Some personal experience and where to find what
The last few years the fantasy market has been in an uproar. From a market dominated by Bad Dragon and Etsy sellers to a market where multiple sites, countries and people sell their products. I came into this market a year or 5-6 ago with our first purchase from Bad Dragon. Back then the “market leader”. We were happy, but not with the total costs. Let’s break it down for clarity:
This is just a random example we grabbed.
Orochi Medium $115,00
Shipping $31,00
Total: $146,00
the item came into the country (Netherlands), and I had to pay €40,00
So using the current currency conversion we come to the grand total of:
€ 180
$ 187
Now I think we can clearly see why these kind of items are out of reach for a lot of people. Especially with Bad Dragon currently demanding you to pay $180,00 to ship outside the US (At least to within the EU)
This is excluding shipping ofcourse. That and some other reasons why Bad Dragon became a bit of a risky buy (more on that later) we started looking for other stores. And we were surprised to see how many amazing makers there are in Europe. But what do you look out for? What are the red flags? I hope to give some tips here.
When in doubt, nope the fuck out
Kinbari
- Look at how active the company/seller is on social media. Look for #<brandname> for example to see how customers experience their products.
- Know what you need! Do not over extend your skills/abilities and dive straight into the huge models.
- When in doubt, contact the seller. The companies I have interacted with have been really open to feedback and are always happy to answer some questions. For example, Neotori has an active Discord where they share upcoming projects, brainstorm ideas etc.
- When in doubt, nope the fuck out. You are not forced to buy anything. These things are still at a hefty pricepoint, so only buy them if you are 100% sure. It really sucks to have a 100+ euro/dollar piece of silicone in your book case that never gets used.
- Are you unsure about the firmness ratings? Online are many charts and data, but they do not give a good concept of what it means. Some companies sell Firmness testers, these are discs that allow you to feel what it means.
- Make sure that the seller sells the items in a clear bag. Most companies will not refund the product once it’s taken out of the plastic, so check it carefully. I know of at least one seller (Bad Dragon) that sells (or has sold) their products in black plastic bags that you cannot see through. If it comes out damaged? You get nothing. A good friend of mine sadly has had this experience, and a lot of other people on Twitter mention the same experience.
Now that you know what to look out for, what sellers are there. I’ll give you a list of the ones I know and my experience.
Neotori -> Germany -> Started on Etsy and has their own website and Discord. Amazing models and a high level of quality. Great responses to questions.
Phreak -> UK -> I don’t know that much about them. All I know is their great customer service, and the way they work to make the customer feel special.
Love Smiths -> France -> A company that seems to focus on fantasy styled toys (from Ogres and Elves to Trolls and more). Not the cheapest around, but they know what they are doing.
Bad Dragon -> US -> Used to be the only real big seller, high price point and went from a great reputation to a shaky one.
These are the stores that we own products from. All stores I can recommend, with the addition that Bad Dragon really needs to re-evaluate their business practices towards the EU.
But what if you want something completely different?
Masturbators/Sleeves -> Neotori, Love Smiths, Bad Dragon, Phreak
Grinders -> Neotori (in planning stage)
FtM Stroker -> Neotori
These are the stores/items that I know of. Do you know of more? Have tips or changes?
kinbari@pleasurelibrarian.com