Volks USA No Longer Carrying Limited Dolls and Items

yeaaaaa I saw this and it makes no sense what so ever. Why even keep a US office now? Getting the fullset dolls from them was about the only time their UPS shipping ended up being reasonable. I mean they said they're closing the storefront but now they must be just in the process of closing the branch all together. It could very well be shipping costs for the dolls overseas is something they want to cut out... but even then that makes no sense b/c they say to still use We Love Dolls.

 

If they don't sell any new dolpa clothing lines I really don't see the point in using them again.

 

 

I mean why in blue blazes would you as a company direct someone to a 3rd party (yet licensed) dealer for the dolls vs your own company that is in the States??? I'm baffled

beyond belief.....

I feel the exact same way. Makes no sense to me.

yeaaaaa I saw this and it makes no sense what so ever. Why even keep a US office now? Getting the fullset dolls from them was about the only time their UPS shipping ended up being reasonable. I mean they said they're closing the storefront but now they must be just in the process of closing the branch all together. It could very well be shipping costs for the dolls overseas is something they want to cut out... but even then that makes no sense b/c they say to still use We Love Dolls.

 

If they don't sell any new dolpa clothing lines I really don't see the point in using them again.

 

 

I mean why in blue blazes would you as a company direct someone to a 3rd party (yet licensed) dealer for the dolls vs your own company that is in the States??? I'm baffled

beyond belief.....

I feel the exact same way. Makes no sense to me.

 

I would have to think that they don't want to make themselves a direct competitor to their dealer, since now they won't have a storefront which I think was the main point of volks usa

 

I wish We Love Dolls would update their website they look...A little dated..

Wow, looks like Volks is holding a massive sale this month : you can buy animetic eyes up to 90% off!!

 

I wish that Europeans could get a deal that great. I'd love to pick up some DD and some animetic eyes for 50-90% off.

Wow, looks like Volks is holding a massive sale this month : you can buy animetic eyes up to 90% off!!

 

I wish that Europeans could get a deal that great. I'd love to pick up some DD and some animetic eyes for 50-90% off.

 

 

that's so good! Why oh why is it volks USA ):

Can I just say this whole thing is just getting sadder and sadder by the update... first they stopped carrying standard SDs, then they were closing on the 30th, then it's the 15th, now this. It really feels that Volks no longer wants US business.

 

I've been in a real funk ever since the first news about the closing, and it's only getting worse.

 

I won't be able to go this weekend or next (as I'm both sick and broke), but I really REALLY hope they are just moving older items out to make room for new things.

Ah man, I wish I could get in on that sale

I won't be able to go this weekend or next (as I'm both sick and broke), but I really REALLY hope they are just moving older items out to make room for new things.

 

My guess is that if they have to move, the less stuff they have, the easier/faster/less expensive it will be. I just hope that all of these changes eventually means that they can dedicate more time to the website and improve that. I've made a couple of orders through Volks Int. (Xenosaga girls & SWS 02 head because Volks USA didn't have it at the time) but I still much prefer to shop through Volks USA.

 

~Sister Kyoya

Of course there's a sale, right after I bought all the parts for a DDS body. I can't imagine they will give me a reduced price in retrospect.

I've been thinking of picking up some extra hands, both in NS for Agatha and Nanoha, and in SWS for Miku. It'll probably be pretty competitive, but I figure it'll be worth a shot to get them for a discount.

I just assumed that the popular stuff like DD items wouldn't be on sale. They have a ton of the (small) Dollfie items and I though they'd just clear out the old stuff. I'd love to pick up cheap hands and eyes but I'm not expecting much from the sale :/

What I'm wondering is just what "SD/DD Parts" entail in that sales promotion post of theirs? Would that include all the individual body parts? Whole bodies? Just hands? Heads?

Edit: Posted the question on their FB, maybe they'll give me the answer I'm looking for xD

*crosses fingers*

I bet it's the old DDII parts... At least at the 50% discount. I'm doubtful that any DD bodies, heads or hands will see much of a discount. On the other hand, the site is closed until some time this summer, maybe they will discount everything.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath that the DDIII body stuff will be discounted, but I do have some hope since the only things they listed as not being discounted is all the limited stuff and resin dolls. Surely they would have listed full DD bodies and dolls as not being discounted if that were the case? Could just be bad wording on their part, though, so we'll find out! I posted the question on their FB so hopefully I'll know by tomorrow ^__^

 

It does say 'up to' 50% off, so maybe things like bodies will just be a smaller discount? I wish they'd posted more specifics :/

Just saw the FB update - looks like there will be some DD items, but like folks said they aren't terribly clear. 'Up to 50% off' DD parts could also mean 0% off certain items ^_^;

https://www.facebook.com/volksusa

The Volks USA issue looks like there will be a significant gap in their operations if I've correctly interpreted their announcement of a server migration to begin 3/25 and reopen (the very word used) early summer. I'm placing an order this afternoon in expectation that there could be "hiccups" with their projected schedule. I don't see why a server migration should take three months unless there's major revamping of their intended operations, services, and merchandise. I'm not hopeful for the final outcome being satisfying to the USA customer base.

 

It's a weird relationship I have with Volks...I love the products (when I can get them) but I'm so disappointed that their operations can't keep up with (my!) demands. So I will have to continue to haunt the aftermarkets & scalpers to find the items I want.

I don't see why a server migration should take three months unless there's major revamping of their intended operations, services, and merchandise.

 

Yeah, this makes me suspect they're redesigning the site. When I've been involved with web design, getting everything in place and tested does take a couple of months, especially with fancier back end stuff like MVC and/or ecommerce systems. Usually this happens behind the scenes, with the old or a placeholder site still in place until launch, so this visible hiatus extends the impression I'm getting that this is a real sudden change, rather than part of some larger "master" business plan.

 

If they are redesigning the site, I can't be the only one who hopes they're replacing the Yahoo cart with a different ecommerce system. Seriously, the Yahoo thing was a terrible fit for their business model. I also wonder if they'll go for more of a cloud-based hosting instead of a single physical server, as I've heard the former tends to fare better when sites get sudden spikes in event-related traffic.

Some where else in this thread there was mention made of moving to a warehouse. Seems to me if this is a business model to escape taxes, why even bother with California? Why not migrate to Nevada where so many other major online merchandisers have gone? Nevada officially makes a point of being business & tax friendly; and the long border with California makes this a viable choice. Currently, my two-day shipping promise from my Amazon Prime purchases takes only one day coming from Reno. And the Volks, USA need for a "warehouse" may simply be a matter of word choice - much retail space is vacant and can be leased/rented for a song comparatively speaking to a normally operated storefront/mall location.

 

I agree the there should be improvements made with respect to purchase & shipping options; paying the UPS $12 & up shipping fee (along with the higher southern CA sales tax rate) has always given me pause. Did you know that currently many UPS shipments are passed on to the USPS for final delivery? These considerations have frequently encouraged me to shop alternatives. Hopefully Paypal will become an accepted payment option; and having a Volks site account with shipping information & an optional permanent payment processes setup would be desirable to me. I would finally have a chance in the "click wars" as I'm currently disadvantaged with a long name and address!

I really don't think this is a business model to escape taxes. I actually fail to see how the tax burden changes at all between a storefront model and a warehouse model.

 

I think it's a business model to avoid the high costs of having a storefront. Rent is higher in storefront locations than in warehouse locations (even retail space available "for a song" is often way, way higher than comparable warehouse space). Storefront locations require additional levels of insurance to protect customers that might be injured on your premises. Storefront locations generally don't have loading docks or have small loading docks that can't accommodate larger freight vehicles; you have to pay extra for inside deliveries for inbound shipments and vehicles with a liftgate for outbound shipments.

 

Plus, no one outside of California pays the California sales taxes. I pay $0 in sales taxes when I buy from VolksUSA. Moving to Nevada would just mean that you might not have to pay CA sales tax on your shipments, but them all Nevada residents would have to pay NV sales tax, and all in-store pick-ups would also be paying NV sales tax. (None of which happens to cost Volks a penny, as sales tax is paid by the customer, not the business.) Nevada would mean that their ocean freight shipments, which are likely arriving at the Port of Long Beach (2nd busiest port in the US), would have to travel a longer overland route to reach the Volks store, which would result in increased freight costs for them. Current Long Beach-->Torrance distance: 13 miles. Proposed Long Beach-->NV distance: 200+ miles.

I definitely foresee a move away from the Yahoo hosting service. I imagine that's why they are ending the blogs, too - it's all a package hosting deal through Yahoo. Every item will have to be manually entered into the new storefront system, it's gonna be a huge pain. Hopefully it'll be well tested before going live for the first click wars!

 

Also I believe Cauldroness is right on the money about getting rid of the storefront. With no customer access, you don't have to worry about the insurance, cash registers and security, accessible bathrooms, etc. However, the LA location looked like it attached to a warehouse with a loading dock, it was in one of those industrial/business parks, so I don't think storage space was the issue. It was very close to LAX and the ports, more convenient for shipping than for any customers. Maybe they will keep their current space and just discontinue use of the storefront area.

Oh, that's a smart deduction about Yahoo. I hadn't realized the blog service was through Yahoo, but that makes total sense. Our company's online shopping cart lets us do mass uploads via spreadsheets; hopefully Volks will switch to something similar and a little less painful for them (also, our system is like Volks Int - if it's in your cart, it's yours). Fingers crossed that they do something similar and do lots of testing!

 

Per pichu's comment earlier in this thread, they are changing locations, but they're not going very far. Often the storefront + connected warehouse space are a package deal in a lease (because no one wants to rent a storefront that doesn't have accessible storage), so the building owner may not allow them to keep only their current warehouse space but did allow them to shift to a space without a connected storefront.

 

I asked them about this, they said that they will only be moving to another warehouse in the same area so the pick-up option will still be available. There just won't be a physical store where you can shop and look at items.

The new management talked about ways to expand in the "North American Market." That includes America, South America, Canada and Mexico. I imagine they have something planned out that will take sometime to implement. With how vague they are about what they are doing. All we can do is hope for improvements for now.

 

If they stop carrying limited dolls permanently, that's basically committing suicide for the northern markets.

If they stop carrying limited dolls permanently, that's basically committing suicide for the northern markets.

 

Personally I don't see this. I've never gone to Volks USA for limited girls, even when I had the option to. I like Volks USA because I can get what I need, get it faster, and if there is ever any problems I feel more comfortable talking with their customer service instead of Int.

 

There are still plenty of us who do custom girls. It isn't all about the limiteds.

 

~Sister Kyoya

If they stop carrying limited dolls permanently, that's basically committing suicide for the northern markets.

 

Personally I don't see this. I've never gone to Volks USA for limited girls, even when I had the option to. I like Volks USA because I can get what I need, get it faster, and if there is ever any problems I feel more comfortable talking with their customer service instead of Int.

 

There are still plenty of us who do custom girls. It isn't all about the limiteds.

 

~Sister Kyoya

 

Maybe, but it's a large portion of their sales, especially with popular characters. And if people choose to buy them directly from Volks, they are going to have to pay oversea shipping fees. Those aren't pretty. Anyways, I can't see this being a plus at all to them.