Matryoshka Dolls Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Table of Contents

1. What is a Matryoshka doll?
   
   
2. I would like to visit your Matryoshka shop. Where is it located?
   
   
3. Do you make the nesting dolls yourself?
   
   
4. Where are your items shipped from?
   
   
5. What countries do you ship to?
   
   
6. How long is the delivery?
   
   
7. What shipping options are available?
   
   
8. Do you ship to PO boxes?
   
   
9. How much is for the postage?
   
   
10. Is shipping insurance available?
    
    
11. Do I have to register or create an account to shop in your store?
    
    
12. Do you sell wholesale?
    
    
13. Your Matryoshkas are relatively inexpensive. Are they genuine Russian nesting dolls?
    
    
14. How does a cheap imitation of a Matryoshka doll look like?
    
    
15. I am curious why this particular set is $400 more than the others? $400+ seems so high when the others run from about $30 to $50???? My daughter loves "ZZZ" but that just seems a bit steep?
    
    
16. How can I pay? Do you accept credit cards?
    
    
17. Is it safe to use a credit card in your online shop?
    
    
18. How can I be sure that I will get what I paid for?
    
    
19. There is a Matryoshka Store on eBay. Is it related to your store in any way?
    
    
20. It has been more than 4 weeks since I purchased my babushka dolls, but I have not received the order. What shall I do?
    
    
21. Do I have to pay customs charges on the purchase?
    
    
22. Australian quarantine regulations are very strict regarding the import of goods made of wooden. Shall I expect any problems?
    
    
23. My nesting dolls arrived broken …
    
    
24. I have just received the Matryoshka doll. It is beautiful, but I can not open it.
    
    
25. Top half of one of the dolls is missing.
    
    
26. I purchased 20 piece set of nesting dolls, but there are only 16 dolls instead of the 20.
    
    
27. I am very happy with my matryoshka doll and would like to let others know about it. How can I do this?
    
    
28. For More Information
    
    

1. What is a Matryoshka doll? Top
   

   The Matryoshka doll is called "Matryoshka" in Russia and known to the Western world as babushka dolls, Russian nesting (nested) dolls or stacking dolls. It had started as a wooden toy a couple of centuries ago and became later a collectible item.
   
   It consists of a pear-shaped wooden figure with a nice painting usually featuring a woman. The figure can be pulled apart to reveal another figure of the same sort inside. It, in turn, is also hollow and contains another one inside, and so on. The number of nested figures can be as few as three or as many as twenty. The dolls are typically made of linden tree (basswood), dried for at least 2 years to ensure their stability.
   
   What sets matryoshkas apart is the painting of each doll, which can be extremely artistic and elaborate.

2. I would like to visit your Matryoshka shop. Where is it located? Top
   

   There is no physical store. All my Russian souvenirs are sold online.

3. Do you make the nesting dolls yourself? Top
   

   No, we don’t. It is impossible for one person to make such a variety of dolls. The babushka dolls in our store have been painted by many different artists, each having his/her own unique style. While browsing the store you can easily identify the matryoshkas made by one artist.

4. Where are your items shipped from? Top
   

   All products that you purchase in the Matryoshka store will be shipped to you directly from Moscow, Russia.

5. What countries do you ship to? Top
   

   Worldwide.

6. How long is the delivery? Top
   

   See Shipping and Returns

7. What shipping options are available? Top
   

   See Shipping and Returns

8. Do you ship to PO boxes? Top
   

   Yes, we do.

9. How much is for the postage? Top
   

   The postage charge can be easily checked by adding products to the shopping basket and clicking on the "Estimate shipping" button. Tip: the shipping cost rises steeply when going over 1 kg and 2 kg. If you feel that the shipping is too expensive, try to play around with the shopping cart to keep your order just under 1 kg or 2 kg.

10. Is shipping insurance available? Top
    

    Yes, optional shipping insurance will be available when you go through the Checkout.

11. Do I have to register or create an account to shop in your store? Top
    

    Registration is only required when you have finished selecting your products and are ready to check out. This will also allow you to shop faster next time, track the status of your current orders, review your previous orders and take advantage of our other member's benefits.

12. Do you sell wholesale? Top
    

    I am planning to offer up to 30% off the retail price on purchases of large quantities of dolls in the near future.

13. Your Matryoshkas are relatively inexpensive. Are they genuine Russian nesting dolls? Top
    

    All our Matryoshka dolls are hand-picked at the largest art and craft market in Moscow. We have established long term relationship with many artists represented at the market; this helps us to keep the price down maintaining very hight quality-to-price ratio. Having been produced by Russian artists and coming from Moscow, our nesting dolls are indeed genuine Russian craft.

14. How does a cheap imitation of a Matryoshka doll look like? Top
    

    These can be found on eBay or sometimes even in grocery stores. They have a very simple patten and use significantly fewer brush strokes to create ornaments than the genuine Matryoshkas. The colours are usually simple and dull. The facial features are often asymmetric and unpleasant. The top of the head is often flat and excessively squared. The most distinctive feature of the cheap stacking dolls is that they do not have bevelled skirting at the bottom of the largest figurine.

15. I am curious why this particular set is $400 more than the others? $400+ seems so high when the others run from about $30 to $50???? My daughter loves "ZZZ" but that just seems a bit steep? Top
    

    This is a very interesting question - generally, nesting dolls (the mainstream sort, in any case) have their value determined predominantly by their size and the number of pieces they contain. However, these are artistic dolls - a work of art - they are in a different category altogether. Their value lies in the mastery of the painter.
    
    You do not have to be an expert to see that the painting on this set is very intricate, there are so many characters on the dolls, they are drawn with such detail that they appear alive. This is not a picture in a frame, the elements are captured on a circular form and yet everything clicks together. The harmony seems to be natural and expected, but to achieve this requires superior skills and tremendous effort.
    
    If you seriously compare this set with the $50 or $100 ones, you will clearly see the difference. The less expensive sets look attractive, but it is obvious that the artists who painted them are unlikely to reproduce anything similar to the "ZZZ" - they work at a different level and cater to a different buyer.
    
    The less expensive sets are probably more appropriate to be used as children's toys. Nesting dolls are made of wood; they are fragile and can be easily smashed by kids. I am still at a loss what can be given to kids and what should not. However, if it is possible to arrange that the dolls won't be broken, then I think the toy (not really a toy, but truly a collectable item) can help to cultivate a good taste and stay with the young person for life.

16. How can I pay? Do you accept credit cards? Top
    

    I accept major credit cards and eCheck through PayPal. You do not have to have an account with PayPal to pay with a credit card. Australian buyers can also pay by direct bank deposit, money order or personal cheque. Sorry, I do not accept checks or money orders from the countries other than Australia.

17. Is it safe to use a credit card in your online shop? Top
    

    I do not take credit cards directly and do not see your credit card number. As soon as you have clicked on the PayPal Express Checkout to pay with a credit card, you are taken to the PayPal’s website through a secure connection, where PayPal processes your credit card. When this is done, I receive a notification from PayPal that the payment has been accepted. So, the credit card security is provided by PayPal. They have a buyer protection program of up to $2000, I think. Majority if not all banks have a policy of unconditional customer protection from online fraud involving credit cards.

18. How can I be sure that I will get what I paid for? Top
    

    Perhaps, my reputation as a seller can help here. I sell Russian souvenirs on eBay in my eBay Matryoshka Store and have thousands of happy customers.

19. There is a Matryoshka Store on eBay. Is it related to your store in any way? Top
    

    Yes, it is mine. I have been selling Russian souvenirs on eBay for years. Recently I have decided to set up an online store to offer an opportunity to buy Russian craft to those who do not shop on eBay and to cut down on exuberant ebay fees that they charge for listing.

20. It has been more than 4 weeks since I purchased my babushka dolls, but I have not received the order. What shall I do? Top
    

    Please, contact me and let me know about the delay. It is extremely rare, but this does happen. The most likely cause is the parcel being held up by customs. If you do not receive the shipping in 2 months, I will send you a replacement of refund the money.

21. Do I have to pay customs charges on the purchase? Top
    

    This varies from country to country and you are responsible for any customs charges. From my experience, I have not had any complaints that anyone had to pay customs duties. Perhaps, the small parcels that I sent are exempt; they are also marked as a gift.

22. Australian quarantine regulations are very strict regarding the import of wooden goods. Shall I expect problems? Top
    

    No, you should not have any problems. Hundreds of my Australian customers experienced no delays. As far as I know, it is the bark that causes the problems, not the wood.

23. My nesting dolls arrived broken … Top
    

    I am really sorry to hear this. The stacking dolls are packed well to ensure their safe journey. I usually ask for a picture of the broken doll and of the package to understand what happened and how this can be prevented in the future. We will then together decide on the best option, so that you are completely satisfied. The option can be a compensation, a refund or a replacement. Depending on the condition of the dolls I might request you to be so kind to send them to me. I will then repair them and donate to a local child care or something.

24. I have just received the Matryoshka doll. It is beautiful, but I can not open it. Top
    

    On a very rare occasion two halves of the doll can be stuck. To open the doll, grab it firmly with both hands ant try to twist. If this does not work, you need to gently squeeze the doll a few times with your fingers placed on the junction line in various places. You might hear some cracking noises ­ this is OK. This is the varnish cracking, which has glued the pieces together. This happens sometimes, although very rarely. The last resort is to wrap the matryoshka doll in a tee towel and gently tap with a hammer on the junction line.

25. Top half of one of the dolls is missing. Top
    

    This is highly unlikely, because all the dolls are checked before being listed in the store. Have a look inside the upper half of the bigger doll. I am sure that the missing half is stuck there. Just move it gently and it’ll come off.

26. I purchased 20 piece set of nesting dolls, but there are only 16 dolls instead of the 20. Top
    

    16 dolls in a 20 pc set? This is very unlikely, each set gets carefully inspected and photographed before being put up for sale. Have a really good look at the smallest doll. I am sure it can be opened further to reveal more dolls, try rotating and pulling it simultaneously, but do not use anything rather than your hands. If you can not open it, try to gently squeeze it with your thumb and a finger placed on the junction line, do this a few times in different places along the line. You might hear some cracking noises – this is OK. This is the varnish cracking, which has glued the pieces together. This happens sometimes, although very rarely. The main thing is not to break it by squeezing too hard. You should be able to open it after that. You will be surprised how tiny the smallest doll really is when you see it!

27. I am very happy with my matryoshka doll and would like to let others know about it. How can I do this? Top
    

    You can write a review! Please log in, find the product that you like or similar, open it and click the "write a review" button. I am sure that other shoppers will appreciate your feedback.

28. For More Information Top
    

    Please, drop me a line by following this link and I will do my best to answer your question.