Pullips and Junk

Groove made a really interesting post on their blog earlier today, it’s basically a consumer alert about how Pullips should only be bought via approved retailers. The post specifically mentions Pullip My Melody x Hen-nako it is unknown at this time if this list only applies to that specific release or not; I have emailed Groove asking for clarification.

Below is a google translated copy of the blog post (please excuse any weird translations: original version can be viewed here).

Groove Inc. sells products ONLY through authorized retailers. ONLY retailers authorized by Groove have committed to provide excellent pre-sale and post-sale customer service and to uphold Groove standards. And authorized Groove retailers are the ONLY retailers that can convey to you, the consumer, the Groove factory warranty.

Not every retailer advertising Groove products has been authorized by Groove to advertise or sell those products. Unauthorized sellers may be selling counterfeit, used, damaged, or altered products (including products that have had serial numbers removed or altered), and often they do not even have the Groove products in inventory to sell. Consumers who have purchased from unauthorized sellers report problems contacting these unauthorized sellers for post-sale support, and in some instances have even experienced credit card fraud as a result of attempting to purchase from unauthorized sellers.
To avoid these problems, you should always buy from authorized Groove retailers. If you have any questions regarding as authorized retailer, you can contact at info@groove.ws.

Authorized Retailer List
To help guide you, we have compiled below a list of known authorized sellers. We know this is not a complete list, but we recommend you check them.

Following retailers are also authorized by Sanrio Co., Ltd. to sell Pullip My Melody x Hen-Nako, the official overseas release on Feb.016.
– Adoll Land shop (China)
– ARIGATÔ SEVILLA (Spain)
– Berry Dolls (Thailand)
– Jolie Doll (France)
– Kilala (Finland)
– Plasticpop (Germany)
– Pullip.asia (Malaysia)
– Pullip.net (South Korea)
– Pullipstyle (USA)
– Pullipworld (Belgium)
– Sanrio USA (USA)
[in alphabetical order]

Unauthorized Retailer and Warning
Many resellers who sell through Amazon.com, E-bay.com and taobao.com are not authorized retailers of Groove products.
When purchasing Groove products on Amazon.com, E-bay.com and taobao.com, it is important to note where the product is being “shipped from and sold by,” which is stated clearly in the header for each product.
Reminder: Warranties are non-transferable. Second-hand items are not covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

Finally, following retailers are not authorized to sell Groove products (this list is not inclusive):
・芷菱馆 (China) (They allegedly use the name “Groove China”, but they are no connection with Groove.)
・Toy Malaysia (Malaysia)
・Dolls.MOE (Spain)

I know Blythe had troubles with unauthorized dolls ie. factory dolls flooding the market a few years ago, I wonder if Pullip is having similar issues? Perhaps Groove is just being overly cautious.

I’m kind of surprised that Groove specifically called out a few retailers, I’ve never even heard of Dolls.MOE before today. think that it is great that Groove has shared this information with their customers! This list is especially important for people new to the hobby to see as they may not know who is a reliable retailer to do business with.

Personally I buy the grand majority of my dolls via Pullipstyle  who is on the approved seller list. I’ve never had anything but great experiences with them and the few times there has been an issue they have been very quick to resolve it, their customer service is top-notch and I couldn’t ask for more. I also buy from JPGroove occasionally which is the US branch of Groove while they were not specifically named on the list, they are Groove themselves so they probably didn’t think they needed to mention themselves.

I will be sure to post updates as more information becomes available.

This post has been edited as requested.