This account is the go-to place for important details related to product drops.
mirai store tokyo
Joined August 2017
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I’m pinning some of our recent conversations so they’re easy to find:
Your Smart Doll requests
xitter.cf/SmartdollLand/status/1…
How much duties you’re paying and what the experience has been
xitter.cf/SmartdollLand/status/1…
How long your shipment took to arrive
xitter.cf/SmartdollLand/status/1…
#smartdoll
Meow Folks,
Just checking in now that the new tariffs are in effect across all regions — have you noticed any change in shipping times?
Did you choose DHL or FedEx for your order?
How long did it take for your package to arrive after receiving the shipping notification? And which region are you in?
Do keep an eye out for messages from the courier — they may contact you before or after delivery, especially regarding duties.
Thanks as always for your feedback :-)
#smartdoll
That's a fair question, and I appreciate you bringing it up!
The elf ears are made using the traditional soft vinyl (sofubi) slush casting process. The vinyl is poured through a funnel, which is then cut away by hand. Because of this, the amount of material remaining inside the ear hollow varies, as does the wall thickness of the vinyl itself.
Even if we sculpted new ears, we'd still have these manufacturing variations to deal with. A new sculpt alone wouldn't guarantee a perfect fit, especially as Smart Doll heads also have slight variations in shape.
We actually did try making injection-molded versions! Unfortunately, they came with their own problems. The ears had horrendous parting lines where the two halves of the mold met, along with a large gate mark where the molten plastic entered the mold.
After spending about 5 million yen on the injection mold, the results weren't something we were happy putting into production. A rather expensive lesson ;-)
The silver lining is that the 3D data created for that injection mold is now available for free on our website, so folks who have access to a 3D printer can experiment with making their own.
Over the years, we've continued updating the product description to make the limitations of the sofubi ears clearer. We originally renamed them "Difficult-to-Attach Elf Ears," then more recently "Not-Recommended Elf Ears."
But recent customer feedback has made us realise that neither name goes far enough.
Some ears have raised areas inside the hollow that prevent them from fitting properly, even after reshaping. While these variations are inherent to the manufacturing process and within the product's specifications, that doesn't change the disappointment of someone who expected them to fit.
So we're renaming them once again, this time to "Elf Ears That Do Not Fit Properly."
The reason is simple. "Difficult to attach" suggests that with enough patience or skill, you'll eventually get a good fit. "Not recommended" warns people away but doesn't really explain why.
"Elf Ears That Do Not Fit Properly" tells folks exactly what they may be getting, without suggesting that there's necessarily a technique that will solve the problem.
I completely understand the desire for a better-fitting version. I'd love that too! But we've already invested considerable time and money trying to solve this, and unfortunately, the alternative manufacturing process introduced a different set of problems.
Until we have a solution we're confident in, I'd rather be upfront about the limitations of what we currently make than have folks spend their hard-earned money on something that may disappoint them.
Sometimes even 5 million yen doesn't buy a solution, but at least the 3D data can live on and hopefully be useful to somebody ;-)
#smartdoll
We've renamed our "Difficult-to-Attach Elf Ears" to "Not-Recommended Elf Ears." ;-)
A little background on why.
Over the years, we've tried to make it increasingly clear in the product description that these ears require heating, reshaping, and quite a bit of patience to fit. Even after all that, gaps and differences in shape are to be expected.
We eventually renamed them "Difficult-to-Attach Elf Ears" in the hope that the name itself would help set expectations.
But we still receive customer support inquiries about the very characteristics we've tried to explain in the description.
And every support inquiry takes time away from our small team, which could otherwise be spent developing new products, making dolls, and getting orders out the door.
This isn't about blaming customers. It's about recognizing that if expectations are still not being met, perhaps we need to do a better job communicating them.
So we've decided to be even more direct with the name.
"Not-Recommended Elf Ears."
We do know that some folks enjoy the challenge of tinkering with these ears, and that's great. But we'd much rather discourage a sale than have somebody spend their hard-earned money on something that doesn't meet their expectations.
Perhaps one day we'll rename them "Please Don't Buy These Elf Ears" if this doesn't work either :-)
#smartdoll
Heads up folks!
The test you saw the other day was on the G17 sculpt. This is the same character on the G18.
Side by side they look pretty similar at first glance, so here’s how the G18 compares to the G17:
Nose: The G18 nose is more defined, with deeper nostrils. The nose bridge also has a little more definition.
Lips: The G18 lips are much more defined.
Eyes: The G18 eye holes are slightly smaller.
The G17 has rounder, softer features overall, which we feel makes it great for cuter characters.
The G18 is more for the “I’m going to whip your booty” or "You dont own me" characters.
Which sculpt do you prefer? G17 or G18?
#smartdoll
Thanks Somi for this info!
Anybody else being issued refunds on tarrifs without you initiating anything?
A quick update for customers who chose UPS shipping
Some of you may be contacted by UPS about your shipment. Whenever UPS contacts you, they contact us at the same time, so we’re already on it and sending them whatever they need to release your package. (Well, as soon as we wake up in Japan :-)
Why is this happening? We’re a new shipper with UPS, and we’re still fine-tuning the shipping information we send them. A few shipments are getting flagged while we get this right. Interestingly, not every shipment gets flagged, even though they all go out with the same information, so we’re figuring this out as we go.
We’re fixing these issues every day, and we’re meeting with our UPS rep this afternoon to sort out the root cause for all shipments.
If you’ve been contacted by UPS and have any questions, just reach out to our support email.
Thanks for bearing with us as we get through this.
#smartdoll
