA store but as a CA resident with tax, shipping, and higher exchange rate it is often less expensive to shop the international site.

 

Actually, they have the Standard Models listed as being offered at the Dolpa right here: http://volksusa.com/event/2015dolpala/tenshinosumika.html

Still cheaper though for sure on the JP site I'm sure

 

Volks is the only place I know where "standard model" does NOT mean "in stock & available anytime". xD

 

I wonder if people from non-sales tax states (like Oregon and Montana) will be able to do the "show state ID/proof of residence and be sales tax exempt" thing. It's a pretty standard practice here (covered under the RCW's), but that may be because we're so close to those two states.

 

I actually wish I had the fund to give my friends to get me a Coco! I can't believe they NEVER freaking have them in the online store!! I also like the dress-up box and I might see if my friends can get me one. Might go for the SD girl size as I have 3-4(ish- i is a hybrid) SD girls.

 

Hi Kiyakotari,

That is a good question to ask VolksUsa on email beforehand.

 

? NEVER heard of that. If you buy something in a State with sales tax - you HAVE to pay the sales tax. If I buy something in NY, I pay NY rates, which are higher. The State collects the sales tax, and is pretty unforgiving/harsh to merchants and they are audited. Also, the reverse if true, if you buy something OUT of state, you are supposto report it as "Use Tax".

The only exception I know of, is on an Indian reservation. Which if you are part of an Indian tribe, you don't pay the tax. However, everyone else does. And that only counts because THAT STORE is on the reservation. Off the reservation, Indians have to pay like the rest of us.

 

By the way, was the theme of this event Alice in Wonderland? Did I imagine that? Or perhaps the Dolpa doesn't have a theme and only the tea party does?

 

Oh, I don't have residence in a non-sales-tax state or territory, so it wouldn't matter to me either way. It was just something that I wondered, when sales tax was brought up. I know my state has a law exempting people from sales tax free territories from state tax, and I wondered if CA or other states might, as well.

 

I've never heard of not paying the state sales tax here, also. CA is trying to get us all to pay for all online purchases too, and makes Amazon and other online companies charge us tax if they have any presence at all in-state... So I doubt they're the sort to waive taxes for those from other states. And yeah, the sales taxes are around 10%, so figure all that into expenses...

I'm just used to sales taxes, so I'll try and buy out-of-state online when I can, but mostly just have to put up with it. (No taxes or custom fees on dolls and items coming from outside of CA or the US, so as a doll-buyer, it's not so bad for us!)

 

I have heard of people avoiding the sales tax by having the items shipped to their out of state addresses before. But I don't know if Volks offers this service.

 

Ahhhhh. Ok now I understand. Cool. And Congrats. Glad you were able to snag one

 

I got that the auction would be for Tea party peeps but one offs too? Now I'm really sad I didn't get in

 

If it makes you happier at all, even if they managed 12 One-offs, hell even if they managed 20, there will still only be a very small chance of winning a doll inside. And we are only allowed to enter for one doll per person, so you can't hope for a possible number pull for more than one doll. I would encourage everyone to please mention over email that the event could have done with an LE release, so that more people could be going home with dolls, inside or outside the Tea Party.