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

it depends on the doll and the situation (and because of that i didn't vote). sometimes i love to adopt a pre-owned doll when i see one "and it feels just right" so i don't go and adopt the first of the mould that i see if i have a choice. and if there is only one but it doesn't feel right i won't adopt it. a little different it is if pre-owned is the only way i can get a certain doll, but even then i will listen to my feeling about it.

but it is also nice to buy a doll new from the company when it's possible and when i like how it's sold. i usually like if they come with faceup, a wig and some clothing but i have to like the whole doll in that case.

 

Most of my bjd's are preloved, I have very few new ones. I see some of the sad little faces on the internet and my heart breaks. (sob) not every one of them tug my heartstring, but when they do I have to have them. Mostly I buy from the states as ship costs are better, but you never know.........

 

Depending on what I am getting and if the prices make any difference

 

I actually don't mind either way. If my doll had been available second-hand, I might have bought her that way--I just didn't have a choice~ (It would have been nice not to wait and wait and wait for her to arrive! n_~)

 

my yu-chan [ DoD zen ] is second hand and he's perfect. i think i would prefer a 'store bought' doll though, because of the newness and that everything about them is up to you. for example, yu-chan is only called yu-chan because it was his name beforehand, and i couldn't bear to change it - he suits it so well and he already had a whole personality. having said that though, i'm looking into buying another second hand dollfie XD

 

It depends on the reliability of the seller, the price, and the wait time. I've bought dolls off the marketplace and had a wonderful transaction; others, not so great. It all depends on how much I want the doll (the availability, like some limiteds are ONLY available on the second-hand market), whether the price is competitive (or I'm willing to pay a higher mark-up to avoid the wait and the hassle), and if the company or the seller has good feedback. If I find a competitively priced doll from a seller with bad feedback or if the seller seems lacking in any way, I would probably still opt for the doll from the company. I've had great transactions directly from the company and on the boards; whichever is easiest, more reliable, and with a justifiable price.

 

I voted new, and I thought I liked new doll(and had to afford new dolls from company..).. Because there were times that I couldn't bond with use doll..

But right now I counted new dolls and pre-owned dolls, and there are more Pre-owned doll! How strange. I love them as much as my first owned doll. I don't care, and I like both. It doesn't matter, if you have your dolls once, they are all yours. It's like give a new life to my doll.

And I exprienced hard time once to get my new doll from the company. At the end of the irritate waiting time, I actually hated all of process and annoyed, so I tried to bond with the girl, but I couldn't. Maybe this exprience changed my attitude. >.<

 

I did a search and found no threads of this sort, but please close this thread if there is already one that is similar!

Lately I have been looking to buy my second doll, a zaoll luv which I will have modded into a boy. I have put up a WTB post in the marketplace, but I keep wondering if it'd be better that I bought myself a new doll from dollmore... It's a difficult decision to make, and I'm wondering how other doll owners go about this situation!

Do you buy new, or secondhand? Both?
Why do you think is one better than the other?

 

I'm buying my first girl second hand from someone I met on dA.

I'm probably going to have to get my dream boys second-hand also that or overpay for them on eBay since they are hard to find full-set otherwise. *shakes head*

Personally, I think it's great however a person chooses to get their dolls. I can argue it both ways.

Other than that, I can't say much more since I haven't actually delved into buying anything else yet.

 

If I know I can get the doll second hand, I will. I loathe dealing with most of the larger companies, the wait times are getting ridiculous, the customer service is getting worse, international shipping from Korea and China is slowing up, the list of reasons just continues. (I will say tho, that Dollmore is the exception to that because their customer service is truly excellent and they ALWAYS ship fast)

In answer to the questions, I DO buy both new and second hand, but I much prefer to pick up a doll from the MP and fix it up just because it's usually cheaper, quicker and I don't have to deal with the companies.

 

So far all the dolls I HAVE were 2nd hand (and one was still a bit of a surprise) ...

I just ordered a couple of dolls and things from the companies that produce them. On one I've already waited just over a month... and the other about 2 weeks... and the wait is driving me More Nuts than I already was. (I keep popping over to the site to check shipping status... etc.)

 

Second hand has a way shorter waiting time and you aren't dealing with a company ,BUT you could be dealing with some one who is dishonest about the doll you want to buy.
I have never bought second hand but if I had the money for more dolls, I would~

 

Well I must say that I'm the opposite....though I love my second boy I don't think I will be buying a doll from the marketplace again. The whole process was a nightmare.

Although I agree that the wait times are getting rather lengthy from the companies, you will eventually get your doll....even it is is six months down the road.

I'm sure there are many smooth transactions on the marketplace and buying second hand in general and I would hate to think I put anyone off from adopting a doll second hand but I know that I will not be doing it again. Not a whole doll at least.

I litterly had to track the girl down and phone her and then threaten with putting in a complaint to get the doll finally shipped. All in all, though got a good deal, if I had known the problems I would have I would have just ordered from the company. >_>

 

i think i have 50/50. i go second hand when it's cheaper or to save on shipping i get brandnew when it's cheaper (soom)

 

I buy both. If I'm looking for a particular doll, I always check the marketplace to see if anyone's selling. If they have good feedback and seem to be a reliable and mature person, I prefer to buy a secondhand doll. I think it helps the community in general and sometimes, but not always, the price is better and the wait is shorter. If I can't find what I want, I buy new. I have personally always had good experiences buying in the marketplace and good ones buying from doll companies too.

 

For the most I prefer to buy new from the company. It's probably the spoiled little girl in me that likes having something truly fresh and new that was made just for ME, but there you go.

However, I don't discount buying from the secondhand market either as my favorite doll I own, a DoC Ivan, was actually purchased from a user on the boards. Usually if I severly dislike working with a company (as it was rather stressful buying my Kirill from DoD) I will search the market, or if the doll doesn't seem to be very used by its previous owner and is a good deal (like my Dreaming Doll body that came with seams sanded for free as well as blushing), or if it's simply not sold by the company anymore (like my MSdoll No.3 head), then I certainly won't discount buying second-hand.

I'll be honest, as I'm aiming for a Glorydoll Mitsuki next I actually would prefer to buy him second-hand given that I'd rather avoid working with the company, but for the most part I really don't mind the wait times and such as it instead just sort of builds the anticipation all the more that the doll I've worked so hard to save for truly was made for me.

 

I love dealing seconhand becuase, unless the post gets ir wrong or something, wait time are always going to be shorter. Users are much more firnedly and easier to get a hold of. On the other side of the fence though companies have that very solidity about them. You feel safer because it's not just an individual, it's a company who can get in serious trouble or something goes wrong. If it breaks during shipping you can get a new doll instead of money back etc.

You also get to know you're the first perosn with THIS doll. It's not pre-loved or been worked on etc. it's always been 100% yours. I like both ways and it really depends on what's up for grabs. If a doll I want is cheaper on the MP but comes w/o faceup (which i may want but am willing to miss) I'll see what the difference would be if I just add in the faceup on the company site and decide on the more viable option. Really it just comes down to personal choice ^^

 

I have both. On the whole I don't mind waiting, I'm usually pretty patient when waiting for a doll so long company wait times don't trouble. But sometimes there are dolls I can ONLY get second hand in which the MP is great! I have been pretty lucky- I was only burned once when I purchased a doll head and never recieved it. Other than that I have recieved wonderful dolls with previous owners and it doesn't bother me a bit.

 

Oh good luck, hope you find one. You're better off looking through the FS threads instead of just searching for it, might not always come up in search.

Do you buy new, or secondhand? Both? Both; 3-new 5 secondhand

Why do you think is one better than the other?
Well, you know what the price is new so if you keep an eye out on the marketplace here you can sometimes find a better deal. Not always, sometimes resale price is higher than new because the first owner has invested money into them for faceups, special eyes, wigs, clothes that they want to sell with the doll.

Advantage of secondhand is that you are recycling a BJD that might just be gathering dust. Also, you don't have to wait the lengthy ship time for it to arrive from the manufacturer.

 

For me, I buy both.

When it comes to standard editions, then I'm usually more inclined to purchase directly from company, unless the second hand doll comes with epic tons of stuff, or has a face up that I absolutely must have.