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

I don't care either way. Doll boxes are great to store my dolly things in. But cerificates? They would just lay around and take up space. Not much mind you. The irony, I only bought one whole doll from the company, and the certificate was to laught at. Company doll pic on one side and company name and web on the other. I could have done a better one at home. Even considered it, but dismissed the idea. What would I do with them? Nothing just wasting space.
Besides, if someone wanted to, you know how easy it is to make a copy of ..... whatever these days? No garantees ever. (the little factor of already existing CoAs copys, aside)

 

Ah yes, I think we can consider having the box if the company doesn't release CoA, like older DoD dolls.
But companies now have CoA, even DoD finally have CoA after so long~~ (^-^)

 

Not all companies have CoA even now, as was just said.

My Pukipuki has a very pretty box but no CoA. She is new from the company and just arrived last week; this is how she came.

In the case of my Resinsoul boy, not only does he not have a CoA but the boxes the company uses are inadequate for a 70cm doll. His box was already breaking when he got here because it's too short so it's getting trashed when I'm tired of taping it back together. I would have a problem if I ever decided to sell him, wouldn't I?

 

Then perhaps the best place for it to be said is where buyers hang out...maybe pinned in the marketplace, where it can be referenced? I don't know. I’m certainly not going to argue with you – as I said, my post was only in direct response to a comment. The OP asked whether CoAs and/or boxes are important to us, and my answer was yes to the first and no to the second. If a potential buyer hesitates to purchase something for lack of a CoA, personally it really doesn’t bother me to have to tell them that it didn’t come with one. However, should they refuse to believe that one never existed and refuse to do enough research to verify it one way or the other, then the loss is as much theirs as mine, since they will never get the doll they desire. Lol, as for me, I’ve misplaced enough paper over the years to know that the lack of documentation is probably 99% more likely to be evidence of a CoA being misplaced – or yes, having simply never existed – than it is of a recast.

My own interest in written authentication is not concern that someone is trying to pull one over on me, but rather for what I worry might be a growing trend – problematic dealings with a company over their concerns. For those who haven’t seen it, this is what Iple has posted on their site:

Etc.

I don’t believe they’ll blacklist easily, but the overall effect is that I don’t want to have to deal with any of this kind of stuff if I don’t have to – hence my strong desire for CoAs for any doll that originally came with one. But hey, that’s just my feeling. I’m certainly not going to sneer at someone who doesn’t care about them.

 

The certificate is important ... the box less so, although the original box/foam would be a plus ... especially if the doll is a relatively recent release. If a doll didn't have a certificate (and originally came with one), would it stop me from buying it? ... probably not ... as long as it was coming from a trusted seller.

 

To me, only for more expensive dolls would I worry about the COA or box. Boxes I don't even want actually.
I only have COAs for my newest dolls. Back in the way day when I bought my dolls, they came with nothing, or just a business card from the company. Two I've ordered directly from the company, dikadoll and migidoll, didn't come with certificates. Though maybe that's cause they were bought in parts? My old luts only came with like a business card.
So buying secondhand, which i prefer to do, I would only require it for more expensive dolls or dolls I know have been recasted before.

 

That note from Iplehouse is scary. Does that mean if someone bought a fullset doll and split it so that the original outfit was missing, that they will consider it a counterfeit? What if we're splitting head and body?

I think I'll make a note not to buy dolls from them.

 

Yipes. Good thing there aren't any Iplehouse dolls on my wishlist.

Older DoC dolls did not come in boxes. They came in carriers, and you could easily purchase that exact same carrier separately on the website.

 

Nope, what they're saying is that if you can't provide a CoA (or at least be able to provide the one-of-a-kind number, purchaser name and doll model that were on it), they'll allow a photo of all of the items in that particular order, instead, to check against their records. The folks at IH are very nice, my experience with their customer service has been great, and their dolls are quite simply gorgeous...so I wouldn't write them off. The real point being, if you order from them, either don't lose the CoA number - or simply resign yourself to never being able to go to them for what they call 'after service'...that message is posted in their 'Hospital' for people who need to discuss/request repairs, advice with issues, redo of original faceup, that sort of thing.

 

I would prefer to have both the box and the certificate, but honestly not having the box wouldn't stop me if I really wanted the doll. It would just be a bonus. The CoA on the other hand I DEFINITELY want, since I'm new to the hobby and without it I'd have no idea how to tell whether I was getting a legitimate doll and not a recast.

 

I've collected anime figurines before I collected dolls, and I always insist on the original box before I buy. Mostly because I want the boxes for if I need to transport everything (ie, moving houses).

So having the proper box and certificate are pretty much a major, major factor in buying for me.

 

Just for your information
Dollstown
I bought BRAND NEW FROM COMPANY last week......the doll comes without box or certificate!

And I am sure there are other companies like this, I just happen to know about Dollstown.

I agree be very wary when buying second-hand but some dolls never ever had a box or certificate and they are legitimate. Don't trust entirely to a piece of paper that could just as easily be forged as a doll can be forged.

 

I think the best solution is the order number then ?
We can't have CoA or box, but we will always have order number, yes ?

 

I see. So you're one of those people who will expect sellers to come up with a ten-year-old receipt because they're selling something that never had paperwork or a box?

Companies do not keep order information on file forever. Companies don't even stay in business forever.

I suppose one unavoidable consequence here is to avoid buying from any non-established company, and try to stick to those who never purge their old orders (which is no-one).

 

Oh yeah I mean, buying direct from the company is one thing. I guess in that case, if I was buying second hand and it didn't come with a box or certificate doing some research to see where the doll came from would be a good idea. Thanks!

 

No.

I don't know how you can reasonably expect people to constantly have order numbers for everything they've ever bought, especially if you're talking a doll who's either a) gone through multiple owners or b) several years old. Really, the best solution is to actually trust the buyer you're purchasing from if they've got stellar feedback, and to do some research into the provenance of the doll. I mean -- say I was selling my Yder head. I know he went through at least two owners before he landed in my hands, and I've had him for years. If someone actually seriously expected me to have an order number for that doll I'd politely tell them that they might want to get their Yder from Fairyland, because that's an impossible request.

(emphasis mine) Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes a zillion times yes. This is all we're telling people to do -- the research. Learn what dolls do and don't offer the things you think verify authenticity. See if you can dig up some history on the doll itself (stuff like Gallery threads here, for instance). Doublecheck the seller's feedback. Information is the absolute best defense against...well...just about anything.

 

I'm going to reiterate that a CoA isn't the only way to tell whether or not a doll you're buying is a recast. I understand that a lot of people who are newer to the hobby are going to assume that's the number 1 way, but it's incredibly simple to do very basic research on the doll you're hoping to buy. 9 times out of 10, existing owners on DoA are happy to answer very simple questions about specific dolls they own, so you can ask (politely and graciously) if there are identifying marks in the headcap or elsewhere on the body that will let you know if the doll you're looking to get second hand is a recast or not. Some dolls have numbers carved into their headcaps, or stamps, or any number of other things. You can even contact the company and ask if they physically mark their dolls in any other way, other than with a certificate. Many (not all) do so.

Going on a witch hunt because someone no longer has a CoA, when you have no proof that the doll they have isn't otherwise legitimate, seems over-the-top to me. I consider original boxes or packaging nice to have, if the doll even came with such a thing in the first place, but many of those thing end up damaged or lost over time. Not everyone has room in their homes to store gigantic cardboard boxes in the long-term, just because it came with their doll when they purchased it. And similarly, even if they try to keep them safe, CoAs can be extremely tiny, and are easily lost or misplaced. What people should be looking at, if nothing of that nature is available with a second-hand doll, is the track record (feedback) of the person you're buying from, as well as looking into any identifying marks the doll might have that will verify authenticity. If you see someone selling a doll on the secondhand market that you like, do some research before you approach them about buying it. Read their feedback thread, search for feedback they've left for other people; know what is meant to come with the doll in question, and things you can ask to see (politely, I will always reiterate, because no one wants an accusational buyer with no grounds) before you commit to purchasing it.

When I bought my girl, I was not only able to backtrack her journey through the MP with about ten minutes of searching through the forums (I'm about 90% sure I was not her second owner, but at least her third), but through that was able to assure myself she was not a recast. She also came with her default face-up (which I wiped for a custom one, but I digress), and it was exceedingly well-painted, so that helped as well. A copied default faceup from a recast company is rarely going to be as nice-looking.

 

Strange... I also didn't get a certificate, where I thought that was just because I ordered just a body. But the doll was shipped in a dark blue Dollstown box. So apparently they've changed that? My order was from 3 or 4 years ago, though.

 

You are very wise.........research is the key!

Dollstown changed their policy about 2 years ago, with the MSD dolls they simply stopped using the blue box with the cushions to keep shipping costs down.
And it works fine.....until you decide you want to sell the doll on and someone asks for the box and CoA! LOL!

 

First, thanks to both of you for the replies.
I do expect a seller to have a proof of authenticity, like CoA, box or at least order number.
But if they can't give me any of those 3, I sincerely agree that have more time for a research is absolutely right.