Accidentally Buying a Copy: What Should They Do?

I don't think there really is a 'should' here. Some people would be happy if she sold the copy (listed as a copy) and bought a legitimate doll instead, some people would only be happy if she destroyed the copy and accepted the loss of money, some people would be happy if the kept the copy and only bought legitimate dolls from then on, and some would be happy for her to keep that copy as her only doll.

Personally, for me, I think the minimum she should do is buy a legitimate doll from the company that was ripped off to produce the copy. So, if she accidentally bought a recast Soom Teenie Gem, she should save up and buy a legitimate Soom Teenie Gem (whether the same sculpt or not, it doesn't matter). For me, this addresses the main moral issue (that she unknowingly participated in financially harming a company of artists and artisans).

If it happened to me, I'd probably destroy the copy as well, but I know some people bond more strongly to their dolls than I do, so I wouldn't hold everyone else to the same standard.

 

I would be upset if I had spent lots of money on the doll, (and paid as much as the original), but I would love it anyway. I buy dolls I want so I would accept the doll. I would not show it on DoA. I would try and warn others to be more careful. I would not take it out on the doll - its not the dolls fault it is recast and I really do look forward to receiving my dolls. Disappointed yes, but to go as far as selling it - no. Anyway, I would be guilty of selling a recast....

 

Keep her and enjoy her but don't post pictures. She's no different than an off topic doll forum wise. If it was me I might save up for another more forum friendly legit bjd buddy for her that way I don't get left out of all the DoA fun.

 

I can understand if that kinda things happen. :/ Also I don't care if people own recasts!
If that was me I would keep the beloved doll even if she was a recast - but I would not share pictures of her here on DoA because it's against the rules.

 

It is this kind of thinking that Recasters are hoping for and their target market is for such people with this kind of thinking. I don't find it acceptable.


I am very Anti-recast, In my opinion, I think who ever accidentally buys a recast should try and get their money back from the seller, after all it's not a "legit" BJD. When the buyer was expecting a genuine Doll.
As for what happens to the doll afterwards, it should be to the discretion of the buyer.(Preferably destroyed.)

If I found out that the doll I brought is a recast, I would so eveything in my power to get my money back, even if the seller didn't know it was a recast in the first place. and then throw the thing away.

 

What good does destroying the doll do? If it's an accident, you've already wasted your money and might not get it back. It's unfair to think that you should have to throw your money away for no reason. It's not like destroying the doll will stop recasters.

 

It won't stop recasters but in my opinion, that's where a recast belongs.

The mentality of gradual acceptance is the reason why re-casters are still in business.

I shouldn't have to point out that DoA is against Recast dolls for a reason. But they are reasons that I also agree with.

Keeping the doll even after finding out the doll a recast is acceptance.

 

While I think it depends on each individual person, I have to agree with Elysion gear about throwing the doll away. The reason I would probably throw it away if I bought one is as simple as this: Having one in my collection and others knowing about it would make me feel like I condone recasts when I dont and also.... if I suddenly died or even if I had it until I died, I wouldnt want it getting sold/given to someone for it later to possibly be resold again and so on and so forth. Also... I wouldnt ever resell it either because we need to keep them out of circulation. When you keep recasts around and keep them in circulation, it is just telling the recasters that they should continue doing what they're doing since even though it's wrong, people are still obviously keeping them. So why not continue making them? We have to be diligent in showing that we dont support/agree with/condone recasting if we are going to ever make it stop. And keeping a recast around to me, is condoning them... even if it was an accidental buy.

 

I'm so afraid of accidentally purchasing a recast. I don't know enough about these dolls yet to know what to look for, so I'll probably buy from the companies that I know and trust.

 

Maybe, but it's also the lesser of two evils in my mind. Where does a destroyed doll go when you trash it then toss it? To a landfill where it ultimately and quite needlessly pollutes the planet. Once the deed is done it's done. The doll exists whether I approve or not. If I can't simply return the recast doll to the person who sold it then I think I might as well keep it. At least it's serving a purpose for a while and not adding to the burden on the environment. Of course it's better not made in the first place but once it is it's pointless to just destroy it. Now if I could recycle them in some way I might go for it. Resin park benches maybe?

 

If it were me, I'd keep the doll without a second thought about it since I initially fell in love with it. Sure I would not be able to post pictures of the doll or talk about it, but that's acceptable. It's a small thing to give up, so it's not really a big deal. I would learn to do more research next time and simply move on; that would be the end of that.

 

I'm with those who say they would destroy it. I would, no matter how hard it would be for me. Because with me being anti-recast, it would be hypocritical to keep a recast doll. And if there's one thing I hate it's hypocrites. I also agree with what Elysion gear said about gradual acceptance. Recasts are unacceptable. Period. Keeping a recast, imo, is accepting them.

Everyone buying a recast accidentally has my sympathy for being ripped off and if asked for advice will hear me tell them to try get their money back and destroy the doll if they can't.

Everyone buying a recast on purpose - well, I reserve the right not to talk to them and think of them as badly as I choose (concerning the doll-hobby) and also, to call them out on it (not to seek them out an harrass them but if they got the chuzpe of posting pics of their recast or praising their recast or the recaster they bought it from publicly, I will them them what I think of them and their recast).

 

If you report to Paypal that you want a refund because the item you were sold is counterfeit Paypal will ask that the counterfeit item is destroyed and ask for pictures to prove that it has been destroyed. They have done this before with counterfeit musical instruments (standard violins sold as Stradivarius!)

This is to prevent the seller re-selling the counterfeit. At least if it is destroyed it can't be used to trick anyone else. It doesn't put the worm back in the can but it ensures that the recast isn't re-sold.

 

Another reason to destroy a recast is the simple fact that you won't have it forever. Even if you keep it for the rest of your life, you will eventually die, and then what happens to it? You can will it to someone who is aware of the recast fact, but somewhere down the line it will hurt another buyer and/or seller who doesn't realize what it actually is.

Sure, you can decide to be buried with it, but that's basically the same thing as throwing it away. Plus, not everyone gets their burial wishes granted, so even then it might still work it's way back out to another unsuspecting buyer.

While you might be able to say that whatever happens after you're dead and gone wouldn't be your fault, the truth would remain that you could have stopped it and didn't. By destroying it when it is your ability to do so guarantees that there will be no future issues with that specific doll popping up again

 

You know, if somehow I ended up w/a recast doll that I could not get my money back for & could not use to go after the recast company, then I'd keep it but I'd drag it w/me to show people WHAT A RECAST LOOKS LIKE. That's called education. Many people really have no idea how to tell other than price.
If the recast is dangerous (some are I'm told because of poor quality resin which leak poison fumes) I'd get rid of it. If it were poor quality (crumbling/thin resin) I'd use it for modding/faceup practise...
I liked the suggestion that those who unknowingly buy a recast make an effort to at least buy a sculpt (if not the same one) from the doll company that the recaster ripped off - that's a great idea

 

What would she do with the doll? Send it back to the company or throw it away? If she could get her money back, that would be great, but I'd never toss one in the garbage.

 

Hmmm...I guess it is fairly safe to not buy a first doll on ebay. I would say that the probability of purchasing a recast there is significantly higher. I do not know whether that already exists, but advice for buying a first doll should be open on DoA to anyone who googles it or founds DoA otherwise. No matter whether he or she is a member of the forum or not. This topic just goes beyond that. Personally, I would just never buy such a doll. If I am unsure, I go elsewhere. I am proud of my genuine dolls, and recasts are simply unacceptable. Even in German ebay, lately there were offered several Fairyland and Iplehouse recasts. I reported each and every single one to ebay. I do not feel mean about that, I just want to protect others to not fall for these tempting offers.

 

Recasts is a touchy subject , and yes ...purchasing recasts is morally not a right thing to do . And I understand that actively searching to buy a recast is not acceptable ....but ....i do have one thing to say :

When doll is discontinued ... How does it hurt the original author if someone buys re-cast of his no longer available doll ?

Not sure I see the point of using that particular argument for discontinued dolls . If manufacturing company made a decision to stop selling particular sculpt , or body type ....well , they just gave up the right of exclusive sales .


I do not own recasts , neither I am planning to own one. ( Have enough money to afford the real thing , and I actually love the anticipation period of waiting for my new babies to arrive... however long it may take )

But I do know several people who bought recasts of discontinued sculpt or specific fantasy colors that original manufacturer is just not offering .

And tell you the truth ....I have a hard time feeling all superior to my friends just because they got what they wanted from re-casters , when the same product is not available from official company .


In the hypothetical situation described in this thread ....girl should keep the doll she loves, sounds like that hypothetical girl will buy the official dolls from that point on . ( if she decides to stay in the hobby at all, after all of the hypothetical anger she received from the hypothetical community ).

 

It hurts them because it creates demand for the recasters. There is a great deal of harm in giving money away to criminals who take business away from the actual companies and doll artists. You may think 'oh one little discontinued doll, where's the harm?' but it causes a lot of harm. Recasters use that money to buy other dolls to copy, dolls that are regular stock and not discontinued at all. So buying one 'discontinued doll' contributes to stealing from the company's regular income, which means the company will gradually not be able to compete with their own copies and close down which I find disgusting. Doll company Heisejinyao Ziyulinglong (HZ) has stopped developing new dolls because of recasting. If recasting continues more and more companies will go the same way - it is within our power as consumers to stop it continuing. Recasters don't make dolls for the love of it, they do it purely for the money. If there is no demand for them to continue they will stop because there'll be no financial incentive for them to continue.

Discontinued dolls are still available all the time through the second-hand market. Sometimes they're hard to find but sometimes they're quite easy to find when you know where to look. Mandarake is always a good source to try for older Volks dolls and Unoas if you don't have access to the Marketplace here (and even if you do there are still good deals to be found on Mandarake!)

It feels that as time goes on the hands-on approach to the hobby is dying out which is so sad. It used to be that if you wanted a doll in a certain colour and it didn't come that way from the company you'd learn how to dye resin to match the colour you wanted - or if you didn't want to do that yourself you'd find a customizer who would do it for you. It seems that these days more and more people just want a doll to look a certain way without really putting any effort in at all to get it to look the way they want. This hobby was about customizing a doll to fit your taste - to get a blank slate from the company and finish it off the way you like - these days it doesn't seem that way at all.

 

Regarding limited dolls: I think the rights remain with the company, no matter they decided to do production over a certain period or to produce a certain number. Recast buying just isn't an option. Legally you have to search the second hand market. In that case it could even be an option to ask people who own one of these dolls to ask them politely whether they would consider selling. Or maybe if it was a popular mold trying to find other people and then make a petition for reissue in some way at the company. All this is very difficult, but anything of that is better than buying a recast.