Buying second hand

I like the idea of giving a doll a new home rather than just buying a new one. I like the whole 'second chance' thing, especially if it's just a head. I have sympathy for floating heads, shuddup XD

having said that, I do have a lot of trouble with the whole 'previous character' thing. I'm very sentimental, and if I were to ever sell my dolls *OMGNOOOO!* I'd be pretty anal about who I sell them to and if they're going to good homes. So you can imagine that going into me ever buying a pre loved doll.
If I bought a p/l doll, it'd have to have the same name as it did before, unless the owner requested otherwise and I'd try and stay close to its personality. I'm just so incredibly sentimental it hurts.

 

I have one "new" and one "second hand" and I can honestly say that I love them both exactly the same. I have no qualms whatsoever about buying a "previously loved" doll, if they speak to me from a marketplace thread, they're coming home with me. I too am stupidly sentimental, which I suspect is why I ended up with Stumble to be honest, the thought of a once loved doll ending up in a box just waiting for someone to buy him tugs my heart strings.

I'm of the opinion that the various quirks and dents he picked up in his previous life actually add to his character rather than detract, and like many others have said, BJD's really don't fall into the same categories in terms of condition on the previously owned market anyway.

All that said, at the same time, I can totally understand the need for a new "fresh" doll. I have one of those too and it was very important to me that he was solely mine, so I guess it's whatever floats your boat...but don't be afraid of giving a previously loved doll a go, often they take you by suprise

 

I don't mind buying a used doll. My first doll was owned by another at first, but I love him as much as the doll that I bought new. Plus it's nice being able to buy a doll in the USA and not having to wait for it to be shipped.

 

I guess it's time to change the way I think. I'm a little cold-hearted towards step-daughters and step-sons at the moment. +.+"

 

I love dolls, and other things, when they come with a little history. Items that are over a year old but are too minty or NRFB bug me, because I feel like I shouldn't "disturb" them but should leave them for someone who wants a mint/NRFB item. In general I want dolls and toys I can play with, not something for display that can never be touched.

I've bought dolls I wasn't looking for simply because I was intrigued with their history and the persona the previous owner invented for them. Also when it's a case of "I'm getting rid of this doll" with no good reason given, and they've had it a while, you naturally wonder why the owner doesn't love or want the doll. Is it evil? Is it just unloved? It catches my eye a lot more than a brand new doll that was never out of its box would.

I have one doll who was a big focus of attention and had its own blog and everything...and one day the owner just decided to sell him ??? I'm sure there was some good reason behind it but I felt sympathy and also wondered if he did something to make her mad...he's an attitudinous guy. I think I like him the best or one of the best out of all my dolls because it's just so intriguing. Everybody who's been through a breakup can relate to being once loved and then suddenly cut off and sent away for mysterious reasons.

 

i really don't mind owning a pre-owned doll before. it's like an adoption for me and i would love to treat him as my very own precious. To me, preowned doll's like a written book with stories and chapters, he's someone who have history and i absolutely loved that part of mystery that comes with him

 

I like buying a pre-owned doll because I don't have to wait the weeks or months to get a doll. When I ordered my Erato the wait was so long that I fell out of love with her.

That, and I'm helping someone in the community out. Usually people sell because they just encountered some sudden bills. I'd really rather buy and help these folks out than order a new doll. I don't have anything against the companies, though. ^^;

 

I agree (though I have a hard time not saying "used" because I am used to shopping for sales). These dolls could never be "junk." also, its kinda sad people leave thier dollies in "mint" condition. Maybe they mean they bought them and couldn't bond with them so they are selling in extreamely good condition.

 

I have dolls where I am the first, original owner, and some that have been purchased from former owners, either way works fine for me. I'm happy, the former owners are happy to re-home their doll, and the dolls are "happy" too (so to speak).

 

I don't mind owning previously loved dollie in fact two of my new additions are such. Some owner just don't bond with there dollies like the thought they would an wanna give them to a home that will. I feel bad for owners that feel gulity about living them on the shelves. So I give em a new home and love and it's all gravy!

 

I dont mind pre-owned babies either. ^-^ I am soon getting a pre-owned head. So we'll see how it works.

 

I have an old style Custom House Choa and Mars (you know, before the Mars head sculpt got 'rounder' and the Choa headsculpt was redone) that I got "pre-owned" from someone who isn't into BJDs anymore. They're by far my favorites, though I really shouldn't say that. xD I got my Mars first and he has a special place in my heart. Like, if I were to eventually fall out of the hobby or fandom or whatever, I would not be able to bring myself to sell him, just on principle. The others are slowly growing on me in the same way, so I think I just bond with my dolls gradually over time instead of instantaneously like some people.

I don't really acknowledge the personality he used to be with his previous owner though-- same with my Choa. Once they came into my possession, they were totally reinvented in the first few days of ownership. So, as far as I'm concerned, "pre-owned" isn't really a word I acknowledge when I think of my boy and my girl.

 

Heres a question for those who buy second hand. Do you prefer Doa, Ebay, private sales or some other forum I haven't listed? And why buy second hand? Is it because the doll is a character you like? A limited mold? A better price?

 

I've used both eBay and the marketplace to buy second hand dolls. Usually I go with whichever has the doll/doll part I want at a better price.

 

I haven't bought second hand yet, but I do think that the answer is all of the above.. it depends on the person. I would definitely buy secondhand for any of the above described circumstances.

 

I buy from local people and from DoA marketplace...I personally think DoA is easier than Ebay.

~Alyson

 

While I haven't done that much second-hand buying yet, I like the marketplace here at DoA. The feedback system here has so far been very efficient, and gives more information than Ebay feedback. I like that everything here is doll-related, where on Ebay someone might have great feedback for selling a lot of, say, smurf figurines, and have no reputation at all when it comes to BJDs.

That's just my feeling on it, though. I've had many great Ebay transactions, too, so that would probably be my next choice for second-hand purchases. ^^

 

Second hand is fine since some of the dolls I admire are limited editions or no longer on the market. Personally, I have a problem with dolls that have been modified such as the shelf that is carved to make the Rainy's with the 3 part body sit up straighter. I guess this shows what a newbie I am. I know the right and ability to modify are a big part of the BJD world...Tibby

 

I bought a body off of yahoo japan, but it was not a pleasant expireence, I had some issues with paypal, and the deposit, and I think e-bay is alot easier (especially since I'm very familiar with it) :3

I really like DOA's marketplace, so I think I'd like to buy there too :P

 

I'm currently in the process of buying two dolls here on DoA and I don't think I would feel comfortable buying them second-hand/pre-loved elsewhere. There is far more information here from the sellers than I expect you would find generally elsewhere (especially on general purchase sites, be it Yahoo or Ebay), and the sellers are more than willing to talk about the dolls (at least in my two experiences, and buying two heads before that).

I think the feedback system here is wonderful, and I think that there is also the added security that it's less likely someone who has a history here as a poster, is going to out to scam anyone - how would they be able to continue posting in a respected manner as part of the fandom?

As for reasoning: love, basically. LOL. It was instant love. I tried to push them aside, and it just failed. When I dream about them, I know it's fate. With the first of the two, he was so amazingly perfect for my pre-existing character, that I couldn't pass him up. That, and I'd also seen his amazing tattoo work on here and been so awed I closed the thread because I knew I could never have him (little did I know...lol).

The second one, while not having a pre-exisiting character, spoke so strongly to me the moment I saw him, it was impossible to resist.

Both called to me as individual dolls rather than moulds, which just doesn't happen so much for me with 'stock' dolls, however nice they are.