How Does Layaway Work & Who Offers It?

[Yurusumaji]

Alright doll folks, I've gone off the deep end and have become increasingly interested in BJDs. My husband and I were having a chat on it last night, as he is quite put off by dolls themselves (he finds them creepy, as his sister owned one that he was quite certain was demonic and watched him ceaselessly ... he's odd). I figured it would come up eventually, so I brought up the point of price (which makes no difference as I have found work) and layaway.

In the heat of debate, I realized I have no idea how doll layaway works, nor who offers this service. When I was a young tot my mother would layaway things at Kmart on a frequent basis and was permitted to pay things off as she was able, sometimes forgetting about items altogether or taking it off of layaway at some point due to a change in heart. That was a couple decades ago, so I imagine it doesn't work like that anymore.

Do you have to pay a specific amount within a specific time frame? Are there significant differences between retailers? Does more than one retailer even offer this service? Any info is appreciated.

[egyptiondragon]

i know k mart still does layaway but i wouldn't recommend it you'll be paying more that what its worth in the end you have to put like 20$ down also walmart has layaway during the holiday season and i think one other store during the holidays

[LuvlyMelody]

I did layaway last month or so at Toys R Us. From what I remember, this is how it went down:

-Get the items you want
-Take it to customer service
-Tell them you want to do layaway
-They'll scan the items, and ask for your information: Name, address, phone number, etc.
-lay $5 down for the layaway fee
-of the sub total of all the items you put on layaway, you pay from 15% or however much more you want to pay off.
-3 months to pay off, there's a checkpoint half way where you have to have paid off 50%
-Once paid off, done!

[Folly]

For BJDs, a LOT of places do layaway.  Mint on Card offers the longest layaway program I think, but if I remember right Junkyspot does layaway too, as well as a lot of actual companies.  Usually they'll have a "layaway" section on their site!

Basically, how it works is you choose how long you want the layaway to go for (some companies only offer one-month layaways, while others will go up to 6 months) and then the cost is split up over that period of time and you pay a little bit of the full price every month, plus a non-refundable deposit at the beginning.  I think they usually charge you if you cancel your layaway, so do be sure you can finish it before starting one

[Chi]

I'll second what Folly said, a lot of BJD websites do offer it. I know off the top of my head that Iplehouse offers it in 4 payments (I'm not sure if this is mandatory or you could do more than 4..) but the first has to be at least 1/4 of the total order price and you have 3 months to pay it off.
I know they have a 10% cancellation fee but at least they offer you time to pay it!

[Radiance]

Denver Doll here in the US also offers up to a 6 month layaway and they sell many different brands of BJD. Most layaway plans that doll companies offer do not charge interest; you end up paying the same as if you'd bought the doll in one payment. But you will loose any payments made if you decide to cancel the order.

[partypony566]

Denver Doll here in the US also offers up to a 6 month layaway and they sell many different brands of BJD. Most layaway plans that doll companies offer do not charge interest; you end up paying the same as if you'd bought the doll in one payment. But you will loose any payments made if you decide to cancel the order.

Was just coming to say this

I've just spent $200 with them but if I make any bigger purchases than that in the future ( which is definite, ive seen a doll i want that is $500) I will be doing layaway!

[Rabiruchi]

Because BJDs are quite expensive, it's pretty usual to see stores (and people of the second hand market) offering layaway.

The main rule is:
You pay the first part of it just to "confirm" you're serious about the buy.
You pay the other parts considering the "gap" of time the seller offers you till you complete the order.

It depends how much you'll pay in each parcel, and how many days you can wait to pay each parcel. Each dealer give their own rules. Some ask  50% of the full amount at the first payment, some might split the full price evenly. And the number of parcels/ days to pay each parcel may vary.

So you might always ask the deales/read on the site the layaway rules.


Layaway system is a good thing if:
> You are the type of person that can't hold money to pay a full doll (because you'd buy other things instead rather than keeping a big amount), so you get "stuck" to the duty of paying the doll.

> You are interested in a doll that's limited quantity/limited period for order, and you don't have enought money to pay full, so you "split" the payments so you don't miss the limited doll.

> You are interested in a doll/part of the second hand market. You can't pay full, but don't want to miss the deal to someone else that might buy the iten before you. So tou contact the dealer and, eather the dealer "hold" the iten for you for a while, or he might offer you a layaway.

I usually prefer to pay full (I keep my "doll money" and use it when I have enought. I tend to pay by layaway when I want a limited doll and can't affoard it full by the order period.

[Yurusumaji]

Thank you for all this great info! I have heard Denver Dolls mentioned before and kept forgetting to look it up. They're actually in Centennial, whose border is a meager 5-10 minutes from me. In all, their showroom is only about 30 minutes away. Exciting! It would be nice to see dolls from different companies.

[ZennaBug]

Thank you for all this great info! I have heard Denver Dolls mentioned before and kept forgetting to look it up. They're actually in Centennial, whose border is a meager 5-10 minutes from me. In all, their showroom is only about 30 minutes away. Exciting! It would be nice to see dolls from different companies.

Denver Doll used to be on Pearl Street, only a few blocks from where I grew up.  They are all super nice and I always recommend people buy their dolls there.  They moved to Centennial a while back, but it's still run by the same family.  You'll have to check them out sometime. 

[Yurusumaji]

Denver Doll used to be on Pearl Street, only a few blocks from where I grew up.  They are all super nice and I always recommend people buy their dolls there.  They moved to Centennial a while back, but it's still run by the same family.  You'll have to check them out sometime. 

I am thinking I will pop in tomorrow, as the showroom will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It would be nice to start off on the right foot and meet some doll people in real life. I know you always get the best advice from the people with experience. ^_^ Plus it will be nice to talk face-to-face with folks who won't shudder every time I mention dolls and call them creepy. Ha ha!

[Flaileigh]

I've only done layaways with MoC, but just started with Denver Doll. (As companies, I've also done layaways with other collectors)

With MoC, you have to pay by registering a credit card with them. You put your order in your cart, then instead of payment, you click the layaway button and you'll get info to wait for eMail confirmation. I always take the longest layaway plan available just in case, but you can pay more than the allotted monthly payment if you want. A few days before each payment is due, they'll send an eMail to confirm the payment. After payment is complete, they'll eMail you to let you know when the company has shipped them the order (If it wasn't an in-stock item) and then when the item will be shipped to your address.

Say you spent 500$ and shipping was 30$, and you chose a 6 month layaway. They'll take the full amount (530$) and just divide it by 6, and that's how much you have to pay each month. (88.33$)

Denver Doll is a bit easier since they use Paypal and will send a payment notice when each payment is due. Then you just go to Paypal and pay as per usual. I still have two more payments to pay on my order, so I'm not sure what their shipping is like, but I wouldn't expect it to be too different than other stores.

Haven't gotten around to trying out Soom or Iplhouse's layaway plans yet... I might have to at some point tho... 

[ZennaBug]

Denver Doll used to be on Pearl Street, only a few blocks from where I grew up.  They are all super nice and I always recommend people buy their dolls there.  They moved to Centennial a while back, but it's still run by the same family.  You'll have to check them out sometime. 

I am thinking I will pop in tomorrow, as the showroom will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It would be nice to start off on the right foot and meet some doll people in real life. I know you always get the best advice from the people with experience. ^_^ Plus it will be nice to talk face-to-face with folks who won't shudder every time I mention dolls and call them creepy. Ha ha!

Their showroom is cool, BJDs everywhere!  Last time I was there, they pulled one of their in-stock Mei dolls out of the back so I could actually see her and decide if I wanted to save for her.  And if you are polite and careful, they will let you try wigs on your dolls.  Very helpful when deciding which one you want.

[Akemi-chan]

Some BJD companies that offer layaway as well are Iplehouse, Momochan, Dolkworld (which is a distributor for various companies like Dearmine and Crobidoll).  I only know this because I'm planning to get various dolls this way from these particular companies