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

MMh I think that I want the COA's because I'm a collectionist and I need all the pieces for my personal satisfaction. The boxes too, but I don't have space in my room so I came to terms with myself and decided that I can live without it

 

don't really mind, BUT i have to say that it feels better to unpack a doll from it's origonel box

 

I have gotten a few dolls that were must haves for me and some did not come with certs. If all makes sense to me, then I will not pass up a doll just because there is no cert. In one recent case a doll had a vamp and normal head and the person sold the vamp head and sent the cert with it, thinking she would never sell the rest of the doll. And later as she wanted someone else, she sold the doll to me. I can tell she is legit, she has her IP box, and IP outfit. I have zero doubts about her authenticity and I think if I would ever sell her, which I doubt, others could tell she is legit. And also when I see that a seller has other dolls with the certs and all it shows me the person does not buy recasts. And at this point I am pretty good at spotting a faceup done by IP.

As I posted earlier, if I have doubts I will not get the doll, but if all falls in line IMO, I will get someone, cert or no cert.

 

As long as the person selling the doll could prove that it was legitimate (i.e.: company plate/stamps), I have no problem buying secondhand without boxes or certificates. If it comes with a birth certificate/COA and box, then that's even better, but I would probably end up losing them anyway...which is fine--I'm NEVER selling my dolls.

 

Well, I do appreciate them. There has been lots of recasts going on lately especially with some mods. Of course if there is other proofs, like company plates in dolls head, CoAs are not must have. I do not care about the boxes, they are nice, but I don't mind as long as the doll I am buying is packed safely anything will do. However, I prefer to have them if possible.

 

At first I thought they would be, especially the certificates. However now that I have access to the market place I realize that not a tone of people have them. Also the fact that many time the person isn't the first owner. so honestly I've started looking more into feedback and getting more pictures of the doll rather than go solely on certificates. But they would be nice, along with the box!

 

I would most likely want the Certificate of authenticity with a doll bought second hand. Original box wouldn't be as important for me, though I feel like it would be safest and nicest way of delivering for the doll

 

I have only bought resinsoul/bobobie secondhand so I've never gotten a COA but I would prefer to have one. I would prefer to have them come in their original box but it isn't a requirement.

 

SO many recasts now... It's probably a good idea to take a photo of your sales receipts when you buy a doll from the company (you can black out personal info), and keep it on hand if you need to sell the doll. CoAs aren't as good because they can be copied, and many companies don't have them anyway. Boxes also can be used for counterfeit dolls...

When buying 2nd hand... it would be good to have copies of those receipts from the original owner, and some info on the various owners (dates, and user names or something, just to give a person some idea of the authenticity). I've got 2nd hand dolls with no proof that they are the real thing... I'm sure they are not fakes, because they came with default faceups and other things, but if I had to wipe a faceup I could be in trouble when selling again. At least on DoA it's pretty safe. Some other doll boards whose owners are very anti-recast can be OK, too, but elsewhere, it's all getting very sketchy! Sad it has to be that way...

 

New dolls are already so much of an expense that I don't mind paying a little extra to get a mint doll direct from the manufacturer, complete with documentation & a pretty box! I just think it feels tons better than getting it secondhand.

 

I don't think it would bother me too much, personally, especially if the seller checks outs.

That being said, I really like doll boxes! Especially the more elaborate ones. They're pretty.

 

I prefer to get a certificate, just so I have proof the doll is genuine (especially if I end up having to sell it later), but the box doesn't really bother me -- since shipping doll boxes is such a massive pain in the behind (not to mention expensive), I almost never send out dolls I sell with their boxes, and as a result I have way more doll boxes than I do dolls lol. I only ever use the boxes for when we're moving and stuff, and I have plenty of boxes to keep my babies safe right now. :p

 

It would not bother me, but i would give bonus points. That means i would be wiling to pay a high price for it, because it would give me a sense of security and confidence.

 

I believe that every second handed doll must come with certificate and the original box but it depends on the buyer and seller. I mean as long as it has certificate the box isnt a must.

 

The certificate is an absolute must-have for me, mainly for the fact that when dealing with a hobby this expensive I really need to be sure that what I'm buying is what I'm receiving. If possible, the box would be nice, but if it's easier and safer to send it differently then it's not a loss.

 

I wouldn't buy a doll without some kind of proof of legitimacy, but I would be happy with forwarded email receipts or order screen shots, if a COA or original box wasn't available. If I really wanted the doll badly enough, I might accept pictures that give clear proof of a legit doll, but I'd have to be pretty desperate. I understand that there are many reasons why a doll wouldn't come with or an owner might not have any paperwork, but I generally wouldn't buy them. When recasts are so prevalent and people who are well known and respected are suddenly getting in trouble for trying to sell recasts as legits, I'd rather be safe than sorry. It's sad to say, but it's the day we live in.

 

Personally, I like having at least one of the two. I've only bought one doll secondhand so far, and she's from before her company started including certificates with their dolls, but she has her box so that was a nice reassurance that she is indeed legit. In a hobby this expensive, I think it's important to be sure of the authenticity of what you buy. So if the doll has no box, I'd like a certificate, if the doll has no certificate, I'd like the box. If the doll has both, then of course I'd like both. Of course, that's also a little troublesome because all my dolls so far are SDs (and except for maybe one or two all the dolls I plan on getting ARE SDs), so that's some very big boxes to store, haha.

 

I have yet to buy secondhand but I can't think to part with my doll boxes! So I would definitely want the original box. It would also ease my mind about shipping if they came packed how they were packed from the company, it feels more reliable than getting a doll only packed in the ship box (I was crazy worried about sending my doll heads out for faceups! So much bubblewrap was involved ) COAs would be a must if the company has them. I know someone who buys recasts, and the recast shops have more dolls than they list on their sites, you just have to ask if you want a doll that's not listed. That makes me nervous even about the database of known recast dolls, I don't think it's a full list or think it could be a complete list.

I may not buy secondhand though unless it was from someone I personally know in the hobby. All the scams have scared me from the secondhand market, even here on DoA! Problem transaction threads are informative but really put me off buying secondhand. I'm relieved I was able to find my grail at DDE and avoided the risk of secondhand purchases, because my grail sculpt is an event head and I doubt it has its own CoA. Boxes are hard to store but it's really satisfying to have that in addition to CoAs.

 

Hmm.. I think if I don't know the person, a certificate is a must! So far all my dolls (first and secondhand) have their certificates. I'm always worried, especially with limited edition dolls, that someone will try to pass a recast doll as the real deal. However, I don't mind if there's not a box, but it is preferred

 

CoA's and boxes are an absolute must for me if buying second hand. I think the only instances this wouldn't apply would be if it was one of my grail dolls, in which case I'd need to see stamps on the head cap etc to prove the doll is not recast.
I don't plan on selling any of my dolls, but if I did, I would try to be a good seller by providing the CoA and boxes

Plus I absolutely love doll boxes x'D