Buying second hand

To me, preowned means nothing more than they're not coming with their entire original package straight from Korea or Japan. I have two doll bodies and a head that are preowned and honestly, I couldn't give a damn in the world WHO owned them or what they were before as long as they're in good condition. The head wasn't a character that I'd seen around the boards previously, and I had such a firm, solid character i mind that it was easy to attach it to the headmold.. but if it were, say, a recognized character like Hitasura's Shikai or something, then I'd have some trouble with making a character get into that shell. Especially if he came with his faceup from there too.

Fortunately though, I think she'd never sell him, and I have not the funds to even dream of buying him. XD Plus I've got a substantial list to get through before I eyeball any more dolls.

 

Having just purchased my first "second hand doll" I have to say I love the term "twice loved". He certainly is!

 

I actually prefer second hand heads, though I tend to go for new bodies.

I bond with my dolls very quickly when I'm removing the old faceup and prepping the head for a fresh and personal paint job (cleaning, sanding etc.).

I also like to see how other people paint in person.

And sometimes you just can't get that head new anymore, or can get it at a much better price second hand.

Recently, I bought an oldskin BW SD-13 Four Sisters type FCS head (I don't remember which number corresponds with that mold) for $125 including shipping, insurance, a pair of nice, 16mm, black, glass eyes and some eye putty. I really couldn't pass THAT up.

 

Hmm... Interesting questions.

About half of my crew are new, and the other half are second- (or third-... or, in one case, fourth-) -hand dolls, and there are plusses and minuses to getting dolls both ways.

New-from-the-company dolls don't have any "baggage" as far as former characters go, or any history that might make it hard to give them a new role. They'll have that spiffy "new doll" smell (I admit it, I like the smell of new resin. ^_^). They'll come with eyes in most cases. You can get them with a company face-up if you want one... and they'll be clean, unstained, unscratched and (usually) in perfect condition. The down sides are shipping expense, wait-time and price (in some cases-).

Getting a pre-owned doll cuts down on the wait and shipping expense if they're coming from your general part of the world... and they can be a little less expensive than a brand-new doll, depending on the sculpt and condition and how badly the owner wants to get rid of it. A second-hand doll may also come with a very unusual or individual face-up that you'd never be able to get on a doll fresh from the factory. Unfortunately, they can also come with histories or personalities that are hard to shake, and they may not be in perfect shape. I've run into both of those problems, myself...

I've never had a problem forming attachments to any of my second-hand dolls. Not even the one who absolutley refused to settle into the new role I tried to give him... He ended up staying more-or-less the same character he was with his former owner, but he's still very much mine at this point.

At the same time, I've only had bonding issues with one of my brand new dolls, so it's just not a common problem for me with them either. The odds of having them not be the character I thought they were is about the same. 8P

 

All my dolls have been adopted from previous foster mommies! (unless you count Ringo as being new, cause his head was new and given to me, and his body was in someone elses house all of a day before being sent to me, cause it came from a split.) And for some reason, i really like buying them previously loved. Because they seem more personable that way. New dolls are blank to me, unless i really have in mind a character for them (but really at the moment i only have one, and she isnt even begun the process of being saved for. I keep getting distracted by others wanting a home. )

There simply more personable and i like that! I just add to their already existing personality. but they have history, charm and love for their new mommy. So i agree...being called "Previous Loved" is much nicer then "pre-owned." As it is on my website were it states where they came from they all state their previous foster mom as i put it.

 

My crew are a mixture of brand-new and "adopted" dolls. In the case of the "adoptees", something about them just called out to me - I could see potential in them that I couldn't wait to unlock. It was as if they were saying, "This isn't who I really am, but I know you can find the real me inside!"

The strongest I have ever experienced that feeling from was Eric, my Shiwoo; and out of all my adoptees he is the ony one for whom I know most of the previous history, thanks to some careful investigative work on DoA. As a result his personality is a blend of what I've picked up from seeing old pictures of him when he was Toshi, and what he's revealed to me thus far himself. He is pretty adamant that he is Toshi no longer - that name belongs to his old life. He seems to have been "twice loved" when he first appeared on DoA, and I'm his third guardian since then - and that seems to have had an effect upon his personality, in that he is hesitent and shy, nervous of being rejected - as if he's afraid any home will only ever be temporary. He'll have been with me a year come January though, and I have no intentions of ever parting with him! In fact, I think perhaps he is the more precious to me precisely because of his past. Certainly, he is the one I miss the most when I am away from him for a long time.

My other adoptees don't give off the same vibes, possibly because I know nothing of their past histories. Enigma and Perseus both came from Marketplace sellers and were bought with the intention of customising them (opening eyes in both cases), which effectively made them "new" dolls anyway. And Alaric, my elf Ttori boy, got a completely new face-up, eyes, wig and outfit that effectively turned him into a whole new doll.

With potential adoptees, it really depends on the doll. Sometimes I'll see a doll - or even just a head - and something will call out to me; and I just know they're going to fit right in.

 

I have 1.5 of mine that were 'pre owned' -my twins, Fuan and Fanuel started out as other peeps entirely. With Fuan [it was just his head] he came to me mostly blank and in severe need of facial restoration. The moment I got him all fixed up and his faceup on, he has been himself ever since. The second being his Brother, who was a completely different doll, with established personality and everything. Fuan got the body of that boy and Fanuel took the head. I actually worked a bit of the old personality and circumstances behind Fuan taking the body into the AH story [with permission] and Fanuel.. he's completely his own person and has been the since the moment he got his scars and faceup.

I don't mind at all that they started somewhere else [though, with Fuan's head.. he was pretty beaten up , required lots of work O_o;], they came as blanks so having a new personality given to them was little problem. As long as the condition of them are good, I have no problem getting one second hand if it will save monies.

 

I have two 'pre-owned'. A Hound (Cameron) and Yukinojo (Orlando).

I never though I would own 'boys'. (But my 'girls' needed partners!)

They looked lost and forlorn - and I love them more because they needed a real home. I will never sell them - all that travelling - again!!

They are really settled and I love them and so do my 'girls'!!!

Don't you think that dolls for sale do look lost? I KNOW they are sold for all sorts of good reasons (please don't think I am criticising) - they just look lost and I always want to give them a home - I am very soft!!

Anyway if someone wants to rehome a LE Serendipity Sharmim Boding Boding I am STILL looking!!

 

I recently adopted a DS Hound who belonged to a doll friend, who adopted him from someone else. I am his third adoptive 'keeper'. (I am no one's mother!)

After the purchase, I knew we would be rendezvousing for a meetup in three weeks so I let her keep him until then so she would have a chance to 'release' the character she had given him.

When she delivered him, her character was no longer in the resin and he was a blank slate. Immediately upon returning home and dropping a wig on his bald pate, he started developing a brand-new personality - definitely NOT the one my friend had. This guy is a laid-back and relaxed Chameleon - able to turn into many characters whenever he wants. He's great and I love him for it!

 

Whenever I buy a doll from another owner, I refer to it as "adopting" one of their dolls. I just like the sound of it better, heh.

 

I am currently adopting a doll with two previous owners. He will still be MY boy when I finally get him paid for. And he will be WELL loved and a wonderful addition to my family. When I saw him, I wanted THAT one and buying second hand has never been an issue. The previous owners were for a short time, so I figure he just had to have do a little travel do find his true home. Tessa, dollshe Ru and Feather, Leroi were both second or third owner dolls and they and I are both very happy. I think it is an individual thing. I so wanted to buy the TAE that is having a hard time finding a home. I know him and have held him and want him to find a good home. He has a good heart and is really a nice boy.

 

Most of my dolls are pre-owned, basically because I'm a sucker for instant gratification & if I can find a doll I like already for sale it's more satisfying than having to wait months for an order. As long as the doll is in good condition & has a professional face-up (factory or other) I don't find there to be any difference. I'm buying these days to play with, not to sit around in a box. And sometimes, if you're lucky, you just can get a bargain.

 

I love adopting! You normally get a good or at least fair price, you can find molds that aren't available anymore, and if you aren't looking for a fullset, you can get the doll nude for a discount off the fullset price. So long as the faceup is acceptable to me, it's great! My family is split, half preowned and half brand new, so it really depends on which is better for me at the time, and I have no objection to either.

 

Right now I Have two "Adopted" Dollies, I don't belive I have ever called them "second hand" or "used" or anything like that =P
I definately preffer Adopting to buying brand new, Not only the fact that you do not have to wait as long, but I also feel so sad for the poor Dollies in the market place, Im tempted to just go on a mad Buying spree and Just love 'em all to bits! XDD
Plus I have never had a problem with an adopted doll (not that I have all that many- but two of my "brand new" ones have had issues....Im traumatised T-T)

 

Same, with one of my brand new ones. I'm also sticking to adoption from now on. I think it's better to see a doll that has been loved and "used" and how it's held up, so you know what you're getting.

 

Heh, I just have to say, "twice loved" is adorable, and far better than "used". I used to buy a lot of stuffed toys second-hand from thrift shops (I only stopped when we moved into a one bedroom and I had to give away most of them). While I never bought the ones that looked like they'd been dragged through the mud, the good ones I found never felt used to me. They were (and are) just sweet toys looking for a home. I think once I have the room again, I'll go right back to my old ways and start adopting more :3

While I can't apply this to BJD's yet (no doll yet ^^; ) I understand how it doesn't feel like they should be treated like any other toy. They're more like pets or family. I would never call an older cat I adopted "used" because that would imply that it had no value as a living thing. While BJD's aren't living, there's a lot of love poured into them, and it seems odd to treat them like inanimate things. It devalues them in a way outside of money.

Lovely thread

 

most of mine were bought second hand..and I love them just the same...some I wouldn't have been able to afford them or get them{in the case of BB Alice} if they weren't.

 

I'm working on paying off a third-hand doll, actually.. my first doll that isn't brand-new. It's the exact doll I fell in love with on ebay three years ago, long before I got my first doll. He went to someone here on DoA and I was lucky enough to stumble upon him when she put him up for sale. He's got a lot of history, I'm excited to have him.

 

I do not own anything new xD I don't have much yet; two heads and a body on it's way, but the head and the body have been bought here, and the other head has been boguht where I live.
Funny thing - they're all modded.