Fake Dollfie Dreams?!

3 hours ago, Kumi said:

I'm really sad to bring this bad news here, but probably there are new fake Blue Saber fullsets available.
There is a short info in the Dollfie Palette fb group about this. No photos at the moment (apparently the scammers use the original photos of Volks' fullset).
The group admin suggests, that the fake fullset will probably have the fake DD3 body, instead of new Blue Saber's DDf3.

I saw this posted on FB this morning. I hope Volks can take action against this. 

Wow. 🙄 I'm surprised how fast they moved on from Miku to Saber. Which other DD characters do you guys think are popular enough to end up getting faked as well? I kind hope this doesn't go any further than the dolls that are famous for having multiple releases.

Edited March 19, 2019 by BottleStar
I just remembered that Miku and Saber have had multiple releases.

God this is so disgusting, I really hoped the vinyl doll community would remain untouched by the art theft plaguing the BJD community. 😰

I really hope that Volks can shut this down, I know it's pretty difficult to do anything about this legally but I really hope they can get these fakes off the market and prevent it from happening again. They're one of the largest 1/3 doll companies out there; if they can't do it, I have a feeling there will be very little chance that these smaller companies, that are already in court because of last year's trademark scandal, will be able to succeed. 

I know that last year, MGA entertainment won a really big case against counterfeiters. Maybe there is some hope. 😕 

I'm angry and sad at the same time. 
And I hope this saber will be ugly as the fake snow miku

8 hours ago, BottleStar said:

Wow. 🙄 I'm surprised how fast they moved on from Miku to Saber. Which other DD characters do you guys think are popular enough to end up getting faked as well? I kind hope this doesn't go any further than the dolls that are famous for having multiple releases.

Anyone from rather popular IPs that Volks have the rights for. Which, in this case Saber happened due to the immense popularity of F/GO.

Thankfully the recast versions are easy to spot since they look terrible. The molds look sunken in and the eyes are so alien looking. 

Here's an official statement from Volks about counterfeit/recasted DDS Sabers.

Be careful were you purchase your Sabers from. 

 

 

And for those of us that can't read Japanese, Google translate says:

 

Quote

[Caution regarding counterfeit goods]
     Forged products that illegally duplicate and manufacture "DDS Saber / Altria Pendragon" have been confirmed on Chinese Internet sites.
     Please be careful when purchasing.
     Details are here: https://t.co/ynZ7MCNgki#Volks#Dolphy Dream #FateGO #FGO pic.twitter.com/M3DIBpEmNm
     — Volks Doll Project Office DD representative (@volks_dd) March 28, 2019

 

There's an official statement in English now, here: https://www.volks.co.jp/en/news/20190328.html#en

In my opinion, VOLKS does not do a good job in dealing with this problem:

1. It would be pretty easy to shut down the illegal sale on eBay. But even after months Hatsune Miku is still for sale there.
2. Abolutly no info from VOLKS how to identify if it's a fake doll or the original.
3. The statement say "Dollfie Dream® and the related products are produced only by VOLKS INC. and only available for sale through VOLKS Stores, VOLKS Partner Shop and Friend Shops. "
So what about MANDARAKE and all the other second hand sale? Is this also illegal? The dollfie community very much depends on the second market.

Just saying something like "You have to buy from us (VOLKS)" will not be enough to solve the problem.

I had already feared in December that the producer in China do some mass production and this has unfortunately proven and now it will be even worse.

Edited April 4, 2019 by MarQ

Does anyone know what kind of an impact these fakes will have on the legitimate DD market? Will it really lead to price increases? I've read that non-vinyl dolls are easily copied, so maybe looking at that market will show what to expect?

On 4/4/2019 at 11:26 PM, MarQ said:

In my opinion, VOLKS does not do a good job in dealing with this problem:

1. It would be pretty easy to shut down the illegal sale on eBay. But even after months Hatsune Miku is still for sale there.
2. Abolutly no info from VOLKS how to identify if it's a fake doll or the original.
3. The statement say "Dollfie Dream® and the related products are produced only by VOLKS INC. and only available for sale through VOLKS Stores, VOLKS Partner Shop and Friend Shops. "
So what about MANDARAKE and all the other second hand sale? Is this also illegal? The dollfie community very much depends on the second market.

Just saying something like "You have to buy from us (VOLKS)" will not be enough to solve the problem.

I had already feared in December that the producer in China do some mass production and this has unfortunately proven and now it will be even worse.

1. Unfortunately shutting down illegal sales on Ebay isn't that simple. Even if the listings get taken down, they just get relisted again, even under different accounts. Otherwise companies with much greater power than Volks - like Disney and Nintendo - would be able to stop bootleg items of their properties on ebay, but they can't seem to squash it completely (disney seems to have done a decent job of it though - there was (is?) apparently some drama with fake collectable pins)

2. I would like to see Volks release an official image comparison of the fakes too. Good Smile regularly do this with bootleg figures.

3. I assume saying this is mostly a safety measure for security's sake. They have control over what gets sold in their own stores, but they don't have control over private sellers or stores like mandarake, so they cannot personally guarantee that mandarake doesnt sell fakes even though its statistically unlikely to get a fake from there. They're not saying its illegal, they're saying that the only way they can personally guarantee you are receiving a legitimate item is to buy from them directly. However, I do think that mandarake is a trusted enough name in Japan that they could include it on a list of trusted resellers. I have personally never heard of anyone receiving a bootleg doll or figure from mandarake - although if it has happened at all, I guess the risk exists.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Monty

Just going to let some know incase they aren't aware; VOLKs has been in battle with recasts for YEARS. This isn't new to them. They are very aware of what they CAN do, and what they CAN'T, moreso than the public.

They are currently standing as one of the companies with the most recasts of their dolls, and after all this time, removing them from the internet is not getting any simpler. Every limited SD BJD release they have will almost ALWAYS be recasted without a shadow of doubt.

 

I understand their lack of attention to the fake Dollfie Dreams since it's still relatively new and only the people that don't research, will confuse that fake head for the original. Once it starts catching momentum and the quality picks up too, VOLKs will probably release another notice telling you not to purchase from third party options. That is the best that they can do. Infact, there'd be nothing else they can do.

Their recast BJDs literally look just like the legit, and only the interior of certain parts (sometimes), or the weight of the doll can determine whether the doll is legit or not. With this knowledge in their belt, why would VOLKs see a point in doing a comparison shot for customers?

 

The second hand market is almost always never mentioned in most companies too, because it's a gamble. Once the doll leaves their factory, the ball is no longer in their court. A company can't shepherd everything.

Edited April 6, 2019 by freakie-oppa

Well, this thread made me paranoid. I bought most of my stuff directly from Volks, but the head I have is a custom face-up from an artist that supplied their own head.  What would be some key features to make sure mine is legit? 

1 hour ago, DesertPhantom51 said:

Well, this thread made me paranoid. I bought most of my stuff directly from Volks, but the head I have is a custom face-up from an artist that supplied their own head.  What would be some key features to make sure mine is legit? 

Unless it's a Saber or Miku head then it's real.  😉  The only fake DD's that have been found so far are those two girls and only in full set form.  I don't think anyone has seen *just* the heads of those two girls being sold separately yet and I doubt they will since buying the fullset bootlegs cost almost as much or less than a real Saber or Miku head that's legit.  I don't see the market getting flooded with just heads due to the fact they won't be able to sell them for much and because they are so easily spotted for those two ladies.  

 

So I think you're fine. 

 

 

 

Billy

1 hour ago, baldylox said:

Unless it's a Saber or Miku head then it's real.  😉  The only fake DD's that have been found so far are those two girls and only in full set form.  I don't think anyone has seen *just* the heads of those two girls being sold separately yet and I doubt they will since buying the fullset bootlegs cost almost as much or less than a real Saber or Miku head that's legit.  I don't see the market getting flooded with just heads due to the fact they won't be able to sell them for much and because they are so easily spotted for those two ladies.  

 

So I think you're fine. 

 

 

 

Billy

Thanks, she's a ddh-07, so I guess that means it's safe.  I'm an anime figure collector mostly who just got their first doll a few months back, so I'm still learning a lot. 

10 minutes ago, DesertPhantom51 said:

Thanks, she's a ddh-07, so I guess that means it's safe.  I'm an anime figure collector mostly who just got their first doll a few months back, so I'm still learning a lot. 

Oh yeah, you shouldn't have any worries with an 07.  And congrats on getting her!   

This forum is great for info.  There are lots of people here who are very knowledgeable and helpful so always feel free to ask questions if you're not sure on something.  

 

Billy

This is sad 😕 Like others coming form the resin side of the hobby, I had always hoped people wouldn't find a way to make recasts here or that it would be too time consuming, but thieves always find a way. It was good to see the comparison video, to have an idea of what to look for, part and body wise.

I hate this so much. 😕

I got into this hobby by piecemealing my dolls together out of used parts. And I did so fearlessly, because I knew that unlike the resin side of things, Vinyl was mostly safe from bootlegs- that at worst, I might wind up with a misrepresented Obtisu body, as long as I shop smart and do my research first.

I was hoping Snow Miku would be a fluke... I was literally just thinking earlier "if they go after another doll it will probably be Saber since she's so popular." Gah!

But if nothing else, I think that we can trust most of the people we deal with for now. As far as things go, unless you want Snow Miku or Saber, there's nothing to worry about- and I think sites like Mandarake and Y!JA will be safe for a while yet as well. Ebay is always a crapshoot, but if you look for the general recast seller hallmarks, you can minimize your risk. Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions, too! And on the offchance you do get burned, go nuclear. Complain to ebay, contact your bank that you have been sold a counterfeit product and see if you can get your money back. I think if they get burned with chargebacks enough times, they'll reconsider whether the potential profit is worth the risk and headache. 

At the end of the day, Vinyl Dolls are still much harder to reproduce compared to resin by the grace of their glorious internal skeleton. I think that will act as a buffer against someone bothering to try to recast the overwhelming majority of them; there's no money in it. We have to be watchful, and I hate that we have to be... but I also have hope that vinyl dolls will be a bigger fight to replicate, and that hopefully bootlegs like Miku and Saber remain outliers, and not the norm.

4 hours ago, Mothiraffe said:

At the end of the day, Vinyl Dolls are still much harder to reproduce compared to resin by the grace of their glorious internal skeleton. I think that will act as a buffer against someone bothering to try to recast the overwhelming majority of them; there's no money in it. We have to be watchful, and I hate that we have to be... but I also have hope that vinyl dolls will be a bigger fight to replicate, and that hopefully bootlegs like Miku and Saber remain outliers, and not the norm.

It's not the internal skeleton, that's just plastic with some crews: it's the vinyl itself. It needs metal/copper molds and they are very expensive to make. Resin and other plastics can be easily molded at home but vinyl needs an actual proper factory. Which just speaks volumes of how much money counterfeiters have to be able to make those expensive molds. Once they have them they can use them nearly countless times as they don't wear out like the molds used for resin casting. The start-up cost is just a lot higher, which is likely why we haven't seen bootleg vinyl dolls until now.

Thank you for correcting me. It honestly makes me wonder if they're really getting their investment back after all of that work, and there is SO MUCH work going into even the comically bad counterfeit dolls... but the fact that they've moved from Miku to Saber means that someone out there is buying them.

Other than those two, I don't know that there are any more worth trying to counterfeit, though. The Kagamine twins or Luka, maybe? I'm not sure who's in the most demand. 

I hope they go bust, honestly. For so many reasons... 

I won't post the link (for obvious reasons) but I've seen a listing on Y!JA for the fake snow Miku as well, and it uses a photo of her real Volks box. The doll photos used are of the fake doll still, but some of the angles make it almost look legit with the clothes on. Be careful, y'all!

On Instagram I saw a fake Snow Miku with a redone faceup and different eyes which made it far harder to identify her as a fake too.

Edit: I thought she still looked odd but I only knew for sure it was fake because the poster admitted it was.

Edited April 14, 2019 by cfx

UGhhhhhgghghgfh terrible

All this is doing is making me super hesitant to ever pick up a Snow Miku outside of Volks events. I hope they don't try to rip off Sakura Miku next (though since she's not going to be out for a while, at least we should have some grace period before things go sideways. This is such bad news OTL

Gonna have to get into the habit of asking for photos of the actual item for sale if they're only using stock images.

I worry about this too as a lot of people like Miku in general. People just finding out about the dolls might stray to the fake Dollife Miku if it’s cheap just to have one. I wonder if volks will start issuing out birth certificates, or somthing similar to what they do with resin bjds?