Buying a pre-owned doll vs. buying a doll from the company

a few of mine are pre-loved... with ones like Unoa, that's pretty much going to be the case since most are only available on the secondary market.... with others, it just seemed better to pull one that was already made and no longer wanted from the secondary market, than to have the company make yet another. kind of like recycling? i've had my ups and downs with buying used (such as sellers trying to scam and not send me my paid-for doll, or getting a doll with a horrendous faceup which hid a couple of scratches that weren't mentioned in the selling post) but things have always turned out okay in the end. i love the idea of 'saving' unwanted or underloved dollies.

 

Id say new, as none of the dolls I want have been on the marketplace threads!

 

My first doll was direct from a company but I've since bought two more from the DOA marketplace and I can't wait to have them in my hands. My pre-loved ones were cheaper, and I think one of them is coming with a bunch of cool extras that my company one didn't.

I still love looking at the companies' websites, but I'm not exclusive.

 

Both works for me ~

 

I can say that all of my dolls were brand new when I got them. I'm the first owner for all of them. I think that if I found a doll that I absolutely loved and it was being sold in the second hand market I might be tempted to buy it, despite not being the first owner. I think it all depends.

 

I don't think I'd mind either really. I just recently purchased my first doll and he is "new" from the company because I wanted my first doll experience to be with a brand new doll (besides I couldn't get in the marketplace ) but I wouldn't mind owning a pre-loved doll. In fact since I want a boy doll that has a girls head, it might be a more viable option.

 

I don't really mind either, but for purchasing I think I'd get company purchased.. Simply because it feels safer to order directly from the company. A company that's well knowns is less likely to scam you then some random person you don't know. (Which is always something you have to be worried about when buying anything from other people online.)

 

personally i'd go for new, because whenever i see a doll's face and loves it, i usually have a setting and a story so deeply engraved in my mind that it kind of pains me to know that when buying a previously loved doll, the setting and story of the old owner might still linger - -

 

honestly, I don't think it matters as long as it's the doll you want. ^^

 

I have both.
When the posty knocks on your door the excitement is the same wether its a brand spanking new doll, or a pre-loved one.

Sometimes the only chance you have of getting your 'dream doll' is on the secondary market. This just happened to me lask week here on DoA! As he was a sold out limited with an even more limited faceup I never even put him on my wish list!
Before I bought him I asked the previous owner if I could keep the faceup as is . Happily she said I could, if she had said no then I would have wiped his face, and started from scratch.

 

It depends on what I'm going to do with the doll. For dolls without a specific plan that I'll be modding and faceup-ing, I'll buy whichever is cheaper. For a doll where I want that exact headmold, I'll buy new (if possible) to guarantee there won't be any damage and that any factory faceup will be removeable.

 

I really don't mind either way. There are several dolls I really love that are unavailable, so I might opt for "previously loved". Also, there's something a little sweetly sentimental about that... you know?

But, considering that I cannot access the Marketplace yet (I should be able to at least by Nov. 10), I have no idea how much previously loved dolls usually cost, anyways. I do know that on eBay, they tend to go up for incredibly high prices at times. (Although I saw a cute tiny for $100 or so. :3)

I'll buy new if I have no other choice, or if I really, really want to. The deal is, sometimes companies really have their hands full, so I'd end up waiting longer for a new doll, wouldn't I? Also, depending on the demand placed on a company, I would suspect that an easy transaction would be more difficult.

So, I would prefer to buy "previously loved" dolls, since I trust that people would put a great amount of care into their dolls. But, I would also buy new if I had the money, patience, and if... Well, if there weren't many other options available! Yup.

Mind you, I don't even have a BJD yet, so I don't completely know. But I have ordered vintage Japanese kokeshi before, and I am sure that the kind of care someone would give to those sweet little wooden dolls is the same as how people treat their BJDs.

 

I dont mind either way. Ive bought both company dolls and prev. loved ones

If i can find a doll that im looking for thats prev. loved then ill so go for it, because
A. the price is prolly cheaper
B. Shipping prolly cheaper
C. Wait prolly not as long

I waited over two months for one dolly as opposed to 1 week for another.
but in all it doesnt matter, because either way your getting your dollie ^^

 

I'd rather get my first doll new, for the whole sparkly shiny brand new factor plus the sensation that the doll is well and truly mine. Yes, I am possesive, why do you ask?

But if I found a doll that was preloved and that I wanted, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it (new vs. preloved-wise, I would probably hesitate price-wise, lol ^__^). That's just my opinion though.

 

I have one previously loved, the rest are new. I sort of prefer new ones so that they don't come with a burden of background with them, but the previously loved one quickly become very dear to me and never has mentioned his previous life. Of course getting a previously loved one with spectacular face up would be fine.

 

If it's possible to buy the doll new from the shop, then I buy it. But if it's a limited edition or a rare doll, then I buy it second hand. I have 2 dolls who are second hand, the others are all from the shop.

 

I prefer new dolls! But if there's a special doll that I really want to have, but which is nowhere to get, I'd try to buy that doll second hand!

 

I'd always choose to get new dolls. I'm paranoid about buying anything second hand in case anthrax is lurking in it, and I'm a bit weird in that I like to dent/scratch/stain my possessions myself. To me, dolls are kind of like books - I will never buy a pre-owned yellowed book with a cracked spine, but will happily buy a brand new one and stain it and crack its spine myself the day of purchase.

 

My first doll is brand new! *one of the reason is becoz I couldn't access the Marketplace here atm*
But really, I don't mind at all getting a 2nd hand doll...In fact, I'm waiting for my 2nd doll, which is previously loved before by a member here ^^
However, even though I don't mind having a previously loved doll, I have a standard set: if I want the doll that comes with face-up, I'll be looking for one with a face up that I really like; and I'd like a doll that comes with its original everything
Anyway, buying a previe is the only way of getting a LE that you missed isn't it??

 

HTF molds that I like, I'll jump at the chance to get them anyway I can. But if it's a standard release, I do prefer to be the first owner.