Trying to decide on 1st doll

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:13 pm

I remember googling realdolls years ago and thinking they were incredibly expensive and way out of my pricerange. I had a bit of an impulse to look again last week, and discovered this site, as well as the range of options that are significantly cheaper than realdolls are. So I'm pretty sure I've now convinced myself to buy my first doll. However, I'm struggling to decide which one. I've been looking at the WM dolls, I think I'd go with the 140a or 150b as looking well proportioned but slightly scaled down to be reasonably light, but the Australian vendors don't sell them, apparently due to fear of customs issues. The lightest dolls the aussie vendors have are the 157b or 155dd, but I'm really not a fan of cartoonish waists & boobs. The 162b & 162c look the best to me, but are 42kg.

I think 166b is probably the best compromise option of what's available. I don't really want to get from overseas vendor and have to deal with customs myself, risk having issues with them, get a bonus bill, etc.

And also have to decide on which head, struggling with that too as it's kind of hard to get a good sense of what they'll look like, especially with a different wig. Shortlist is currently 37, 98, 141, 159, 185. Possibly silly question, do heads only come in the pictured skintone, or will the head's tone be changed to match the choice of body skin tone?

Post by **Slew** » Sun Dec 09, 2018 12:49 am

Cheers ausguin, welcome to TDF. Here's the welcome wagon info: http://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtopi ... 21#p865521

Yeah, customs Australia is tough on dolls, them and the UK it seems.. it's really terrible. Good luck with your hunt.

DexterQuest · Post by **DexterQuest** » Sun Dec 09, 2018 10:14 am

Too bad they don't allow 140A. She's way thicker than the rest of my dolls that are taller.

symmes · Post by **symmes** » Sun Dec 09, 2018 10:44 am

I can't help with Australian customs issues, since I live in the US; however, I do have a few comments.

First, many vendors simply place an order with the factory and have it delivered straight to you. Thus, you may still need to deal with customs if there are problems there. Some vendors, though, have the dolls delivered to them and then ship them on to you. If you want the latter, be sure that's what you're getting. Note that each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. An intermediate stop will add a delay and cost, although it may help isolate you from customs hassles.

Second, WM is one of several brand names associated with the Jinsan factory. OR and YL are two others, and I think there are a few more, too. Most vendors who sell WM dolls also sell other Jinsan brands. The heads and bodies of all these Jinsan brands are interchangeable, and you can order a head of one brand with a body of another brand. One vendor that (AFAIK) sells more-or-less the full line of Jinsan products and nothing else is Real Love Sex Dolls. They're American, but the site may be a useful resource for you. RLSD's site has a "customize a doll" section where you can pick out a body, as well as a heads page where you can pick a head. Be sure the head is proportioned for the body, though; some heads are built for extra-small bodies and would look ridiculous on a full-size body, or vice-versa. Also, some vendors, including RLSD, have exclusive heads, and sometimes even bodies, so you might have trouble getting an RLSD exclusive item through another vendor -- but whatever vendor you use might have its own exclusive items, too. (Incidentally, you posted your query in the sub-forum of another American vendor. It's probably best moved to the Dolls in General sub-forum. I think a moderator would have to do that.)

Third, skin color for both the head and the body can be set to anything the manufacturer supports, but it may be hard to visualize a head in a darker or lighter skin tone than what the sample photos show. If you order a new head months or years after buying the body, there may be small differences because of inconsistencies from one production run to another, or because the manufacturer may have altered their skin tone lineup. Likewise (and to an even greater extent) if you try to mix-and-match heads and bodies from unrelated manufacturers (like Jinsan and DH168), which you can often do with the help of adapters.

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Sun Dec 09, 2018 2:31 pm

symmes wrote:I can't help with Australian customs issues, since I live in the US; however, I do have a few comments.

First, many vendors simply place an order with the factory and have it delivered straight to you. Thus, you may still need to deal with customs if there are problems there. Some vendors, though, have the dolls delivered to them and then ship them on to you. If you want the latter, be sure that's what you're getting. Note that each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. An intermediate stop will add a delay and cost, although it may help isolate you from customs hassles.

Yeah, vendor's site and their subforum here specify that they take care of dealing with customs, paying import duties, etc. that the quoted price is for it to turn up at my door with guaranteed nothing else to pay.

Second, WM is one of several brand names associated with the Jinsan factory. OR and YL are two others, and I think there are a few more, too. Most vendors who sell WM dolls also sell other Jinsan brands. The heads and bodies of all these Jinsan brands are interchangeable, and you can order a head of one brand with a body of another brand. One vendor that (AFAIK) sells more-or-less the full line of Jinsan products and nothing else is Real Love Sex Dolls. They're American, but the site may be a useful resource for you. RLSD's site has a "customize a doll" section where you can pick out a body, as well as a heads page where you can pick a head. Be sure the head is proportioned for the body, though; some heads are built for extra-small bodies and would look ridiculous on a full-size body, or vice-versa. Also, some vendors, including RLSD, have exclusive heads, and sometimes even bodies, so you might have trouble getting an RLSD exclusive item through another vendor -- but whatever vendor you use might have its own exclusive items, too.

Did look at the RLSD site while doing my research. Aussie vendor lists 6YE, WM, Qita & climax brands, doesn't list OR or YL.

How can I tell which head is designed for which doll size? I haven't seen that info anywhere. Since vendor's site only sells 152cm+, and only lists some of the available heads, I'm assuming everything on the vendor's site is for full size dolls, including the ones I wrote as my shortlist.

(Incidentally, you posted your query in the sub-forum of another American vendor. It's probably best moved to the Dolls in General sub-forum. I think a moderator would have to do that.)

I'm pretty sure I put this in member introductions, and not in any vendor sub-forum.

Third, skin color for both the head and the body can be set to anything the manufacturer supports, but it may be hard to visualize a head in a darker or lighter skin tone than what the sample photos show. If you order a new head months or years after buying the body, there may be small differences because of inconsistencies from one production run to another, or because the manufacturer may have altered their skin tone lineup. Likewise (and to an even greater extent) if you try to mix-and-match heads and bodies from unrelated manufacturers (like Jinsan and DH168), which you can often do with the help of adapters.

Yeah, visualising the head is kind of tricky. Good to confirm that I don't need to restrict myself to just heads of the right colour, thanks. Sure it'll be one of those things where I get used to it quickly, and will be happy with whatever head I end up deciding on.

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Sun Dec 09, 2018 2:33 pm

DexterQuest wrote:Too bad they don't allow 140A. She's way thicker than the rest of my dolls that are taller.

Yeah, think that'd be my choice if I was guaranteed it'd turn up without issue. Who knows, if I get into this the way some people seem to, it might be an option for later. But I think 1 doll is a more than big enough step for now.

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Tue Dec 11, 2018 4:08 am

Decision made, and there'll be some wallet shock tomorrow when I pay for it. Think I've got a reasonable deal. If I assume the import duties would be just the GST, so exactly 10% of purchase price, then I'll be paying ~$75 USD more than I would from a US vendor like RLSD for the same doll. Or ~$175/~$500 more than if I ordered the 158a/140a and hoped customs let it through. But then I'd also risk not getting the doll, or getting stung for extra customs fees, and not have a local point of contact if anything does go wrongbefore or after delivery.

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 3:54 am

Haven't actually ordered my doll yet, as vendor was nice enough to inform me of soon to start Christmas sale rather than send me the paypal invoice straight away. Means about a ~2 week delay, but worth it for the savings. Will put a post in the vendor's subforum once order is confirmed, and then hopefully say more good things about vendor once doll arrives.

While waiting, I've discovered the joys of clothes shopping, from 2nd hand/charity stores, gumtree classifieds, and checking out some of the outlet stores that are all grouped together while I was there doing my actual Christmas shopping. There are a lot more easy to find and cheap options than there are when buying clothes for myself. First thing to do on arrival might be a massive try-on session to hopefully confirm that most things fit.

Maviarab · Post by **Maviarab** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 8:19 am

Glad to see you have made a decision. Keep us updated. And yes, clothes shopping is fun!

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:43 pm

Order now placed & paid for, all I have to do now is wait for package to arrive at my door. Had a look at prices from a few other vendors linked from the forum, and christmas deal puts it in the middle of the price range. In fact cheapest of the 5 I looked at if I add 10% to the other prices for assumed gst/import duties that I'd be up for if buying from them. Pretty happy with that, will also post in vendor's subforum later.

McPickle · Post by **McPickle** » Tue Dec 25, 2018 3:03 am

The doll has to be over 147cm in height and not have a childlike face to get through the customs. I just ordered my doll a month ago. She is currently being inspected by the customs. There are Australian vendors so you should be okay with them. However, they carry limited brands, just WM, 6Ye, and Qita.

MannyCan · Post by **MannyCan** » Tue Dec 25, 2018 3:43 am

WM166 looks like a really solid choice for a first doll.

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:11 pm

Got phone pics from the warehouse, so hopefully she's on her way soon.

ausguin · Post by **ausguin** » Sun Jan 13, 2019 12:55 pm

Waiting is hard work.

grimreefer24601 · Post by **grimreefer24601** » Sun Jan 13, 2019 1:27 pm

It'll be worth the wait. I'm sure. Spend this time reading up on how to care for her when she arrives. She'll need oil, and powder , and clothes. You've only just barely entered the Doll Hole.