Where is better to buy: Directly or Dealer?

[Nella]

Wow, that was expensive, but that's probably because you are in Canada and US postal charges even to Canada are ridiculously high - even for private carriers like Fed Ex and UPS.

They are ridiculous. Well it's a good example of why it's important to get shipping estimates, especially if you're in a different country from the company. Of course if you're in the US then you don't have to worry as much about shipping costs from dealers.

[Evelien]

It's different for each doll. Every time I buy a doll brand new, I compare all my options.I have to keep customs fees in mind. Sometimes getting a doll from the company is cheaper, but I already calculated that getting an IMPLdoll would be cheaper through Think Pink. The extra waiting sucks for an impatient person like me though. Figures that most of my dolls are second hand buys

[Kirahfaye]

. Figures that most of my dolls are second hand buys

I bought Keheley from a DOA member in Italy ... little did I know at the time that Italy was one of the countries US Customs has issues with (shrug) and they held her for TWO months.

[Alopecia No Hime]

I prefer dealers definitely when I was considering an MSD I knew right away who I wanted to buy it from if I ever got the money.

Emory is a joy to order from. He has only what's listed in stock and he ships out so fast. I got my order three days after I placed it! Three days! How awesome is that? Whenever I order from Ebay or Mimiwoo I have unsure times of when it'll arrive but Junkyspot the most i've waited is a week.

Emory was where I bought my first doll and I will HAPPILY keep going back to him for service. If you can get through Junkyspot go for it.

[PopularFizzyDrink]

I'm afraid I've had some bad experience with buying from a UK dealer took twice as long as buying direct and they didn't even send part of my order, they sold it to someone else. Bah.

[SoapBubbles]

Shipping from MoC is very expensive because the only registered and trackable shipping option through them is FedEx. I had to pay 45$ for a one pound box with 90$ of merchandise. I have no idea how expensive shipping a doll would be for them. Shipping through JunkySpot is much more reasonable.

Gah, expensive! Looks like MoC is off the table for me. Thanks for sharing Nella!

[Dirili]

It's different for each doll. Every time I buy a doll brand new, I compare all my options.I have to keep customs fees in mind. Sometimes getting a doll from the company is cheaper, but I already calculated that getting an IMPLdoll would be cheaper through Think Pink. The extra waiting sucks for an impatient person like me though. Figures that most of my dolls are second hand buys

I second this. It's a good idea to do your homework every time you buy a doll and check out all the options.

I usually end up either buying directly from the maker or from their official Taobao shop using Taobao Focus as my agent.

[Evelien]

MoC used to be okay, they were an awesome option for me back in 2011-2012, but after they raised their shipping for Europe I was SO disappointed. I still am. Why does shipping a doll suddenly cost $100? It makes no sense. Shipping to the Netherlands is NOT that expensive, not even with extra insurance and stuff added. Seems to me like they're trying to discourage foreign orders big time.

[SoapBubbles]

MoC used to be okay, they were an awesome option for me back in 2011-2012, but after they raised their shipping for Europe I was SO disappointed. I still am. Why does shipping a doll suddenly cost $100? It makes no sense. Shipping to the Netherlands is NOT that expensive, not even with extra insurance and stuff added. Seems to me like they're trying to discourage foreign orders big time.

It's because they're using FedEx. >_> After looking at Nella's post on MoC's ridiculous shipping cost I tried doing a bit of research and it seems likely (it's just a hypothesis) that they're trying to cash in on the shipping. Apparently if a company goes into contract with FedEx, they get a rebate for every shipment they make. So by sticking with FedEx, they can get a few extra bucks from international buyers. And here I used to think EMS was expensive. ^^;

I find it almost funny. For "some" reason, MoC's shipping from the US to Canada (right across a land border) costs more than double the international shipping from the other side of the world.

[Nella]

Ah, so that's why it was so much! I had to go the Fed-Ex route because if an order is worth 50$ or more, I pick the option with tracking and insurance. Also MoC was the only dealer with the discontinued Angell-Studio shoes I wanted, so I had to buy from them. Lesson learned though. Next time I'm going straight to Mimiwoo for the M-Style shoes. Getting the package in 3 days wasn't worth how expensive shipping was.

And that folks is why it pays to research your options