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

I like buying a doll second hand versus from the manufacturer for a couple reasons;
One being that you can inspect the doll's faceup and not have to worry about it differing from the company's picture. This way you can fall in love with your doll and know that it'll still look like that when you recieve it.
Second, you can know that it's already been taken care of and loved, and I think that makes it more special. Someone before you had already cared for it and loved it, and now, their most precious thing is yours.
Third, they're cheaper. People are afraid that they have to sell their doll for a lot less on the second hand market, but I would have paid full price for my doll. He was second hand from a seller in China, and after recieving him, I see that there's absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was worth every penny and I would have been willing to pay more for him.
Lastly, their not commercialized like one straight from the manufacterer. Not to say that you can't make it your own, but at first it's just what everyone else gets. I'd rather have one that already has somewhat of a personality, the second I open the box, so I can fall in love immediately. But I'm sure it's the same feeling whenever you get a new doll to cherish

 

With my experiences, I'm almost leery of buying a doll from a company again. First, it took forever and the company constantly told me my doll was on the way, but then someone else from the company would tell me it would be any other month or so. Then, when he did arrive, there was something wrong with his knee. This problem makes him stand with a slant and his knee refuses to stay locked. I've questioned the company, but they have yet to respond to me.

I'd almost prefer to get my next doll from someone on DOA. Then at least I have a better chance of seeing what I'm getting and having good communication.

 

I would hope buying from a company means that if there is a defect I have some recourse to fix the problem. I guess I would have to say I would prefer buying from a cmpany. I bought a doll from Ebay and the experience was fine. The doll came in mint condition. That was two years ago. I am now waiting for my second second hand doll. I have a number of dolls straight from the company, but maybe I will be a convert to second hand dolls.

 

Aw, Trails, I'm really sorry to hear about your boy's knee. How long have you been waiting for an answer?? ;_;

As for me, I have bought both new and secondhand dolls, and I don't necessarily have a preference- there are pros and cons for each.
One the one hand, I *love* that "new resin smell" you usually get with a new, direct-from-the-company doll, as well as the fact that you ~generally~ don't have to worry about the doll being misrepresented. Your doll normally arrives clean, well-packaged and as described. Of course, the wait time is MUCH longer, as well as possible customs charges and whatnot, when it comes to new dolls.
With second hand, you lack that "new" factor, obviously, and there is the possibility that the doll will not arrive as described by the seller... and at the very least you may have to give them a good once-over with a Magic Eraser. However, you don't have the long wait times after paying... and (provided you're buying within your country, or the seller marks the package accordingly) you can save the massive customs charges.
Luckily, I have yet to have an experience with buying new or adopting secondhand that would cause me to rethink either method... but I do think that if I did have a bad experience, it probably wouldn't deter me from that type of process entirely in the future. Maybe just that particular seller/company. :3

 

Both options are great! I like getting dolls directly from a company, but I'm just as comfortable with my latest decision. I just purchased Eendogenises's WS Mo. The second I saw him, I knew I HAD to bring him home! I'd been pining for the sculpt because he's just so irresistable and he'll be my first mini. I've been playing a lot of FFVI lately, and when I looked at the pictures on dollzone's website he reminded me of Setzer.

She offered a price that made me squee, had a great offer going AND had already pierced his ears! That really made me happy as most of my characters have pierced ears. He's in the mail right now.

I guess it mainly depends on the situation and what makes you happiest.

 

Well, I am not really sure. I have 2 dolls - 1 direct from a company and the other second-hand. I saw the pics of the 2nd hand one and she described the faults with her, which were minor and can be easily fixed and when I emailed she was very friendly ... so I knew that this doll was coming from a well loved home (she even threw in an extra wig )

The big this about 2nd hand, I think, is that you can actually see the dolls as they are instead of the perfect default pic ... so you know right there what you'd be getting.

 

kurotorii: A while >>;; I'll just have to keep hoping that they'll get back to me, because I don't think I could fix the problem myself. If they don't respond, I might try to see if someone can stand the top part of his knee down for me. But I think he might need new leg parts D:

 

This is an interesting debate. I think that dolls shouldn't be neglected, and if they are going to sit for years and collect dust, why not sell them? They could have an owner who would take care of them and give attention to them. If you see a doll that is limited or no longer being sold from the company, I'd say go for it. If that doll is going to be loved and have a home, I say it really doesn't matter where they came from.

 

I prefer to buy dolls from the company because I like to feel like the doll is mine and mine only as much as possible. It might sound weird, but I like to avoid the idea of them being a character and having another name before coming to me. It doesn't bother me a huge amount, but it means enough to me to put forth a little more money or wait a little longer to get it from the company.

Circumstances change things of course. Two of my dolls (my Volks Rose and Yugiri) were kind of second hand, but kind of not. Both of them were from people who basically won them and immediately sold them, so they were never really messed with at all. To me, both of these dolls still count for me as brand new, because I doubt anyone made a character for them before selling them to me.

If it's a situation where the doll was a limited or sold out and the only option is buying it second hand, I'm fine with that too. And sometimes the story of where a doll came from and how it came to you can make it more interesting. My Tanpopo, Clover, was like that. I was sure I wasn't going to get her due to the usual price, and the fact that other people were interested in her, but somehow I got her for an unbelievable price and here she is with me today. She became my "Lucky Clover" ever since, it felt like she wanted to be here with me so she found a way.

So for me, I will buy either new or pre-owned, it just depends on a lot of factors. I usually prefer brand new though.

 

Aw man...that sounds awful. D: I would try them again, maybe... though from the sounds of it, you'd end up having a long wait again if they offered to send a replacement body or something. What a yucky situation altogether!

 

I have two new dolls and two used dolls and I love them all equally. To me it doesn't make all that much of a difference.

 

I'd buy it if it was a sold out limited, but I'll be honest (and probably flamed) I don't see ANY reason to buy a pre-owned doll from some random person on the net at the SAME price or more thanI could buy it new, with "warranty" from the company.

Especially after reading all the paging threads and threads about buying and getting something that had damage that was not revealed in the sales post.

 

I did both! Buy from a company and buy second-hand. I prefer the latter, because then you have seen pics from the actual face. Sellers are usually very open and communicative about the flaws and you don't have to wait months to get your doll.

 

I would prefer a new doll, but I just for example bought a pre owned and he is gorgeous and was well cared for. I do like if the boxes and Coa's and so forth are still with the doll.

 

I also prefer from company but if it's limited or otherwise hard to find, pre-owned is very good option even if it might cost bit more than from the company.

 

I just recently bought my first doll preowned off eBay and was very happy getting her secondhand. She was 1/2 the price of a new doll and came with clothes and a wig (although neither was really to my liking) and a faceup. I paid for her on a Tuesday and she arrived on Friday, which was great because after deciding to jump into the world of BJDs, I wouldn't want to wait for the long delivery time from the company.

As a newbie who had never even seen a BJD in person before mine arrived, I would be very intimidated to get a brand new pristine doll. The options would overwhelm me - What color resin do I want? What do I do for a faceup? What do I want the faceup to look like? I have trouble distinguishing between different sculpts depending on the faceup (Or even recognizing the same sculpt with different faceups) so i can't look at a blank doll and envision what it will look like when done. I'd hate to put forth so much money and wait so long for a new doll only to feel like "she's here. now what do I do?" I like the idea of having a doll who's already finished and has some personality for my starting point. I've seen a lot of dolls that I've liked, but don't have a character or appearance/style already in mind. With a finished doll, I can ease into customizing without having a blank, bald, or naked doll staring at me accusingly and impatiently. I'm starting out by getting her a new wig since I don't like the one she came with, and I'm planning on making her some new clothes, but in the meantime, she's dressed and wearing her old wig and looks beautiful.

As a pre-owned doll, she's got a few scuffs here and there, but that helps me to not feel quite so overprotective of her. I won't have to face the moment when my beautiful doll gets her first blemish because I've done something stupid or been careless. I was very nervous handling her at first because I don't know how resilient they are and I was afraid of damaging her through my ignorance. Although I'll be upset if anything were to happen to her, it wouldn't be quite as devastating as if I'd destroyed a brand new, very expensive doll that I'd waited months to have in my possession.

 

I like either option, for me it's if I fall in love with the doll or not. If that doll happens to be pre-owned or new, it doesn't matter^^

 

I had bought my doll pre-owned and am happy with it.

 

So far, I have only been able to find what I like directly from the company... but that doesn't mean I didn't look on the board to see if there was a pre-owened one on sale first ^_^;;

 

I don't mind buying some things second hand (like dolls) because for one thing you can usually get the item at a better price, for two I LOVE actual pictures of what you are getting, there's no question as to whether it will come with any flaws. You can see the exact faceup, sanding, ear piercings, bubbled resin, whathaveyou The faceups are the biggest reason for me, I've been very disappointed to see actual photos of dolls I really wanted, the faceups are so 'manufactured' in that what you see and what you get are not the same. I want what's advertised, I'm paying the price right?

Then there is always the benefit of getting a doll (full/head/body) that is no longer available through a company.