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

It depends. I prefer new but if the right doll comes up secondhand I'm not opposed to buying it if it is "like new" condition. One of my dream dolls is a Volks YoSD Neon and the secondhand market is my only option for him.

There is also one company I prefer not to purchase from direct so it is likely future purchases of their sculpts will be secondhand. But then, that is solely due to personal reasons.

 

I bought my first doll second hand from someone on dA. It was an all around good experience and I'd do it again if a doll I love comes up for sale.

My other dolls were bought through companies and dealers. The dealers had the items in stock so their delivery was really quick and they had great customer service. I personally like going through a dealer if they have the doll I want in stock.

 

I've purchased dolls second hand, direct from company and through a dealer. I've been lucky in that I've mostly had great experiences and would consider buying future dolls either way again.

One think I've liked about one of my second hand purchases in particular is that the doll I purchased had the perfect eyes and faceup. That said I've also had some great purchases direct from the company where they have been flexible and have been willing to fulfill any of the requests I've made.

 

I've only bought one second hand doll, and it was because she was unavailable anyway else due to being a limited edition. While I had a wonderful experience with my seller, buying dolls second hand makes me a little more at unease. I'm the sort who won't buy a doll if I see a lot of bad feedback from a company, and if there is any from a seller on DoA, it will make me not want to buy from them.

Unless I can't get a new doll from a company either due to it being a limited edition or a discontinued standard, I avoid buying dolls second hand. I don't mind wait periods from the company, and to me, that and the original price are both worth it for a brand new doll that is almost always surely to be in good condition.

 

Looking at my crew, I'd say I've bought roughly half-and-half. If it's a standard sculpt that I can get via the company then I usually buy the doll new and direct from the official website, but in the case of limiteds which are no longer available then I've braved the secondhand market and been very lucky that I've managed to end up with the boys and girls I have, really

I wouldn't say that one method is better than the other (though of course secondhand dolls tend to ship much faster!) but I rarely think about it either way once I have the doll in my possession... and it actually took me a few moments' thought to remember where each of my dolls came from just now - it really does matter so little to me! Once they're here then they're mine no matter where they were before, simple as that

 

I buy both. Honestly a couple of my guys have been complete impulse buys, as I saw them in the marketplace and went Ooh, must have! Others were dolls I specifically went looking for in the marketplace to see if I could find a good deal or simply to avoid a long wait and high shipping charge. My Mo, Chichi, Er, El hybrid, Wintery head, Chubby Demon and one of my DZ X heads are all second hand. The rest of my guys (or parts of them, in the case of the X head and Wintery head) are new from the companies. It doesn't really matter to me where my guys come from, except that on the marketplace, I can often find really lovely already customised dolls with faceups that appeal to me, as was the case with my El, Er and Mo. Plus, it helps that a lot of the time, the dolls end up being a bit cheaper than new. Sometimes the marketplace is the only way to get a certain doll, as well, like my Chubby Demon, who is one of the limited tan ones. Had I not gotten him secondhand, I wouldn't have gotten him at all.
Buying new is great, too. You get to be the very first person other than the people who made it to see it and you get to make it exactly what you want it to be without worrying about what a previous owner might think of what you're doing with it. (Which I personally don't anyway. Once a doll is mine, he's *mine* to do with as I please.)
Personally, I can't say I find either way better than the other, as I have both new and secondhand dolls and thoroughly enjoy every one of them without ever really thinking about where any given one of them came from. It doesn't matter to me as long as I wind up with the doll I want.

 

Quite a number of my dolls are second and, and I would be glad to get others the same. The only times I prefer getting them new is if 1) Not available second hand 2) Someone is doing a split and needs to fill in a part that they don't want and I do 3) Soom limited if I'm ever tempted (which is only twice, for one pair of hooves and a dreaming head) and 4) If I'm dealing directly with Angel of Dream, because I know how their customer service is.

Guess it is a personal preference. I like taking in dolls that someone else doesn't want and making them into something that I do want. I've only ever had one negative doll-buying experience, and that was through a dealer. So I do have both, I'm fine with both, just all personal preference in which anyone goes for. To count numers, seven of my dolls are second hand

 

If there was a second-hand doll I wanted really badly (limited or else really cheap standard), I might buy it. But for the most part I really prefer a new doll. Since dolls don't depreciate very much, I find no sense in paying a nearly new price for a doll whose history I don't really know. The wait is no big deal to me. I'm very patient.

 

I'd have to say its all in preference along with how much money youve got to play with and if youre willing to save.

For myself, my first doll I'd saved up for completely on my own (which took me about...a year?) and was bought new from LUTs. My second, was a gift from my father, also bought new from LUTs. I had bought a third doll second hand from a girl on DoA and eventually sold her to someone else. Now, I'm actually buying my first head from someone here on DoA, but his body will be bought new from another site.

If you feel that you will get the same "OH MY GOD!" rush when you decide to buy a second hand doll, even with just seeing pictures before you buy, you may not love it as much when you get her home. It took me a year to find out that I didnt really enjoy having my third doll because she didnt give me that "feeling" inside, you know? But then again, its all a matter of person preference :3

 

personaly i prefer to buy new. dun know why. i feel the box opening is funnier ? to be the first one to hold it, and it comes packed with love and already assembled and completly blank (it kinda bothers me when i see residue of the previous faceup). i dont know, i just like new stuff better XD
but if i want to have the doll fast or a bit cheaper, i go on the market place. the price are usually lower than on the official site because the person wants to sell it and so he/she keeps lowering the price or simply the doll is like 2 years old and we ppl dont sell old stuff at the same price they bought it. also, when you buy it second hand the shipping is faster. the doll is already made and so u dont have that 30-40 days of wait. just about 2 weeks to reach your house

 

I'm pretty sure 4 out of the 5 dolls I own were pre-owned (some of them were just taken out of the box once or twice). I have actually never bought a doll off of a company website; the one doll that was new from the company was an FCS, and I picked him up in person since I was living in Japan at the time.

Then again, I'm into older-type dolls (from 2005 and back), so naturally the only ones I'd be able to get were secondhand ones.

I have a "Velveteen Rabbit" philosophy as well - I love re-homing dolls that previously didn't fit their owners into a place where they're well-loved. I've done that with picking pets as well; I never buy pets from a pet store, but I choose to adopt them from the pound/Humane Society/etc. because I feel like they need extra love and care, and I love loving animals (as well as dolls)!

 

I personally like the idea of buying second hand better for several reasons. Firstly, you'll generally get the doll for cheaper. Second, the doll will generally get there A LOT quicker than if you had it ordered from the company. Third, I like being able to give a home to a doll that someone no longer has the ability to keep. It's kinda like adopting a child in need.

 

I buy both new and "used"... though I think some of my faves are the secondary-market ones. Like pound pups, they seem to have more character. Also, I like to think of it as "recycling" -- why have another one made new, if there's a perfectly good one already out there, needing a new home? So far, I've been pretty lucky with my second-hand purchases... **knocks on wood**

 

If it's a limited doll that's no longer available then I'll TRY to find/buy
it secondhand.....but I haven't had much luck finding/buying my Yrie.
But honestly it's always better and usually cheaper to buy it before.
Good things do not always come to those who wait...lol.
I laugh but I'm really sad. I've helped other people find their "dream"
doll yet here I am

edit: It's pretty hard to say you're an environmentalist and be in
this hobby, sry, resin chemicals are bad for our planet & most
likely not disposed of correctly, sealants especially bad.
It's definitely a conflict, trying to be both.

 

In general I prefer to buy secondhand for 99% of anything I buy in life. You get a better deal on a higher quality item and your environmental impact is soooo much less.

I do try to buy dolls secondhand too, but it's not always possible if I have something specific in mind and don't feel like waiting who knows however long 'til something that's likely already rare shows up in the DOA MP. XD

Disadvantages: Undisclosed mods, Undisclosed damage. But as often as I've bought secondhand, this hasn't been too much of a problem. I'm always prepared to put in a bit of elbow grease to make it nice again, but that's part of the fun for me.

Advantages: Age! I love old used things, I'm all about wabi-sabi. So it's fun for me to make an older, yellowed dolly lovely again.

Raven

 

I had someone buy my doll's head for me, not sure if she got it new or secondhand, but his body was new because I ordered it myself. If I had access to the marketplace I would have NO problems with buying a pre-loved doll, as long as it wasn't in terrible shape. I would kind of like to get my next doll secondhand at a cheaper price.. also because I have yet to find any new dolls with the face I'm looking for, so there might be an older model out there who's perfect for me.

However, I would feel kind of bad if the previous owner of the doll didn't like the story I gave him, as I already have one in mind - and it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows. I realize that when you sell something you give up the rights to it completely, but dolls (to me) aren't just any old 'thing' to have laying around. People put so much effort and love into them - it seems so strange to take someone else's baby..

 

Every doll I own right now was bought secondhand. I love secondhand buying. I think it's wasteful to order an entire brand new doll if there is one just as nice on the Marketplace that could use a loving home. I will almost always buy secondhand unless a) The doll I have in mind isn't for sale in the Marketplace when I am looking for it, or b) The doll I have in mind requires special options (faceup, etc) that are only available from the company.

Ordering a brand new doll is awesome, because it's neat to open up that box, be hit with that fresh resin smell, and unwrap a totally pristine doll that was meant for you alone. But I also like the feeling of "rescuing" a doll and giving it a second chance. Secondhand dolls have a history, a reason for being made in the first place, and consequently expectations they didn't live up to for the person who bought them... all of which is quite interesting to me.

 

My first doll I absolutely HAD to have new. It's my first. I wanted that wait... .that OMG YES feeling when you get the shipping notice... that box opening excitement... the new resin smell. Pristine and ALL mine.

Any other doll after that....doesn't matter. If I see something I want and it's second hand at a good price, why not? (Lord knows, the wait is MUCH shorter XD.)

 

Definitely secondhand! Agree with Kuma Smash - Why get something new when there's something just as good on the aftermarket? I like buying secondhand for many reasons: many dolls and BJD things that I like are limited or otherwise no longer available new, it's sometimes cheaper (depending on what it is) and I can get good deals, and I get to take something off someone else's hands so a fellow consumer benefits too.
And not just BJDs, I also like buying secondhand for other things -- books, clothes, music CDs... (Not so much electronics, prefer to try before buying those. )

I bought 3 of my 4 dolls from the aftermarket, all were very smooth and pleasant transactions with great sellers. And I've found lots and lots of beautiful clothes, etc, that I wouldn't be able to get, or not known about at all if they hadn't been sold on the aftermarket. So yes, I'm a shameless advocate for secondhand goods.

 

when I first started out I decided to only buy second hand dolls. At the time I was concious of my budget and worried about making a mistake. Since then I've gone onto buy more brand new than used as I've learned to trust my own judgement about what I like. I still wouldn't hesitate to buy 2nd hand if it's a doll that's been on my want list for ages.