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

They're nice to have, but not must haves. c:

 

It's always nice to have all of the things the doll came with originally, but it has not stopped me from purchasing a doll in the past. Personally, I think you would probably sell the doll for more if you have the certificates and box and things, but I could be wrong on that.

 

I think if you are planning to keep the doll its not a problem

 

I like to get the original items, and go out of my way to find them. It's never been a deal breaker, but i'm always trying to complete my collection.

 

i don't keep boxes as not enough room to store them, but certificates i do because they're best to keep (so no one says my doll is fake)

if i buy dolls, it doesn't bother me for them to not have boxes and certificate but if they have certificate then it's a bonus

 

I have one certificate for two dolls. I purchased the first doll but the head was damaged during packing or shipping so they sent me a new head, with no certificate. The damage to the first head was basically hidden under his wig so I purchased another body from the same company, it arrived with no certificate. So there I am, I'm not planning to sell them but someday they will be leaving ( when I'm dead, ) and one will be without a certificate.

 

I don't mind not having the box. To be honest, unless the original company box was very streamlined and space efficient, I'll probably toss it when I get it anyways. I tried to keep all my Lati boxes for the longest time but they were huge and not really sturdy enough to hold heavier items and then stacked. I ended up recycling them when I moved.

For the paperwork, I'd prefer to have the CoA just because I'd like to know I'm getting the real doll and so that there will be no problems if I ever have to resell it. As someone else mentioned, I think we should all be responsible for the paperworks of the dolls we get.

That being said, I did purchase one doll without a CoA because she was a good deal at the time and because I didn't think to ask about the CoA until the doll had arrived. In the future I probably wouldn't do that again unless it was a doll I really wanted and knew I wouldn't sell.

Edit: Forgot to mention that of course there are always exceptions. I can understand if someone wouldn't want to send me the CoA if they are selling a mystic/sleeping head that came with their full doll. Or if the doll or head was an event item and the company didn't provide certificates for that.

 

I like to have the boxes, because I kind of collect them. I put their outfits in the boxes too (so I know who's it is). Though I can live without the box or the certificates. It would definitely make me want that doll more if it did have those things, but if not... It wouldn't be the main deciding factor. ^^

 

I like for my dolls to come with both. I don't necessarily need them and not having a box would certainly save a lot of space but I still prefer having them both over not. The certificate more than the box.

 

I would enjoy having the box, and if there was a certificate then I would like to have it too with the sale. But if the owner just didn't think to hold onto everything and then goes to sell the doll I won't pass it up just because it doesn't have the box or certificate.

 

I'd like the official papers for buyer's security sake, as it assures me that I have been sold a legitimate secondhand product and not a fake, but as long as they have good feedback and seem reasonable, I'm not going to be mad about not having papers. By that point, they practically have my money in hand. Boxes aren't a necessity, since not everyone keeps theirs for whatever reason. Boxes are easy enough to substitute.

 

I prefer to have everything....original shipper, box, packing material, and paperwork if at all possible. I save all of mine in case I want to rehome a doll.

 

Bought the first doll without original box and paperworks. I trusted the seller in good faith and it turned out well.
It's good to have everything but not a priority if I really wanted the doll.
I will just ask for more pictures before buying

 

I really prefer boxes and fullset if I can but sometimes it doesn't work out that way! My first bjd was fullset, my second no box and I'm getting a bjd pet, fullset, landing home soon!

 

Personally, I prefer as much as is available for the doll's original packaging and paperwork (box, pillows/cushions, paperwork, etc), but it's not a dealbreaker for me if they're missing, as long as the doll itself is legitimate. I do keep everything, myself, but not as much for the purpose of having it if I need to resell as that I move fairly regularly (every couple of years) and having the original shipping boxes gives me a secure place to pack the dolls for the move, and a safe place to store them during packing and unpacking of everything else. I am starting to run out of room, though, and need to work out a better solution for storage.

I've gotten a couple of secondhand dolls without their original boxes, though (one unstrung to save on shipping, one tucked up into a smaller box for the same reason); I also have one who was purchased new in a split, but was only sent with her cushion, not the box, again for shipping reasons (I willingly declined that one). And not all dolls come with paperwork/CoAs anyway; more than half of mine don't have one and were never issued with one.

 

i think its important to have a coa, also on a second hand doll cause this is another security you buy a legit doll. its a proble if you only buy one part. a body or a head cause who gets the coa then?

 

I also prefer as much as is availabe, to proof if a doll is legit or not.
With recasts around I really want to be sure what I am getting and not spend alot of money on a fake.
I think if you buy alot on the second hand market, it is really important to ask for papers/boxes.
On the other hand, I also think in reselling later and would love to give a future owner as much proof as possible,
to avoid any confusion and make the transaction a more calm and pleasant one.

 

In a perfect world I would love to have the box, the CoA and the doll. I have three, two newly purchased from low end companies, which do not have CoA's but do have the original box and boxes, and another second hand Luts SSDF which has the original boxes and the stringing guide. To answer the question, "...are they must haves for you?" No, they are not must haves but they are nice. After reading the thread I contacted the two low end companies and asked for CoA's for my recently purchased dolls.

 

If it were possible, I would like to have both original boxes and certificates. But from my experience, I have adopted 2 second hand dolls from a trustful member on German board; one is 1 year old DollnDoll Chloe and 4.5 year old IH JID Ryan. Chloe did come with original box and certificate but Ryan came only with original box. I've heard from many collectors, it isn't that every company or doll series has certificate(?) Anyway, just dolls are legit, not an illegal one , is already enough for me. I don't think I can ask for more

 

I think it's important to get as much as possible that originally came with the doll.