Keeping or removing custom faceups on second hand dolls

A few months ago there was a second hand doll I passed on because it had a really lovely face-up from an artist that doesn’t seem to be doing them anymore.

The sculpt is one I had liked for a long while, but the face-up didn’t align with what I wanted to do with this doll at all. I absolutely could not have brought myself to wipe it and so I looked for a different doll instead (one I ended up liking better anyway).

I still kept my eye on that listing, hoping that someone who loved the face up would snap it up and post pictures. It seems that the seller changed her mind on selling it because she removed the sale and kept it. I saw in her doll profile for it that she loves the face-up so I am doubly glad for my decision in all of this.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping an existing faceup if that's your jam. If the seller really took issue with it, then they would take the time and effort to wipe it before selling.

On the buyer side, I will send my dolls out to be redone at some point, since I think of customizing them as an important part of my bonding process. However, I love when I gel with an existing custom faceup! It makes the interim period before I get a new faceup way more fun!

 

Depends on the quality of the face-up, if it is default/from original company or not, or was made by a talented face-up artist, I tend to prefer to buy mint from original company fullset dolls. If I do buy from the secondhand marketplace, I tend to purchase similar fullset dolls with original company face-ups. If it is a rare doll or a doll whose face-up done is by a really good face-up artist, I'll consider keeping the doll as is. If the original face-up is severely damaged, doesn't meet my standards/aesthetics, or the doll is super rare but has an awful after market face-up, I'll consider bringing the doll to something like the Volks "Dolly Doctor" where they can redo the face-up to original factory level or find a different face-up artist whose aesthetic fits close to mines.

I think once the doll is in your possession, you can do whatever you want to it. People should do whatever they want because the doll belongs to them and it is up to their own personal preferences what to do. Just because we share a hobby doesn't mean I'm going to restrict you to do things my way. Like, I tend to prefer to keep original company face-ups as that is part of the reason why I fell in love with a doll. But I would be aghast if someone were to force me to try to redo all my dolls in a style that doesn't fit me or my aesthetic. So you do you and it is okay. I'm not here to judge your preferences or choices. I'm going to support you as a fellow BJD owner to enjoy the hobby.

 

I prefer to buy secondhand dolls where I really love the faceup already, but I won't hesitate to wipe it if I really want the sculpt and that's the only way to get one. I do try to avoid buying and wiping artist fullsets regardless, though- it feels like too much of my money and the artist's effort wasted.

 

As someone whose bought 2 secondhand dolls, I kept the faceup for one and chose to commission an artist for the second. I think once you buy it, you shouldn't feel limited by the doll's history. BJDs are meant to channel creativity.

 

Yes! That's a very good way of putting it.

Teddy

 

Only two of the dolls I've bought have come with previous custom faceups. One of them, the faceup was described as a selling point (I believe the artist was/is well known, but I've forgotten their name) and the other was simply the previous owner's work.

With the first, I kept the faceup because it's lovely and because I didn't know the previous owner and the way it was presented to me, keeping the faceup didn't feel that weird. For the second, I've only gotten him recently and his faceup is adorable! But since I got him directly from the previous owner, keeping his faceup feels... weird? (But it's so cute and I dunno what to do, so he still has it for now.)

As far as my own dolls, the only one I've sold I sold blank, but if I did sell one with a custom faceup I would love it if the new owner liked it enough to keep it! I'd never be offended if they wiped it, though.

I'd never put much thought into people's thoughts on secondhand faceups, since I don't have a lot of experience on either side. It's pretty interesting to see!