Ebay recasts: can we report them?

Do recasters not have the doll on hand to take photos of? There are some dolls that I'd probably only find second hand, unless I get really lucky and the manufactures re-release them. What does one look for in photos as give-aways of recasts?

 

For stolen artwork like sculptures, the owner of the copyrite must contact ebay and ask the auction be taken down. I would notify the doll company, so they can pursue the matter.

 

The process of recasting a doll causes the recast parts to be slightly smaller than the original. This causes details to blur, and pieces which fit together snugly on the original to not fit together quite the same way on the recast. If you're familiar with the company that made the doll you can use more pictures to try to identify if it is exactly the same dimensions as the original.

 

A person new to the hobby isn't going to be able to tell a recast just by photos, and they aren't likely going to know what questions to ask (and could be lied to anyway). The fact is, someone who is willing to buy a recast is going to find one, advertised or not.

Recasting sucks but there is no stopping it. The best we can do to discourage it is to simply not buy them. So yes, I would much rather see a doll listed as a recast on eBay than wonder "is this a recast?". If it's clearly stated it is a fake, it should be pretty easy to get eBay to take it down. But if it isn't, do you really think eBay is going to investigate every claim, especially for international sellers? That place is positively littered with counterfeit items, despite their policy against it...

 

That's why I'd ALWAYS recommend to a newbie to save up the money necessary to buy from the company directly or an official dealer instead of going for "but it's so much cheaper on eBay" ... Or wait until they meet Marketplace requirements here on DoA cos the Marketplace also is quite safe regarding recasts. Or buy from Mandarake - they have a reputation to lose, after all, they take great care of checking the dolls they're selling to make sure they're no recasts. If you don't know your "way around" very well, yet, take the safe route instead of the fast one ...

 

Or buying from a dealer like Junkyspot...Jspot has a good rep too

 

BUT--being able to sell your doll is a BIG part of the bjd business. If you can't do that, then many people would be more hesitant to buy from companies. Re-selling safely is important!!!

SO, buying from a reputable person is safest. The Marketplace here is pretty safe. Buyers can check feedback and see how long the seller has been into bjds, and other members can spot any suspicious dolls/sales.

There ARE safer ways to buy dolls, it's not just limited to buying from the company. So I hope new buyers will be careful and be more informed and try to buy from a safe seller, not just on ebay or on FB or wherever, since that is NOT safe and only for people who know what to check for!

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I report Ebay recast auctions. Many of them do not say they are recasts--they say things like "custom" doll or "practice head" or something like that. Not reporting recast auctions does NOT keep people from putting up recasts for sale and not revealing they are recasts. People are ALREADY not saying the dolls are recasts, even when they obviously ARE. (There are usually multiples of rare and expensive dolls for sale for a couple hundred dollars and they are usually all white resin and come without company faceups, and often the auctions use unauthorized company photos! There are lots of signs of a recast if you know what to look for! I really wish THAT kind of information was more available so newbies won't fall for the recast auctions.)

I also report auctions to the companies. They usually take time to email me back to say "Thank You" so I know they are paying attention!

So, yes, PLEASE do continue to report to ebay (Hit "report" button and say it has to do with "counterfeits" and write that it is a "counterfeit" doll.)

PLEASE do continue to email companies at their listed email address on their website. Or post in Q&A--but they usually have an email listed.

Recasts are bad for the companies we enjoy. They are bad for those who wish to sell and buy second-hand.

People are concerned about copyright and art/photos. I think re-casts are an even more important issue! (The art/copyright is important, too--stealing is stealing. But re-casts can kill off the ability of people to create bjds and the ability for people to get a decent price when they need/want to sell their dolls... that hits at everything we enjoy!

The artists who make our lovely dolls need to be supported when recasters steal their hard work and steal sales from them!

 

Thank you, April, for the detailed information. It's very helpful.
What about eBay auctions that are 1/3 AoD or Iplehouse or any of the big name brands that offer face up/fullset for $300 or less? They only offer 1 type per brand, the price is too good and it's a stock photo. I'm thinking it's a recast? I'm resigned to not buy second hand off eBay, but I am looking for safe sellers to buy cheap hairpins, etc to decorate. Most of the places that list them for pennies seem to also sell "practice faces". Why is there not a Factory Direct Craft of BJD supplies?

 

I don't buy the defeatist approach. Just because a problem is big & overwhelming, that is no excuse not to do whatever you can do. Even a baby step is still a step. The alternative is silence, and silence = complicity. If you really want the recast market to win and thrive, just go ahead and keep silent.

The "best we can do" includes, but is not limited to: (1) Not buy them, (2) Call them out LOUDLY when we see them, (3) Report them to the source company, (4) Report them to eBay and Paypal as counterfeit & bootleg goods, (5) Write to Grace at JPopdolls, (6) Be loud about it to our friends on social media.... And so on.

Niche market though BJDs may be, even eBay/Paypal will notice a trend of the same complaints & reportings of counterfeit goods if they keep receiving a lot of the same reports over & over again, and getting their attention will be what gets action eventually. Keeping silent and saying "oh well, there's nothing we can do" is one way to ensure that they'll never hear you.

 

Most doll companies I buy from don't have dealers selling new goods at bargain prices. Check with the company if there is a dealer authorized to sell on ebay if you aren't sure. In most causes there isn't.

Ebay will pull auctions if the doll companies contact them about counterfeit goods. If you see something, let the company know. They want to hear about it so they can do something about it. Take a moment to send them the auction links. Ignoring it won't make it go away.

Eliminate the market for recasts, and the recasters will be forced to find honest work like the rest of us.

 

I consider it a "realistic" approach, not a "defeatist" approach. And I don't appreciate you accusing me of supporting recasts just because we have different opinions. You are perfectly capable of stating your opinion without singling me out and being rude, thanks.

 

I've been reporting any recasts I find to the company if I can find out which company's doll they are selling a recast of some I can identify and others the seller has told me. I never know if they actually get anything done about it but I feel better knowing that I at least did something.

 

I know someone in real life who was banned from e-bay for selling counterfeit fashion items like fake Louis Vuitton belts and handbags. She had difficulty creating a new account but managed to do so at the same postal address by pretending to be a tenant living there. (Groan).

If memory serves, she did not state that the items were fake in her listing, but when users made enquiries she admitted they were not genuine products, and one or more of these customers must have reported her.

Because of the difficulties though she did learn her lesson and ceased selling fraudulent items, so there was some upside for the community.

So I can only assume that e-bay does take action against these listings, after all they are technically illegal so they should. Exactly how much badgering is required before they take action, I couldn't say. But I am fairly sure Louis Vuitton did not track down my friend themselves to register a complaint.

 

Louis Vuitton (and other major labels) do have dedicated fraud departments who's whole job is to investigate claims of counterfeits and have them shut down. Online stores make this infinitely easier, versus trying to contact local law enforcement for each brick&mortar store. That's why stores in Chinatown selling knockoffs never have trouble selling fakes.

 

I don't think she singled you out. She said "silence = complicity" which includes EVERYONE who remains silent instead of reporting recasts to eBay or getting "loud" about it. And - realistic or not, even though we know that eBay will be dragging their feet doing something and most likely won't do anything to remove recasts until someone finally sues them for a load of $$$, that's still no reason NOT to report recasts to them as well as send the links to the companies whose dolls are being recast. Because even if the results are zero, you're still doing something. Which is better than just shrugging it off and going "oh well, I can't do anything anyways" ... (and I'm not targeting you specifically here but everyone with that kind of attitude)

 

I've just noticed an ebay seller selling several obvious Fairyland recast dolls - using the company photos, even! (Sorry, a brandy-new fullsized Fairyland fullset doll does NOT sell for $200)

What I don't know is whether we have a spot here on DoA, still, for reporting these to our own constituents. I can picture some of the newbies getting very burned. In the meantime I'm not finding the "report" button on ebay on my ipad, but as soon as I do I will be reporting them. It's just ridiculous. And so blatant to use the company photos of the legit doll to sell their recasts! Grr.

 

Baakay, I have also stumbled upon this seller a short time ago and reported them, but as you can see nothing has been done (I'm assuming you've found the same seller as me, though I won't post names here). I also emailed Fairyland to alert them of this. They thanked me for the info but since the seller is indeed still doing business I'm not sure if they've actually acted on it.

 

Sadly, re-casts are on Amazon also. Found three of them last night

 

I often report recast dolls to ebay, and sometimes send the link to the original company as well.
Sometimes Ebay pulls the listing out, sometimes they don't.

But I feel I have to do it, to protect the artists and creators otherwise we won't have any more new molds, it would be so sad if recasting killed true creation !

 

You have to REALLY read the auction wording carefully. If they don't mention the company that makes the doll, or if they mention multiple companies in one auction, that should be a warning flag. As Venetica says, photos will show almost none of the clues that might indicate a doll is a recast.

I suggest checking the retail prices of BJDs at the company websites for comparison when you are buying BJDs and accessories. For example, AoD sells dolls for MUCH less than Iplehouse. A 60cm AoD could very well be $300, while an Iplehouse EID would be way more than $300.

If an auction price seems "too good to be true", it probably IS. As Baakay says,

Know the retail price. Don't support sellers who sell those ultra-cheap dolls.

Linda S.
galatia9