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

Yup , I like the box and certificate . But the doll is the most important . It wouldn't stop me from buying the doll , I'm really only looking for the doll , but the box and certificates would be a nice plus !

 

What you don't seem to be able to understand is that your "making an exception for dolls that never had paperwork" excuse is NOT as wide-spread or universal as you seem to believe...

Many, many people involved in this hobby DON'T seem to know (or even care to find out-) which dolls come with documentation, headplates, makers marks and the like and which don't, and that's causing problems. I'm far from the only person who's run into this sort of thing, and as time goes on it's getting more common, not less. People, particularly those newer to the hobby, have begun to ASSUME that all dolls have paperwork, in spite of the fact of the matter that many don't. People don't do their own homework, and that's very unlikely to change. So, just as you see nothing wrong with wanting your boxes and your paperwork, I don't think it's wrong or "judgemental" to point out the reality of the situation.

As for recasts, I don't need a lecture about how much of a problem they are. I doubt anyone who's been paying the least bit of attention to the hobby for the last year does at this point. Nor do I believe that the community has any particular obligation towards me or whatever dolls I choose to list in the Marketplace. Buy them or not, that's your choice... But I do think that there comes a point generally-speaking when justified caution as a buyer can turn into something closer to paranoia, and when you combine that with wide-spread misinformation and incorrect assumptions (Like "all dolls have documentation"-) things get nasty fast for sellers.

That's what you need to understand... That you can't just look at this whole mess from a fearful buyer's point of view. Particularly not if you're also making the assumption that said-buyer really knows rather or not the doll in question originally came with anything at all. Many of them won't know that. They don't now, and that isn't likely to get any better in the future.

 

No I don't need them. I do need the metal head plates though if they came with them originally.
Many dolls have passed hands over the years and boxes and certificates left behind or was throw out in many cases.

 

I'm one of those people that keeps everything that comes with a doll. So, I'd expect the same in return except the actual shipping box. Although, I do keep all of mine. On the other hand, I've never bought a secondhand doll. It's unlikely this scenario would actually come up for me.

Edit: I come from a figurine collecting background. I'm used to boxes etc giving a piece more value.

 

I'm not fussed by these authenticating peripherals. What matters more to me is the reputation and word of the seller. Whether there's authentication or not, I will always ask: Where did they get the doll? How much of the doll's history and previous owners do they know? I'm quite meticulous about tracing my dolls' history, so it's most important that the seller has done due diligence and can give me all that info. If I don't trust the seller with my money, no amount of authentication they present will convince me to buy their doll.

But it's always nice to receive authenticating materials when they're available, and I keep everything just in case I do sell my dolls.

 

I like getting boxes secondhand so I can store the dolls more easily, but papers aren't a must for me at all! They're more like icing. I'm terrible at keeping things like that in order, myself, so I'm not surprised when people who've had dolls for a long time no longer have the papers. So far, only one of my secondhand dolls has come without paperwork or a box, but the previous owner is someone I know... If she finds either, she'll probably be able to give them to me someday, haha.

 

Certificates are a must for me but since shipping is so high these days, having the original box can be quite a challenge especially if a doll is bought secondhand.

 

Wouldn't really bother me, especially if the lack of such things makes the doll a bit more affordable.

 

I don't really care about either. I've been sent certificates with a few dolls I've bought secondhand, but I've never actually asked for one. I generally trust that I'm getting the real thing if someone has good feedback and everything. I guess it's something I might worry about if I knew that there were a lot of counterfeits made of something I was buying and it was going to cost me a lot of money, but otherwise it's not something I'd be super worried about.

 

I would prefer certificates to be included if possible, but in general, I've bought several that never had one. I rely on positive feedback, and my judgement on the matter. While I like having boxes for storage and they're useful if I move in the future, they do take a lot of room, and I have too much as it is.

 

I think one of the problems is the desinformation that some buyers show. For example one of the most´s recasted companies is Fairyland wich not include any type of certificates or papers, apart from an user guide, if I put a Fairyland doll in the marketplace it´s impossible for me (or to anyone) to have some kind of paper or certificate (in the past FL included with fullsets some kind of medal but right now not) and that´s something that the buyers must understand.

 

I'm the odd person out in this discussion, I come from collecting antique and vintage dolls where boxes and certificates not only authenticate but add to their value. Hence a box and certifacate for my BJD's is a must. The exception of course is for the few doll makers out there who do not have specific boxes for their dolls. Luckily at this point in my life I also have a space to store said boxes, however should a downsive of living space become necessary in the future the box issue will need to be addressed at that time.

 

I do like getting certificates etc with my dolls but it is not essential and I will buy one without if I like it enough

 

The only time a certificate or box would be important to me would be if I had reason to believe the doll MIGHT be recast or bootleg. I know that still wouldn't 100% guarantee anything, but it would help. But usually, no, I don't care. I keep certificates for the ones that came with them, but I throw out boxes. I don't have the space to hold on to 30+ boxes, and if it means my doll can be shipped cheaper without it, send him unstrung in a basic box!

 

I'd like the box/certificate/etc but it's not that important. I guess if it was a limited that came with a fancy limited box I'd want it more.
If I sold my dolls (not that I'm planning to ever) I'd be sending them with their boxes, certificates, etc though.

 

It is not important to me unless I have any idea at all that one day I might resell the doll - but I wouldn't expect to pay as much if the doll didn't have its original documentation and/or box.

 

I feel exactly the same way about used collectible dolls as I do about used camera gear. No original box and paperwork, no sale. I personally would not buy a second-hand BJD without the original box, unless I knew the seller and there was a good explanation. Lack of the box and paperwork not only casts doubt on the authenticity of the doll when you buy it, it gives you no way to prove authenticity when you go to sell it. No paperwork also means you don't know how many times the doll has changed hands. Furthermore, no box often indicates carelessness or lack of foresight on the part of one of the doll's previous owners. No collector in their right mind would deliberately discard the box of a $$$$ collectible doll because they know it adversely affects the value. If they don't understand this, then I probably don't want to buy from them.

 

So how do you account for dolls that simply come from company without paperwork.............like Dollstown dolls? Dollstown have NEVER given paperwork with their dolls and I have been buying from them for years!
And the smaller Dollstown dolls are now sold without an DT box now, they are well wrapped in a plain shipping carton (to keep postage costs down)
Your blanket statement "no box often indicates carelessness or lack of foresight on the part of one of the doll's previous owners " just doesn't hold water at all! LOL!

 

Amen. And there are numerous other examples scattered through this thread.

 

Neither is necessary for me. Then again, I don't sell my dolls and I go off the seller's feedback, so *shrugs*.