Integrity dolls are some of the most amazing ones in the market these days. It is an expensive hobby and you are right in giving all the disclaimers. Once you have one.... You'd want more. I have an exclusive dealer here in the UK because I find it convenient to have just one company to coordinate with. Not all dealer have the same price, some even charge double! It's fun to watch your videos and it's nice to feel less lonely in this hobby. I only find collectors in RU-vid but never in real life specially here in the UK.
@@dollthighs I will rebody my Thiago with an Adonis body 2.0 which is quite hyper masculine. The original body he came with is too twinky for me. He would have to eventually tone up and be a hot dude
There are many Integrity Dolls dealers here in the UK I see on multiple socials. There can be quite a contrast with prices and how trustworthy the dealers are. Research first before I purchase
The "Dealer" situation is what kept me away from IT last year (which I immediately regretted since I think it was like March/April when they revealed Thiago and I mostly wanted to join for their boy dolls 🤡). Cause fr MOST of those websites are shady looking. Yeah I just don't get how its 2023 and most of them don't have like a functioning "store" online, I guess most must be smaller but even smaller toy stores have websites that you can actually shop at now lol.
Lol, it's very strange. It makes me question what the process is to actually become a dealer. The dealer I worked with was super easy to deal with, and their store functioned well, so once I found one that looked legit, it was fine. But buying dolls directly through integrity like the member dolls and the limited editions like Thiago was super easy. They just send you an email link to the payment page, and you pay IT directly. So even if you never buy dealer dolls, you'll still have easy access to a ton of dolls.
For me the W Club is 150% worth it, just for getting access to most dolls without going through dealers - before W Club it was like hunting for treasure, trying to find dolls in the wild, dealing with dealers for all dolls, etc. it was torture. And yes, the prices get very inflated. Through the W Club (and dealer dolls I have had access to before they get listed for anyone to buy) there is also a ‘club price’, which is less than retail, so less than you’ll get anywhere out there. So I would recommend, for the discounted price, availability and piece of mind, it’s worth joining if you think you’ll buy 2+ dolls.
I completely agree. I'd rather have a membership and buy no dolls, then not have a membership, and miss out on a doll I really wanted. But I also know myself, and I know there will be at least 10 or more dolls I want each year. 🤣🤣🤣
I have been a member of The W Club for YEARS and have never regretted joining and always have felt that the $50 fee was worth joining for. However, as the popularity of the dolls has increased getting dolls from a Integrity dealers has become SO HARD!!! Dealers have “ favorite” clients and they will hold or reserve dolls for and their “preferred clients” and even if you try MULTIPLE dealers the MINUTE they are released you still may not get the doll you want. It’s frustrating because people buy dolls specifically to resell on eBay at drastically higher prices. Sadly I know as I have paid these secondary prices in order to get some of them. But that’s about my only issue with Integrity, they make AMAZING dolls and the W Club is worth joining, I just find it really REALLY difficult and stressful to try buy their dolls from dealers. Thanks for this thoughtful well done video!
integrity is basically the birkins of the doll world, very exclusive, very hush hush, super expensive, and the only way to access them is if you’re apart of an exclusive circle and even then *THEY* have to decide if you deserve to have a doll 😭
I joined the 2021 W Club for the ~first time~ but skipped the 2022 one. I weighed my pros and cons for the 2021 one and also compared it to the 2020 one (which I wasn't a part of), and overall 2021 was completely lackluster -- especially the Convention dolls. 2022 had better dolls overall in terms of numbers (although the Poppy Parker deluge was just too much for me) so I'm completely enticed to join club year 2023. In terms of specifics: Dealers are a huge challenge and I am NOT living for it. The older collectors love it because they've established great relationships already but for my experiences (both 2021 and even in 2022) WERE ALL NOT FUN. Honestly, Dealer dolls are okay if they're not EXCLUSIVE to the dealers. Like, my argument will always be that it defeats the purpose of having a membership when there are dolls that the members themselves have difficulty acquiring/unable to acquire. Give the dealers access and releases to those dolls, go ahead but don't make them exclusives to those dealers. My first time buying from a dealer absolutely --- without sounding dramatic --- broke me. I only got to enjoy the W Club / Integrity again when I won a lottery for 'Smoke and Shadow' Vanessa Perrin for the Coven Couture line....but that didn't happen until a few weeks or maybe a month later.
The dealer process is so confusing and I also feel like as a member they provide very little info or guidance about how to navigate the dealer situation. They basically just tell us what the dolls are and who the dealers are and we are expected to figure out the rest. 😂 It's so bizarre.
I only have one IT doll since I'm mostly a barbie and bjd collector, but every year I contemplate getting a W club membership!! The one I have though is a 16" Poppy Parker Fashion Teen Floating Dream, a 2014 release, and she's still one of the most beautiful dolls I own!! (Also I just found your channel and am OBSESSED. Going to binge all of your videos now lol)
Lol, thank you! 😊 also I love integrity. I'm getting more interested in the community surrounding their dolls but I hate using their forum for technical reasons. 😆 the dolls are gorgeous though. Can't wait to see what the upgrade dolls will be this year.
The Scarlet Hex doll you showed is part of Integrity’s NU Fantasy line but uses a character from the FR line, Anja Christensen. NU Fantasy can use sculpts from any IT line but typically uses FR and NF.
Great Video!! I joined integrity because of the Jem dolls. However somehow Poppy Parker became my new obsession after the Jem line ended. lol That grey doll is my favorite I got this year. She's so beautiful in person! I really enjoyed the club, nothing beats not having to pay and extra $50-$100 a doll because you didn't get it first wave via the club. (especially if you love Poppy. ouch!) I will say with dealers, I personally don't mind it. I've done the email route and most are very sweet. Haven't had any issue getting a doll. They are old school but they kinda give the vibe of going to an in-person doll show. Run by maybe an older person, not yet caught up with tech, mostly take cash, maybe paypal and write your receipt of those yellow carbon papers. However are very nice/helpfully/knowledgeable if you talk to them....loll Maybe that's a weird thing to have in doll collecting these days.. I think the history of Integrity is they started with Dealer's? So maybe it's also very difficult to end that relationship with them..
I signed up for the wait list and I just joined. This video was great because it’s new to me (I got several IT dolls off of eBay and fell in love with the styling and quality). I put deposits on the 3 upgrade dolls and I’m looking forward to gaining access to the forum.
i love these dolls, i can’t justify the cost tho, trixie was my exception, i love her so much and the preorder was the best way to get them. id get another drag doll or similar celebrity type doll if it’s a preorder type deal
Great video, also another tip I saw from another video like this one from long time WClub members that othes may not know, is that when you have multiple memberships and you enter to buy a doll. If you win all of them, u have to buy them all. I didn't know that at first so there's a tip to help someone in case someone didn't know
Having multiple memberships increase your chances in a lottery but if you only want one doll you can specify something like “1 doll only” in the Customer Comments section of each lottery entry. Then you won’t get stuck with multiple dolls.
Yes, if you enter multiple times, 1 per membership, you pay for what you win. But you can indicate you only want one doll in the comments when you enter. Most ppl who have multiple membership do want multiple dolls. Plus, IT does sell direct, so if you have multiple membership, your allowed 1 doll per membership when dolls are sold by them directly. There are benefits to having the multiple memberships.
Great video! I enjoy being in the club. I was reluctant to use the forum, but now I enjoy reading things post in the forum. So many great tips and ppl are allowed to sell and exchange dolls in the forum. You can also give direct feedback on the dolls. You can ask the liaisons questions. Its pretty cool. We can and have given doll ideas that IT takes into consideration.
Excellent video. As a newer member you have a fresh eye. I contemplated joining this year but it was too much pressure to be tempted by beautiful dolls.
Haha, that is so real. It's better to just not join at all if you're trying not to buy dolls. 🤣 they are hard to resist when you keep getting those email reminders.
Just let you know, the dealers have no control on what they will get or how many. I found the whole thing completely confusing. Its best to try to find a dealer you can work with, establish a relationship with one. I know that my dealer gets a lot more people that want to buy a
Thank you so much for doing this video! I have been thinking of posting in my doll group but was embarrassed to ask and not even sure how to ask lol. ❤
Of course! I was confused when I first got into IT dolls as well. It's not very easy to find a ton of info about IT. They're weirdly secretive about stuff sometimes. But most IT collectors have been really nice and welcoming to me, so I'm sure if you have specific questions, people will answer them.
I feel from my personal experience the dealers can be hard to deal with because most of them list them on eBay but not under their store names and multiple different accounts so does integrity itself list them on ebay under all sorts of different names.
I've always been interested in IT dolls, so I appreciate the info. I've always been under the impression that IT dolls are somewhere between Barbie and Hot Toys in terms of quality and customization and I do like that. But it seems kind of complicated to get them and I'd only be interested in the boy dolls (the Rio Pacheco dolls are some of my grails), so probably not worth it. Someday though!
I don't have anything from Hot Toys but that sounds pretty accurate. IT dolls' faces aren't super naturalistic or 3 like Hot Toys but they are leagues better than Barbie. 😁 The boy dolls are very good, but they don't do a ton of them.
@@dollthighs Yeah, it tends to be a double edged sword. On one hand, I'm glad there aren't a ton of boy dolls produced outside of Ken because it means I don't spend as much or accumulate as much as quickly, but it also means I don't get to participate as much as I'd like to.
@@dollthighs i didn't know how much depth goes into purchasing one of the dolls but I am sure seeing them in person must be amazing when you receive them!
I've never known a Dealer that has saved dolls for exclusive customers. It's on a first come first serve basis, which is why it's beneficial to have a dealer. It gives you an opportunity to get that email over right away, and significantly increases the likelihood of you getting the doll. Also my dealer doesn't mark up the price on the dolls. The prices that you see marked up are typically the dealers that sell the dolls to the general public, whether it's a brick and mortar store or online store. I love the dealer component of selling the dolls as I have gone into the actual stores, and have ended up purchasing dolls I didn't know about.
I been a fan and collecting Integrity Toys for more than four years and still do. I joined W club once for the Lottery ( Get the special issue) and nothing happens. Now a days, I brought these lovely gals from Ebay.
As far a convention, my understanding when they were doing live ones, even getting in is very hard. Also, start saving the $4,000 t0 $5,000 you will need to take with you for the room, flight, food and all the "opportunity" dolls you will be shelling out money for at these conventions
Wow, that sounds wildly expensive. I have heard it can be hard to get into the conventions as well. And even getting in doesn't guarantee you will get all the convention dolls.
I’m new to collecting these beautiful dolls! I really enjoyed watching your video. I only have 3 and I know one is under the 🌲. My problem is .. to take it out of the box or to leave them in it? What do most people do? Thanks!
I think most people unbox IT dolls. They usually come partially dressed and don't typically display well in the box, in my opinion. They also resell pretty well unboxed if you ever chose to part with them.
It's not exactly coupons. They'll send links when new dolls come out, and if you buy the doll via the wclub member link, it's slightly cheaper than buying it through the standard website.
Until a few years ago, when you joined the W Club for $50, you got a $25 coupon to use toward future doll purchases. However, unfortunately they stopped doing this. As of 2023, there are no more coupons issued.
I just ordered my first Adonis doll! I did sign up for the membership for them as well this year because it sounds like they are going to have exclusive member only dolls as well now.
as i listen to half of the things i have to go through to get a doll, especially being a member of their company just to buy a doll or two, and sometimes it’s even possible for us not to get the doll that we want if they don’t let us buy. i don’t know why they try so hard to focus on collector dolls being a collector’s item who only hardcore collectors would buy. for example i wanna buy a certain doll for my love partner and if i have a week worth of time it’s never likely for me to get anything in stock esp if i need to sign up and wait first. it’s so sad. buying these dolls outside the website would be way more expensive and even though i can secretly find a way to buy most of these dolls for under $100, i would never feel comfortable enough to know that all these brands care too much about the membership. at the end of the day we all don’t need expensive dolls to feel happy and i understand how beautiful and high in quality they can be, it’s still possible for us to maximize and customize a barbie with high quality clothes high quality hair face etc and we can still get a lot of joy so if these expensive dolls are just material things at the end of the day then i think it’s probably fine having something lower in price with ease of accessibility and still end up having something super gorgeous. quality and details well i respect the people who can afford these dolls but to me they’re just… dolls ya know and the love we have toward them should be reasonable at the end of the day esp when we pay so much for being a membership and we have to go through all these train wrecks for having a chance to buy a certain doll. i’m not sure if one day i’ll splurge and buy one of these dolls for a considerable price to afford, i just know that i would never go through the standard steps to get these dolls just because i never think it would be worth it and plus i don’t think it’s easy to deal with the logistics and courier here anyway so it’s just not worth going through anything at all
I agree. Honestly, if I could only keep 1 doll in my entire collection, it would probably be a Rainbow High doll. 😆 these dolls are very expensive and definitely not for everyone. I just love them as well and think they're worth the money.
Yes! They usually have very serious facial expressions. One of my friends told me she doesn't like them because they look like they're going to bully her. 🤣🤣🤣 I appreciate the resting B**** face, though. I can relate.
Hey dear what's u do professionally? Honestly I skipped and looked the dolls . However I guess I clicked on the video to see you in the video and for your cute smile .😊🥰 By the way nice dolls especially pink poppy Parker one looks fabulous.
Great video. Thank you for the insight. I would do a membership if I could get my hands on the Jem and Rupaul dolls. Like you said even one doll would make it worth it. I am fascinated by IT but haven't been able to pull the trigger. It's not the money itself it's wrapping my mind around the cost of a doll. I understand the quality but $160-$200+ quality? I mean what the market will bear and the market decided they were willing to pay the price a long time ago. I have looked at the sellers from the IT site and totally get what you were saying about them. I really like two of them with one seeming like they keep the price really fair. I really really want the Palm Springs Poolside Sergio doll and the Palm Springs Nubian Poppy Parker. I want more of their male dolls more that any of the females. I like the ones with a little part in their lips as they look less severe. Thank you again.
I also almost bought a few of the palm springs dolls. 😆 I just had to skip them because I will go bankrupt if I buy every IT doll. Also, I would love if they do more rupaul dolls. Those all came out before I was a member, so I wasn't able to get them. 😞
Than the number of doll they are going to get. So if you dont have a relationship with, It can be hard to get popular ones. I try to be far with them, if I know I dont want a certain doll I make sure to let my dealer know right away so he doesnt put one aside for me. It very complicated to explain on here. I just joined in 2020, and I still dont completely understand how it all works.
Yes! I've heard similar stories. The dealer I used I barely interacted with because they had a solid online store. I wish I lived closed to a dealer so I could physically go to the store and try to build a real relationship with them. 😟
Unfortunately, where I live, there's nothing doll related. 😕 but I've considered just taking road trips to doll shows or conventions. I might actually plan to do that this year.
Yes! I'm assuming they're redoing the website for the opening of the new wclub year. They'll probably do a big announcement when the time comes like they usually do.
@Janelle LaFond thank you! Lol, that's good to hear. When I decided to make this video, I was worried I would be roasted by the more experienced IT collectors. 🤣 I'm glad to hear I got it all, mostly correct. ❤️ I forgot to mention the IT convention. But did they even do one in 2022? I don't remember seeing anything about it.
Dealers helped IT become who they are. I understand it can be difficult to get in touch with dealers, but I would honestly stop buying from IT if they turn their backs on the people who had faith in them before they gained popularity. I’ve had plenty of positive experiences with dealers. And I do miss out on some dolls. But some people will always miss out when edition sizes are limited.
Thanks for the info! I always assumed their dealer relationship had something to do with their long history of doing business with certain companies. I just wish it wasn't so hard to get the dolls. 😆 it's not the end of the world, I just wanted to make sure any new members understand that a membership does not ensure you'll get all the dolls you want throughout the year.
The great thing about Integrity dolls in the past is that if you don’t bond with a doll you can resell them double the price once they hit the secondary market, nowadays it has gotten tough because of the large edition sizes. It’s hard to resell something when ebay is flooded with the same items. I have upgrade dolls from 2012-13 that have become expensive. From an original retail price of $130, I was able to sell it around $750 on the secondary marker in 2020. Sometimes it really pays to wait and keep them for a few years in your possession until they become rare as the years go by.
So true. I usually don't resell dolls to try to turn a profit, but that's definitely the smarter way to do it. 😂 I just sell what doesn't fit in my collection at the time and if I lose a little money on the deal it doesn't bother me much because I know someone who wanted the doll more than I did gets to have them.
Good thing about IT dolls is that if you're in the fence of getting a doll. Just buy it so you wont miss out. You can always sell it after at cost and shipping . Sometimes you can earn a profit if the doll is popular . Some member buy many memberships to get many lottery dolls and sell them in ebay with a huge mark up.
I was a member in 2020 and 2021. There is still one outstanding made-to-order doll that hasn't shipped yet from 2021!! So, aside from the cost, that is a VERY big adjustment people should know about. A lot of collectors are used to plopping down money and getting a doll instantly. I only liked a whopping 2 dolls from the 2023 collection, which I don't honestly think I'll have any problem whatsoever finding on the secondary market, so my membership wouldn't have been worth it, and I'm glad I didn't rejoin. The W Club is made up of mostly Poppy Parker fans, and I know it's a sacrilege to say, but I don't actually care for Poppy Parker. Which also makes the membership pointless for me, personally.
Yeah, the most sought-after dolls seem to be poppy or fashion royalty, so if you don't care about them, you can usually get the others on eBay at pretty decent prices. Also, I'm still waiting on 3 dolls from 2022, I think. 🤣
Oh, true! I forget they sell the like basically naked dolls as well. Thanks for the reminder! 😊 also, I think the trixie doll is cheaper than most around like $145 ish? I forgot to mention her.
@@dollthighs Well, it's really simple. Integrity makes dolls for sale and... you buy them. That's pretty much the extent of convention. It's just an entire weekend of giving IT more money.
IT needing to move into the less than roaring 20's aside, I feel you should tell yourself "at least I've never been a BJD collector" because less than 300-400 dollars per doll is just so miniscule once you've experienced paying up to and over 2k per doll. Don't worry, be happy as they say.
