Buying Dollfie Doll Accessories on AliExpress

Hey doll lovers!

In this post I’ll show you some of the cool accessories I bought for my 1:3 scale Dollfie Dream dolls I bought on AliExpress. If you don’t like reading stuff, here’s a video if some more doll stuff I bought from AliExpress…

So if you haven’t heard of it before, AliExpress is a shopping portal a bit like Amazon.

The main difference is that just about everything on there is shipped directly from China. If that worries you then in 50 or so orders I’ve made on the site nothing has ever failed to arrive. The main issues are that sometimes items take a long time to arrive, and Chinese vendors are prone to sending you the wrong colour or sized item. So use AliExpress if you’re not in a hurry to get a time sensitive item like a Halloween outfit, or for lower value items where it’s not the end of the world if they send you a pink hairband rather than a blue one!

Well enough reading and on for a look through some of the cool Dollfie-sized items I found on AliExpress.

Cute Spectacles for Dolls

I found these miniature glasses for Towa. They’re so cool and now she can see her laptop screen much more clearly. She wears these whenever she is spodding or needs to look nerdy in photoshoots. What’s really cool is that they even came in a miniature spectacles case!

These glasses fit quite well although they don’t really fit on the bridge of Towa’s nose. I’ve seen a few stores with better BJD spectacles, so I might get some more pairs some day. Note that it’s a good idea to be careful with these spectacles, especially with vinyl dolls. After talking with the experts on the DollDreaming forum I’ve learnt that spectacles can dig into a doll’s nose bridge and ears. Fortunately the soft vinyl Dollfies (and Smart Dolls) are made of is kind of like memory foam and will revert to its original position, but it still pays to be careful.

The other day Towa thought she had lost her glasses. It turned out they were on her head! What a silly sausage.

Hair Accessories

AliExpress is a great place for buying hair accessories! In the photos above Towa is wearing some gold hair grips I found for her on an AliExpress store. They’re also available in a wide range of other colours to co-ordinate with your hair colour and outfit.

Random Other Accessories

Doll photography is so much cooler if you have some accessories for your doll. I found this 1/3 scale umbrella and we’ve used it on a few photoshoots:

It’s a really cool item and yes it does actually fold like a real person’s umbrella would do. It would be better with gripping/holding hands but at the time I took these photos I only had Towa’s default open hands (and not many other outfits too).

I did tell Towa I was hesitant about doing this mini photoshoot as it’s considered unlucky to put an umbrella up indoors. Towa reckons the English are so funny with their constant tea drinking and quirky beliefs!

Tips for Buying Doll Accessories on AliExpress

1. AliExpress is like a market with a lot of small stores. Some stores specialise (e.g. in doll clothes) but others sell pretty much everything.
2. The most important thing is to get the sizing right! Be aware that there are A LOT of doll accessories on AliExpress. After all 99.9% of all doll stuff is probably made in China. The main doll sizes are 1/3 (for Dollfie Dream and Smart Dolls), 1/6 (Barbie and some Blythe dolls) and 1/4 sized dolls (MMD and YOSD).
3. 1/3 size is sometimes also written as 1:3 size.
4. AliExpress’s site search isn’t that good but a good keyword to search for is BJD, e.g. BJD laptop. Once you find a store selling doll stuff then see what else they sell. Sometimes laboriously clicking through product listings can result in finding some real gems.
5. I tend to look for stores that sell a few items I can buy in the same order. This saves on postage (sometimes) as well as the hassle of waiting for a package containing a $3 set of hair grips.
6. Some of the better stores selling doll accessories on AliExpress show the dimensions of the products in their product descriptions. These are really useful!
7. Another thing to look for is stores that use BJD dolls in their product photos. Quite a few stores have Super Dollfie models, although  genuine Dollfie Dream dolls seem quite rare in China.
8. In a pinch Dollfie dolls can use 1/4 sized accessories (e.g. laptops, mobile phones) but do not buy them 1/6 sized accessories!
9. Be wary of clothing on AliExpress as it could potentially stain the dolls’ delicate vinyl skin. Having said that, official Volks outfits have also been known to stain. If in doubt dress your dolls solely in white, or use bodysuits.
10. AliExpress is a really good place for mundane accessories like hair grips, umbrellas, imitation guns, belts and other items, especially if you’re not able to 3D print doll accessories yourself.
11. The shoes on AliExpress are pretty good for the price. Again make sure about the size. About the most major issue with had with AliExpress shoes are pleather/vinyl material peeling off. To be fair it sometimes also happens with human sized shoes too!

Have you bought any cool doll accessories online? Would you buy doll stuff from AliExpress, or do you shop somewhere else? Please let us know in the comments section below!