Small dilemma. What to choose?

Right now I have a little funny dilemma of buying my next girl and I would hear your opions about it.

I might be making a big deal out of nothing here.

 

Ok, so I'm planning to buy DD Hatsune Miku this year. I've wanted her since release in 2014, but I wasn't able to buy her at the time.

This summer 2016 I'm finally going to Japan for the first time, which I'm super excited for!

Originally my plan was to go to Japan, buy Miku there at normal price (maybe Mandarake) and personally bring it home and while I'm at it, still have the experience of having Miku in Japan and the chance for photoshoots, etc.

Now lately I've come across some amazing DD Miku deals that are greatly priced, like -$100 or more difference sometimes. Thus really tempting me to buy her before I go to Japan.

 

Should I buy her now, because of a great deal or should I buy her in Japan for the magic experience?

What's smarter money wise? What's smarter fun wise? Or I just shouldn't care?

I could buy her now and only buy DD accessories when I'm in Japan. I don't expect to have money left to spend for another girlie so soon. Even from now on I'm saving for Japan, but part of it will be reserved for Miku.

Honestly I'd want her now, but that's a character flaw I have. The $100 savings will offset fees and shipping but not a use tax if you live in a US state that has them. If you live in the EU then VAT will be pretty bad.

 

I've seen the cherry blossom outfit & wig on YJA in the last few days, and you might be able to find the Snow Miku wig and outfit now too. Granted Snow Miku has ice blue eyebrows iirc. Last I checked Volks still had the siren outfit too.

 

In either case take her as carry on, not as checked baggage. If the cargo hold she was put in wasn't presurized then it can potentially hit 40 below zero. The skin of the aircraft is about -50 at cruising altitude, and while it would be unusual for this to happen it can happen.

 

There is also the fact that baggage and customs people are known to take valuables from bags as they inspect them. This is probably very rare in Japan. It's a guarantee in other places, and not unheard of here. Just review your airlines carry on size limits. If needed chop her in two. (Figuratively speaking of course.) I think there are some DIY plans for a Dollfie travel pouch on the forum somewhere.

 

If you decide to buy her there see if maybe you can pay ahead and then pickup in store. That way you don't have your plans ruined by lack of availability. The one big advantage to buying there is you may be exempt from your states Use Tax if you carry her into the country. My state exempts international purchases you carry into the country from the country of purchase.

 

Tokyo can be very beautiful on some of the rivers flowing through the city. Definitely a city worth visiting and you may be able to get great photos.

My personal choice would be wait until in Japan and buy her there

... because you will see her face-to-face... It's one thing to see all the lovely photos online but once you're in a shop what if reg-Miku and Snow-Miku smiles might make all the difference?!

You may have to disassemble her box for traveling back, but heeeey, Miku companion in-flight! For silly plane food photos!

 

 

and as Wolf said - shipping & fees will add up and might not make that much price difference in the end

Now lately I've come across some amazing DD Miku deals that are greatly priced, like -$100 or more difference sometimes. Thus really tempting me to buy her before I go to Japan.

 

If you decide to do the impulsive, buy her now option, there would be the opportunity to take her with you to japan.

 

Photo ops, clothing you could put on her a lot sooner than waiting until you get back, pics in flight or at a terminal, etc.

 

Either way really seems to be a win, win situation...

 

(Personally, I'd get her and take her with me!)

If you decide to do the impulsive, buy her now option, there would be the opportunity to take her with you to japan.

 

Photo ops, clothing you could put on her a lot sooner than waiting until you get back, pics in flight or at a terminal, etc.

 

Either way really seems to be a win, win situation...

 

(Personally, I'd get her and take her with me!)

 

That sounds pretty cool. One big plus to getting her now would definitely be getting wigs and outfits for her to use in Japan. Little accessories like hands in different poses, jewelry, and sunglasses can really make a photo. Even cheap stuff like a 1/3 scale Popsicle or ice cream cone would make a Japan photo rock.

 

I think Chise did make a really good point that seeing her in person can make sure for you its the right purchase.

 

Honestly though do what makes you happy. That's basically a Dollfie's reason to exist.

 

There are a few Miku being sold along with the Senbonzakura dress set for 80000 to 90000 yen. I personally think the darker wig suits her really well and matches the outfit perfectly.

 

http://buyee.jp/item/search?query=%E5%8D%83%E6%9C%AC%E6%A1%9C%E3%83%89%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BB%E3%83%83%E3%83%88

 

How into photography are you?

Thanks for the great replies, everyone!

Some of you think I should get her beforehand and others think I should buy her there.

 

Wolf:

The deals right now really tempt me to get her. I live in Europe and I could take the risk of undervalueing the package. The Snow Miku and perhaps upcoming Sakura Miku are really interesting too, but for now I just prefer the original Hatsune Miku.

Ok, I will remind that she should travel on carry on, if I bring her.

That would be the most perfect option, paying ahead and/or reserving the item, but it's not possible on any of the stores I found the deals (one of them is Mandarake).

Availability could be a thing, but also the price. Some of the "normal" prices are out of my range right now, by that I also mean that the higher prices give more girl options.

For our country there is a certain amount worth of goods we can import, I believe it's about $500. You can slip past through it though, since it's a doll. More obvious things like smartphones get picked out first.

That's a good idea on buying extras for her before going to Japan.

I really like doll photography, but I have my limits too. Travelling with a doll is still pretty new to me.

 

Chise:

Seeing her face-to-face is definitely a big thing too. Still depends on the shop though, displayed or just boxed along with many other DD's around it. My situation right now basically is the experience of buying her in Japan and being able to carry/use/photograph it in the country of origin. I'm not too comfy yet with bringing a doll into public though.

 

battrastard:

Well, that's a thing I'm not sure about yet. Of course it's fun bringing her to Japan when I bought her, but the other side of my mind says, I import from Japan, bring her back and then back to my home again.

I'm still kind of unsure because of the size and lack of experience with a doll on a plane.

 

 

All in all I'm still not sure yet. I have to decide soon though, since the good deals can be gone anytime soon.

I need to tell there are some more things in the mix to look after here.

I'm really into photography. But in public I can be pretty shy/emberassed pretty quickly. I wouldn't bring her out on crowded spots, but on quiet places with amazing views would be like a dream to me. Weirdly, Japan feels like the only place to me where I'm more comfortable photographing a doll.

Travelling with a doll in a plane is still new to me. It's totally different than buying a doll and bringing it home. It might be a fun new thing to me though.

I'm travelling with my girlfriend and I will see family for a few days. Until now my girlfriend doesn't even know yet that I have a DD, so that's going to be a tough one, but I could get opportunities that I can go out alone.

Finally, an extra idea. I still have a floating head that I never even tried on a body! Small chance on my current budget, but in the end I could have 2 new girlies if I buy a body in Japan and bring/buy my own clothes, accessories and the rest.

Well, you just brought up another good point accidentally - going out in public with doll for photos

 

Something like that is best done with another person (guess your girlfriend in this case)

When you first get the DD there's a bit of a learning curve on how to best pose & balance. In certain areas it's even best to have another person simply hold them up for best angle by their legs

And of course the ever popular - you back up with your camera while the other person stays fairly close to doll ready to pounce in and catch her in last second if she suddenly falls

Girls are very complex and wonderful beings, and I will say up front I am never comfortable trying to give people advice on how to break news to a girl I do not know. So I won't. I will point out that customs can ask you to open your bag for inspection, and you probably don't want that to be the moment she finds out you have a giant doll.

 

Maybe she will like it, and maybe if you can take two dolls she can have fun with your pictures too. Chise makes a really good point about having a helper for your photo's. You don't want Miku to face plant into concrete or swan dive into river. I've seen that a number of people on this forum rely on a spouse to help them keep their dolls safe from harm while they are out in public.

 

I don't think the Senbonzakura dress set is Sakura Miku. Sakura Miku is pink from the tips of her hair to the tips of her toes in every image I have seen. The Senbonzakura dress set is an outfit along with a special wig and eyes specifically for Hatsune Miku.

 

Tokyo is the worlds most populated city. It's official population is around 14 million. You should expect crowds in a lot of places.

 

The locals call July - August "the furnace" because it is very hot and very humid. If you go there in the summer it's very possible that anyplace where the air is cooler will have a lot of people in the evenings. In particular river banks and seafronts would qualify.

 

One suggestion I would have is take multiple memory cards for your camera, and don't keep all your photo's on one card. Cards can get lost, stolen, or corrupted. If you have all your photos on one card you lose everything if something goes wrong. When I travel with my camera I duck into a watercloset and swap memory cards every few hours. I use the WC because I store the cards in a money belt under my clothing. I also sync them to my computer in the hotel then up to a cloud storage service, but if you don't have a laptop you definitely want to spread your photos across several cards.

 

Tokyo and I would think Osaka (never been there) would be wonderful for night photography. If you don't have a tripod I would see if you can rent a graphite tripod with a ball head, and a shutter release cord for your camera.

 

Disney Tokyo. This was the first thing I saw when the bus took me from the airport to my hotel at like 11 pm. No fireworks and it was lit with white light but it is spectacular.

 

 

 

Larger: http://pxwallpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/5946.jpg

Photographing in public will be pretty new for me, so you're right, I need practice and experience from it, especially in public. I'm planning to take photos in places like gardens, views of the city, Mount Fuji and more. In the middle of the city, with many people around, it will be a bit harder for me. And since it's summer, many more people will be outside and it's more crowded than normal.

 

Telling my girlfriend that I like and own dolls will be hard, but I'm pretty sure she will understand and be nice with it. The fact of taking the doll with me may be another thing though. Even I myself am doubting if I should take it, just because of the space and I'm planning to come back packed with nice things I bought in Japan (I'm also a figure collector). I believe the total I can bring is 25kg for all bags together and carry on was max 7kg or 10kg, I need to check that again.

 

Yep, the Senbonzakura set is not Sakura Miku. I know the differences. Sakura Miku is the pink sakura themed Miku outfit, which looks similar to the original, but in a different color pattern. The Senbonzakura set is actually from the song Senbonzakura (one of my favorite songs). I'm not planning yet on getting the Senbonzakura outfit, but maybe later on.

 

Thanks for the advice on memory cards. Usually I already bring multiple memory cards with me. I prefer to bring more smaller sized memory cards, than just one large memory card for my camera. Actually, last summer vacation, one of my dad's memory cards was corrupted for the first time, so there's always a risk. I don't even use a cloud yet, but that technology could come out really handy on a vacation trip, since it's accessible everywhere.

 

Tokyo and Osaka are 2 places that I will definitely go to, so I'm pretty excited for that! I will bring a small tripod too. I probably need a shutter release and some filters too.

 

Look at this link:

http://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1035512984&ref=dos

This was one of the deals that I was looking at before. But it's used and I wasn't sure about the complete description. Can anyone translate for me?

Full set, wig is a little bit messed up. But interesting is that 2 body stockings are included, each at least worth $50-$150.

Does that make it a good deal?

Bad news though, yesterday I saw the price was raised from ¥60k to ¥64800.

Edit: I see it's sold now. Never mind

 

I'm thinking of buying Miku before I go to Japan. Even on Mandarake the prices range from ¥60k to ¥97k right now. In Japan I'm not sure if I can find a decent deal and/or stock on her.

I don't even use a cloud yet, but that technology could come out really handy on a vacation trip, since it's accessible everywhere.

 

Tokyo and Osaka are 2 places that I will definitely go to, so I'm pretty excited for that! I will bring a small tripod too. I probably need a shutter release and some filters too.

 

There are a few cloud providers that give a fair amount of cloud storage for free. Last I checked google and Microsoft topped that list, but I last checked a few years ago. You are limited by the hotel internet speed which can be very poor even in cities like Paris, and by the cloud providers throttling. I usually just upload the best photos. If you decide to try it start with free, and test the upload speeds from a good internet collection.

 

If you plan to use credit cards there call your card company and tell them you will be traveling in Japan. Otherwise they will lock the card the first time you use it in Japan to protect the account from fraud.

Even I myself am doubting if I should take it, just because of the space and I'm planning to come back packed with nice things I bought in Japan (I'm also a figure collector). I believe the total I can bring is 25kg for all bags together and carry on was max 7kg or 10kg, I need to check that again.

 

Maybe completly disassembling the doll will make her easier to transport? It might be a bit hard to put her together again, but it could save space. If you end up purchasing her in Japan and wish to keep her box, you could also try to mail it to yourself so that it won't take unnecessary luggage space? It shouldn't cause much problems with customs, being just carboard?

 

I'm thinking of buying Miku before I go to Japan. Even on Mandarake the prices range from ¥60k to ¥97k right now. In Japan I'm not sure if I can find a decent deal and/or stock on her.

 

Actually, I just saw that Volks started a lottery event for her today! It can be accessed right here, and her Senbonzakura outfit and body stockings are available to enter for as well!

This only just got pointed out to me, but Volks is holding a lottery for Hatsune Miku right now. They say up front its a limited quantity, so the chance is probably small. It is your chance to get her at cost directly from Volks.

Wolf:

Ok, thanks. I will check it out soon and see which one is best for me. Actually I was just thinking if I should bring my laptop. I also have a special harddrive on which I can connect a cardreader and backup my files, I might bring that.

About the credit card. Correct, but I don't think I will use my creditcard.

 

Cotton:

Yeah, that was mentioned before. If I bring it, I should dissamble it and bring her in the carry on. I don't have a special doll bag though.

That's right, if I buy it there I could mail it to myself. I'm a box keeper, so yeah. I still need to do a little more research about the current price and stock in Japan. Snow Miku just released there too, but I'm more interested in the original Hatsune Miku.

 

Thanks for telling me about the lottery, someone else also told me before. It's a good chance to be able to win it and buy directly from Volks. One thing though. The chance for import fees, etcetera at Volks is very high, so I might be spending more then expected. If I would buy from Mandarake I could undervalue and mark as gift, which is an advantage for me. But I will see what I can do with the lottery.

I really wonder if they have stock in the official Volks stores and what the price is.

I believe she is 62000 Yen from Volks without any of the extras like the dress set or body suit. That's around $530 USD, or 475 Euros. They have said quantity is limited, so I am guessing this means the supply is smaller than a normal lottery.

I'll see what I can do with the lottery.

I still remember the price at Volks was ¥65000 for Miku itself. The shipping and fees I'm not sure about, I've never ordered directly from Volks before actually. The supply for this lottery is limited indeed.

I'm wondering. Do they still sell Hatsune Miku at Volks store or the fact that it sold out on the site means it's sold out everywhere?? I can't seem to find it and I also wonder what the original retail price is, since I don't expect ¥65k in the store.

Until now I'm still leaning towards buying a nice deal directly, but now I also have the chance for the lottery. I also don't think Mandarake is making an exception for me and allowing to do a lay-away, just like it says in their rules.

Hey MugenTenshinFRD

 

Volks Official site (JP ver), you can PRE-ORDER/Order with confidence.

I haven’t have any issues ordering from them directly.

Just do your research ahead of time.

 

If you win the lottery for another Hatsune Miku.. hey, PREUMIN RESELL VALUE!!!

Obviously Volks is the most direct and best way to order from them directly, but I'm pretty sure that I will have (converted) $100 or more extra costs if I order there. Unlike Mandarake or other 2nd hand sites that can undervalue and/or mark as a gift for me.

 

In Japan I'm planning to go to Volks & doll stores too, including Doll Point Akihabara.

How do I know if they have Hatsune Miku in stock and what price?

It may be sold out on the website, but does it mean it's sold out everywhere in stores too? How do I check this?

It may be sold out on the website, but does it mean it's sold out everywhere in stores too? How do I check this?

 

I believe you have to contact each individual store directly.

Obviously Volks is the most direct and best way to order from them directly, but I'm pretty sure that I will have (converted) $100 or more extra costs if I order there. Unlike Mandarake or other 2nd hand sites that can undervalue and/or mark as a gift for me.

 

In Japan I'm planning to go to Volks & doll stores too, including Doll Point Akihabara.

How do I know if they have Hatsune Miku in stock and what price?

It may be sold out on the website, but does it mean it's sold out everywhere in stores too? How do I check this?

 

You should check at the Mandarake stores, they don't have all doll inventory on their website. I remember the one in Shibuya had a lot of great stuff that wasn't online. Nakano has the other Mandarake with tons of doll goods.

Obviously Volks is the most direct and best way to order from them directly, but I'm pretty sure that I will have (converted) $100 or more extra costs if I order there. Unlike Mandarake or other 2nd hand sites that can undervalue and/or mark as a gift for me.

 

In Japan I'm planning to go to Volks & doll stores too, including Doll Point Akihabara.

How do I know if they have Hatsune Miku in stock and what price?

It may be sold out on the website, but does it mean it's sold out everywhere in stores too? How do I check this?

no, volks do not sale Miku in store

you can try looking in Jungle, i saw Miku in Jungle

if you go to Dollpoint Akihabara, Jungle is in Radiokaikan building on 7th floor next to Azone