What to Expect When You Are Expecting...Your First Doll

You’ve spent weeks deliberating, researching, analyzing and finally have just placed your order for your first doll, having perfected every detail to suit you or maybe you stumbled on to our site, saw a good-looking doll and casually placed an order – either way, you may be asking, now what?

Well, if you bought an in stock doll, your doll will arrive in a few days.  If you selected a customized doll, you will be waiting anywhere from just under two weeks to up to eight weeks depending on the brand, the level of customization (e.g. the best implanted hair is done by hand and will add a little time), the time of year (e.g. the weeks leading up to Christmas can be surprisingly busy in the doll market and as we all know shipping times increase during the holiday season), and the method of shipping. 

Many manufacturers of customized dolls will send us pictures of the doll just before shipping to ensure the doll is as ordered and we will send those pictures on to you for final verification (provided we don’t see any errors and handle them first).  After confirmation, the doll is packed and shipped.  We then start bugging the manufacturers for a tracking number – some companies send this to us immediately while others forget and need to be reminded repeatedly.  We then send the tracking number on to you so you know when to expect your very discreetly labeled package. 

While we proudly sell these products, we understand a person’s desire for privacy and only deal with companies that use “discrete” shipping practices.  What you buy is no one else’s business unless you choose to share. 

What can you do while waiting for your doll?  Prepare a permanent storage spot for it!  Basically, think of the skin as similar to human skin.  Keep it out of direct sunlight to keep from breaking down the skin.  Keep it free from dust (even a thin plastic bag can cover it), dirt and debris when possible and wash it after it has gotten dirty.  Powder it when it gets oily.  Finally, remember the “skin” is made soft to feel real and the skeleton is hard to provide structure and support as well as realism. 

Laying the soft skinned doll on a flat surface for prolonged periods can create flat spots.  Putting the doll in clothes that press into the skin for too long can leave permanent markings.  Wash clothes before putting them on the doll and check for colorfastness to not stain the skin.  Finally, bending the limbs may create folds in the skin (like the back of the knees when the knees are bent) for extended periods of time can create permanent creases. 

An easy storage solution is a two inch foam mattress topper to go under your doll and the bag your doll came in to cover it.  Dolls can be hung from closet rods (using an inexpensive hook that screws into the doll neck) but you will most likely have to reinforce your closet rod – I am not joking it will tear right out of the wall. 

While this sounds fussy, all you need to do is find a soft place to lay your naked doll down with the limbs straight and cover it.  Maintenance and cleaning are also quick and easy with a little experience (most customers tell us they spend less than ten to fifteen minutes per week or every couple weeks on maintenance and cleaning is maybe another ten minutes per use).             

Now to some important but unpleasant matters when buying online.  Please inspect the packaging of your item when it arrives.  If you notice any damage, you should make note of it when signing for delivery.  If your item arrives damaged, please immediately contact us and send photos to sales@ederracore.com so we can process an insurance claim on your behalf.  Don’t be afraid to call as us well – we want to handle this as soon as possible.  DO NOT WAIT or the post office or other delivery service may claim the damage was not done in transit but at your home. 

So now that you have inspected your box, it is time to take it inside and open it up.  But wait, did you remember to check the weight of your doll in the product description?  Weights can vary by doll size and brand as some companies use very special blends of TPE or silicone that are lighter in weight but are more expensive.  A very small doll could weigh as little as 23 pounds but it is not unusual for a standard sized doll to be in the 80-pound range – especially after adding in robotic elements like moving hips.  Add in the packing material meant to protect your doll and you are looking at closer to 100 pounds. 

That is a lot of weight to move in a smooth cardboard box (and yes, I have moved them by myself and dropped one on my foot from not paying attention – learn from my mistakes).  We highly suggest getting a friend to help move the box if you have one you trust.  Otherwise, a handcart or dolly will be very useful and can be used by one person.  It isn’t impossible to move the box without people or handcarts, I have scooted a box onto a tarp and dragged it into a building before.

If you live in an area where package theft is a problem, we encourage you to look into the many options now offered by USPS, FedEx, and UPS.  The United States Postal Service allows you to direct packages to be left at “alternate locations” such as your back door or with a neighbor on the same postal route for free.  All three offer some type of package holding at their facilities, allowing you to pick up the package at your convenience but you do have to sign up for a (free) online account. 

Once your damage free package is in your house, it is finally time to open it up!  We encourage you to film or take pictures of the process as proof if anything is wrong (unlikely but possible).  Most companies do an amazing job of packaging the doll with foam both on top and on bottom so the doll is safe even in rough transit.  Carefully remove the top layer of foam to find…a body bag!  And a dismembered, oily, bald head with a mask and eyes possibly looking in different directions in a small bag.  Don’t freak out, your doll will be back to his or her glamorous self very soon.    

While a few companies use plastic bags to protect the body, many have moved to a cloth bag.  We suggest keeping this bag (plastic or cloth) to keep dust off when storing the doll.

Most likely there are a few items under the foam and above the bag – such as the aforementioned head, instruction manuals, and freebies!  One of the MOST important things to keep track of is your instruction manual and any certificates that come with it – some factories put a serial number proving your doll’s authenticity on the manual, others send a certificate and some send nothing. 

Also, take some time to read the manual.  Dolls need maintenance and each company has their own suggestions to keep your doll in the best condition based on the specific formulation of TPE or silicone used.  Carefully read the information on cleaning your doll before and after use as well.  We try to keep up on all the data for each brand as well as generic information for all dolls but the best advice should come from the manufacturers. 

After removing the other accessories, set aside the bald head (if you didn’t get implanted hair) and the bag of hair.  Yes, the tiny bag of hair will fluff out into the hair in the picture online once it is removed from the bag and handled.  Right now, the head may look a little strange without the hair and body but it will look like the picture once the wig is added.  If the eyeballs are pointing in the wrong direction, just gently use a finger to move them into the right position.  They commonly get moved around during shipping (eyeballs can roll around or get pushed too far in or out – remember they are replaceable for most dolls and are meant to be popped out).

So, on to the body.  After opening the body bag, do a quick examination of the doll BEFORE removing it from the packaging.  If anything is wrong, such as the incorrect head or skin color or a giant tear, stop and contact us.  Do not remove the doll from the packaging (it is almost impossible to refit a doll completely into the packaging once fully removed) and let us handle the issue with the delivery service or manufacturer.    

If there are no issues, it is time to remove your brand new doll.  Don’t be alarmed if the neck is tilted forward to help fit a taller doll in the box as it can be pushed back.  Fingers may also get a bit tweaked during shipping and can easily be moved to a normal position.  When removing the doll, it is easiest to have one person lift near the shoulders and one near the ankles.  When moving the doll by yourself, I recommend a princess style carry.  To do this, you will need to lift the legs and then bend them down at the knee. 

If necessary, you can cut the corners of the box so it lays flat to make it easier to reach the doll (only do this if you have already prepared a storage place for your doll – otherwise we suggest using the box until you make a good storage place).  Do not throw away the packing material until you have verified nothing is tucked away inside of it, like a small but essential neck bolt or any accessories.    

After removing the doll from the packing material, add the neck connector (from the accessories bag) and screw on the head (unless your neck connector is for tilting or quick connecting heads in which case the head pops on instead of screwing); remove the mask used to protect eyelashes (may not be found on all dolls) and add the wig.  Assembly is now complete.   

The skeleton will likely be VERY stiff at first.  This is perfectly normal – the skeletons are tightened so that with repeated use, they can still hold steady when posed.  After a few uses, they become much easier to pose.  For the same reason, you may find the oral, anal and vaginal cavities a bit tight the first few times but perfectly comfortable after a few uses. 

Now, one last issue to handle is the skin may be a bit sticky feeling and shiny looking when arriving straight from the factory.  There are two possibilities – one, there is a releasing agent for the mold left on the skin (less likely as it has to be removed for body paint) or two, TPE and silicone can actually leach a very small amount of an oily substance (it is entirely safe according to scientists and government testing labs – we have asked multiple times and seen the certificates). 

This happens over time and repeated washings as well as on brand new dolls.  A quick, light application of baby powder or even cornstarch will remove the sheen and get rid of the stickiness whenever it crops up, making your doll look and feel even more real and most importantly not act as a dust magnet.  But as always, consult your manual first.  We suggest giving your doll a good wash first and then powdering after it has completely dried.    

Now don’t let all this scare you, we just want you to know exactly what to expect so you don’t think something is wrong (we have gotten those angry calls from someone who thinks the skeleton doesn’t work or who is worried that the doll was coated in a strange sticky substance).  We know these dolls are not cheap and nothing is worse than thinking you spent so much money to get a defective product. 

Now that you, hopefully, know what to expect, we hope you can just focus on having fun with your new doll when it arrives.