Do you think limited dolls should be rereleased/restocked by their companies?

I would LOVE for Soom to re-release their Sard, Beryl & Chrom!

I believe it is well within a companies rights to get their money by re-releasing dolls instead of letting scalpers reap the benefits of their limited editions.

 

if a limited dolls does not have a limited quantity than it is not a limited dolls....
i hate shops said that is a limited amount of something but finally everybody got one.

 

I dont think limited dolls should be restocked... It ruins the "limited" part. Besides, limited means that they are special (and we know all of them are special but i mean more of economically wise) and you can have that pride knowing that you have a limited.

 

Limited dolls cost so much if you try to find them after they are discontinued. If a limited I owned ever restocked for its original price after I spent almost twice as much for one second hand, I would hate my decision and be upset with the company's choice!

Also, I wouldn't feel so lucky or like my doll is as special anymore. It could also destroy resale value. It would be madness in the doll community! XD

 

I think it would be alright is a limited doll was restocked for an event or something. Or was involved in some sort of event full package. But otherwise no, Limiteds are Limiteds. I do think that the number of original limits should have a reasonable amount available, so that the ratio between the amount of people in the hobby (estimated by the shop by the amount of users a site has maybe? I realise this would be difficult to do) and the amount of limited dolls available isn't too strained.

 

I think maybe the full sets should be limited but the blank bodies not so. The complete look would be limited but not the potential for the doll.

 

This ties in with my views on copyright somewhat. I don't feel that a company should be forced into rereleasing a limited doll, but after a certain period other people should then be free to release the doll themselves. Copyright is intended to increase the availability of artworks to the public after all, and using copyright to limit a release is pretty much an abuse of copyright.

 

Creating copies and bootlegs is frowned upon. You don't have the right to claim all luxurious items as your own and do with it as you please. If the company rereleases a limited, great. If someone recreates from scratch something that resembles a limited edition doll, they've created a derivative form of art and that's fine too. Taking someone else’s work and copying it, is wrong. It doesn't matter that you really, really want that limited. It remains wrong.
Copyright is intended to make sure nobody runs off with an artist's hard work so that an artist can make a living of being an artist. If you wright up a big report, your colleague makes a copy of your report, hands in the copy to your boss, and gets a raise for delivering a good report, you wouldn't say "Good reports must be available for everyone. My colleague really wanted a big report to impress his boss and there's no reason for me to hog all my reports and keep all the glory to myself." You'd go up to your boss, say that the report is made by you and that you want to be paid for your hard work. Or am I wrong?

The question here is "Do you want the company to rerelease a limited doll?" and not "Do you want copies of a limited doll?", because the majority wants legal dolls, originals, and not copies.

 

hmmm.... I've got a mixed opinion here.

I guess in theory, a limited is a limited and to re-sell that would simply make it common like the rest, but there are so many out-of-stock limiteds i see that i'd love to have that just makes me wish they were on sale again so i could get the chance to buy one.

If i owned a limited, i'd also feel that it would make it a little less special if it went on sale again. but only really value wise.

it could be interesting if they did a semi-limited sale, perhaps where a limited doll is released, then after a certain time, it is re-released again for a short period then return back to out-of-stock and this could cycle through either continuously or for a couple of times before a permanent out-of-stock status is given. maybe something like a re-release once a year for a couple of weeks, a month max, then back to out-of-stock. this would make the doll limited in a way, but for those who simply cannot afford the doll at the time get a second chance to buy one. or even, for those that don't realise the doll is even out.
(oh.. and sorry if someone else has mentioned this idea... I read most of the posts, but not every single one xD )

 

I don't believe that they should half the price or even lower it. I believe that they should only sell the particular doll for a very limited time once a year or so, and just have a very limited supply. That's my honest opinion.
Because there are some limited dolls that if I was a doll collector, I would just DIE for, but I'm poor as heck, so it'd take me a while to save up.
Then, by the time I save up? BOOM. Gone.

 

Chinarosette, I agree with you there.
And I think companies and artists need to be more responsible about not misinforming their buyers. They should realize that by being specific about what part of a doll's release is limited (sculpt itself or just the clothes, faceup, etc) will better their relation with customers as well. No one likes misunderstandings. ^^;

Also to address the fact that many people who spent a lot of money on limiteds secondhand would be upset about a release. I think if someone buys a doll at an inflated market value they're basically admitting that they want the doll enough to pay that much. They shouldnt be the ones pointing fingers of blame towards the company saying, "I paid SO much more for this doll!" Its their money. They're the ones who choose how to spend it.

I speak from the viewpoint of someone who missed out on an order period and had purchased a secondhand Soom Io, only to find out he was re released. Yeah there was a bit of disappointment in myself for spending so much, but really. I forked over the money. I could have bought something else but i chose not to. ^^;

 

I think it's really unfair for companies to restock a limited. I mean the point is that you are buying it because it's limited and you like the the doll. Restocking devalues the limited doll, so the company should not be able to do it. It's not really fair to the people who bought it.

 

My answer is no, even though I don't own a LE.

No matter how much I want some of the limited edition that I missed out on, I think much of the appeal comes from the fact that it is supposedly limited. Why bother buying a limited edition that will eventually get re-released? Might as well buy the regular dolls.

But I agree with Revilis in this point. If the company specified that the sculpt itself will be the limited edition, then they suddenly released a doll using the same sculpt, I think it will be unfair to all those who expected that sculpt to never be released again.

 

I don't thnk that the head or clothing should be resold as that is what makes the character who he/she is.

But...

I think if it has limited parts such as wings, hooves, claws, centur body etc. then thoes should be sold seperately by the company.

 

They always seem to get sold out fast~ D:

 

Personally I don't have a problem with limiteds being re-released. Some dolls are limited in the fact that they are not always available. For example, Migidoll's heads are only available a few times a year, not through out the year like standard edition dolls. Iplehouse has limited edition dolls-- some are limited by number and others are limited by order period. I would consider IH Benny and the realskin crew limiteds because they don't have a constant release rate.

It's up to the company to decide what their definition of limited is and they have every right to do so even if it doesn't agree with our own. I wouldn't mind at all if Crobidoll were to re-release Marisol. I'd actually be happy and may try to grab another one. XD Or in the case of my Afi that I got second hand. I didn't pay an abysmal price for it. I waited and waited for the right opportunity and managed to get one at a very reasonable price (much cheaper than the going second hand price for the doll).

It does bug me when people complain about the second hand prices they paid for their limited edition doll because they thought the sculpt would never be released again. I can understand being frustrated (I guess) but it was your own decision to pay the high price for a luxury item and it's not the company's fault you decided to pay $300-$500 above retail value.

 

Technically, every doll will be limited eventually; molds eventually wear out, companies go out of business, etc.

Unfortunately, 'Limited' is such a vague term and few companies clearly define it. It can mean anything from "Only 1 made for special event" to "We will only make as many as the factory allows" But when something is marked as limited, then sells out, and gets re-released... feels like faulty advertising.

 

Limiteds are small run works of art and are cherished on a whole different level from other dolls. There's no purpose in restocking what was supposed to be LIMITED.
However, I'm not sure I like the idea of limiteds anyway. If someone wants just a piece, they have to break up a work of art to have it, and that seems sinful.
That coming from a person with a monthly doll and a out-of-print head...

 

If you buy a doll labelled as limited. It is completely unfair if the company restock it, you have been cheated by buying something you thought was limited but then turns out not to be.

 

I dont really care. They have done it and will continue to do so at their discretion. When I buy a doll labeled as LE, I dont take it very seriously.