Friday, April 14, 2023

How Made to Order Works

I've seen some bitching about MH Fang Vote Rochelle on IG, so I'll give a few brief facts to try to clear things up.

Facts no one will see because dolly gods forbid people research how things work before they open their mouths to whiiiiiiiiiiiiine. 

First thing: people WANTED made to order. They complain all the time about dolls selling out and going to scalpers and blah blah blah. But now that they're getting a taste of how MTO is, let the complaining flood continue. Sigh. Point is this is what you asked for. 

Made to order items are EXACTLY that. They are MADE TO ORDER. The company makes the number of dolls ordered during the time period. (Maybe some companies would make a handful extra to cover any shipping issues, but I can't say for sure. I feel like Ruby Red does this. Not sure if Mattel would.)

You are lucky if you see a prototype. Sometimes it's a computer render, especially in terms of packaging. You need to understand that things may change in the months it takes to make the doll and if that's a risk you want to take, make the purchase. If you're just going to complain, skip it. 

That less than a year time frame? Be happy about it. One of my MTO action figures took two years. I've got another two that will hit the two-year mark over the summer. They frequently go through changes that lengthen the time estimate.

If you're worried about them failing at updating any address changes, skip ordering. I think they'll handle it fine, but it's part of MTO.

Also, that higher price? Frequently comes with MTO. It's all part of the package...that you asked for. 

I'm perfectly fine with waiting with this one. I like being able to order without worry. However, I'm glad they don't do this for all their dolls, because the waiting and higher prices would suck if they happened every time. 

4 comments:

  1. Sometimes I wonder if people realize that these things don't just... appear out of thin air. This is my first experience with a MTO Doll, so I'm kind of ignorant of the process, but as a Gamer who is used to waiting years, if not decades on a product (Often with far less to go on.), I think the window is more then fair. (I know, not a one-to-one comparison, but I couldn't help but feel reminded.).
    I'm personally more annoyed with people who're shocked she's not EXACTLY like her 2D pencil drawing. Like... that's going to happen. If anything, I'm quite shocked they got her this close and the changes they did make feel understandable (Those gloves were never going to look good) or even an improvement (I for one adore the brighter colors.)

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    1. They act like you can manufacture a doll at the drop of a hat! It's beyond ridiculous.

      I also thought the gloves wouldn't look good. Some things are best left to art and not reality.

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    2. Like, they'd either be mittens or painted on and neither would look all that great. (Not to mention the same people complaining about them missing would probably complain about painted gloves... *cough*)

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    3. Or they'd have to be the color of the entire arm and then people would bitch when her painted-on stone skintone didn't perfectly match or chipped. Not worth it!

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