New Chinese Piracy

I'm terrified because frankly, I couldn't tell which Unoa was real until I saw the later post showing the inside of the faceplate, and I thought myself pretty well capable of telling a fake.

 

Wouldnt help a bit... Those would be even more easy to replicate than the dolls themselves!

*Jen

 

goodness, i really hate how they are going to ruin the market and affect the whole enjoyment of bjd to the masses out there, .

I see that kdoll is on the suggestion in that forum DX small companies like kdoll and migidoll can't do much to fight against piracy DX!!! maybe like the rest suggested, they have to start having serial number for their heads, so do the bigger companies out there.

but for us, the current owners, we might have trouble selling our dolls next time when people no longer trust anything. and some of our current dolls, heads especially, does not have certificates of authenticity from the companies that only produce heads.

 

some do their best to improve the image of China,
but some always destroy....
how much is art?

 

aaaw, that horrible!
stupid greedy people >.>

 

But it will not be fair to the chinese buyers and sellers out there that are innocent, if people start to refuse to sell or buy anything from them. I've been to dollsky chinese forum, there's a discussion about this too and it's really affecting them as well. I think the chinese in china even fear more than us to buy a pirated unknowingly since those pirated companies are aiming at the china market.

 

Wow, that's amazing. I'll definitely be looking for original boxes/certificates, and many other things now.

 

i hope this doesnt affect the original companies too badly. i know that ill be buying more from companies than second hand, but im worried about the people who think that a copy is just as good for a cheaper price. ugh, the soom monthlies! thats absolutely disgusting.

 

I'm not surprised at this issue of copying because this isn't the first that it has happened.

Also I'm pretty sure this is the same company I encountered on ebay a year ago while I was looking for doll clothes. I saw a seller that was selling Latidoll Red boys and having own two of them, I clearly knew they were copies. For one, their colors were off. Not only that, the minute details of the face, hand and body were lost. Obviously, the quality of resin is lower. Plus the doll was cheaper, selling around $200 something. (An actual Latidoll Red boy costs around $550 at the time) I also saw some Luts dolls on the seller's page too, but I don't remember which model.

As of now, Latidoll no longer sell their Red Line boys. Whether they found out about the copying or there was a lack of sale for them, I don't know...

It seems this must be the same company, but apparantly they got better at copying and has decided to take their hands at more difficult structured dolls... >_>

But the bottom line is that, copying was bound to happen in a material culture. In a society where we are surrounded by material goods, the notion of "having" is the mentality. So the issue isn't limited to just money, but rather the act of owning. Thus to these and certain individual, the act of owning precedes our own morals and ethics. Apparantly to the people who are buying these copies, it doesn't matter if they were original or not, but the fact that owning one becomes possible, is just good enough to buy (which is quite sad). For the copycats who are doing this, this idea, that one can actually own a limited doll by any means, continues to enforce the to "own" mentality by making copies. It really is sad. And it's also sad that China based BJD companies and sellers will be discriminated against because of these actions. Even if they are not involved with them, people will make the association.

I'll agree with Krissy and say that the best way to act is to be educated and informed. As a consumer, you'll have to be responsible for the things you buy. If you're a going to buy second hand, the best way would be to see certificate of authenticity and proof. But that will be hard since some companies don't always provide them... (I know that the limited heads I buy from Leeke never did come with papers. U_U )

Whether this will affect the company depends on that company and how they react to the copying. If it does affect their sales or artistic merit, then they will probably find other means to make and sell their dolls, like what Mr. Dollshe is currently doing. I only hope that the copying does not hinder them in making beautiful dolls. ;_;

 

Would this affect the market value of Limited dolls? Especially the Soom dolls?

Considering there are a lot of splits going on in the market place right now, buyers might not have the original boxes/documentation, so when it comes to selling them they wouldn't be able to "prove" the doll was legit.

This is terrible

 

Good point! It makes me feel really angry to think of an innocent seller sending their doll on and then it being simply used for recasting purposes! Feedback threads and buyer information will get even more importance from now on, perhaps...

 

I just feel so frustrated. A lot of my dolls don't have their original authenticity cards because I bought them second-hand. For my first hand dolls I'd have to do a proper search for the papers. I'm also wary of shipping dolls in the original boxes because mail prices are so high, so if we don't use original boxes provenance isn't going to be taken as seriously.

I'm pretty sure Latidoll haven't discontinued their Red line boys - I know someone who got one for Christmas, (and yes it was direct from Lati) and in February Lati released pictures of their Red line girl body.

 

I'm pretty sure China can copy all that. >.< Unless you're absolutely sure of all the little details, it's very hard to tell if it's pirated or not..

 

Of course not all new dolls even come with paperwork (unless you kept the receipt, I suppose). My Souldoll, Uni Limited, and 2 Soom Gems all came with certificates, but those are the only ones. I unfortunately misplaced the one that went with my AR, and my other dolls were either second hand or not from makers that bothered with it. Granted, some of my dolls have the company name or sculpt name carved inside the head, though I'm not sure if that would get copied in the recasting process too?

 

That's actually not a bad idea at all. But then the person selling the knock-off would just be able pull the actual numbers off the database and lie when people ask for the measurements. >:

I think the best step to take, is to inform the BJD companies worldwide and ask them to start instituting serial numbers on all of their dolls. I for one would love to know what number my LE Gavin is. By the way, despite being possibly made out of French Resin, the Angell-Studio dolls are very beautiful and surprisingly durable; speaking from personal experience.

From a business perspective, the legit BJD companies will all conform to the serial number if their public requests it. The extra work might increase the price; however, it is in the best interest of the company to protect their buyers.

By using a serial number, people who are buying second hand can contact the company directly and find out who the real owner of that numbered doll is. I for one wouldn't mind a service that will set up interactions between the original owner of that doll and the potential buyer.

Systems can be set up to prevent knock-offs of Limiteds. Like I just mentioned, a company can set up communication between a seller and a buyer through email or even have their own used marketplaces for their previously sold dolls, proof of ownership and authenticity would be required by the seller, and new ownership would be recorded by the company, possibly with fresh papers with the new owner's name on them.

EDIT:
I think, additionally, this would be in the best interests of all of the legitamate BJD companies to get together and do. It wouldn't really have to add extra cost if the people of the hobby assisted in moderating a large scale forum run via jointed-effort between larger companies like Volks, DZ, Luts, etc.

 

It certainly makes the stomach turn!! The thing that worries me is that not all dolls come with COA!! I've bought 90% of my dolls second hand and only one had a COA - it was a Souldoll... And even those are easy (in my theory NEVER in practice) enought to copy, get pretty paper ... print pretty font, fill in the blanks. I know I wouldnt be able to tell the difference!!

 

Its terrible that it has to come to this though.

 

Unless companies start doing what governments do with paper currency, passports, etc: microprinting, ink that shows up only under UV light, watermarking, holograms, etc.

 

Until Luts has a hissy fit because their dolls aren't supposed to be resold. That tantrum could be interesting to watch.