Buying second hand

I wouldn't mind buying a pre owned doll so much.. if there is nothing done to it and is EXACTLY how it was from the company or something.. I do however have an issue with buying dolls with stuff done to them for the same exact price or higher than what the company sells them for.. I guess I am just extremely picky.. I wouldn't sell my dolls for the same exact price as I got them because I know they have been out.. and a couple of them has had stuff done to them .. like face up.. Velcro on the head or something else that is rather terminate. They would have to be free from scratches free from blemishes free from yellowing all that stuff.. other wise to me it really is quite like a used doll to me.. and if they are going to use the words "second hand" to describe their doll then they should match that phrase to the price really. Like I said though I am extremely picky..

 

I've bought a pre-loved doll once and have since re-homed her, but it was a very pleasant experience and one I would happily do again if I found the right sculpt on the MP. I will say I trust the MP more than any other source for second-hand dolls because I know there's accountability there with both the feedback threads and the mods having the ability to ban someone with a bad record.

 

All of my dolls are secondhand and were bought from eBay,mostly because that's the only place I could buy used dolls. From my experiences buying used can be a great experience or it can really suck. I've received dolls that are damaged, dirty as hell and in general poor condition. However I've also received dolls from some really nice people, and as I enjoy fixing TLC items everything has turned out well in the end. Bad experiences aside I love buying secondhand dolls.

 

One of my bigger concerns with adopting a doll from someone else, is much like the same concerns I have regarding wigs/clothing from someone else; I am very allergic to cats. To lend perspective; the last time I was in a vet's office, there was a lady ahead of me who had three cats, each in their respective carriers. Just being in the lobby where they were(even though they were leaving) was starting to make my eyes go glassy, so the receptionist/vet tech offered to put me in a room where cats had not yet been that day. I was extremely thankful.

While the resin itself shouldn't cause too many problems on that front, anything fabric-related at all, including the box/pillows/bag/wig/clothing will likely pick up and hold onto that dander, and not all of it can be so easily fixed as a gentle washing by hand or in the washing machine.

My current faceup project(who happens to also be my first MSD and my first attempt at a faceup; all of the firsts!) was a previously-cared-for floating head. He was blank with no faceup, but in perfect condition. As in, I'm not sure how old this head was, but when I ordered a body from his manufacturer, there was a perfect resin match with the head.

I'm really looking forward to the moment I decide that I'm done with fighting his eyebrows/settling for how they look, sealing the faceup and setting up eyelashes and eyes. The eyes/eyebrows are giving me the most trouble, I think. The mouth was a lot easier than I thought it would be. /offtopics

But yeah. Overall, so long as the doll isn't from a home with cats(as cat dander tends to get into everything, including packaging, wigs, clothes, etc.), I should be okay.

 

I absolutely adore pre-loved dolls, and I like having a mix of both secondhand and new in my crew. I've bought all of my used dolls from the DoA marketplace. I didn't even realize how many twice-or-thrice-loved dolls I had until just now when I walked through and actually counted them. My crew totals 11 dolls (including the one I currently have on layaway) and of those, 6 are pre-loved...so over half. I've pretty much run the gamut of what they needed when they arrived here (and certainly I was well-aware of these conditions before I purchased them.) One had a perfectly good faceup that I knew I'd eventually change to fit my character more perfectly. Two had questionable elf ear mods that needed removing, and both of those needed a better faceup because they were just too ordinary and bland for my personal tastes. One's faceup was a true work of art that I would never dream of changing! One was as perfect and blank as the day she came out of the factory. And my little one currently on layaway has a perfect and artistic faceup and every mod (like hand repositioning, the addition of s-hooks, and sueding) that I wanted to do for her character anyway. When it comes to pre-loved, I'm totally willing to go there. Any imperfections they might have are simply worked into their storylines (I love creative things that give me a bit of a pre-existing jumping off point...it makes them even more fascinating to me!)

 

If I really love that doll, I don't mind whether she is second hand or even third hand or fourth hand.

 

I have five so far - all from previous homes rather than new, all via ebay (don't have DoA Marketplace access yet)... all smooth, easy, pleasant transactions (am thinking making maybe it's generally nice people who own bjds in the first place?!)... no probs at all with them not being shiny new - not only have they arrived within a few days, but you can see in advance what the actual doll you're getting looks like! And if like me you're new enough to find all the companies and choice out there confusing, then there's something relaxing about just being able to browse and see new choices come up!

 

Buying from a friend would be ideal as there'd be no shipping cost and I'd get to see and hold the doll to see if I like him/her in person before buying, but more often I'd probably buy from the marketplace.