Do dolls hold their worth? Reselling value concerns

A doll that does not sell is not worthless, it's just not in demand. Just because I really wanted a doll when I bought it, doesn't mean other people want it the same way. That's not worthless, it's just different values for different people's tastes. And with the economy stinky it's hard for people to afford the standard dolls. Most people either have tons of money to get all the limiteds they want, or limited funds and have to be really picky about what they spend their money on.

 

Is there a similar thread about dolls being on the market for a long time? I have recently wondered if people are likely to buy a doll blank or with face up. Someone I know is selling a doll and for a while it was blank, but when we added a face up it got more interest. Maybe because people can see the potential or character more and more likely to buy? Is there a thread about this somewhere?

 

I think this about my SD13 body I've tried to sell twice. The value has dropped so low on it I can't even sell it for less than what I sold a B&G body for, which is less than half of what I needed to buy the body I really wanted for the head I have on it right now. Considering how much I paid for it back in the day, it's worth more to me as a body for a head I really don't want floating (ever) than it is in monetary value...so I'm essentially stuck with it XD

 

I to agree, I mean just because at the time the right person hasn't found it yet doesn't mean its worthless or something it just means that they are still waiting for that special someone to take them home nad love them just as much as the first person did. I mean I can say by example that there are so many lovely dolls out there on the MP that I just don't have the money for (thinking whistfully about a head that was seen) it just means that there is no money to be buying it even though you want it or somone wants it I don't kno that;s just me.

 

I'm not sure how a doll not selling makes it worthless. The fact of the matter is, the MP is FLOODED with dolls, many of which wouldn't have lasted a day there even a year ago. If the buyers don't have as much money, or they have seen the trends of falling prices, they are going to wait and not jump on things right away, trying to get the best deal.

Also? The doll I would pay $1200 for is because it suits my tastes and my needs. The doll I would not pay $75 for doesn't. Period.

 

Sometimes we tend to mistake price for value. As Hannah Rosie said, it may have a lower price, but that definitely doesn't mean it is worthless or worths less in a value sense, though it can cost less. If I was trying to sell a doll I'd be quite upset if it took more time then I was expecting... but I wouldn't say my doll is worthless because of that. Also I think face-up and the way you explore the doll on your pics might help to attract viewers and buyers. :P

 

This is the right attitude to have. The days when BJDs were rare and difficult to obtain are over.

I have a limited doll who went for $800.00 new. He was never a really popular limited and there are still a couple of new ones floating around out there. One is on Junky Spot now for $500.00. If I were to put my boy on the market now, I would be delusional to think I could get $800.00 for him, particularly since he's well-loved. Regardless of his original price, the demand simply isn't there. Which is all right by me, since he's not going anywhere and if I did need to sell him, I'd opt for the "good karma" price.

A lot of people in this hobby have a good grasp of what appreciates a doll's value, but not so much about what depreciates it, given the number of dolls I see on the MP who are priced at new price with bad amateur face-ups, uneven yellowing and broken fingers and joints. And I don't mean to be harsh, but "extras" that consist of clothing that might be badly made or wigs and eyes that may be old and shabby and aren't to my taste aren't enough to make me cough up new price for a doll that's several months old.

The MP does seem to be cyclical. There hasn't been much on it of interest to me in the last nine months or so, but before that I could always find something to be tempted by. And the same dolls often seem to come up for sale in clumps. I'm not really sure about the OP's situation, but if she received an offer of $75.00 that makes her think her doll is worthless, I would remind her that people often make low-ball offers and she's certainly under no pressure to accept. A couple of months from now she might be able to make a decent sale.

 

I think part of it has to do with the time of year. I remember around winter last year, the secondhand market got extremely flooded because so many companies were offering great holiday sales or gifts and people were trying to sell their dolls to get something new (or even to have money for presents for other people). It seems like the same thing is happening this year.

In spring, the market seemed less saturated and prices seemed higher, maybe because of tax refund money or the fact that people are finally recovering from the holiday season spending.

Also, a lot of times I will pass up buying a second-hand non-limited doll even if it's a good price because I know there's no rush because it's not going out of production any time soon. I'd rather purchase the limited dolls I want first, that will be harder to find.

 

I think it just depends on what the buyer is looking for at that time, as many have said before me: No doll is worthless.

This can also be applied to clothes, wigs, or eyes that someone may be trying to sell. Just because they aren't snatched up right away doesn't mean they won't be purchased later in time

 

I agree with all. A doll is never worthless. They get better with age, just like wine and cheese when time is right, the right parent(s) will come.

 

Agreeing with everyone else. No doll is worthless. If you have a truly unpopular sculpt, or a doll with some hard mileage on it, there's always customizers out there who are looking for resin to experiment with, for a good price. If the doll won't sell whole, consider splitting it.
I also agree with the economy being partly to blame for things sitting in the MP as long as they do nowadays. If you have a doll for sale, and you absolutely want it to move on, consider opening up to any equivalent trade. You may really love what you get, and if you don't, the thing you acquire may turn out to have a better resale value than what you started with. Remember, you don't have to accept the first offer to come along.

 

I agree with what has been said by everyone.

 

This. You'll achieve nothing but a negative attitude if you compare two completely different dolls. Just because your doll isn't worth $1200 doesn't mean it's worth nothing at all. It just means it won't sell for $1200. You must be reasonable here; if a super rare mint condition doll sells for a lot of money, don't expect your well loved basic (and still available from the company) doll to sell for the same price.

It's like this; just because a Ferrari car can be bought for a couple of hundred thousand Pounds, don't expect your Fiat Punto to go for the same price. Doesn't mean it's not worth ANYTHING, (it's worth what, £15,000?), it's just not worth a Ferrari.

 

personally, i look for the more "unwanted" dolls, ones that have been on the marketplace for a while, all 4 ( soon to be 5) full dolls? i bought on the marketplace, after seeing no one else was after them. As long as i can use lay-a-way, i am happy to buy.

 

Some things can be worth thousands of dollars, but if no one is on the market for it, it is essentially worthless. Everything depends on the economy and the consumer.
Personally, If I couldn't sell something for at least half of what I paid for it, then it is mine to keep unless I find a good trade.

 

Not worthless... But underloved, yes.
I've had a few dolls that sold in the following day! And others that stayed there for months
I tried to sell my IH Dexter a while back because I needed money. But no one was really interested so in the end I got like "poor baby no one likes you ;_; you gonna stay with me" And we lived happily ever after. DERP.

I Always managed to sell my dolls. Took long for some but now they All have loving familles so no, I don't really think any doll is worthless!

 

I've never had a doll that didn't sell if I really wanted it gone. That being said, I have also never gotten full price for a doll unless I bought it new, took it out of the box, realized I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, then immediately sold it. Even then, I had to eat the shipping cost from Asia because otherwise, there wasn't much incentive for a buyer to buy my doll instead of ordering directly from the company. I just don't see much use in keeping a doll I don't enjoy. If a doll is priced to sell in whatever the market will currently allow or slightly below, it usually will. Lots of people are looking for a bargain, especially in these hard times.

 

not worthless. maybe they don't like the doll to pay that much,you have to wait till someone actually wants to buy it and not because it's cheap.

 

They're definitely not worthless, they're just not listed at what people want to pay at that moment in time. Very few people purchased Soom Vesuvia when she was released because she was marketed poorly. Now that people see how she can be customized, she's one of the most expensive and sought-after MDs on the second-hand marketplace because there aren't many out there.

The point is that the doll can remain the same, but if the market, audience and rarity of the doll changes you can expect fluctuating prices

 

I think most will eventually sell - you've just got to wait a long time. I had two dolls on the MP for over 8 months, and then both sold on the same day with no layaway to different buyers. If I have a doll that isn't selling, I still keep it on display and get some enjoyment from it, so it's not completely worthless. I'll admit that if I ever got a doll I completely hated and kept stored away, it would feel pretty worthless while I was waiting for a buyer, so I'd have the price really low in hopes of getting rid of it quickly.

I think one factor that gives me problems in that all my full dolls have face-ups that I paid for. So, I price mine higher (until I get desperate, anyway) because I take that into account. The problem is that many people have their own unique vision for the sculpt, and the face-up I have on the doll is worthless to them. Just because I paid $100 for a face-up doesn't mean that it's even worth $1 to someone who plans to wipe it right away.

A final thought I'd like to add is that I get really annoyed with people in the hobby who tell newbies that they "can always just sell the doll" if it doesn't work out. Maybe losing a few hundred dollars is nothing to some people, but for many that's a significant amount of money. People new to the forums may not realize how much we typically lose by selling a doll. For instance, I paid $350 for a doll and netted around $160 a year later for it - the doll was in near mint condition. I'm sure many people on here lose far more than that.