Volks JP at Magical Mirai 2013 Hatsune Miku Event

Thank you for the pic. Awwwwww. She is gorgeous.

 

I only wonder how close to the prototype, the new actual production models will be. And dat wig will stain for sure. Must get headcap.

Is there a reservation fee for pre-orders?

 

This'll be my first time pre-ordering so I'm a bit lost. I inquired with a shopping service, and she said I needed to give an initial deposit for the pre-order because she needed to pay a reservation fee for it. I might sign up for a Volks JP account and pre-order her on my own, since I have an uncle who lives in Japan who can bring her to me in the Philippines without a problem, since he makes frequent trips here.

 

Just want to know if there is a reservation fee, and how would a non-JP user using a JP account pay for it, if ever? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

I noticed that the Senbonzakura outfit is not for sale in Korea... is it a matter of rights or a political decision?

Just curious.

Hmm, that is strange. I didn't even give it much thought at first, but if they are taking orders for Miku maybe political reasons are a possibility.

Is there a reservation fee for pre-orders?

 

This'll be my first time pre-ordering so I'm a bit lost. I inquired with a shopping service, and she said I needed to give an initial deposit for the pre-order because she needed to pay a reservation fee for it. I might sign up for a Volks JP account and pre-order her on my own, since I have an uncle who lives in Japan who can bring her to me in the Philippines without a problem, since he makes frequent trips here.

 

Just want to know if there is a reservation fee, and how would a non-JP user using a JP account pay for it, if ever? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Does Volks International not ship to the Phillipines?

 

I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure the down payment/reservation fee is for if you pre-order in a physical store. It's pay-entirety-shipping for online ones.

 

As for Senbonzakura not being available in Korea (and as of yet completely unconfirmed either way for US), it probably is licensing funk. Licensing Miku herself is one thing, since her default design is owned entirely by Crypton Future Media. Senbonzakura, if I recall correctly, comes from a Nico user's video, so that's probably who holds the copyright on the outfit. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if that person came to a different licensing agreement than CFM did.

Is there a reservation fee for pre-orders?!

 

Volks' site says the payment will be in Fall (Autumn) of 2014. I also have Momo on preorder. I ordered her on 14 January 2013 and she is still waiting for Volks' email for payment, which will be a link to either their Nicos credit card processor or a PayPal payment request. Volks is using a very customer-safe method of preordering. There is no prepayment which could be troublesome if Volks' goes bust as then we'd lose our money. There was no fee for Momo and there is no indication online of a fee being required for Miku.

I'm really excited for Volks release of DD Miku! It's been such a long wait! It's really nice for them to release her as a pre-order instead of a lottery, it'd be very hard to get her if she was sold via a lottery!

 

One whole year is going to be a long wait... >_____<

 

I've been reading fans comments on Twitter, people are saying they're not considering whether they should get Miku or not, they are considering how many Mikus they should get! (One person can get up to 4 Mikus)

One person can get up to 4 Mikus

in this case we get our orders in a year 2015, after payment in 2014 VOLKS sends orders to customers very slow

One person can get up to 4 Mikus

in this case we get our orders in a year 2015, after payment in 2014 VOLKS sends orders to customers very slow

 

 

Gonna make sure I make my order on the first day so that I wont be in the last batch of shipments D:

What are the odds that you'll be able to buy a Miku Hatsune in one of the Volks store in Tokyo next year in the fall?

 

I'm just wondering 'cause I'll be going to Japan in October next year. I don't plan to take part of the preorder 'cause I can't predict if I can afford her when it's time to pay. Traveling to Japan will be expensive >___< But if I were able to buy her in one of their stores, I'd definitely consider it.

Gonna make sure I make my order on the first day so that I wont be in the last batch of shipments D:

Same here! >0<

This one year wait is going to be painful... >____<

 

Eiko82: I think this would be difficult as she seems to be so popular. If you really want her it's best to pre-order her and save up, Volks won't ask money from you until Fall 2014 so you'll have plenty of time to save up.

As for Senbonzakura not being available in Korea (and as of yet completely unconfirmed either way for US), it probably is licensing funk. Licensing Miku herself is one thing, since her default design is owned entirely by Crypton Future Media. Senbonzakura, if I recall correctly, comes from a Nico user's video, so that's probably who holds the copyright on the outfit. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if that person came to a different licensing agreement than CFM did.

I had no idea, thanks for the info. That goes to show how little I know about Miku.

I had no idea, thanks for the info. That goes to show how little I know about Miku.

 

You're welcome! IP rights on Miku and other Vocaloids are way more complicated than with other characters, so don't feel to bad for not getting that particular nuance. I'm still flabbergasted they got the rights to all those songs for the concerts--pretty much all of them were written by Nico users too.

 

I'm also going to be ordering early to make sure I get in an early shipment--that should offset the fact that I'll probably get her through Volks USA as insurance against USD/JPY fluctuations. So it'll be like getting her in the second wave instead of a third.

 

EDIT: Volks USA has changed their blog header to Miku, so I'm guessing we'll have US details on her within the week. Yay!

Is there a reservation fee for pre-orders?

 

This'll be my first time pre-ordering so I'm a bit lost. I inquired with a shopping service, and she said I needed to give an initial deposit for the pre-order because she needed to pay a reservation fee for it. I might sign up for a Volks JP account and pre-order her on my own, since I have an uncle who lives in Japan who can bring her to me in the Philippines without a problem, since he makes frequent trips here.

 

Just want to know if there is a reservation fee, and how would a non-JP user using a JP account pay for it, if ever? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Does Volks International not ship to the Phillipines?

 

I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure the down payment/reservation fee is for if you pre-order in a physical store. It's pay-entirety-shipping for online ones.

 

They do, I think, but it's very hard for us to receive packages directly from Volks because they don't under-declare their prices, which results in ridiculously high customs tax rates for us. Our customs office doesn't honor insurance either, and the whole bureau is notorious for being a hotbed for corruption, so the best option for us is to order through a shopping service.

 

The shopping service I talked to did mention that she'd be paying at the store, so I think you're right on that one. ^_^

 

Volks' site says the payment will be in Fall (Autumn) of 2014. I also have Momo on preorder. I ordered her on 14 January 2013 and she is still waiting for Volks' email for payment, which will be a link to either their Nicos credit card processor or a PayPal payment request. Volks is using a very customer-safe method of preordering. There is no prepayment which could be troublesome if Volks' goes bust as then we'd lose our money. There was no fee for Momo and there is no indication online of a fee being required for Miku.

 

Awesome, thanks for that! That's really useful info.

What are the odds that you'll be able to buy a Miku Hatsune in one of the Volks store in Tokyo next year in the fall?

Slim to none. The dolls are being built to order, so if you don't order one then it won't be built! If by some chance Volks had extras from people who didn't pay and did decide to leave them in a store, those dolls would be sold instantly to the Japanese - it's Miku.

 

So, if you like her, you should preorder and then save your cash every month. You have a whole year to put money aside into a separate account.

 

However, you ARE likely to be able to buy one from Mandarake in person next fall..... at an inflated price...... I think the save-up route is the better way to go, myself.

What are the odds that you'll be able to buy a Miku Hatsune in one of the Volks store in Tokyo next year in the fall?

Slim to none. The dolls are being built to order, so if you don't order one then it won't be built! If by some chance Volks had extras from people who didn't pay and did decide to leave them in a store, those dolls would be sold instantly to the Japanese - it's Miku.

 

So, if you like her, you should preorder and then save your cash every month. You have a whole year to put money aside into a separate account.

 

However, you ARE likely to be able to buy one from Mandarake in person next fall..... at an inflated price...... I think the save-up route is the better way to go, myself.

Do you think Miku's prise will rise significantly after release?

 

Four copies means there might be excess copies lying around.. but she IS Miku.

I'd say she'd have the general price inflation as the rest of the highly sought after girls whether she is a preorder or not. It's a gamble either way and just depends on how much you want to risk $$-wise in waiting till after she's released to get her vs saving up then having her paid off a few weeks before she ships. This is all really a judgement call on how much you want her or how much you're willing to spend for her after she releases. Maybe she'll stay close to her original MSRP -- or she'll continue to go up in value every year. Super hard to say. If you want her, best to just go in for her. If you're worried about not being able to have the funds for her... you could always find a friend or relative that lives near you that isn't at all interested in dolls and have *them* put in the preorder for her. If some financial burden comes your way a year from now and you're unable to pay off the preorder then the family-member/friend gets premabanned and not you.

 

Not an ideal thing to do obviously, but it's a way to insure you got her preordered then have a plan incase something happens and you can't pay her off around the end of 2014.

Even the overproduced Sabers Extra & Alter 2nd have been going for ~90k yen in the aftermarket, which is still about 20k yen above their retail price. Supplies of them finally seem to be drying up so it's only up from there.

 

You takes your chances in the aftermarket.

You would think since you can order up to 4 and having such a long pre-order period her aftermarket price wouldn't jump up too much. But sadly that isn't how it will go or how things work out. Since she is going to be a very popular item it's best not to risk it and just pre-order her. Having the chance to pay retail instead of an aftermarket price is the way to go no matter how you look at it.

 

Another way if you are worried about having the funds just wait and get your pre-order in toward the end when it's about to be over. That way you will have even longer to save. Sure you will be one of the last ones getting her, but at least it will give you more time.

 

I have a feeling they will have to do batches again anyway. There is no way considering how many Mikus people will be ordering Volks will be able to get them out in one batch. Especially with that insanely long pre-order period.

 

I really hope Volks will have their act together for this pre-order. The terms already scare me some and I think of the Saber incident. If it was up to me I would make it limit 1 per customer and only allow one month to order. But hopefully Volks knows what they are doing.

I thought everybody had to pay at the same time no matter which batch they were in as long as they ordered from the same place? I paid for the Sabers early in the year, the same as everyone else, but I was in the second USA batch and therefore got my girls last. The only benefit I had was that by the time they produced my girls, there had already been complaints about the shoulders breaking, so they had upgraded mid-order to the slightly stronger version.

The only benefit I had was that by the time they produced my girls, there had already been complaints about the shoulders breaking, so they had upgraded mid-order to the slightly stronger version.

 

This is the first time I hear such story! Oh no! I really should do more research before placing my pre-order then. Thank you for your advice!

@Jezrah Ohhh I had no idea. I didn't bother with the Saber pre-order so I didn't know how the payment went for her.

 

I was just keeping the mentality of paying when she ships. Which lead me to think later orders would have a bit more time to pay since their items are being shipped later. But you are probably right that Volks will ask for everyone's money at the same time regardless of when you get your order in. I'm far from a pre-order expert, I was just guessing. But since the Kos-Mos order is following this format we will know for sure when those orders go out how the pay when they ship goes.

So I'm a little confused. If we order from Volks International do we have to put down a deposit or pay in full like the VolksUSA blog mentions for US orders?

I hadn't realized Volks USA had put up anything yet beyond changing their header! Here's the blog post for those who missed it.

 

I get the impression that Volks International is doing it pay-in-full on shipping, but theirs is sometimes a little. . .Engrish-y.

 

Personally, I think I'm going to get her from Volks USA and just pay in full up front--re-evaluated my finances, and I've got the buffer now and can't guarantee I'll have it later. (Don't tell my grandmother this, lol--it's my money, but she's irritatingly nosy. XD) I know I'll be getting her two months later than the International folks this way, but at least this way I don't have to fret about the uncertainty of not just my future finances but the future of the USD/JPY as well.

 

The way I'm thinking of it, by paying in full I'm getting future me a Christmas present.

The downpayment at Volks USA is much more expensive than I thought it would be. It's $282 and if you pay for Miku in full she'll cost you $682.

 

Edit: Didn't see Poofiemus' link to Volks USA

The down payment started at about 8%, increased to 15% and is now at 40%. Way too many defaults I think.