Customs opened my package - DHL - DS 145minus

[RJAce1014]

$500 for DHL shipping, that seems like a very high price. The quotes I've gotten from vendors on shipping dolls that size have been much lower.

Only dollsweet man, dollsweet.

Don't be shocked. On high end market, $500 shipping is pretty less.
Check out Orient Industry, you might vomit with their own shipping price. They price everything including the wig. A wig you can buy for $10 or $20 is $100 on OI.

Some companies, especially TPE added the shipping to the doll. So if you bought the TPE doll at $1799, that means her actual price is $1299. TPE vs Silicone, silicone is supposedly much expensive. Other dolls companies that does silicone like JM and Sanhui added it to their price.

Don't be shocked, DS dolls before are expensive. The 145 series along are $2499 so seeing them today at $1699 is a great deal. Because if you add that $500 on their price before, you're shelling 3K per doll.

But that's just US. EU has VATS and you'll probably ended up 4k to even get one.

Let's get back to the topic.

With this poor repacking and endangerment of a product, I deserve a compensation, am I?

Cheers,

RJ

[WaffleAnomaly]

On ds's site I noticed only the 145 to the US is ~500$. The larger dolls all said ~130$ iirc. Dunno how accurate it was though.

[LovesBlackWomen]

Why worry about germs from customs?
All my realdolls were bought used, so of course the previous owners stuck their p---s in them.
My most recent one was missing a few teeth. Makes me wonder what he stuck in her mouth.
But hey, he paid $5,000+ for it, so he's entitled to do as he pleases. I hope he got his $5,000 worth.
I still stare into her eyes and kiss her on the mouth.

[rubherkitty]

RE: DS Dolls shipping cost.
Maybe their cost is higher as they probably claim the true value of goods?

Many dolls have been held by customs due to Chinese shipping agents under claiming the value to make extra profit. The consumer then has to deal with customs and possibly added cost to cover the import duties. There goes the cheap price you paid for the doll.

[RJAce1014]

RE: DS Dolls shipping cost.
Maybe their cost is higher as they probably claim the true value of goods?

Many dolls have been held by customs due to Chinese shipping agents under claiming the value to make extra profit. The consumer then has to deal with customs and possibly added cost to cover the import duties. There goes the cheap price you paid for the doll.

DS always claim their doll in full price. Other manufacturers don't and yes, amongst my other doll beside DS, never gotten any taxes, duties, etc. as they're claim as $200 mannequin while DS does put the entire price on the tag.

The tax and duties to be collected it 4.4% or less than that which in sum return, below a hundred bucks.

Now, let's head back to customs. I still don't know which customs would tampered my package. Like I said, there's clearance for customs going out of China and US customs going inside US soil. China may not look like it but they have their own procedure for customs and will ensure they didn't get in trouble for shipping anything illegal out of their soil to tarnish their name. Others seems good at getting things out and US is rather strict and has X-rays and so one scanner. So I'm really puzzled why open it?

Also the last question now is, will they make a note of it so in the future they don't constantly open everything I ordered? I mean, okay, box like this is a doll so in the future, no more BS.

I wish they have that.

Cheers,

RJ

[WaffleAnomaly]

Also the last question now is, will they make a note of it so in the future they don't constantly open everything I ordered? I mean, okay, box like this is a doll so in the future, no more BS.

Nope. They likely don't even know who owns the box when they open it for the random inspection picks. Plus a whitelist would defeat the whole purpose of their job.


Not sure why dolls aren't shipped in clear plastic or something though. That way customs could move them around without getting them dirty and such. (Though I'm sure there'd be instances of them tearing it off...) Packaging all around is pretty subpar in general even if customs didn't have a habit of "helpfully" repacking it.

I could definitely see them opening a box and then there's some large object in a sleeping bag. Suspicious!

[MannyCan]

I wrote DS about how they pack. They actually were told by their carrier to tape LESS so that custom can get into the box. I think that this has actually had the unintended effect that its encourages customs to open the box. Other manufacturers pack their boxes like a tank. Mostly to prevent breakage. But the new packing style from DS is a double-whammy: (1) encourages intentional opening and (2) doesn't hold up well to normal rigors of shipping.

Also - I noticed that DS didn't add packing foam .. just the sleeping bag thing. In truth, this is the most disappointing part of the whole process (partially because its also the most stressful part of the process). I'm SO GLAD that I used BDC as a vendor. Jeff really made it go as smoothly as possible.

[LoneRanger]

A fairy tale of days gone bye....

Once upon a time there was a Doll company who use to pack their products in custom sculpted boxes and everyone in the Kingdom was Happy!!

Then they decided, for what ever reason, to go to paper bags with a few napkins!! Much to the Kingdom's sorrow, dolls were nevermore.......

[LoneRanger]

But don't take my word for it, I have a better source, how about my girls opening up pictures.

Can you guess which one had a few "issues" (she is fine and we love Sam for that)....

[RJAce1014]

I like your storybuild Loneranger. This Fable company are really having a great kingdom indeed. Let me put it in the book as a short story.

"Once a upon a time, there was this glorious doll company that ships their doll in a very unique awesome box. Everything in the kingdom is fine until they decided to shove in toilet paper off their shipment and decided to go cheap. After that, everyone in the kingdom panics on their incompetence towards their customer and set the kingdom on fire. So to put out the fire out of the flame, they decided to pull out their precious dollies and denied sales to US for a year..."

So when does the big bad wolf enter in this scene? Will the Prince Charming ever save the Princess from this customs torture or will it have to be awaken by a kiss?

I can't wait for the next episode.

Cheers,

RJ

[MannyCan]

Once upon a time there was a Doll company who use to pack their products in custom sculpted boxes and everyone in the Kingdom was Happy!!

OMG!! When did they stop doing THAT!??

I would pay more for good packing. Really .. its such a shame to make a great doll only to have it beat to crap in transit. So Sad!!

[optical delusion]

i would gladly pay extra for that piece of mind. while the box my girl came in was in great condition and inside the body was perfect(head has indentation from eye mask) i will admit that a 2k+ item coming in a cardboard box was a bit of an eye brow raiser. yeah sure tv's and other items do as well but our girls are traveling half way around the world solo

[LoneRanger]

You can be sure that those 2 boxes I have are packed and stored away in case I need to ever ship any of my girls. It is also true that the box weights about the same as the doll, maybe a little more.

Now I imagine their eyes popping out of their head when UPS (that was the current shipper at that time) told them that they, DS, would be charged double what they charged USA customers for shipping.

This is were they had 2 choices
1.) Increase the cost of shipping and admit they screwed up. But (JMHO) saving face is more important then saving money in that part of the world.
2.) Go super cheap on boxes and toss their fate to the wind. How did that work out......


And the key to understanding this as a big picture, home sales in China I am guessing is at least 90% of their business. The rest of the world 10% (just guessing, but it makes sense) so if I was loosing money sending my product out of country and it was just a small piece of the pie, I also would shut it down and pretend it was for other reasons.....

[RJAce1014]

i would gladly pay extra for that piece of mind. while the box my girl came in was in great condition and inside the body was perfect(head has indentation from eye mask) i will admit that a 2k+ item coming in a cardboard box was a bit of an eye brow raiser. yeah sure tv's and other items do as well but our girls are traveling half way around the world solo

I don't care if I pay $200 or more for insurance as well. This doll is 2k... 2K!! for Pete's sake. You think they will even mind refunding you 2k after it was ransacked by incompetent shipping company employees? No, DS will probably give you 1/3 of your doll that you didn't receive or received but with defects. I don't know much of Lonerangers success with DS after his nightmare but I can't imagine DS will side you on your lost. "Once the package is sent to the shipping company, it's out of our jurisdiction." Business as usual, you commissioned them to make your doll, they done their job once it's shipped. They may offer you a fix or extras in future purchase for compensation but that's it.

I agree, a box with name on it and nicely sculpt is less to be trivial than a normal cardboard box with sleeping bag that looks like someone was disposing dead body to the river. Customs is probably the worst enemy any doll lovers alike.

Cheese,

RJ

[LoneRanger]

What ever it was that Customs was doing with my DS Mini was compounded by the time it took them to do it. It was months before I was told, she will burn and you loose. It was a constant line of BS from this normal, should be soon, check back in 30 days, they can take as long as they like to dead. It was enough to make me loose my mind.