Pandemic Shopping Review: Wunderwelt – Positive
Note: This post is a little out of date, I wrote it at the beginning of June, but it didn’t publish. I’m publishing it wish a backdate now.
Back in April, Wunderwelt had a promotion listed on their homepage, which, I kind of thought said any orders you bought between the date it was posted (April 6th, I believe) and April 30st would have free international shipping if they were over 10,000 yen. And it also said you could combine orders if you you put the order number in the comments or something. I can’t link to it, because they seem to be editing the same announcement to change the dates and details for subsequent promotions.
I took this to mean that they would hold packages until the end of April and I was younger and more optimistic back then, and I assumed that maybe the pandemic wouldn’t be as bad by then.
So, even though I wasn’t shopping much at the time because I was worried about exposing the postal workers, I placed an order for a few items on April 12th, thinking I was being responsible-ish.
That said, my perspective has shifted since then and I’m leaning more towards buying from small businesses and independent crafts people to try to help keep those businesses afloat.
Anyways, I ordered 3 items on April 12th:
Maxicimam Headbow
1,743 yen
There is a feeling of use / There is dullness in the lace / Rank C
Angelic Pretty Merry Bunny Mini Hat
6,734 yen
There is feeling of age / a little dirt on the ribbon / small scratches / Rank C
Innocent World Headdress with grosgrain winding rose
3,499 yen
The roses are either loose or smashed / Dusty / Some other minor things that are hard to translate / Rank C
While these prices were a tinge on the higher side given the condition (more on that in a moment), the shipping was free, so, it is what it is.
On April 14th, I was sent a notice my items had shipped.
This was kind of surprising to me, because, again, I thought I could just like… add things to my cart all month and they would ship at the end of the month, but I guess I misunderstood.
I was given an EMS tracking number… and away we went?
As you can see, the package sat in the post office in Tokyo for just over 5 weeks before it actually moved. Once it got to the United States, however, it got to me within 2 days.
They used a very solid box, and inside the box the items were wrapped in bubble wrap and inside of that they were wrapped in plastic. A packing sheet was on the top.
However, I wasn’t super impressed with everything just being loose in the box, and the hat being smooshed into the box with the ears bent for a month means that the ears now don’t really stand up on their own. They flop. I had to keep putting them up and then snapping the photo quick… Maybe they didn’t stand up before. I’m not sure.
The top of the hat is also dented in a bit. Now, floppy ears and a dented top are not what was expecting. But, the hat was listed as rank C.
I guess my biggest take away from this is when Wunderwelt says “Rank C”, they mean it. It’s not like Closet Child where they label things in really good condition as flawed. It’s genuinely flawed.
Here is the maxicimam headbow. Overall, better shape, slightly dingy lace, but I expected that.
And the IW headdress. It’s a little more smashed IRL than I expected, but I don’t think it’s the worst. It’s fixable. And it’s gorgeous. Also, it was smashed in the photos, so that’s on me.
Overall? It was a positive experience, I’m just… slightly underwhelmed? It’s not bad service. It’s not like they tricked me in any way, every listing said Rank C. I should have expected Rank C. I think some of it is just that I had this idea in my head of what I was getting, and it didn’t match up with the reality of the item’s flaws. And I can’t blame them for the failures of online shopping. Especially when they do take stunning photos.
And they covered the postage, which ended up being 2,000yen. If I divide that evenly between all 3 items, that means a discount of about 667 yen on each one.
I guess, my point is this. Wunderwelt has great service, they take great photos, and they ship in strong boxes (but may not give extra support padding, something to keep in mind if you are buying a delicate bag or hat), but they aren’t the cheapest option around.
But that makes sense, when you think about it. After all, it goes back to the old adage: Good, Fast, Cheap: pick 2.
It’s also worth noting that they now offer Yamato shipping. I had a great experience with Yamato using Tenshi shop, and I would recommend that over EMS if you are making an order during the pandemic.
One other thing that brings up is that… if the EMS shipping had been as fast as it usually was, it might not have mattered that the ears were bent. So, it might be a case of the less padded shipping normally being fine, but not if it has to sit for 5 weeks.
Overall, it was a positive experience, and I would order from them again.