New or Second Hand For your First Doll

It's almost impossible to find Narae's on the marketplace, especially considering the fiasco with dollfaire. Fortunately, I was in one of the last orders dollfaire did, and I managed to get my Alice from a company.

There's a lot of reasons to buy from a company versus the marketplace- if it's the same price you'd pay buying new, I'd buy from the company. Owners can misrepresent goods, either on purpose or unintentionally... for safety's sake, go for the new doll. Not only will you know what you're getting, but it will be custom to what you want, not what someone else wanted.

Then again, that's just my personal opinion. ​

 

If it was a limited doll, I would definitely order from the company to avoid the inflated secondhand prices and sellers possibly misrepresenting their sale. My first doll was purchased from Y!Japan. The doll was brand new and I didn't want to deal with the long wait time from the company.

 

Not sure that this is really even a debatey type topic, to be honest. But just for the sake of information, I would like to again point out that unless a company is willing to take special requests, the choice of a new doll is faceup or no faceup. They aren't really made to your specifications -- rather you buy the doll and make it into what you want yourself. In this there is no difference between new or second hand.

Also, there is an element of buyer beware when it comes to marketplace transactions. However, companies can screw up too. Most of the time everything goes fine, but there is no 100% guarantee that things will go as planned. The marketplace I would say, is pretty safe if you do your homework. There are people out there who are untrustworthy or aren't great with business transactions. However, considering the number of people and the vast amount of buying, selling, and trading that goes on, I would say that buying from the marketplace is not as big a risk as some people make it out to be. It's true that that there are plenty of negative feedback threads, but there is also plenty of less than stellar feedback for companies as well. Basically, where ever you buy, make sure to do your research -- that's what's going to help limit how much risk you are taking when you plunk down the money for a doll. Lots of info on individual sellers and companies is available, and more can be obtained simply by being willing to ask questions.

I don't have a problem if someone prefers buying new as it is a personal choice, and I have a mix of new and secondhand dolls myself. However, I would hate to see people actually be afraid to use the marketplace as it has the potential to open up a lot of opportunities.

ETA: I don't think buying second hand or new is inherently better. What it comes down to is the individual situation regarding that doll. For instance, is there a price difference? Is the sculpt still available new? Does one or the other offer a needed layaway plan? What is the condition of the second hand doll? What is the seller and company's feedback like? Where is the doll being shipped from? etc etc. I think those are the more relevant considerations.

 

@Taco

I should have been more specific, I suppose. I didn't mean faceup only, but resin color and optional parts as well. Take Leeke world's basic Edgar... there's 8 options to choose from between body type and faceup, and that's just with the basic line.

As far as security goes, I feel like a company will be better equipped to fix any problems that arise.

By no means am I saying you should never buy from the marketplace- I'm about to purchase some clothes from the marketplace myself- but I think with a larger purchase like a doll, and under the circumstances (the price being the same from both the company and the marketplace) that simply buying from the company is a safer bet, regardless of wait time.
​

 

Yes, like Volks FCS (one day !)

My tastes change very quickly (I am fickle) so a long wait period direct from the company doesn't work- I may have changed my mind by the time the doll arrives

Though most of my standard dolls have been second hand (cheaper & sometimes with extras) I do love receiving an already in stock doll direct from the company (like my first doll)- actually, the only doll which I have kept long term was brand new from the company- so I guess I would recommend direct from company as long as there is no waiting period. Works best for me re. bonding

 

I bought my first doll part off the MP. it was a MNF juri (WHY??? why did I sold it???). but my first complete doll was a minifee woosoo from the company.

for a first doll it might be better to get it from the company. less risk of being scammed and NEW RESIN SMELL 8D ok, I just lack arguments, but in my case, when I joined the hobby I wasn't familiar with online purchases so I was a bit nervous about it and it seemed more safe to order from the company. my mom was still like: but what if the company's a scam?? .........well, since about 90% of the doll owners have or had a doll from fairyland, I think it's safe to say that it's not the company who wrote it's own (fake) review or something xD

but from the MP, it's true that you can get a layaway and your doll will get faster to you! the first wait seems the longest one.
(and you can read the seller's feedback. company's don't have a page on their sites to write feedbacks so yeah, they could scam you more easily...)

it really depends on the person. do you feel safe getting a doll secondhand or were you like me, afraid of being scammed?
the fact it's your first doll doesn't really matter I think...


edit: one extra point for company: if doll is damaged during shipping you can get a replacement part. you can't get that with secondhand dolls

 

My first was from the marketplace (and many of my other ones are too). All my marketplace transactions so far have been great, and it was absolutely the best choice for me. It was about $40 cheaper than new, which was great, and the seller was awesome and tossed in a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser since she knew he was my first doll. I also think that if I'd suddenly spent $300 on a DOLL and then had to wait months to get it I'd probably have freaked out a little and possibly cancelled it if it was possible to do so. So for me, the marketplace was the best bet.

In fact, I ALWAYS check the marketplace first when I'm in the market for a doll. I like seeing the actual doll I'm getting, and the shorter shipping time, and that sometimes the price is less if it has faceup damage or no faceup - and I prefer to buy my dolls blank anyway. I'm unlikely to pay full price secondhand unless there are extenuating circumstances (such as the company having bad feedback recently, or a year-long wait, or being known for messing up orders), but for a doll in great condition I'll go pretty close to full price secondhand if I have to - especially within the US since that automatically knocks $25 - $75+ off the price when shipping is considered. I'd really prefer to buy secondhand in most cases, though I will pass over a doll if it has a LE faceup that I don't prefer to keep. I'd much rather buy one without the LE faceup than wipe a faceup someone else might be longing to find, unless there's damage to it. I don't think it's wrong to wipe a LE faceup (and it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if it's Volks, since so many of theirs only come as LEs and I don't like their faceups usually) - but I personally would feel really bad wiping one. I've even sold a head with a default factory faceup because I felt bad about wanting to wipe it, it was so pretty!

It's really just personal preference. For me, if the prices were the same or very close including shipping, the condition of the doll was the same, and there was no company event going on where I'd get something extra, it'd depend on the company's turnaround time. If it was, say, a Dollmore... I'd probably order new. The one I bought new from them came in about 13 days, and they send the dolls with wigs and eyes (which you can request) plus little gifts. If Junkyspot had it, I'd buy from there, since he only sells what's in stock (and sends goodies)! If it was a company with a 4 (or more)-month turnaround time, I'd probably get the secondhand one. After a month or two I start getting antsy.

 

I could sense that my dad was concerned when I told him/found that it would be almost 3 weeks for my doll to come, rather than about a week. Personally, I've been panicked about both my dolls, and I don't think I'm going to ever rest completely easy when ordering from a new company. People say to always look at company feedback, and when I see old feedback as the most current (as in 1yr ago) I don't trust it because shipping times change sometimes. When I order from a company a second time (I've ordered from Dollmore three times), I don't panic because I know what's going on.

I am afraid of being scammed. This is why I said in my first post that I was more willing to buy 'cheap' items (like props) because I'm not giving someone hundreds of dollars, maybe $10 or 15. Sure, losing that $10 is disappointing, but if you can compare it to losing $500, that $10 seems easier to get over. It also depends on how long and/or difficult it will be to get the money back. When I got my first doll, I was probably over-cautious, but I just had to remind myself of everything bad that would happen if she broke - the most prominent would be how much time it would take for me to resave that money all over again, which gave me such a feeling of dread.

 

I'm still waiting on my first doll so I'm not totally experienced and I can't even see the Marketplace yet. But still...I've looked around at the feedback/problem transaction and company review threads just to get a feel of what the common scams are (I've got scammed in all the stupidest ways on other sites) and how honest the companies are. And in the end, I decided to buy direct from a company because I would want my doll to be as close to new as possible and it seems that dolls that are really new go for almost full price so I rather just eat the shipping cost and the bit of extra money just to make sure I don't get scammed. It's just my personal preference. It's kind of heart breaking to see all those problem transactions where it ends unhappily and I'm not sure I'll be experienced enough just by reading to avoid situations like that.

 

My first was new, Dai by Resin Soul. Since that purchase I have purchased new and secondhand and all are lovely. I would certainly buy secondhand again. Both of my Dollstown girls are secondhand but very lovely and not a 2 month wait either, my Lan by RS was also secondhand and in perfect condition. Of course I live in Canada so everything is a long wait it's much faster to buy secondhand or instock rather than pre-ordering.

 

I browsed through a few sites searching for "The One". So far, it' been "find doll-Save up for it". That way, I have a clear goal in mind and know that I will be happy with the particular doll.

 

I bought my first doll new. I actually wanted the wait, that new resin smell, the whole package from the company, the fresh face up etc. I wanted that whole experience. But that was just me personally, I can see the appeal in buying your first doll second hand because of the wait and the 'adopting'.

 

I really love the feeling of being the first person to own a doll and to be the one that opens the box for the very first time, but I agree that it is a lot easier and quicker to buy second-hand as there is no long waiting time and hopefully no customs charges, which can soon mount up in the UK as customs charge 20% of the total value of the doll if it is declared at over £25 plus a handling fee of £8.50

 

Mine was secondhand, although I could have easily still brought him from the dealer... I don't know, for my first doll I wanted to make sure it was what i wanted, I didn't want to buy a new doll only to find I didn't like the things (I'd never seen a bjd before buying him).

 

I thought at first, I would definitely buy my first from the company website, but today, I found myself messaging someone to buy their doll.

I decided to buy a second-hand one because it would arrive faster (I already waited many long monhts saving up the money) and be cheaper (which I care about since I'm not sure how devoted I will be to the hobby).

 

My first was new, however it was through a dealer as opposed to the actual company that made her. I would buy secondhand....once I have access to the marketplace that is. I probably wouldn't buy from EBay or something off-site though.

 

I bought my first doll new, but she was in stock at DDE so I was lucky I didn't have the wait time. My second was second hand, and I actually had to wait longer for her because she was on layway! So for me, I don't think it really matters - what matters to me is the wait time. I think for your first doll it would totally suck to have to wait for aaaaaaages.

 

My first was first hand from Luts, an Elf Soo. I have five dolls I've purchased second hand, all lati dolls, and two directly from the company and 2 unoas form yahoo japan

 

both of my dolls i have bought second hand because I am a bit uneasy about the outof country factor. Also, i am really impatient and like getting things quickly. I also feel that the pre love gives them more personality and I have enough confidence in my painting abilities to redo their face-ups if i chose to do so.

 

I think it's up to the person buying : ) I bought my first doll straight from LUTS, and planning to buy my second from them too, BUT, I did see a doll in the MP that I would love to buy ^^ Heee. If only I had a job! XD