Have you ever found a doll at a thrift store?

I haven't ever found a BJD, but I have found some rare Barbies I was able to flip.

 

A friend of mine found a large stash of Pullips and Ais at Tuesday morning and sold me the ones she wasn't keeping. That's how I first got into this hobby!

 

I have never found a bjd but I have found clothes that fit them. I have also found furniture that works and other props. Tuesday Morning does sell Madame Alexander dolls and other collectible dolls. I think my daughter said she had heard that someone had found a bjd at a Tuesday Morning once but I do not if this was true.

 

I find a lot of non BJD dolls there from time to time. Actually, most of my dolls are from thrift stores; they are traditional Japanese & Korean dolls made from Japan and Korea. I would love it if I can find a BJD one day!

 

I don;t think the hobby is big enough in Australia for them to wind up at a thrift store, and most people are pretty knowledgeable about a dolls value and wouldn't just give them away.

 

Gotta love people a few pages back being jerks, like calm down. Haha

I would love to find a doll or props at a thrift shop! I know people who've found perfect SD furniture that I'm sure was for large plastic or whatever dolls. I'm sure somewhere in a small town, there's a cool doll waiting to be bought for a cheap price.

 

I once found this 16" porcelain doll with ball joints. I adore him

 

I did once too, my mom and I found a vintage blythe for 7.95 when i was younger, it got tossed in the garage and forgottne till one day I was on flickr and saw they were there and im like "Wait i think i have one of those"

 

At the thrift stores near me all I ever see are cheap porcelain dolls that are falling apart...I have seen antique dolls at estate sales. I have had better luck at the doll shows for accessories.

 

I am bit superstitious. Although I do like BJD dolls- I would buy second hand dolls if the dolls was made within 2 years with 1 owner, and I prefer new dolls! the word, 'vintage' means absolutely nothing to me.
I am from Asian countries and I heard so many stories on haunted dolls.... So if I have no idea where the doll has been or how many owners it had, I will pass it and for the same reason, I am not a big fan of antiques too-
haunted mirrors, haunted comb, haunted shoes..... I heard so many ghost stories...XD

 

That's interesting. As an antique doll collector, this is not something that I've ever really thought about, since I am not superstitious at all. Is this a common belief where you live? Do most people not buy second hand or antique dolls?

I've found some good vintage dolls at thrift stores for my antique doll collection, or to sell on ebay. My best find was a rare G.I. Joe worth $600. Never BJD's though, sadly. When today's collectors are all little old ladies, I suspect that's when we will see BJD's beginning to turn up in thrift stores. When we all die and our clueless relatives don't know what to do with our dolls.

 

Oh mannnnnnn, finding a doll would be the real dream wouldn't it?!

There's plenty of props even at my small local ones (but you have to sift through so much junk to find useful things). I've taken to looking at all the small cabinets/bedside tables/jewellery displays for some scale MSD furniture.

 

I have this ultimate dream of finding a bjd in a thrift store (or called an op-shop in Australia). I keep imagining that one day I'll see one sitting up on a shelf with a loosely strung body and messy wig... but none of that will matter because it WILL BE MINE! Yeah....dreaming...

 

I hear you. With secondhand bjds, as long as I have a general idea of who the owner was (i.e. currently living and pleasant to deal with) I don't worry about it. There is a sort of 'renewal' that goes along with changing the doll's styling around to make it your own, too, and that tends to help.

... But man, when I check out the shelves of old porcelain dolls at my local thrift shops I am always like *squinty eyes* "now which of you are haunted..."

That said, I am a huge fan of thrift stores and I absolutely haunt (hehe) the ones in our town for doll-sized props. I've found a number of interesting chairs, tables, dishes, and the other day I scored an acoustic guitar in perfect 70cm scale for $4. I have frequent daydreams about finding an actual bjd, but I know I would have serious questions about how it got there and whether it was legit.

 

In the US, I've never seen a BJD in a used/thrift store. When I see dolls it's generally either fashion dolls (like Barbies) or baby dolls or sometimes porcelain dolls.

It's pretty easy to find BJDs in used/thrift stores in Japan though. It's easiest to find Volks dolls, but you can occasionally see others too. The Volks dolls, because Volks, generally aren't cheap though unless they have severe yellowing or something is broken.

 

Never seen any bjds at my local thrift store. Besides some props, the closest item was a little commemorative Team Canada hockey jersey that's a perfect fit for my dolls.

 

That being said, I got a haunted doll second hand that wasn't from a thrift store, so I think the chances are 50-50 either way..lol

 

That's awful. >_<
I do take precautions. Maybe sounds silly to some, but I once had a doll I made that became possessed by something, and as horrible as it was it made me more aware of these things and how they happen... it doesn't matter if the doll is from a thrift shop or brand spanking new if you are inviting something without realizing it.

I'm interested in hearing your story, but to not derail this thread, either via PM or in Supernatural Doll Stories ...?

 

Ooo I should, though she's not like possesed, just....there is an essence to her. She was pretty malevolent at first but now seems more content/at peace.

I'm pretty good at handling things like this now, since I've had to deal with crazier supernatural stuff in the past.

Anyways, made a post about it, here's the link
Supernatural Doll Stories

 

I have a friend who found an old Licca-chan doll at a thrift store for something like $2. Not a BJD, but it was still an interesting find in the small town where we lived at the time.