Do dolls hold their worth? Reselling value concerns

No, I don't think any doll is worthless. But then again I expect to lose at least $200 on every doll I resell, and if that doll started out at $250 than I wouldn't be at all surprised to sell it for $50. You need to expect to take a loss in this market. I once bought a doll for $725 and even though it was a very popular limited doll it sat on the market for almost a year and finally sold at $550, that's just what should be expected of this market. That doesn't make a doll worthless though. I've just learned to keep the doll on the market until it sells at a price I'm willing to take.

 

Sometimes a doll can just take a while to sell, mostly because of the current state of the market things tend to be going a little slower than they used to. It also depends on how popular a doll is at the time, I've had problems shifting luts dolls lately for example where as a year or two ago they would've been snapped up right away but just because it doesn't sell immediately doesn't mean it never will, it certainly doesn't make a doll worthless.

 

No doll is worthless. But, as with every other thing in the market, not everybody is looking for the same thing at a certain time. About the price, I've always thought second hand dolls (anything, in my case), should be sold cheaper than new ones, specially if their condition is not mint. I wouldn't mind paying full price for a doll that's not been used in any way, but when it has been faceupped or played a lot with before, it feels "used" to me, so that puts me off a bit. Also, I'd only buy second hand limited dolls; for the others I'd buy directly from the house.

But selling a doll you paid $250 for $75 seems a bit unfair to you. I'm not sure I'd buy that low, despite knowing it would be the best deal ever, if only because my conscience would not let me do so. Maybe I'm odd?

 

I'd never say a doll is worthless if it doesn't sell immediately. Unless we're talking about limited dolls, or first casts of popular molds, you have to expect to not get as much as you paid for. Even with some of the Soom MD dolls, they don't sell as much second-hand as they did originally from Soom.

Don't get discouraged if the doll you're selling doesn't get snatched up immediately. Someone will take a look at it and think "MINE" and it will be done.

 

I agree that no doll is worthless, I just believe that there isn't a high demand for that sculpt or company at the time

 

Not worthless. Sometimes the market is not good for sellers -- for instance, the economic downturn has cut into a lot of people's extra spending money. Less money to go around coupled with lots of stuff for sale means more competition and some stuff is going to end up sitting. However, sculpt popularity, economic factors, supply etc are things that fluctuate overtime, so it's always possible that one would have better luck selling at a later date. You also aren't always going to get back every penny you put into the doll -- if it's a less popular sculpt and/or there are a lot of them for sale at the same time, then the secondary market price is likely to be at least somewhat lower.

 

i'd be a bit frustrated, but, as everyone said, no doll is worthless. it's fated owner just hasn't shown up yet, is all.

 

I think one should always expect to lose money on a resale; like cars, dolls probably lose their value once they leave the company, and that value will slowly decrease. Also, I think a lot of people expect a doll to cost less when they buy it second hand - especially in this economy, I think most people (if they can) will look for the best price. Two dolls that are exactly the same, but with a $200 difference will have different numbers of buyers.

But there's a doll for everyone, so someone's bound to want your doll eventually. And who knows: maybe the fact that you're not finding a buyer might be a sign that you should hold onto them?

 

I prefer to think that if a doll doesn't sell, it's because it was meant to stay with you

 

The market is fickle and when an item is priced the same or MORE than a brand new item I know my friends and I wont touch it. Or if the price is the same as new we expect the possibilites of freebies or free shipping. If the mould is all over the marketplace aplenty or if the demand is low currently for that mould you sometimes have to take a hit to get it sold. i usually offer free shipping or freebies with my dolls, some kind of discount for the buyer that gives them a reason to want to buy 2nd hand instead of new. Skipping waits is great but not enough to drive some of us to buy second hand.

 

It's the economy, coupled with whether or not it's a popular sculpt.

 

If that happened to me I would try giving it a new faceup and taking new pictures to see if a different look would generate more interest. Seriously speaking though, if the doll is damaged or badly stained it really could be close to worthless.

 

A doll is only worthless if you consider throwing it away if it does not sell within time period X. If it's not worth keeping, not even worth holding on to it to sell it at a later day, then it's worthless.
Considering that some people buy severely damaged dolls (for the right price), it will take a lot before a doll is truly worthless.

 

I have to add that the dolls/heads I have sold I have generally sold at a loss. I don't usually pick popular companies or sculpts, I pick what I like, and that means if I try and resell, I have a not-popular item which is now second or third owner. So realistically, I have the doll equivalent of a car, which dropped to half in value the moment I took possession of it.

So I don't let it worry me. I generally figure that it will make someone very happy to get their first doll at a good price, and that happiness is good karma for me.

 

I'm not sure what kind of state a doll would have to be in to be "worthless"! Even if no-one will give you 10p for it, well, you still have a resin doll, one that if you work on and clothe and accessorize will be beautiful again. The only way I could see it being "worthless" to the person who has it is if they don't actually like dolls in the first place.

Don't buy dolls as an investment. When I first got into BJD's people seemed to be able to sell pre-owned very expensive items at the price they paid for it or more... which is madness! Then BJDs were relatively hard to get hold of in the West and there were not many manufacturers. That has all changed and I think we are no longer in the "craze" cycle of the hobby, plus the Worldwide economy is in bad shape, so now people are being more realistic when it comes to second hand purchases, hence prices have taken a tumble. If it's a "used" doll you may have to settle for a "used" price for it. If it doesn't sell, readjust your attitude to the doll itself and maybe give it a fresh face up or whatever. If you don't know how to do face-ups? Well, now you have the perfect excuse to learn!

 

I agree with these posters. The economy is bad plus there are so many new dolls to choose from plus the doll you have may not be currently as popular as other dolls. If I were trying to sell a doll, I would just post a thread in the marketplace and keep bumping it. Eventually someone may want to buy it.

 

You might have better luck selling a slow moving doll at an anime convention. People there aren't going to be doing research on dolls and will only think "hey that's one of those expensive japanese dolls I've seen and they're usually like $500 but this is half that!" You will probably get a buyer.

 

I agree with people spoken before me, and remind that there are so many dolls that not always get a "match" immediately. I have many times been searching for some spesific doll or head from MP just to notice there had been one or two, but it´s just gone a moment before, being bumped days, weeks, even months of time! You never know. I have also been searching for certain doll being sure never finding it, and just noticed the same doll has been for ages in sales thread, bumped up again and again. People not necessarily search all the time and maybe plan to buy it later or something.

It also changes, which ones are "hot" at the moment. I´ve been watching curiously the MP´s of forums and noticed, how there often is many of the same dolls for sale at same time, as well as there may be lots of buyers for a certain doll at the same time, and a moment later there may be many dolls and nobody buys them anymore. The situation lives and changes by time and by people´s likings and needs.

Just some time ago there were lots of expensive limited dolls for sale in high prices, and people still bought them with price I wouldn´t have imagined someone to pay for a tiny doll! Then again, for example Soom started to release the limited molds again in different styling, and I think that also effects to the chances people think having the doll as new version rather than old? Just thinking.

Doll, like any item, is just worth the amount that someone is willing to pay for it. If someone desperately wants something, she/he pays for getting it. If it´s not that important to her/him, then she/he will wait and see if the price goes down. I think best way to get the doll sold is to check the price is suitable.

 

Naw, I don't think any doll is worthless. I mean, after being played with and resold, it may be worth LESS, but never worthless. Each doll is a person, and in my eyes, a living thing. Imagine being bought, and because you're slightly used, or just nobody's looking for something like you at the moment, and being cast aside and called "useless, worthless".
I don't know. That's just what I think. But who am I to state an opinion that strong?