Latidoll
I suppose this is a review. When I originally wrote this (in 2016), I still had dolls that had not yet arrived, but now I have no outstanding dolls from the company and my experience is a tad dated with their limited releases. I still have a (fairly) large pool of experience with Latidoll and there are always those who will find stuff like this useful. Here we go:
Dolls Ordered
Latidoll and I have had a relationship since 2013 and I have ordered dolls across three of the past four years.
2013
MH Sophie (NS)
Lulu (NS)
2014
BatB Haru (TS)
LoL Sophie (TS) - Sold
PPiS Lea (Open eye, TS)
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Sophie (left) and Jia (right) |
PPiS Lea (Mystic, TS)
PPiS Haru (TS)
Olympos Haru (Blue Skin)
LAS Jia (TS)
2015
LAS Sophie (Pink Skin)
Penguin T.Jia (NS)
Frog T.Sophie (TS)
[Key:
- MH = Monster House
- BatB = Beauty and the Beast
- LoL = Legend of Lati
- PPiS = Peterpan in Steamland
- Olympos = Sacred Goblet of Olympos
- LAS = Little Angel Sweeties
- TS = Tan Skin
- NS = Normal Skin]
Overall Opinion
While they do get flack for their shipping times (my experience has ranged from 7/8 months on the shorter side to over 10 months as of the Little Angel Sweeties release), they are very accommodating and, for the most part, have high quality fullsets and limiteds. Until buying two Lati Whites, I had not really bought non-limited dolls from Lati, so I cannot really comment on their treatment of regular release dolls except that their new normal skin is
much nicer, more natural, and slightly pink compared to the old yellowish tint. The quality of the dolls that I have received has never been lacking.
I do like Latidoll, but their recent limited releases have been meager. They must have come under new management or something because since the Secret Garden release last summer, they haven't had any full (6 doll) limited sets come out. Fair warning, I guess.
Customer Service
Their customer service has always been prompt and accommodating. Sometimes they forget items, or do not include them for other reasons (resin problems, etc...), but they always ship them in the end. Currently, I have gotten all parts and pieces from every set I ordered. In the past, Lati has made it up to me (for waiting times) in the form of small gifts: one I received was a pair of sunglasses for my dolls and the other was a free fullset wig which I had not paid for because I was poor at the time (haha...aren't we all). They don't always comp, though, so you should never
expect it.
Contacting a lati representative is as simple as posting on their Question and Answer board. Make sure to check back every day to two days because you probably won't get an email notification. If you have a question about an order, list your order number in the title or the body of your post. Passwords that you must assign to your thread can be as simple as 1234 and that is what I normally use.
Doll and Fullset Quality
Their dolls (my dolls) have never had seam lines. I personally have never had problems with factory faceups flaking or cracking. All clothing has fit with the exception of one pair of shoes which I never ended up getting around to resolving. Most of their dolls are strung perfectly upon arrival and can stand right out of the box.The only exceptions were my two 2013 NS girls which are a little loose and I just haven't gotten around to restringing them.
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Two Event Heads
(they do not come with eyes or wigs) |
Fullsets also sometimes come with free event items (usually heads). They are sometimes released later as part of the normal run, but you can never be sure if they'll be back.
The resin is even. The clothing is high quality (and some of my favorite pieces for them to wear). The eyes are a little big for my taste, but they are good glass eyes anywho.
Negatives
As far as lati negatives, I already mentioned wait times; the average was around 9 months the last time I ordered. Some companies I have ordered from ship in as little as three or four weeks (Angell-Studio), so nine months is on the longer side. They are a little overworked; asking them about estimated shipping dates or when points can be received will usually get an answer like "we hope to ship them out as soon as possible" or "once the dolls exceed the standard processing time".
Late Points
My last topic about the company has to do with their point system; there are bonus points for delays in processing. You
do have to remind lati to give you your points. They will not volunteer this on their own. Title your thread "Late Points" and list your order number and they will take care of getting the points to your account. The link below is the most current post from the company about the system (I believe).
http://www.latidoll.com/2007_en/index.htm?mode=notice&sc=en&num=353
The eyelashes are looking good.
W&N melts/compromises ABS. To clean ABS you want rubbing alcohol, the purer the better.