DD Sakura Miku

@BeyondTime no worries, I've got one. Thank you for letting me know. ^^

1 hour ago, marcecloud said:

More drama related to this fiasco. PayPal is what got my order to work, but I just had to cancel my American Express card. Turns out there was a $74,000 (not yen, they said dollar) charge from “V-O-L-K-S”. Volks claimed they couldn’t use any of my card numbers and yet... I only got one order confirmation email so I’m only getting one, but wow that was a mess.

Unless you have a really special credit limit on your Amex card, that should've been immediately rejected and never gone through.

Amex CS is really good though.

There is a lot of Sakura mikus and reboot mikus in buyee if anyone wants to go have a look 😊 I’m hoping I win one

Miku is still in stock on Volks USA, but Sakura Miku is sold out.

Patience is a virtue. Volks USA showed “sold out “ by the time I even got through the product page opening.  I decided to wait until about 10 mins and try again.  It worked! I got through and I got my girl!

Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

 

Yeah, that was weird on Volks USA how the Sakura Miku was sold out and then wasn't. Managed to finally get her, but man, I hate clickwars with a vengeance. Didn't try on the International site, as I try to utilize Volks USA whenever I can (so hopefully they'll keep it open for us in the USA!)

1 hour ago, Misheru said:

Patience is a virtue. Volks USA showed “sold out “ by the time I even got through the product page opening.  I decided to wait until about 10 mins and try again.  It worked! I got through and I got my girl!

Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

 

 

51 minutes ago, Reynardine said:

Yeah, that was weird on Volks USA how the Sakura Miku was sold out and then wasn't. Managed to finally get her, but man, I hate clickwars with a vengeance. Didn't try on the International site, as I try to utilize Volks USA whenever I can (so hopefully they'll keep it open for us in the USA!)

If you went through right at 9 AM their pages may not have updated by the time your page loaded. It's also possible they broke the 39 into batches and restocked them in waves.

I am so glad I slept through this.  I was going to try and get up early to get one, but I would have been really mad to not get enough sleep and go through all this stress. I am bummed that I missed Sakura and even more bummed that I paid $680 for my original Miku second hand with none of her originals, with stains, and no face up when I could have bought a reboot of her right now for less with no stains, all her originals, and her face up  

21 minutes ago, jenlovesdolls said:

I am so glad I slept through this.  I was going to try and get up early to get one, but I would have been really mad to not get enough sleep and go through all this stress. I am bummed that I missed Sakura and even more bummed that I paid $680 for my original Miku second hand with none of her originals, with stains, and no face up when I could have bought a reboot of her right now for less with no stains, all her originals, and her face up  

That does suck. XD

Stains can be cleaned though, and to be honest her original set stained mine pretty badly. She got grey blotches all over plus green stains from the piping on her boots, and it took me a few weeks to get them all out. Her default outfit really doesn't lend itself to a body suit either. I know her default is her classic look, but you'd probably be better off getting her one of the other licensed outfits. The drawback to that is they tend to be silly expensive after market, they aren't exactly cheap to start out with, but Volks USA will probably sell a number of them during their annual Miku Expo event. Some will sell out instantly, but others will be obtainable. Ribbon Girl will likely be one of the ones that sells out fast.

Sorry to hear you didn't get Sakura Miku. If I see her pop up in a restock I'll be sure to post it here.

2 hours ago, Misheru said:

Patience is a virtue. Volks USA showed “sold out “ by the time I even got through the product page opening.  I decided to wait until about 10 mins and try again.  It worked! I got through and I got my girl!

Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

Unlike Volks Japan, Volks USA may still operate under the condition of reserving an item once it's in your cart; in that case if people have put her in cart but then didn't check out after a certain amount of time those dolls go back into available stock.

48 minutes ago, jenlovesdolls said:

I am so glad I slept through this.  I was going to try and get up early to get one, but I would have been really mad to not get enough sleep and go through all this stress. I am bummed that I missed Sakura and even more bummed that I paid $680 for my original Miku second hand with none of her originals, with stains, and no face up when I could have bought a reboot of her right now for less with no stains, all her originals, and her face up  

That's unfortunate  but it's just a live-and-learn thing. Mandarake pretty consistently has had unused Mikus for not that much more then the new price and what you paid, 80,000 yen.

 

With respect to other official Miku outfits, Senbonzakura goes for a lower than original price, 8000 yen I think on Mandarake, and you get a wig and eyes with it too. I don't have it but I think it's my favorite of the outfits for her that they've released.

Edited May 11, 2019 by cfx

Looks like I missed Sakura Miku.  Really wanted her also.

Well....volks jp was a nightmare last night, went to bed after 2hrs disappointed. but volks usa rocked me with a sakura miku......thank you volks usa for coming through...<3

I got lucky and managed to snag a Miku Reboot right at the Volks USA opening at 9am. The timing for this couldn't have been better as I was considering buying one secondhand. I'm really excited to see what the improved frame is like!

16 minutes ago, whisski said:

I got lucky and managed to snag a Miku Reboot right at the Volks USA opening at 9am. The timing for this couldn't have been better as I was considering buying one secondhand. I'm really excited to see what the improved frame is like!

It's got some nice pluses to it. You'll find that the wrists move a lot more easily, and the ability to swivel the ankles is nice, and you can tension the frame as needed. I find the lines at the hip and shoulders look more natural and less doll like. It posses quite nicely, and squeaks less as you move the joints.

The downsides are added cost, the wrist swivels take some getting used to, and no unitorso for F3 at this time. There is a frame gap at the ankle too, but it's mostly something that you will see if they wear heels while barefoot. It's not visible when the feet are flat.

I've mostly made peace with not getting her, it's a bad time anyway. I'll get her one day, and I'm so glad so many people were able to get her in spite of the lag |D;

I'm absolutely devastated I missed out on sakura miku! I really want this to be my first doll, I've been so excited since the announcement. I'm from the UK so not sure if I could have ordered on the USA site, and the international site sounds like hell from what people have been saying. I'm awful at auctions and aftermarkets, does anyone know if there will be another preorder for her? Sorry if it's a stupid question, I have no idea how the volks sales system works.

So gutted!

Edited May 12, 2019 by sakuramiku

32 minutes ago, sakuramiku said:

I'm absolutely devastated I missed out on sakura miku! I really want this to be my first doll, I've been so excited since the announcement. I'm from the UK so not sure if I could have ordered on the USA site, and the international site sounds like hell from what people have been saying. I'm awful at auctions and aftermarkets, does anyone know if there will be another preorder for her? Sorry if it's a stupid question, I have no idea how the volks sales system works.

So gutted!

No one really knows what Volks will do in the future, and it's hard to predict even if it's at times fun to speculate.

Volks USA is North America only.

Here is a search on Yahoo Japan. There are several with a buyout price of $750 on page 2. Pretty much all you need to do is create an account with a proxy and use the "win now for buyout price" option. You then just pay with paypal or a credit card. Use the translate features to read the sale descriptions. People do sell these doll sets in pieces so be sure you are getting the full set if that is what you want.

https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/桜ミク?sort=bidorbuy&order=d&translationType=1&page=1

The proxy on this link is Buyee, and I've used them a lot. There are other proxies like Samurai Buyer and From Japan who I have heard good things about, but haven't used.

If you use a proxy you pay the proxy a commission for the purchase, the seller ships to the proxy at your expense, and the proxy ships to you at your expense. As a result of this you will end up paying more than the $750 it costs to buyout the doll on the auction.

I've never had any issues getting dolls this way though, and if you really want her it is probably the best way to get her right now. It's always possible that Volks will hold a second event without much advance notice, so if you go the aftermarket route I would suggest accepting you are going to pay more and plan to enjoy her in spite of this.

She's not going to disappear anytime soon, and I mean like as in years, but as time passes her aftermarket price will fluctuate. Take the time to think about it, and look at the various proxies. They will each have their own fees and terms.

Miku is an awesome doll full of cuteness, and Dollfie are a lot more impressive in person. I don't think $750 plus the proxy costs is a bad price for her. I would suggest looking at owner photos before you buy if you haven't already done so. Volks photos usually don't do their dolls justice, but it's also a good idea to get a close up look at her face photographed by owners.

Edited May 12, 2019 by BeyondTime

 

 

 

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

No one really knows what Volks will do in the future, and it's hard to predict even if it's at times fun to speculate.

Volks USA is North America only.

Here is a search on Yahoo Japan. There are several with a buyout price of $750 on page 2. Pretty much all you need to do is create an account with a proxy and use the "win now for buyout price" option. You then just pay with paypal or a credit card. Use the translate features to read the sale descriptions. People do sell these doll sets in pieces so be sure you are getting the full set if that is what you want.

https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/桜ミク?sort=bidorbuy&order=d&translationType=1&page=1

The proxy on this link is Buyee, and I've used them a lot. There are other proxies like Samurai Buyer and From Japan who I have heard good things about, but haven't used.

If you use a proxy you pay the proxy a commission for the purchase, the seller ships to the proxy at your expense, and the proxy ships to you at your expense. As a result of this you will end up paying more than the $750 it costs to buyout the doll on the auction.

I've never had any issue though, and if you really want her it is probably the best way to get her. It's always possible that Volks will hold a second event without much advance notice, so if you go the aftermarket route I would suggest accepting you are going to pay more and plan to enjoy her in spite of this.

She's not going to disappear anytime soon, and I mean like as in years, but as time passes her aftermarket price will fluctuate. Take the time to think about it, and look at the various proxies. They will each have their own fees and terms.

Miku is an awesome doll full of cuteness, and Dollfie are a lot more impressive in person. I don't think $750 plus the proxy costs is a bad price for her. I would suggest looking at owner photos before you buy if you haven't already done so. Volks photos usually don't do their dolls justice, but it's also a good idea to get a close up look at her face photographed by owners.

thank you so much for all the information and advice!! I was looking around on yja and got a bit intimidated haha, I want to go for one of the lower ones but as you said it might be best to do the buyout option? If it was 750 alone it wouldn't be too bad, but with shipping, proxy fees and a 20% custom fee it'll be closer to $1k 😧 such a hard decision, i'll definitely think about it and check out photos!

1 minute ago, sakuramiku said:

thank you so much for all the information and advice!! I was looking around on yja and got a bit intimidated haha, I want to go for one of the lower ones but as you said it might be best to do the buyout option? If it was 750 alone it wouldn't be too bad, but with shipping, proxy fees and a 20% custom fee it'll be closer to $1k 😧 such a hard decision, i'll definitely think about it and check out photos!

If you do go after the lower ones, just be sure it's the full set. Some of those may be just the doll body and / or head. They can make more selling her stuff piecemeal, and some people only want a specific part of the set like the head in order to make a custom doll.

20 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

If you do go after the lower ones, just be sure it's the full set. Some of those may be just the doll body and / or head. They can make more selling her stuff piecemeal, and some people only want a specific part of the set like the head in order to make a custom doll.

I ended up doing a buy out 80k one(': just tried not to think about the money too much (and looked at photos of her for motivation haha)

now I just hope it's not a scam! can't wait for her to get here - thank you so much for the advice again! it was very helpful

51 minutes ago, sakuramiku said:

I ended up doing a buy out 80k one(': just tried not to think about the money too much (and looked at photos of her for motivation haha)

now I just hope it's not a scam! can't wait for her to get here - thank you so much for the advice again! it was very helpful

Proxies are usually good at comparing the items to the photos to make sure you aren't being scammed. There should also be something protecting your purchase if the item doesn't get shipped or show up in the warehouse. I don't worry too much about buying on Yahoo Japan, and the sellers have feedback you can look at too. Proxies generally won't let you by from risky sellers, but it can vary a bit from proxy to proxy. I expect you will get your Miku safe and sound. I hope you enjoy her, she should be super cute.

If you went through Buyee they have protective packaging as an option as long as you didn't choose ship direct. Protective packaging will add about a day to the process, and there is a cost, but it is some serious extra packaging for the doll. I usually do it on dolls, but not on outfits and accessories. It's probably not necessary on a NIB doll, but on used dolls you never know how secure they will be in the box.

43 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Proxies are usually good at comparing the items to the photos to make sure you aren't being scammed. There should also be something protecting your purchase if the item doesn't get shipped or show up in the warehouse. I don't worry too much about buying on Yahoo Japan, and the sellers have feedback you can look at too. Proxies generally won't let you by from risky sellers, but it can vary a bit from proxy to proxy. I expect you will get your Miku safe and sound. I hope you enjoy her, she should be super cute.

If you went through Buyee they have protective packaging as an option as long as you didn't choose ship direct. Protective packaging will add about a day to the process, and there is a cost, but it is some serious extra packaging for the doll. I usually do it on dolls, but not on outfits and accessories. It's probably not necessary on a NIB doll, but on used dolls you never know how secure they will be in the box.

I wasn't too worried until i double checked the listing and I noticed it only had a stock photo! They're selling their order so they don't have the physical doll yet, but there were no photos of receipts or anything so it freaked me out a little. I had a look at the feedback before buying and it's 300 positive so fingers crossed everything will be okay(:

I chose zenmarket as I'd used them before for anime figures, and their fees are lower. I'm definitely considering protective packaging just to be safe - thank you for the tip!

It looks like there will be a lottery for both Miku's on the Volks USA site.

https://volksusastore.com/webstores/event/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=85

On 5/17/2019 at 4:16 PM, BeyondTime said:

It looks like there will be a lottery for both Miku's on the Volks USA site.

https://volksusastore.com/webstores/event/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=85

It figures! I just bought Towa, if I had waited I would have tried to win Miku through the lottery and bought Towa if I didn't win.  I am trying to figure out a way to swing it since I have a few weeks but my hours at work have been cut for the next 6 weeks  just bad timing....but my husband and I have one extra paycheck each this month so...I should behave but I am bad at behaving lol

Edited May 19, 2019 by jenlovesdolls

1 hour ago, jenlovesdolls said:

It figures! I just bought Towa, if I had waited I would have tried to win Miku through the lottery and bought Towa if I didn't win.  I am trying to figure out a way to swing it since I have a few weeks but my hours at work have been cut for the next 6 weeks  just bad timing....but my husband and I have one extra paycheck each this month so...I should behave but I am bad at behaving lol

Towa is nice. I've said it before, but this probably won't be the last time Sakura Miku is released. If you can't swing it I would suggest setting the money aside and waiting for Miku Expo to come around. She'll probably be offered then along with a bunch of outfits and other Vocaloids. It will be another clickwar though, but some of them like Len seem to last the entire event.

Edited May 19, 2019 by BeyondTime