Limited Edition 17" Collector Dolls Information

[Polaris]

Wow that is so unfortunate that the UK makes people pay for customs and duties for anything they get imported. I can understand if it was for business purposes but to charge people duties and taxes for items greater than 20 pounds is just ridiculous. Most items purchased from overseas will be greater than 20 pounds.

Fortunately here in Australia if the combined declared value of the shipment is greater than $1,000 only then will they charge you duties and taxes so generally it is best to try and keep things less than the $1000 mark to avoid incurring these costs which I find is a lot more reasonable. Especially since everything is expensive enough as it is here in Australia.

 

[Ryu Kazama]

Hi! I'm new to the site and was introduced by a fellow collector at the store Relese of Anna and Elsa March. I just wanted to say this page is incredibly helpful and I hope to continue my collection now I have my first two. I don't have a wonderful understanding of the store, but I was thinking of maybe next release asking a family member to keep an eye on the online store while I que up just incase. Does anyone else have this sort of system in UK or do you think it would be a waste of effort? As this was my first LE release I dont really know what to expect with future releases, and I dont want to miss my chance to get my hands on The Sleeping Beauty Dolls when they arrive, since that movie has always had a special importance to me as a child. Thank you so much! I hope to contribute more once i'm more savy of how things work.

Personally don't find anything wrong with that. Problem comes when you end up getting 2 sets (say the person you asked to help only helped for your sake and doesn't want the dolls). You come across as a scalper if you make it known, even if that isn't your intention. It's fair game at the end of the day.

 

[NightmareMermaid]

what outfit is everyone hoping for Aurora's doll? I'm not counting on it, but I'd definitely buy her in her Briar Rose dress <3

Blue dress for LE 17" Aurora and Briar Rose dress for DFDC.

 

[Polaris]

Personally don't find anything wrong with that. Problem comes when you end up getting 2 sets (say the person you asked to help only helped for your sake and doesn't want the dolls). You come across as a scalper if you make it known, even if that isn't your intention. It's fair game at the end of the day.

I am sure people will understand and wont immediately think you are a scalper especially if you are willing to sell it (at a fairly reasonable price not necessarily ebay prices but cost + shipping) to someone within the forum that might have missed out. It happens all the time. There are so many people that even buy two dolls, one to debox and the other to keep boxed up.

 

[Teo]

You can actually ship from the US to the UK I believe there are only several countries that the US does not ship to like Mexico. But I do know of people that live in the UK that order from the US.

But like OlafOlaf mentioned most UKers (or anyone in Europe) generally wait until the dolls are released in their respective stores to avoid incurring shipping, import fees and taxes.

Also again this release had a preorder but usually the release happens both in the US and Euro stores at the same time so most people will generally buy from their respective stores.

Oh okay, I'm sorry for misleading then. It's just that I live in Romania (Eastern European country) and THEORETICALLY we have our own Disney Store. Practically though, it's just a small segment of a local bookstore, and they only have a few kids' books and some Bullyland figurines and a few DVDs. But because of this we can't order from the US store... We SHOULD be able to order from the UK store but it doesn't really accept orders from our country (the addresses become all weird when you change the country to Romania). Anywho, perhaps I over-complicated myself but with this release I chose to try out a parcel forwarding service... I hope I don't wind up regretting it

 

[OlafOlaf]

Wow that is so unfortunate that the UK makes people pay for customs and duties for anything they get imported. I can understand if it was for business purposes but to charge people duties and taxes for items greater than 20 pounds is just ridiculous. Most items purchased from overseas will be greater than 20 pounds.

Fortunately here in Australia if the combined declared value of the shipment is greater than $1,000 only then will they charge you duties and taxes so generally it is best to try and keep things less than the $1000 mark to avoid incurring these costs which I find is a lot more reasonable. Especially since everything is expensive enough as it is here in Australia.

Europe in generally, actually, asks for import and custom fees. And the amount is ridiculous too. My country has a limit of 22, I think (but the limits differ from country to country). And it doesn't even matter in what currency, say £ or $, if it's 22 you'll pay import/custom. Last week someone didn't take my advice to heart and noted down a value of $25 (while I actually bought it for $12). I had to pay €20, which is about $27. So it's more than the actual value on the package, which is quite ridiculous. Just because it's something from out of EU. It's the main reason I never buy something higher than $22 outside of Europe if the seller doesn't agree to put down a lower value. I did warn the seller that noted $25 so I refused to pay fees and they send it back when you do.

 

[Meritre]

Oh okay, I'm sorry for misleading then. It's just that I live in Romania (Eastern European country) and THEORETICALLY we have our own Disney Store. Practically though, it's just a small segment of a local bookstore, and they only have a few kids' books and some Bullyland figurines and a few DVDs. But because of this we can't order from the US store... We SHOULD be able to order from the UK store but it doesn't really accept orders from our country (the addresses become all weird when you change the country to Romania). Anywho, perhaps I over-complicated myself but with this release I chose to try out a parcel forwarding service... I hope I don't wind up regretting it

Oh so we are practically neighbours? Over here we too only have books, a few figurines and DVDs.

 

[Polaris]

Oh okay, I'm sorry for misleading then. It's just that I live in Romania (Eastern European country) and THEORETICALLY we have our own Disney Store. Practically though, it's just a small segment of a local bookstore, and they only have a few kids' books and some Bullyland figurines and a few DVDs. But because of this we can't order from the US store... We SHOULD be able to order from the UK store but it doesn't really accept orders from our country (the addresses become all weird when you change the country to Romania). Anywho, perhaps I over-complicated myself but with this release I chose to try out a parcel forwarding service... I hope I don't wind up regretting it

Really that is not fair at all? I would have thought DS US would at least sell to Romania? But maybe they have their reasons just like they don't sell to Mexico.

Does the small Disney Store that you have there sell the dolls as well? Or do you have to resort to them online? I am also surprised that DS UK doesn't ship to you in Romania either. There must be a reason as to why they refuse to ship to these countries. I wonder if it is because of insurance purposes? i.e the item would be too costly to insure to have it shipped to the countries due to the likelihood of them getting lost or stolen during transit?

 

[Teo]

Oh so we are practically neighbours? Over here we too only have books, a few figurines and DVDs.

Yup, we're definitely neighbors .

Really that is not fair at all? I would have thought DS US would at least sell to Romania? But maybe they have their reasons just like they don't sell to Mexico.

Does the small Disney Store that you have there sell the dolls as well? Or do you have to resort to them online? I am also surprised that DS UK doesn't ship to you in Romania either. There must be a reason as to why they refuse to ship to these countries. I wonder if it is because of insurance purposes? i.e the item would be too costly to insure to have it shipped to the countries due to the likelihood of them getting lost or stolen during transit?

Well it's not fair for me, but to be honest I get why many countries won't be bothered with us. First off the postal services are simply horrible. Most services which, to other countries, assure you receive your parcel at your door, to my country just all mean the same thing: the parcel gets sent to the post office and I have to go there and pick it up. It can be a hassle, since the post office is not exactly two blocks away and I sometimes have to carry around weirdly-proportioned boxes ). But oh well... And then there's the people themselves. My fellow countrymen are not exactly known for their honesty. We have a (growing) minority which is violent and abusive to us natives, and I'm sure it would take advantage of client services from other countries as well... Like I dunno, claim they didn't receive the parcel when in fact they did, and then ask for a refund. Stuff like that. I once wanted to buy an artbook off Alibris and the seller cancelled my order and sent me an email apologizing, and telling me he's had bad experiences with Romanians in the past. So couple the bad postal services with the huge shipping prices to this part of the World and the awesome reputation and I totally get why some just prefer to ignore customers from here .

But hey, where there's a will there's a way

And no, the small Disney store definitely doesn't sell dolls, let alone Limited Edition ones ). They did have Classic Elsa for sale a couple of months ago but it vanished fast and never returned... And then when the new LEs were announced I emailed them asking if I could maybe buy through them, rather than from an international store, and not only did they say "umm... NO!", they didn't even understand what product I was talking about, until I explained to them what LEs were and why I was asking for help and clarifications. So... yeah. I officially hate them

 

[starry_solo]

Hmm, do you live near the border of another country? Maybe you can have a post office box in that country?

Yup, we're definitely neighbors .

Well it's not fair for me, but to be honest I get why many countries won't be bothered with us. First off the postal services are simply horrible. Most services which, to other countries, assure you receive your parcel at your door, to my country just all mean the same thing: the parcel gets sent to the post office and I have to go there and pick it up. It can be a hassle, since the post office is not exactly two blocks away and I sometimes have to carry around weirdly-proportioned boxes ). But oh well... And then there's the people themselves. My fellow countrymen are not exactly known for their honesty. We have a (growing) minority which is violent and abusive to us natives, and I'm sure it would take advantage of client services from other countries as well... Like I dunno, claim they didn't receive the parcel when in fact they did, and then ask for a refund. Stuff like that. I once wanted to buy an artbook off Alibris and the seller cancelled my order and sent me an email apologizing, and telling me he's had bad experiences with Romanians in the past. So couple the bad postal services with the huge shipping prices to this part of the World and the awesome reputation and I totally get why some just prefer to ignore customers from here .

But hey, where there's a will there's a way

And no, the small Disney store definitely doesn't sell dolls, let alone Limited Edition ones ). They did have Classic Elsa for sale a couple of months ago but it vanished fast and never returned... And then when the new LEs were announced I emailed them asking if I could maybe buy through them, rather than from an international store, and not only did they say "umm... NO!", they didn't even understand what product I was talking about, until I explained to them what LEs were and why I was asking for help and clarifications. So... yeah. I officially hate them

 

[Teo]

^ Nope, I don't. But good idea if I did

 

[jennisney]

Wow that is so unfortunate that the UK makes people pay for customs and duties for anything they get imported. I can understand if it was for business purposes but to charge people duties and taxes for items greater than 20 pounds is just ridiculous. Most items purchased from overseas will be greater than 20 pounds.

Fortunately here in Australia if the combined declared value of the shipment is greater than $1,000 only then will they charge you duties and taxes so generally it is best to try and keep things less than the $1000 mark to avoid incurring these costs which I find is a lot more reasonable. Especially since everything is expensive enough as it is here in Australia.

It's rediculous! Usually the fees are like a couple of pounds, but then Royal Mail slap an £8 fee on top for them basically "sticking a sticker" on your parcel!!! It's so unfair

 

[Matthewlondon]

How much should I expect for customs if I get Anna from oversees?

 

[CriticalAbuse]

If I remember rightly, import duty rate is 4.7% and VAT rate is 20% if you import from America (or anywhere outside of the EU) to the UK. Since I'm assuming Anna exceeds £135.00 with postage and insurance as well, it'll be whatever you paid altogether with these percents on top. Then there'll be an additional handling fee on top from whoever delivers. I don't know about UPS or anyone, but Royal Mail is £8. There's actually a handy import duty calculator that comes up as one of the first results if googled. If I'm wrong, please let me know somebody!

Edit: There's no duty or VAT from anything bought within the EU, unless it's one of the EU Special Territories and then you have to pay VAT.

 

[poisonivyprince]

So just out of curiosity and possible off topic but is the crazy situation from yesterday something we call dollmageddon? Also Polaris You are awesome and always so helpful to everyone. I know I speak for several of us when I say you are appreciated. I have met so many kind people on this forum and I am thankful for that. But also some really insane, nasty, rude people. The forums should be a place for those of us to share in our love and passion for these collectables. i really hate that it turned into a bloodbath. hopefully in the future there wont be anymore issues. Everyone should think WWWD? (What would walt do?)

 

[lordofanime]

So has anyone who owns the 4 dolls tried to switch the box covers?
I'd say switch the Anna ones. I'm interested in seeing how they're gonna look

 

[Selithiel]

So just out of curiosity and possible off topic but is the crazy situation from yesterday something we call dollmageddon?

Definitely not. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, will ever compare to that day. I stopped going to the Disney Store I was at on that day for 6 months because of that.

 

[rabbitunderground]

i kind of want to ask about dollmageddon...

...
don't know if i should. LOL

 

[BagciFreak]

Thanks! I assumed if you paid prior you would only pay once, good job you told me that or would have paid twice lol. Thanks. How much is customs usually?

Actually you just pay once when you pay the fees together with the item. I never had to pay fees when I pre-paid them, when I didn't, I always had to go to the customs, pick it up and pay fees.

 

[poisonivyprince]

Definitely not. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, will ever compare to that day. I stopped going to the Disney Store I was at on that day for 6 months because of that.

wow it must have been pretty bad then . from what I know It involved the first set of the designers right? I had heard that there were no rules or limits on the dolls from that set. And hear alot about people buying several of the same at once or something similar. Dont want to open old wounds or bring up bad memories I was just curious as I had heard about it before.

 

[poisonivyprince]

So has anyone who owns the 4 dolls tried to switch the box covers?
I'd say switch the Anna ones. I'm interested in seeing how they're gonna look

I hadnt thought but now that you mentioned it i had to try it.. it looks pretty good actually because the boxes to each "set" look more uniform.

 

[AmandaAutumn]

wow it must have been pretty bad then . from what I know It involved the first set of the designers right? I had heard that there were no rules or limits on the dolls from that set. And hear alot about people buying several of the same at once or something similar. Dont want to open old wounds or bring up bad memories I was just curious as I had heard about it before.

Here is a pretty good write up, I wasnt around for it either. Ugh this makes me nervous if there is a Designer Elsa in the future...


http://www.imnotbad.com/2011/09/dollmageddon.html

 

[milaya]

So just out of curiosity and possible off topic but is the crazy situation from yesterday something we call dollmageddon? Also Polaris You are awesome and always so helpful to everyone. I know I speak for several of us when I say you are appreciated. I have met so many kind people on this forum and I am thankful for that. But also some really insane, nasty, rude people. The forums should be a place for those of us to share in our love and passion for these collectables. i really hate that it turned into a bloodbath. hopefully in the future there wont be anymore issues. Everyone should think WWWD? (What would walt do?)

Think this will more be known as the European Frozen dolls incident of 2014...

 

[poisonivyprince]

Here is a pretty good write up, I wasnt around for it either. Ugh this makes me nervous if there is a Designer Elsa in the future...


http://www.imnotbad.com/2011/09/dollmageddon.html

Yikes That sounded like a catastrophe! when the villains came out fellow customers at my ds were talking about the first set of the princesses and at that time two people had ended up getting hurt due to shoving and one even had to go the hospital, they also said how there were people fighting and arguing terrible. Im glad I wasnt there lol.

something i had read on that link was people gloating about how they were going to ebay the dolls. I really dislike that, when I was going for the couples there were a few people who were only there to ebay them. I feel like if thats what the want to do then so be it, no ones going to stop them but they really shouldnt brag about it infront of everyone its just bad form.

 

[lordofanime]

I hadnt thought but now that you mentioned it i had to try it.. it looks pretty good actually because the boxes to each "set" look more uniform.

Can you post a picture please.