DD Hatsune Miku NT

14 hours ago, Xiongmao said:

Yeah I got my Miku NT and Frieren from the Dolpa resellers. I don't really have much of an alternative (also FOMO). I can't order from Volks USA and I hate clickwars - I can't even always get Volks orders to go through on a normal day. We have a UK DD store (where Towa came from) but they are really expensive for full dolls (Ciel is listed as £1000!!!).

I guess I could try contacting the scalper and see if they'd send me the replacement if I PayPal'd them the postage.

The actual lettering is very small and can't really be seen unless you have really really good eyesight. I haven't dressed Miku up in the outfit yet, not so much because of the outfit but because the wig is a stylist's worst nightmare 🥵.

If Miku NT was a banknote or coin or other collectible then the one with the defective skirt would be worth 10x more than the corrected ones 😂.

Does anyone have anything to say about her eyes? Were the previous Mikus like this? I think they might be but it's hard to tell from Google Image search photos. I realise mine is now exactly like the ones on display in Dollpoint.

Welp, I suppose its better to get one from a reseller than to never get one.  Is it really that bad to get one from a reseller/scalper?  Teach me, I's like to find out more about why its frowned upon. It sounds like you saved some money doing so that way. 

I bet that skirt will be worth some serious money in a few years!  I'd keep it pristine, just in case.

What is wrong with her eyes?  Maybe its the angle, but I don't see any problems.  My Miku's eyes were put in okay, but I ended up finding and getting her a pair of "Follow me eyes" from etsy.  I much prefer them, since to me they look more "aiive."

 

Ryu

4 hours ago, RyuichiSakuma13 said:

 Is it really that bad to get one from a reseller/scalper?  Teach me, I's like to find out more about why its frowned upon. It sounds like you saved some money doing so that way. 

I apologise if this reply sounds harsh. Resellers and scalpers are the bane of Dolpa attendees. It’s considered a special privilege to be lucky enough to take home a doll from Dolpa and a lot of people try, only to be thwarted by the literal gangs of people who show up every event and through their numbers buy like 10-20 dolls between them. It’s gotten really, really bad in recent years and feels like more and more of the dolls sold at the events are going to scalpers while the actual fans in attendance are missing out. I’m a lucky person who has managed to get 3 dolls from a Dolpa release so far, but I know plenty of people who have missed out barely and then watched these resellers stuffing their cars with doll boxes. A few years back, there was an infamous incident where a department store collaborated with Volks to do a limited release of a Super Dollfie (Lorina), it was first come first serve and every single doll available was purchased by *one guy* who paid people to stand in line for him. These people aren’t in the hobby, they’re just greedy parasites who exist to make money off of people’s fomo. If you check what else they’re selling it’s almost always other things they’ve scalped like high-end sneakers and skateboards. And the saddest part is that while Volks is well aware of the problem, they can’t do a thing about it, because the tighter they try to control it, the more it restricts the actual fans too, and the reality is that no matter how many hoops a reseller has to jump through, they’re going to keep doing it as long as they know they’ll still make money. The only sure-fire way to stop them is to stop supporting them.

I’m not trying to target anyone here with this or make any feel guilty for their own purchase decisions, and I doubt I’m going to change anybody’s mind, but these are the reasons why it’s not looked on favourably in many parts of the hobby (of all hobbies, really). For me personally I just… can’t understand not at least waiting until the after event is at least attempted, even if the scalpers were a final resort. Miku might be tricky, but so many other dolls lately have literally sat around on the Volks store for weeks or even months afterwards, so buying them for a scalper wasn’t even necessary and hundreds of dollars could have been saved. For Miku in particular, she literally had an open preorder with Volks USA - people could have proxied her through a US user, although it’s too late for that now.

Sorry if I sound angry here, I’m just getting really tired of seeing scalpers and resellers infest almost every hobby I or my friends are in, from dolls to model kits to pokemon cards. They truly make it so much less fun for people who genuinely care about the hobbies.

Edited December 21, 2023 by Monty

5 hours ago, Monty said:

she literally had an open preorder with Volks USA - people could have proxied her through a US user, although it’s too late for that now.

I completely agree with you, but unfortunately Volks does not.  They view proxy shoppers and scalpers as identical.  Both of them are called by the same word, 転売.  If you are buying the doll not for yourself but for someone else, and not as a gift but to earn money, then you are are reseller.  Western fans approve of proxies but not scalpers, but to Volks it's all the same, and all against the rules.

1 hour ago, That_Dollfie_Dude said:

They view proxy shoppers and scalpers as identical.

It's possible that from the standpoint of Japanese law they are. As a business they may have to adopt a policy that says "this behavior is always wrong" as opposed to declaring it right in one situation and wrong in another that in the eyes of the law is identical to the first.

 

It looks like Miku NT will be a "limited quantity preorder" according to the international website. But if they get too many preorders, it will be changed to a lottery. So not a clickwar for her. 

I have a very distraught Miku here, so I have started making enquiries about getting her the replacement skirt. I don't really have anything to lose. But given I paid with PayPal, then the original seller and Buyee will have to tread carefully. So will Volks because QC and customer service have been starting to slide in the last year. They are a premium brand and they need to get on top of these issues. While their licensed dolls will sell whatever their customer service is like, the Chinese brands are starting to gain a big following, particularly for MDD sized dolls.

As for Japanese consumer protection laws, I have no idea about these. I would not have thought that "scalper" or "reseller" has any standing or status under consumer law though.

Grrr, I'm just generally angry as we've had a few annoying doll related orders lately. SakuraDreams still owe us a bodysuit and eyes, AliExpress owe us a dress (which appears to have just been refunded) and Buyee competitor NyoKyo have been abysmal with my Pureneemo Menma (card charged twice, Menma AWOL).

On the plus side Frieren is amazing and when I tested her with our new Amazon green screen last night she looked absolutely phenomenal. I was going to buy a doll background on YJA but now I realise we can have any freaking background we want.

30 minutes ago, Xiongmao said:

I would not have thought that "scalper" or "reseller" has any standing or status under consumer law though.

It doesn’t. Apart from a law enacted in 2019 prohibiting ticket reselling, neither reselling nor scalping is illegal under Japanese law.

I’m not defending the practice, but Japanese lawmakers would have to clearly define what constitutes illegal reselling and what doesn’t, because an enormous part of the Japanese economy is reliant on small-scale resellers (parts are usually resold 3-4 times before they reach the consumer and wholesaling to consumers is practically unheard of), not to mention the secondhand market in Japan is huge. Beloved stores like Mandarake and Dollyteria would cease to exist if there was a blanket ban on reselling.

4 hours ago, MichelleAK said:

It looks like Miku NT will be a "limited quantity preorder" according to the international website. But if they get too many preorders, it will be changed to a lottery. So not a clickwar for her. 

Preorder period is 13th to 21st January and need to be GL/VS/VIP member. I don't think there's much of an "if" for the lottery :')

I'm surprised the delivery is later than the Volks US batch, since that one has additional ocean travel. Makes me wonder if this was planned from the beginning or if they changed their mind after seeing the situation at dolpa and the US numbers 🤔

General question: I'm moving next year and the fall delivery will be after that, do I just contact Volks once I have the new address? (In case I win anyway, the cope is strong)

Ah the good old ‘Schrödinger’s lottery’ again. I really don’t know why they do this for some dolls instead of just a lottery to begin with, because I don’t think there’s ever once been a situation where it didn’t turn into a lottery. (Except maybe Cinderella? Although she was Japan-only which thinned the entrants a little).

But I think a lottery is good news. I was surprised at first cos I didn’t think they still did them for DDs. They’re vastly preferable to clickwars for limited stock - no advantage given to certain time zones, internet speeds or people without specific commitments at the sale time. Also, no site crash (and even if everyone rushes to enter and crashes it anyway, it won’t affect anyone’s chances).

2 hours ago, Monty said:

‘Schrödinger’s lottery’

🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Well played!

8 hours ago, Xiongmao said:

As for Japanese consumer protection laws, I have no idea about these. I would not have thought that "scalper" or "reseller" has any standing or status under consumer law though.

 

7 hours ago, ragnamuffin said:

It doesn’t. Apart from a law enacted in 2019 prohibiting ticket reselling, neither reselling nor scalping is illegal under Japanese law.

I was thinking more in terms of weakening a legal position by applying a policy in an arbitrary fashion. If you have to take something to court, being consistent in your approach to the matters you are bringing to court is usually pretty helpful. I wasn't trying to suggest that there are consumer laws involved, and I don't know Japanese law.

In the US, uneven application of policies can appear discriminatory, and open you up to liability, but I have no idea what applies in Japan. I was just saying they may position themselves better legally by being consistent in their application of their rules.

In the US, if you applied a policy to your Japanese clients one way, applied it differently to Chinese clients and the Chinese clients were harmed, those clients could take you to court and win. (I'm not suggesting Volks does anything of the sort.) in the US we have a lot of specific laws around that though, and I'm sure a lot of them are unique to the US.

Hiring a proxy to stand in line for me as a consumer, and hiring a homeless person to stand in line for me as a scalper, is the same act; even if the intent behind the act differs.

It's just as possible that it's long standing preference on Volks part, and it could be tied to their concept of fair play.

4 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

I was thinking more in terms of weakening a legal position by applying a policy in an arbitrary fashion.

Oh I know, I figured that’s what you meant. My point was that there is no applicable legal definition of reselling/scalping for Volks to refer to in order to make that distinction anyway.

27 minutes ago, ragnamuffin said:

Oh I know, I figured that’s what you meant. My point was that there is no applicable legal definition of reselling/scalping for Volks to refer to in order to make that distinction anyway.

No worries, I just wanted to be sure it was clear I wasn't referencing any specific laws, which I have zero knowledge of and couldn't reference if I wanted to. 

On 12/21/2023 at 3:07 AM, Monty said:

I apologise if this reply sounds harsh. Resellers and scalpers are the bane of Dolpa attendees. It’s considered a special privilege to be lucky enough to take home a doll from Dolpa and a lot of people try, only to be thwarted by the literal gangs of people who show up every event and through their numbers buy like 10-20 dolls between them. It’s gotten really, really bad in recent years and feels like more and more of the dolls sold at the events are going to scalpers while the actual fans in attendance are missing out. I’m a lucky person who has managed to get 3 dolls from a Dolpa release so far, but I know plenty of people who have missed out barely and then watched these resellers stuffing their cars with doll boxes. A few years back, there was an infamous incident where a department store collaborated with Volks to do a limited release of a Super Dollfie (Lorina), it was first come first serve and every single doll available was purchased by *one guy* who paid people to stand in line for him. These people aren’t in the hobby, they’re just greedy parasites who exist to make money off of people’s fomo. If you check what else they’re selling it’s almost always other things they’ve scalped like high-end sneakers and skateboards. And the saddest part is that while Volks is well aware of the problem, they can’t do a thing about it, because the tighter they try to control it, the more it restricts the actual fans too, and the reality is that no matter how many hoops a reseller has to jump through, they’re going to keep doing it as long as they know they’ll still make money. The only sure-fire way to stop them is to stop supporting them.

I’m not trying to target anyone here with this or make any feel guilty for their own purchase decisions, and I doubt I’m going to change anybody’s mind, but these are the reasons why it’s not looked on favourably in many parts of the hobby (of all hobbies, really). For me personally I just… can’t understand not at least waiting until the after event is at least attempted, even if the scalpers were a final resort. Miku might be tricky, but so many other dolls lately have literally sat around on the Volks store for weeks or even months afterwards, so buying them for a scalper wasn’t even necessary and hundreds of dollars could have been saved. For Miku in particular, she literally had an open preorder with Volks USA - people could have proxied her through a US user, although it’s too late for that now.

Sorry if I sound angry here, I’m just getting really tired of seeing scalpers and resellers infest almost every hobby I or my friends are in, from dolls to model kits to pokemon cards. They truly make it so much less fun for people who genuinely care about the hobbies.

 

19 hours ago, That_Dollfie_Dude said:

I completely agree with you, but unfortunately Volks does not.  They view proxy shoppers and scalpers as identical.  Both of them are called by the same word, 転売.  If you are buying the doll not for yourself but for someone else, and not as a gift but to earn money, then you are are reseller.  Western fans approve of proxies but not scalpers, but to Volks it's all the same, and all against the rules.

 

WOW, I never thought that this subject would be so interesting!  I had to google that kanji, interesting.  TIL something about Japanese reselling laws....😅 

I agree that a scalper and a reseller is almost the same thing, at least here in the US, but scalpers seem to almost always mark up their prices to astronomical prices, which is maddening if you are forced to buy something from them.  (Ask any Taylor Swift or Beyonce fans how bad scalpers have jacked up their ticket prices.)  I suppose it makes sense to hire someone to stand in line for things, but it really does take away from those of us that are actually in the hobby for the enjoyment of it.  Sad, but true.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I usually can't afford to buy from scalpers/resellers, so perhaps that is a good thing for my wallet.

 

Ryu

Edited December 22, 2023 by RyuichiSakuma13
Forgot something. LOL

I'm still kind of confused about Miku... it would be really annoying if somebody jumped through all the preorder clickwar hoops then their order turned into a lottery. It's such a hassle potentially getting your card charged because it can take a while for it to get uncharged again.

To confuse us even further they've reopened the Anya ordering. I don't know if the initial sales were poor or they realised they could make more than initially expected.

No news on my own Miku woes. It's kind of turned into a gigantic thing for me, not helped by something far worse happening to somebody I know the next day, which sent me over the edge. I'm kind of not really worried about the skirt itself. However, I am kind of annoyed to not be able to participate in a new product recall. I've not heard from Buyee, but if I get nowhere I'll try for a partial refund from PayPal to fund the cost of finding the replacement skirt on the open market. The original seller would be skating on ice... I bought a faulty fridge from Amazon a couple of years ago and they refunded my entire purchase cost.

Oh well at least Frieren is amazing and it is good to finally have an actual Miku. She is very distinctive irl.

OK I've now found out Volks are now recalling the defective skirts rather than just issuing replacements.

To their credit Buyee got back to me and are willing to get mine replaced. However it's just too much hassle to send it back... I could end up with no skirt at all 🥵. I've consoled my Miku by telling her that her skirt will be super super rare if all the other special ones are handed back to Volks.

Miku says “Happy New Year!”

Miku looks amazing in that kimono!  And that wig, NOICE! 

I hope that the wig becomes available for sale, I'd love to put my Miku in one similar.

 

Ryu

43 minutes ago, RyuichiSakuma13 said:

Miku looks amazing in that kimono!  And that wig, NOICE! 

I hope that the wig becomes available for sale, I'd love to put my Miku in one similar.

 

Ryu

It may be her regular wig with part of it braided and wound around her twintails.

True, true. 

I know how to do that, but I think if I do, I might do so to her Cotindoll wig, since I feel that that wig is easier to put on Miku's head.  Her canon wig is put away, along with her regular outfit.

 

Ryu

On 1/7/2024 at 6:34 AM, ragnamuffin said:

Miku says “Happy New Year!”

what an adorable kimono on her! miku is so pretty

Miku is great irl and she has a very distinctive faceup.

Can anyone tell me how the GL program works? I wanted to book it, I know it's late, but since it's still available on the Japanese site I want to think about it, but it said only for GL members. So I bought it the "GL level" but I can't order it the same, it still marks me as a regular member.

1 hour ago, Morilec said:

Can anyone tell me how the GL program works? I wanted to book it, I know it's late, but since it's still available on the Japanese site I want to think about it, but it said only for GL members. So I bought it the "GL level" but I can't order it the same, it still marks me as a regular member.

GL purchase won't be active immediatly, it takes a few working days before it's active so you'll just have to wait. Normally it should be activated before Miku's preorder/lottery ends though. 

2 hours ago, Roxanne said:

GL purchase won't be active immediatly, it takes a few working days before it's active so you'll just have to wait. Normally it should be activated before Miku's preorder/lottery ends though. 

Nice, thank you!