Buying secondhand: Boxes and certificates...are they must haves for you?

I'm not sure to be honest. I collect figures anyway, and I usually would not buy them without a box, as I like to have that option of boxing them up if needed, and obviously if I ever wanted to resell them, the value is greater with the box. But if I really wanted something and saw it for a good price but no box, I would probably still buy it because ultimately not about the box, but rather what is inside it.

 

I don't mind if mine comes with a CoA or box if I buy off the marketplace. But if I do keep them when I get them from the dealers as I might need them later just in case I decide to sell the doll.

 

For me having the documents would be must haves. It's one of the main reasons I only buy from the companies. And since I'm not really interested in chasing dolls I can't afford to buy at the time of release; the likelihood of me buying second hand is pretty slim. I do realise that early on these kinds of docs may not have been always available too.

The other reason is that for me, if a previous owner has taken the care to keep the docs/box they are more likely to have kept the doll in better condition in general. I'm sure there are exceptions but this is just how I think.

 

Without reading any other posts on this question here, this is what I think. Given the prices people are asking for secondhand bjd dolls I have to say that I expect the box and certificate to be included and in the very best order. If there is any damage, i would expect it to be noted also. That is what I would do for other people and I would hope that others would think the same. I am very pedantic about my dolls though, they arent just toys to me, more like pieces of art. I do appreciate that anyone is allowed to do whatever they want with their dolls and its up to the individual to do their due diligence when purchasing also.

 

Ehh... well I recently lost my boy's CoA... orz (It's like it vanished in thin air!! ...Okay, my organization skills are pretty bad) So it's totally understandable if a doll's being sold on the marketplace without one. Though I'd prefer the original box, because it's a bit safer than a loose doll, especially when shipping.

 

When I buy second-hand, I just want to be sure that I'm not spending my pennies on a recast. Most of the time when buying off the MP I am dealing with a seller with whom I haven't dealt before, so if no paperwork is offered, that can make me a little doubtful.

Boxes - that depends. If there is one, I usually like to have it, but I have bought a second-hand doll that no longer had a box and this fact did not put me off. In fact, even if the doll had had a box, it probably wouldn't have been sent to me anyway because of size specifications in the mail. And my last second-hand purchase came from Australia. Since there was a significant price difference in shipping between a tall Feeple65 box and something the size of a large shoebox, I was happy to forego the doll box.

So, boxes: only if practical; certificates: more or less imperative.

 

I guess there are always the exceptions. But I don't think I would ever buy a doll without a certificate because I would be concerned about whether or not I would have difficulty reselling the doll if I chose to or needed to.

 

I noted earlier in this thread that no CoA is a dealbreaker for me for dolls that originally came with one, and a recent policy change from Iplehouse on May 7 only reinforced this position. They added the following notice to their site regarding getting parts and service for their dolls:

http://iplehouse.com/home/bbs/board.php?bo_table=hospital_en&wr_id=1496&nhn1=en

In short, they now require photo of CoA to get any service from them, and will make no exceptions. It would not surprise me to see other major doll makers adopt similar policies as the problem of recasts becomes more widespread. I've now bought 3 Iplehouse dolls from the Marketplace here, and I'm happy to say that the sellers I've dealt with all had all of the original packaging, CoA, and paperwork with their dolls down to every last plastic baggie, face protector and bit of foam, and I'm keeping it all too.

 

wow I am so glad you posted that... I will be ordering an IH ... well doll and a lot more very soon.. this is good to know so I can properly document. Also it made me think of having stuff like these dolls documented for regular household insurance... think of replacing our collections if (god forbid) we were victims of some kind of household loss (fire, flood,... tornado...) I would bet that for most of us we have a small fortune in doll related goods... my Barbies alone could run into 10's of thousands if I had to replace them... and these dolls are worth so much more to start with... ..............................CYA people (Cover Your Ass) and.... document, document, document. That was the tag line when I was training for work... It pretty much applies to ... well, anything.

 

Honestly, most of the dolls that would get bootlegged are way too expensive for me to buy anyway, so I don't worry so much about boxes, COA's and all that, no. If I was going to ever buy a resold Iplehouse or something that is valuable then yes, I guess I would want that. $800 plus worth of doll and I guess I'd want it's paperwork and so forth...

 

Never really thought about this... I guess it would not matter if the box was not the original one. The certificates and such would be more important, but again it is not a MUST have. I can understand not having them.

 

This is what I wrote a few weeks ago. I still hold to this statement when it comes to my main collection of Dollfie Dreams. They don't seem to have recasting issues despite being Volks. Perhaps vynil is harder to work with, or maybe it's because a lot of DDs have distinct limited faceups, I don't know. But reading up on recasts makes me change my policy about paperwork when it comes to resins. Atm all the resins on my want list are still available as standard releases. If that ever changed and I had to look second hand, then yes I'd want paperwork in that case. But the box probably still doesn't matter as long as the doll is shipped properly.

 

I don't need them. I don't WANT the boxes (unless they're really cool shiny fancy boxes, because come on, cool shiny fancy box) because to be brutally honest I do not have the room to store them. I've got the four from the dolls I bought new, and I don't know where else I could put another box so I'd rather have one I don't feel bad about shoving in the recycling bin. As far as certificates -- most of my dolls never even came with them in the first place and I'm well aware a lot of sculpts don't come with them now, so no cert is most assuredly not a deal-breaker. If it exists it might be nice to have, mostly just to have it in case I sell it in the future. It's easier to duplicate a CoA than it is to recast a doll, so forgive me if I don't see them as the be-all end-all to verifying a doll's authenticity. I put my trust in well-researched feedback and -- if I can swing it -- knowing the doll's history.

Frankly, my big worry with this massive recast paranoia and push for authenticating documents is that it'll lead to an attitude where all owners of dolls without some kind of documentation are instantly suspected of owning recasts. I'm already seeing hints of that in this thread, and I can't say I like it.

ETA: I just went and dug around in Cecil's box, and Elfdolls don't come with CoAs either. They come with a little care-and-feeding booklet thingamabobber, but no certificate. So none of my dolls came with CoAs originally.

 

I don't have anywhere to put boxes. When I buy a doll I throw the box in the recycling >__> If I were buying second-hand I'd like a certificate if it exists, but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker (I think I lost half of my certificates when I moved house so I'm hardly going to judge others for misplacing them). I'd prefer to base authenticity judgements on things that weren't an easily-forged piece of paper, like a person's feedback and any available provenance for the doll.

 

I'll always purchase a doll for a little bit more if s/he has a certificate and original box included versus one who doesn't. Maybe it's silly because I'm paying more for 'paper' but I feel it's important to have a proven certificate of authenticity and anything else (official box) that proves the doll is genuine. I know if I sell a doll as well, I always feel better knowing I can pack that doll up with his/her certificate and with the original box, I feel like sending and receiving a doll with these aspects just makes the doll 'complete.'

 

No, absolutely. If there is no bootlegs of production of the firm, the main thing that I liked this doll.

 

the box and certificate is as much of the collection to me as the doll, but im like that with everything I buy. Plus it also would raise the resell value, it it were to come to that

 

Well, when the box is ergonomic and well designed to protect the doll, then it is useful but not a must for me. I do prefer to have the doll's papers.

 

I like to have them if they are available, but if not, I don't sweat it. I don't buy my dolls with an eye for resale value, so that isn't a concern of mine.

Edited to add: Concerning the recast issue, COAs are easier to fake than the dolls themselves. So a COA doesn't mean much there. I agree with what a few others have said earlier in the thread. Like any other purchase you make, research and good feedback will be your best defenses against fraud.

Besides, there are a lot of legitimate dolls out there that either A) never had a COA in the first place; or B) the COA was misplaced, lost or accidentally thrown away. It's just a piece of paper, they are easy to misplace. Paranoia and hysteria over COAs does nothing but muddle the issue.

 

Not having either wouldn't be a deal breaker, but I can't say I wouldn't like to have them. The box would be especially nice for storing purposes. CoA would be nice to verify I don't have a recast. But either way, I could live without them.