I will be taking on a part-time job in the coming October, which unfortunately means I won’t be able to commit myself to this service full-time anymore.
As a result, from the 25th September, I will no longer be accepting auction orders or online orders. I will be doing in-store only. I am unsure yet if it will be restricted to lolita only or if I will continue to do everything. It depends on how busy things get, but for now it will be general.
Regarding online orders, I will not be handling them myself after September, but I am going to be training a friend (and helping where necessary) to take on that side of the business. So, online orders will be available again soon after. I shall make another announcement when they can be accepted again.
Please be aware that although it will be under the Tokyo Pirates name she will be running things in her own style. This means she will be starting off with the current framework, but will be able to decide her own fees later and her own restrictions. I will not have a say in how she runs that side of things, and it will depend on her own other commitments. It will also be a probation period as she sees whether she can integrate the shopping service into her schedule.
She is from Thailand, but speaks fluent English. I can vouch for her in saying she’s a lovely and honest person which is why I’m entrusting this part of my precious service baby to her. :)
I apologize for any convenience this might cause some of my absolutely wonderful, regular customers. I don’t know if this will be a permanent state of things, but for now I hope I can still continue to do business with many of you! (^_^)
Hello all! I’m just passing on the message. The lovely misshamiltonswardrobe has put this OP up for sale and is looking for anyone interested. ^^ It’s brand new, and just to add my own two cents - this series is stunning! The pictures don’t do it justice. It has silver thread woven throughout and sparkles ever so slightly while still being elegant and understated. I should know, I drooled over every colourway and shape while it was out, and even bought one for myself.
Hello lovelies ~ Today I have for sale my BRAND NEW Baby, The Stars Shine Bright Ave Maria OP in Ivory! Never even taken out of its package…For TRADES, I am open to ANYTHING! Show me what you have. Also interested in the Ave Maria Light Green skirt. For SALE, make me an offer, I am willing to accept payment plans and will look at *any* offer! Send me a message here on Tumblr if you or someone you know is interested.
Reblogged From misshamiltonswardrobe-blog
Hey everyone! The shopping service is back in business, but things will be very slow for the first week or two due to a great, big backlog of inquiries (over 60 inquiries to sort through - thank you!). I’ll do my best to get through things as fast as possible and respond to your messages. Thanks for understanding!
Coco was kind enough to write a detailed review on the service after I went to a book signing for her - http://hallilaul.tumblr.com/post/94085107891/tokyo-pirates-shopping-service-review-positive
Thank you so much! (^___^)You can also check out her cute tumblr here!
Hello everyone, and sorry to do this, but due to an overwhelming amount of current orders still being worked through, Tokyo Pirates shopping service’s hiatus will be extended until the 22nd August. Please bear in mind that I cannot always answer emails during the hiatus and any orders/inquiries you wish to make should be saved until after the hiatus date is over. If you send an email/message during hiatus, you may not receive a response unless your order/inquiry is sent again after hiatus (to prevent backlog). I apologize in advance for the inconvenience!
Thanks to everyone who has been inquiring about the Ma*rs items. It’s much appreciated even if no one buys. ^^
To those interested in lolita, I’ve put up some more things for sale, so feel free to check them out!
So, I’m taking advantage of hiatus to do a big clear-out of inventory. I’m selling new and used items - some are from my wardrobe, some were impulse purchases during sales, and some are cancelled orders. You can check out my sale items here- http://www.lacemarket.us/author/cloudlace/
But here are some pictures anyway!
(Magical Etoile special set - Harajuku store only as far as I know)
I’ll also be putting up some of the following rare items over the next few days (as well as a cancelled Cameo Window dress, more bags and accessories, etc.) if I can bring myself to part with them, so stay tuned. (Sorry but I won’t be accepting offers prior to making the lacemarket listings)
(^ still trying to decide if I can part with this one so not guaranteed)
3rd August 2014
Notes: 12
#tokyo pirates#shopping service#closet cleaning#sale#for sale#angelic pretty#alice and the pirates#baby the stars shine bright#lolita#cameo window#drink me jsk#crystal dream carnival#sleepless twilight in the masquerade#innocent rose#magical etoile#night ship alice#labyrinth of rose#twinkle constellation#musee du chocolat#op#dress#skirt#blouse#bag#blog#fairy marine#fairy marine chiffon
We have a winner! ☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆
The winner was selected by tallying up the number of people who had entered and using a random number generator to keep things fair. It came out as lucky number 7, so pengupooh, you are the winner. Congratulations! I’ll message you so that you can collect your prize.
Thank you so much to everyone who entered! I have already found several things on people’s wishlists, so hopefully Collectstor will continue to be a useful tool for everyone. They’ve added a new ‘wishlist’ category now too due to demand. (^_^)
From 1st - 13th August, the Tokyo Pirates shopping service will be on hiatus. The cut off date for new orders will be the 28th July. Replies may also be a little slow for the next few days due to a slight overload. Service will be resumed as normal after the 13th.
Current orders will continue to be processed as usual, so please don’t worry if you have an event that occurs during that time or if you have a package that is still to arrive and be shipped. They will still be processed. Exceptions may also be made for lolita reserves or releases. Sorry for any inconvenience!
Hello! Haha, not at all. Thanks for the questions. I’ll do my best to answer! :D
1. Maybe 1-2 times a week. Mostly I just wear it on special occasions or when shopping. The rest of the time I’m more casual.
2. Alice and the Pirates Sentimental Circus JSK in black (the gold detailing is gorgeous)
3. Alice and the Pirates
4. It depends on the week. Sometimes only once, sometimes 3-4 times. It completely depends on the customers’ orders and whether they request it be bought online or in-store.
5. Yes, I usually go to Harajuku or Shinjuku for store releases.
6. I used to have lots of pets throughout my childhood (a dog, a cat, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish). They’ve all passed away, but I’d love a dog again. My dog was the kindest, sweetest-natured animal ever.
7. Erk, I haven’t taken a full day off in a long time, so I’m genuinely not sure anymore. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I like going to izakayas (Japanese pubs), sometimes clubbing, sometimes karaoke, sometimes staying in and having a movie night with flatmates. Right now I think what I crave most is going hiking in the mountains and just spending a whole day exploring, relaxing and refreshing. I plan to try in August if I can get all orders done. :D
8. I can’t say anything particularly strange has happened in-store. Maybe one of the more surreal experiences was when I was shopping in the Shinjuku store and a group of tourists walked by.
Now there are generally two kinds of tourists in lolita stores -
1) Those who are interested in/wear lolita and have come to buy things while they are in Japan. They’re usually by themselves, in couples or small groups.
2) Those who don’t know about lolita and marvel at the window displays, sometimes commenting on what the fashion might be about and how crazy the prices are. They usually come in couples, small groups or families.
Both of these types of tourists are pretty inconspicuous. They come, they look, they shop, etc., which of course is great.
This group was a different experience. You know how you tend to see a lot of Japanese people abroad in giant bus tour groups? You’re suddenly engulfed by a sea of people taking photos and shouting excitedly about the shape of a perfectly ordinary (to you) building. They move as one mind around a designated area and then disappear like smoke back onto the bus after about 10 minutes.
Imagine this, but instead of Japanese, it’s westerners crammed into a narrow corridor between tiny shops - people with cameras the size of their heads and wide eyes following a person with a flag who was loudly saying, “And this is LOWLEETAH. Lowleetah is a special fashion in Japan where they wear doll-like dresses…”
Literally everyone on the floor, who had been going about their business, froze and stared at them.The sales staff were giving each other side glances like, “What the f-?” The customers were glancing guiltily down at the purchases in their hands as if they’d been caught stealing candy.
I guess when you’re shopping/working in a shop, you don’t really consider the fact that you could be a tourist attraction. What had seemed normal one moment, now felt strangely bizarre. The tourists were freely gawking as they walked past as if we were exotic animals in a zoo.
A girl looking at the same accessory stand as me caught my eye after they left (we could hear the tour guide’s voice floating down the corridor) and we both started giggling.
tl:dr Tourists are funny in any country. I made a new friend that day. :P
9. Yes, I love, love, love my job. It’s stressful at times but always worth it. :)