The Facebook debacle & other issues

18 hours ago, hats said:

CPSIA

 

On 11/19/2020 at 12:24 AM, Katsudon said:

So to legally sell to kids, Smart Doll needs to submit every model they make for lab tests in at least 3 different regulatory bodies?

 

6 hours ago, Katsudon said:

JFSL certified.

I already mentioned my point over these, so I decided to go on a quick google trip to see if I can find clarifications...

Interestingly enough if searching for private importing and consumer safety, I wound up at the finnish customs service page that linked to the general EU guidelines in importing, and as a layman I interpreted it as you only need to certify items if you are going to sell it on a commercial intent on the common european market place. So unless you are setting up a friendship store in the EU, and you are only getting items for yourself no certs required.

Press coverage here in finland has been in the lines that you can import anything you want from china, and other places as a private induvidual, but the responsobility of the item falls on you. so if you buy a uncertified electrical appliance, and it ends up catching fire and your house burns down because of it, it is on you.

in the US, you have the goverment unit pages that tout their authority in the matters at hand, but openly (or at least easily) give little information as to where and how they apply this authority. I only came across an export specialist company in hong kong that aids companies in america with their business endevours and they stated that it is the importers burden to certify the items they import for sale in the american marketplace, not the offshore shipper.

Because this was aimed at businesses this didnt answer the question that does it apply to private induviduals or not, but it did that CJ does not have to certify stuff in the case of not selling their items directly in the US via a webportal that is based in a american server, or a physical american sales location.

The hong kong company mentioned amazon marketplace as an example of sellers who would have to certify their items if selling on the US amazon storefront -- but didnt give information if there is a loophole to avoid it by linking customers to a storefront that is not the US one, like JP or any of the European ones.

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by finnleo

6 hours ago, Yumeiro said:

But "aggressively" marketing them towards kids, when they are at that price.

Absolutely, that could be a problem. I'm also concerned about how sexualized some of the dolls are, but Barbie also creates some mature dolls occasionally. The difference is they're 99% of the time collectors dolls and are purchased through different outlets, not right beside the main toy lines. 

I'm ok with children enjoying SmartDolls, it'll just be tricky to execute correctly and fairly if everything is sold on the same webpage; perhaps a sister site or website sections could work. I don't think I'm ok with toddlers, though; too much risk.

10 hours ago, finnleo said:

 

 

I already mentioned my point over these, so I decided to go on a quick google trip to see if I can find clarifications...

Interestingly enough if searching for private importing and consumer safety, I wound up at the finnish customs service page that linked to the general EU guidelines in importing, and as a layman I interpreted it as you only need to certify items if you are going to sell it on a commercial intent on the common european market place. So unless you are setting up a friendship store in the EU, and you are only getting items for yourself no certs required.

Press coverage here in finland has been in the lines that you can import anything you want from china, and other places as a private induvidual, but the responsobility of the item falls on you. so if you buy a uncertified electrical appliance, and it ends up catching fire and your house burns down because of it, it is on you.

in the US, you have the goverment unit pages that tout their authority in the matters at hand, but openly (or at least easily) give little information as to where and how they apply this authority. I only came across an export specialist company in hong kong that aids companies in america with their business endevours and they stated that it is the importers burden to certify the items they import for sale in the american marketplace, not the offshore shipper.

Because this was aimed at businesses this didnt answer the question that does it apply to private induviduals or not, but it did that CJ does not have to certify stuff in the case of not selling their items directly in the US via a webportal that is based in a american server, or a physical american sales location.

The hong kong company mentioned amazon marketplace as an example of sellers who would have to certify their items if selling on the US amazon storefront -- but didnt give information if there is a loophole to avoid it by linking customers to a storefront that is not the US one, like JP or any of the European ones.

 

JFSL is a Japanese law aimed at regulating toys (and other things) for children under 6. Smart Doll is in Japan. So they have to comply with Japanese law. I was talking about a picture of a Japanese toddler from the insta post. 😕 Sorry, I moved on to different legal territory.

(Plus they import to the USA through fabricfriends? So might be placing them in trouble? I presume they're US based at least.)

15 hours ago, Katsudon said:

JFSL is a Japanese law aimed at regulating toys (and other things) for children under 6. Smart Doll is in Japan. So they have to comply with Japanese law. I was talking about a picture of a Japanese toddler from the insta post. 😕 Sorry, I moved on to different legal territory.

(Plus they import to the USA through fabricfriends? So might be placing them in trouble? I presume they're US based at least.)

that explains the indian fabrics producer thing that pops up on google first thing ... But its all in the same subject so all good and such, and as I mentioned in my first post, was that as it stands they only need to comply to japanese regulations.

 

Speculation warning, the following goes above my paygrade:

 

That is, if they are actually deemed that they are trying to virally market the product for kids in japan that are under that age limit. Since for instance the last instagram link posted here wasnt bilingual, as some of the CEO's posts are. Also in this day and age even if a viral sales pitch post included a picture of an asian kid does not automatically mean its intentionally meant for the asian region.

One question that also pops to mind that what is actually printed on the packaging and webstore terms of sales of SmD's? If there is a statement that its not intended for people under the age of 15, it goes from a compliance failure, to misleading (viral) marketing. -- and suddenly the latter doesent sound as serious.

 

My general point was even though I generally think the occupants of our little social duck pond of quacky discussion (EDIT: And I mean this in the most positive sense of humor) know better, its a good reminder that sometimes these safety organizations are unfortunately toothless.

 

The case of Fabric friends is a good point though, since the assumption is that Fabric friends takes the role of importer, since they are reselling the product on their storefronts. But they could have a way out by telling an inquisitor that they dont condone the viral marketing strategy, and in their mind the product is intended as a collectible item for adults, and are selling it as such with appropeate markings, and sales terms.

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by finnleo

Hmmm, seems like the cool kid club is going to get smaller! Looks like Smart Doll will be migrating to this "Club House" platform. I have a feeling this is another move to up the "Luxe" and "Premium" aspect, maybe utilize FOMO to.

I highly doubt he'll dump Instagram all together or anything, but it's an interesting direction

*ears perk up* ... dern... we almost made it to 90 days of quiet on this thread... although this dont seem too big of a deal all things considered.

If this "club house" is a culture japan based bespoke forum/message platform, its probably just a bit of a hostalgic hark back to Figure/Doll.Fm ... (where senpai did have the option of nuking someone out completely if he sho wished)

Keep calm, and Carry on -- as it originally went and all...

I would be cool with him having a more "exclusive" platform for "talking to his fans", and just using instagram to show off new prototypes and stuff.

I don't think he'll drop other platforms altogether, since clubhouse is invite/iphone only right now. 

The controversial comments moving to an exclusive platform where only his fans can hear them can only be a good thing. 

The controversial actions are likely to keep getting outed publicly though. XD

@finnleo Ahah, well, the world of Smart Doll has really just had more of the same, and I think everyone is on the *shrug* train.  This isn't even a moment to raise the alarm bells, I just like hearing peoples thoughts! Especially given Danny's Track record with social media.

Even is this instance I really wouldn't say it's even terribly troublesome, just that is seems to be a push towards marketing towards a /fancy/ /luxe/ /exclusive/ brand. Which is fine if that's what you want to do! It's just really odd brand mixing for wanting to have a child customer base?  I just /do not understand/ his marketing haha

Just seems like another move to have more leverage over his fans/ the community at large...but I've definitely got my tin foil hat on

 

 

17 minutes ago, HazelMaze said:

It's just really odd brand mixing for wanting to have a child customer base?  I just /do not understand/ his marketing haha

One would think his business strategy would involve leveraging his product / brand’s strengths. Trying be more competitive against Volks, or trying to get into markets where Volks isn’t competitive and establish himself as the main player in those markets. His semi-real vinyls are a good example of that - a product that isn’t being made by the larger more recognized doll maker, and which clearly appeals to a lot of people. 

Honestly this is probably a good move for him. If he wants to have the more personal relation to his fanbase, the chat's probably a great option and it should allow him to moderate as needed. Then he could keep the instagram and other channels strictly to new releases and news about the company. I've actually been very impressed with how he's handled himself as of late, very professional.

On 2/12/2021 at 8:26 PM, BeyondTime said:

The controversial actions are likely to keep getting outed publicly though.

putting on my conspiracy theory tin foil cat hat on for the following...

considering tech savvy senpai, if people did find something worth mentioning outside the clubhouse in the future, id probably check the screencapture metadata, and check also for watermarks for identifiers, besides just blacking out the obvious user infos...

A bit peculiar feeling to even come to that possibility, but all things considered...

EDIT; Wooooow... finally after two days of server error can actually reply to (this) threads...

Edited February 15, 2021 by finnleo

Okay I'm not overly fond of Danny myself but from what I understand it Clubhouse isn't Danny's thing, it's one of those social media startups that he happened to join and want to promote? Like how he promotes VR rigs and other products he's interested in(though IDK if any of that involves him being paid to do that so who knows what the motives are) I'm not even sure if it would go anywhere anyway. As someone who still enjoys my Smartdolls and wants there to be a community (just not a cultlike one) I would be disappointed if it really did become Clubhouse-exclusive, but I very much doubt that would happen entirely since there are still people who like the dolls but dislike Choo and if nothing else, there is the Apple-user-only aspect at the moment. So while this is a new development, I don't see it as incredibly momentous or anything. It's probably something he found he liked and wants to promote because he does that. Though I know I've been tempted to go for conspiracy theories myself, and I wouldn't put it past him to pull something like that, I would say don't count your chickens or whatever the term is. It could most likely turn out to be nothing.

 

I've been getting the impression that Danny is the Elon Musk of the doll world and I don't mean that in a good way. But to be fair, I don't have much of an impression of Elon Musk other than he's one of those egotistic billionaires who likes to have science-y pet projects so idk if the comparison is sound.

54 minutes ago, Starwaia said:

Danny is the Elon Musk of the doll world and I don't mean that in a good way.

They’re both known for their oftentimes spectacular social media faux pas.

On 2/14/2021 at 12:38 AM, sunlightandtea said:

I've actually been very impressed with how he's handled himself as of late, very professional.

Because he's been quiet/have cut back on social media. 😅
iPhone is pretty dominant in japan, so an iphone exclusive app, from that angle, is no surprise. But throw kids in the mix...
Well, one could hope he will not use this new outlet to hide, and rev up his previous actions towards "unfavored" customers.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Yumeiro
errors

1 hour ago, Yumeiro said:

Well, one could hope he will not use this new outlet to hide, and rev up his previous actions towards "unfavored" customers.

A secret ceases to be a secret when you tell just one other person. 

So how closely does Danny vet people who don't own a Smart Doll yet try to purchase clothes/wigs/etc? I just read on the item descriptions that he'll cancel orders of items bought for "other dolls" because people complained they didn't fit. There's a couple things I want to buy but I don't need any gatekeeping bullshit over doll clothes.

9 hours ago, Thermopylae said:

So how closely does Danny vet people who don't own a Smart Doll yet try to purchase clothes/wigs/etc?

I doubt he reviews every order himself, but he may have his employees or his system flag clothes orders with no prior doll purchase.

Just an FYI, SmD heads are a different shape than DD, and their wigs have fit issues on other dolls. They may work on some DD heads, but I know they don't fit all of them. I've tried my SmD wigs on some of my DD and it was a no-go.

 

9 hours ago, Thermopylae said:

There's a couple things I want to buy but I don't need any gatekeeping bullshit over doll clothes.

Then don't buy from CJ, because gatekeeping seems to be one of their most successful product lines. XD

Seriously though, if you haven't bought a doll from him you may get an email asking "what doll are you buying clothing for?" I don't know if he asks for photo proof from people who claim they own an aftermarket SmartDoll.

You might check TTYA, they make some of the same stuff Danny does and are much much cheaper.

 

51 minutes ago, Thermopylae said:

So how closely does Danny vet people who don't own a Smart Doll yet try to purchase clothes/wigs/etc? I just read on the item descriptions that he'll cancel orders of items bought for "other dolls" because people complained they didn't fit. There's a couple things I want to buy but I don't need any gatekeeping bullshit over doll clothes.

If you are in the US, you could also look at Fabric Friends & Dolls. I've bought clothing from them before to avoid purchasing from Danny. https://fabricfriendsdolls.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=801

28 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

I doubt he reviews every order himself, but he may have his employees or his system flag clothes orders with no doll purchase.

Just an FYI, SmD heads are a different shape than DD, and their wigs have fit issues on other dolls. They may work on some DD heads, but I know they don't fit all of them. I've tried my SmD wigs on some of my DD and it was a no-go.

 

Adding to this - the SmD anime-style heads are smaller than most DD sculpts, while I've noticed the semi-real sculpts are closer in size to DD.  That being said, the CJ/~official~ smart doll wigs are a royal pain to get on the semi-real sculpts.  Which is kind of funny, since Danny is essentially now rolling in a whole new line of dolls that do not fit his custom sizes all too well.

It's been a while.

While it's easy for me to be incredibly negative about many things Danny does. I do want to say thank you for the recent makeup change on Smartdoll Tomorrow.

https://shop.smartdoll.jp/collections/filter-smart-doll-all/products/smart-doll-tomorrow

She looks less like a clown - (I know it's mean to say her past makeup looked like that but it just was getting on my nerves how it reminded me of Blackface due to the contrast) especially in the semi real model.

 

The sunset color scheme (yeah, not a far reach which was the same kind of thing I was shooting for  suits her much better - if you seen my prior posts.) I think also getting rid  or greatly softening the "brow highlights" removes the images of Blackface in my mind too. Softer/orangy blushes would look great imo as well. Less blue based ones.

 

But overall much better improvement. She's much cuter. I would honestly be proud to have her as a representation of a doll of Color. 

 

 

(I have been gone because the place I used to work at was ultra stressful and life draining - considered an "essential worker" but they certainly don't treat you like one. I finally moved on to do work where I am being more respected. Much happier and more financially stable that way specially since I don't have to spend more money keeping myself safe while working there. I'd get more into it but it's really not on topic for this post)

Edited March 14, 2021 by Q_T

Wow ok I didn't read all the... 58 pages of discussion but I get that much that I won't be buying anything directly from official site. Maybe second hand if I ever actually decide to get one. Just a few days ago I got really irritated by their statement on "discontinued dolls" page. Honestly, as a new person who's just figuring out the vinyl side of the dolls (after 14 years with bjds), last thing I want is to get beaten down by the manufacturer by basically saying that "ok well why you just didn't get interested in these earlier, these are discontinued now. Tough luck". I just feel that it's very bad marketing towards potential new buyers/new hobbyists. I've never ever seen anything like that within bjd makers, especially made in public.  

12 minutes ago, Akito said:

last thing I want is to get beaten down by the manufacturer by basically saying that "ok well why you just didn't get interested in these earlier, these are discontinued now. Tough luck"

Welcome to marketing by Senpai (tm)

On the other hand, I suppose the biggest chunk of that discoe'd section is that one perticular skintone that was covered in another topic here, so if there's a face in there that you liked, despite the initial irritation, it might be found in another tone.

2 hours ago, Akito said:

Wow ok I didn't read all the... 58 pages of discussion but I get that much that I won't be buying anything directly from official site. Maybe second hand if I ever actually decide to get one. Just a few days ago I got really irritated by their statement on "discontinued dolls" page. Honestly, as a new person who's just figuring out the vinyl side of the dolls (after 14 years with bjds), last thing I want is to get beaten down by the manufacturer by basically saying that "ok well why you just didn't get interested in these earlier, these are discontinued now. Tough luck". I just feel that it's very bad marketing towards potential new buyers/new hobbyists. I've never ever seen anything like that within bjd makers, especially made in public.  

I just peeked at the message on the discontinued doll page, and I just shook my head in disgust at the part about mailing him asking if any of the girls would be sold again as well as the over all unneeded sarcasm. To anyone who wants read the message:

Spoiler

"It's really weird how demand for stuff goes up when it's discontinued. Folks had plenty of time to get these characters but now it's too late - mails to customer support asking about any of these will be printed and eaten for afternoon tea."

I have to laugh at the plenty of time people had. I recall some dolls being listed for less than a day, some just a couple weeks or a month. Yes, that's plenty of time for anyone who has unlimited funds available especially potential new customers who have yet to hear about Smart Dolls.

5 hours ago, Deyja said:

I have to laugh at the plenty of time people had. I recall some dolls being listed for less than a day, some just a couple weeks or a month. Yes, that's plenty of time for anyone who has unlimited funds available especially potential new customers who have yet to hear about Smart Dolls.

I guess this is something of a continuation of the "No blue dollz because milk partz, lulz" thing, which was a bit eyeroll worthy by itself.

In sort of fairness the plenty of time could apply to the more commonly sold milk tone stuff, but since the flash sales were a thing it is a bit of a cherry picked stance all things considered -- especially for someone like Akira who's a bit late to the game overall.

 

 

But sadly we took note, made comments, and thus lost in the end I guess...