“Try before you buy” sex doll shop shut down by police in HK

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A shop selling sex dolls in Hong Kong has been shut down after it was recently revealed that the store allowed customers to come in and try out the silicone babes before buying.

This Mary opened just two months ago in Kwun Tong. Initially, business wasn’t so hot, but the shop started making headlines late last month after local news outlets learned of its daring “try before you buy” policy.

According to the owner, HK $480 ($61) would get clients one hour of time in a private room with the sex doll of his choice. For HK $860 ($109), they could also bring along a female friend for a 90-minute session with the doll. Afterward, they could then purchase one of the three sex dolls on offer for prices ranging from HK $18,000 ($2,300) to HK $30,000 ($3,800).

As for the obvious hygiene concerns that come along with such a business strategy, the owner told the South China Morning Post that customers were required to wear condoms and that the dolls were soaked in disinfectant for 30 minutes following each session.

However, just as numerous were the legal concerns regarding such an establishment which could well be considered a brothel, illegal to operate in Hong Kong.

The media reports quickly attracted the attention of police who conducted a raid, shut the shop down, and arrested the owner on November 24th.

It turns out that laws in Hong Kong about operating a sex doll brothel are not well defined, therefore, sources told the SCMP that the shop was actually officially closed down for publicly displaying sex toys for sale and for providing customers with pornographic films — which would be shown on TV screens inside the private rooms during their sessions with the dolls. It’s also possible that the store violated additional regulations by operating as an unlicensed guesthouse.

Following the raid, This Mary announced on Facebook that its business had been temporarily suspended because “there are problems with the company’s operating model.”

While the shop says that it hopes to reopen, that seems rather unlikely. Still, This Mary has to be considered a success for making it as long as it did. Last September, a Beijing-based sex doll sharing startup was shut down just four days after its launch.

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