Freebies for VIPs

Impldoll has a curious way of rewarding some of their clientele with gifts. Many of the Impldoll box openings on the Den of Angels have shown customers getting free clothes, shoes, boots, wigs and eyes with their doll purchases. It’s very generous and incredibly nice of them indeed - very few BJD companies bother to even include acrylics eyes with the super expensive dolls. What I don’t understand, however, is sending limited heads as impromptu surprise gifts.

A while ago, I spotted someone on Flickr who stated they had ordered some items from Impldoll for less than a 100usd and gotten a free bearded Gnaeus head as a surprise gift. I had been so upset to miss out on Nelson, that encouraged by that information I'd learned, I asked Impldoll if I could buy just the Nelson head blank without the limited face-up. The answer was a “no” as far as I could decipher. And to my enquiry as to whether they’re thinking of re-releasing Nelson or his basic version, I got an equally straightforward “no”. Fair enough, it was sold out and I was just trying my luck. So, I traded out my Dollshe head for a 2nd hand Nelson on the DoA market place and I'm happy to announce, it's on its way to me now. But I do find it somewhat baffling that Impldoll sends out limited heads to their other customers for free just like that. Are those freebie limited heads then away from the LE count? How many Nelson heads have they send out to their other customers, who didn't even necessarily want one, while those of us who would have really wanted one, missed out on it? I have no idea, but what would be the point of an LE product, if the freebie heads weren't included in the count?

What really got me riled up though was, when I found out that another customer had, already back this February couple of days after the release, gotten a Chad head for a freebie gift! And not only that, but also the brand new, in fact, yet unreleased Karena head, apparently as compensation for a small missing part for their previous order. That I do have to say, seems a bit unfair to those of us who rushed in to be some of the first to order this limited Chad mid February and have been waiting with excitement for those promo photos of Karena. We paid 88USD for each of the Chad heads, only to learn that someone already has the Chad head for a freebie?!?! As well as the female version head, that no one else had even seen yet!! 180usd worth LE gift to compensate for a missing part? I don’t know, to me, that’s just a bit… much.

This all makes me think some customers must be a heck of a lot more VIP than my humble self along with a many other multiple Impldoll owners I know. My Star girls came to me in a wrong skin tone, but I don't recall getting pampered for it in any particular way. To Impldoll's credit, they did offer, after several confusing mails, to make me a new Star girl in the right colour, but I didn't exactly want to have two Tdelias, so I told them I'd live with it, but I was most certainly not offered any compensations. I have also bought a good many full Impldolls, heads and their full outfit sets over the past couple of years, set up two fan websites for them, posted my photos of them all over the place, but my parcels have rarely had any gifts worth mentioning (granted, any gifts at all is obviously more than I've gotten from basically any other BJD company). I’ve gotten glass eyes, that I’ve really loved. I got a little necklace with my Gladiators order and a couple of clothing items with my latest orders, but some of them were unfinished pieces, which I did find very odd. Not that I ever really expected any extra gifts before I knew what I know now. I've been overwhelmed already with the legitimate event bonuses thinking them ever so generous. But yet, do I feel envious about the head gifts? Yes, I do. Do I feel strangely cheated with Chad and Karena? Yes I do. Petty of me? Probably.

Perhaps there is such a thing as being too generous. This kind of uneven gifting policy does create some bad blood. It's inevitable. It's human nature. I have personally not really cared one damn bit, that I hadn’t gotten as many clothing/wig/shoes gifts with my orders as other people have. Good for them, I’ve thought, and just been really overjoyed with my lovely dolls. BUT, I do buy a lot of heads. I save up to be able to buy those close to 100 buck heads. Frankly, I find it somewhat offensive that other customers are sent limited heads for free just like that. I’m sure it's all Impldolls way trying to get those people to then buy bodies for the gift heads, trying to promote their dolls and that way get more business. Understandable, I'm sure. However, for someone like myself who spends a pretty penny on heads each year, it puts me off. I can’t helpt it that It irks me and makes me wonder why I’m spending my hard earned cash on Impldoll heads, while others are receiving them for free before they’re even released for my viewing pleasure. Boohoo... moving on! LOL!

UPDATE: Could not resist the temptation of adding a mighty juicy piece of this same cake I just spotted on the DoA today (03/23). Another Impldoll customer just reported having received 4 freebie heads and a freebie outfit hitching a ride along with their one full doll order. Apparently there were two Young heads and two 1/3 heads, one of which was the LE human version Karena. ROFL! I'll be expecting a good old herd of heads rolling my way now with my Chad order. Hilarious...