INCOMING DOLLS and Taobao!

Let me tell you right now that my bank account attempted to murder me in my sleep. For revenge, I purchased more dolls....

Universe Doll, one of my favorite doll companies, had a 40-50% off sale! AMAZING! I really really wish I could have bought every doll they had but I am not a millionaire...just a dollaraire.

​Sad day.

ANYWAY, I bought three dolls. They are as follows:​

Megaera Elf

Universe Doll

Dark Tan

De'Ath

Universe Doll

White

1/4 Boy Body (Jointed)

Universe Doll

Light Tan

I bought them directly from Universe Doll on TaoBao through an agent called Bhiner. Let me tell you, that is a process in of itself! Though, I made it more complicated than it had to be. I didn't want to fork over any of my banking details so I went about it the hard way and almost missed the sale. I wanted to use PayPal Credit, but Bhiner will not allow you to use PayPal if you buy anything over $75.00. Their website says anything over about $187.00, but that is false information. I questioned them about this and I think they said it was because the dolls were a pre-order item? Therefore I had to use Transferwise. I don't like this idea because you can't file a claim with PayPal if something happens, which is probably why Bhiner set a PayPal limit. Either way, Transferwise cost me about $9.00 while PayPal would have charged me $30.00!

However, once I got all my finances straight and Transferwise set up, I had the dolls purchased within eight hours. I would have purchased the dolls immediately, but due to the time difference from here and China, I had to wait until the Bhiner workers got up out of bed and went to work. :) I still had to stay up past midnight, though, and I usually go to bed around 8pm (I have to get up super early for work all the time). Luckily, I was off the next day so I could sleep in.

The thing is, during this whole ordeal, I managed to figure out how to buy things off Taobao without an agent and WITHOUT A CHINESE BANK ACCOUNT. I have been trying to figure that out for years. Although I think Alipay just recently updated to allow foreign credit cards, so there's that. I added a card that I got specifically for sort of "risky purchases" and added that to my Alipay account (this is part of the reason it took me so long...I was waiting for the card to come in the mail and then I had to wait while the money I transferred to the card to clear). Now I can simply check out with that card on Taobao through Alipay.

I still can't "confirm" my identity on Alipay because I don't have a Chinese banking card, so this process may not be 100% good, but it works. I tested it out by buying a really cheap doll item. I am waiting for it to be shipped to the Taobao logistics warehouse, and then I will pay for it to be shipped to the USA. If that works out okay, I will be doing that from now on instead of using an agent, unless the situation calls for it.

Honestly, I could have bought these dolls from Universe Doll directly and saved myself a $25 agent fee, but after going through all the trouble with Transferwise, I decided to use it. My money was already being transferred into that account anyway, so I would have missed the sale if I waited for the money to transfer back out and buying the dolls directly.

I also don't like other people opening my boxes...even if it is to check to make sure everything was sent correctly. Something could be taken out, misplaced, or repacked incorrectly.

Change of Plans...

Originally, I was planning on buying Rumpel Dolls Abby in lilac when she was released. She is actually on sale at the time of this post. Unfortunately, that planned changed. Doll Chateau is sadly discontinuing a lot of their dolls! I was not too fond of most of the head sculpts being discontinued, so that was a life saver. The bodies that go with these head sculpts are supposedly NOT being discontinued, however. The resin accessories that go with these dolls ARE being discontinued. So if you want some of the heads and horns and such, you better buy them NOW.

Even so, I went ahead and bought Amos. I was just going to buy the head, as BJDivas said that was okay, but I decided Ada need a big brother/dad/cousin/family member/friend and bought the full doll.

With that being said, Abby is over $400! It is a bit pricey for a tiny sized doll. I have spent so much money in a very short amount of time I am literally stressing out over it. As cute as Abby may be, I have to pass her up until her next release. Judging by Rumpel Dolls pattern, this will be a year or two from now. If I want her sooner, I might be able to find one on Den of Angels. I have a feeling a lilac skinned Abby will be hard to find though. Most people buy dolls in natural skin colors.

Miracle Doll Baiye Arrived at Bhiner!

The same day I topped up on money to buy the dolls from Universe Doll, I got a notification that my Miracle Doll Baiye arrived and I need to pay the second payment. Coincidence? I don't know, maybe. Here are the pictures they sent me.

The Universe Doll MSD body I just purchased will be this guys body. I think the resins from Miracle Doll and Universe Doll are similar so I think they will match decently with a little blushing. Hopefully the head and body fit nicely. If not, I will use the body for a different head.

Miracle Doll Resin Colors

Universe Doll Resin Colors

I chose "light burning" on both. I will post pictures of the resin side by side when everything arrives. I imagine it might take awhile for my Universe Dolls to get here because of the sale and the Chinese holiday coming up. I bet everyone, even the shipping companies, are a bit bogged down by all the sales going on.

I think that is all the BJD updates I have for now. See you later!