Resale Overprice (foreal)

but i still think its dumb to overpay for a USED body because it has a tattoo :/

 

Taco said it all here. People are responsible for their own actions, if they want to pay thousands of dollars for something that was originally half the price, good for them! I would never do it though, that's why CP woosoo will always be my dream doll since he's always sold for $1000+ (and the head is usually sold for $600+ that's like buying a new whole doll O.o) research and caution are the keys for a satisfied customer.

I have actually done this before but not with a BJD. To tell the truth, I thought no one was going to buy it because of the price but one week later after putting it up for sale on amazon I received an email confirming that my item was sold! I was very surprised to say the least, it was a book -out of print- that i bought 2 year ago for $10, I sold it for $300... go figure :p

 

No, it's not--well, it depends on what you want and how much money it is, and if you feel it's worth it for the price as well as how well done the mods are. Here's the thing--bjds are not like cars--they don't automatically depreciate in value. Some will go up in price, many will stay around the same, some will drop. This is affected by both the popularity of the sculpt and economic factors. On the whole, abjds tend to hold their value pretty well--right now people aren't buying as much due to bad economic times and some dolls are sitting longer in the Market Place, but don't expect prices to automatically be lower just because the doll is used, and if if any work done to the doll is good quality you will usually be expected to pay for that--for some people, that's actually a selling point. There are some fabulous deals to be had in the marketplace, but that doesn't mean that all used dolls should be lower in price just because they're used.

There are some really talented artists out there that do work that far surpasses what I can do, and I don't think it's at all dumb to pay extra to get a beautifully done up doll--it's one of the advantages of the marketplace--I can find dolls that already have beautiful custom faceups, so I don't have to ship their heads out later (something I'm very nervous about doing). I like doing work on my dolls, but it's also nice to have a few really lovely dolls that are done by other people too.

 

If it's driven higher due to a bidding war, then it's all on the buyers if they want to pay that much. But to ask for a higher price from the beginning is arrogant and, in many cases, simply bad economics. Would you really be inclined to pay half again the MSRP if there were no competition from other bidders to fuel the flame? I probably wouldn't, and judging by some ebay auctions I've seen (for limited Dollfie Dreams at least) other people don't either.

 

My views entirely. From personal experiance I've been on both ends:

1. I purchased some limited luts heads for a low price. They were damaged/in need of some care, and were priced accordingly. I bought them, and sent them for work. I invested my own money into getting the heads restored, repainted, cleaned, whatever you want to call it. But they came out like new.

Now, I orignally intended to keep them, but I just wasn't going to do anything with them. So I sold them. For more than what I paid. did I see it as scalping? no. I paid a base price, and then put more money into them to fix up. I disclosed their previous conditions, and priced them slightly lower than what the going price for a perfect condition head. But I still made a profit.

Is it wrong that I "overpriced" them, based on what i originally paid for them? Not in my eyes. I felt that the amount I invested into them warranted a higher price since they were almost back to "perfect". And obviously the buyers did too.

2. Ha ha ha, my latest purchases. My dream doll was a woosoo. And when i saw how much they went for, I nearly died. I could get 2 new dolls for that. And while normally i would have walked away, because of the prices, my absolute determination to get one created a second stnadard in my head. Now, when i view a woosoo for sale, I see it with different criteria, and with a different price range. I expect them to be much more, and have adjusted what I see as a fair price for them accordingly.

Now I have my gorgeous woosoo, who I got for at a really good price (relatively speaking)..and wouldn't you know it? Another woosoo that I had been eyeing just dropped..into what I could consider a very good price. For just a little more, I could have gotten a full woosoo instead of just the head I got. Am I upset? No. For a limited doll that was in such demand, I expected it. It's all the normal ebb and flow of the market.

The economy is tight. And while in the better times, it would be normal to pay more..with money tight for everyone..prices have dropped as people need to sell. I figure I should pick up limiteds now rather than wait for the economy to pick back up when I'll have to pay double. But I EXPECT limiteds, especially the popular ones, to cost an arm and leg secondhand or more. It's all a matter of how much you REALLY want it.


3. But regular edition dolls? Marked up for more than twice their new price? USUALLY I walk away. usually I look say 'Ohhh, pretty! How mu-WHAT? They want HOW much? I could get it new and a faceup for that much! And an outfit, eyes and wig!'. But I'm not price police. And if they feel that that's what the doll is worth, and someone agrees, then it's a sale.

But I will confess, I bought a doll very recently like this. Normal el, not limited at all. But it was the faceup and piercings that won me. I had friends of mine who told me, "That's so overpriced" and "you could get a new el for that much and then some". But really, I didn't care. Because to me, the doll was worth the extra money.

I had watched pictures of this el for a while, and was soo in love with him. That when he went for sale, I HAD to have him. I had no qualms over spending the extra money to get the boy I had fawned over. And I'm happy I did it.


I can say as much as I want, that a certain doll isn't worth as much as the asking price is. But if someone out there disagrees, that's their perogative. it's all in the eye of the beholder.

personally, I put a lot of consideration into the work done to a doll. Certain artists I come to expect to pay more for, because you're not only paying for the work itself, but the name. It's why I tend to stay away from big names, unless I'm a particular fan of theirs. But when something strikes me, the expectation of what I should pay goes out, and I am willing to pay for what I want.

-shrugs-With such variation on what can be done to the dolls, I don't think we can ever say for sure what's a fair price to pay and what isn't. Not universally. It's all so subjective and personal.

 

It's not necessarily arrogant, and it's still all on the buyers as to what they want to pay. It comes down to how badly the buyer wants the doll, how much that doll is worth to them, and if they feel they'll be able to find it again for less. If it doesn't sell, then the seller can relist it at a lower price--no harm no foul.

 

Seconding the 'no, it really isn't'. I suppose that if you're an expert in designing tattoos and could do an equivalent job of it yourself, it could be, but otherwise? No. Even the doll companies charge extra for the addition of tattoos in some cases, so why should a non-doll-company artist's work suddenly constitute damage or be devoid of value? There's no reason for that I can see.

 

i guess you're right...

 

Being a "used" product (no matter the condition) I would definitely not overprice it. I would decrease the price, even slightly.

 

I guess I can see this from the sellers point of view. Though it's silly to do it, if you have a limited addition, everyone wants it, AND it's sold out? Well of course the price is going to jump! It's like around Christmas time a few years ago when the Wii first came out, there were people charging rediculous numbers for those systems and people were paying them! Some will pay just about anything to get what they want really.

 

Why? Most dolls on this forum were probably bought used, and for not too cheap of prices either I'd imagine.

 

I just hope it doesn't lead to people specifically buying out LE dolls, just to resell them higher though. That's really all I care about

 

perfect. totally perfect.

 

Question, what about the 5 other people who may have not gotten them due to resellers buying them a minute or so beforehand? Sure, other people who can afford more may have hope, but people who thought it was a fair system are pretty then screwed. It's not like the resellers literally wait until everyone has gotten them, and are doing a favour. They're just in it for the money.

 

It sucks, but is in no way unfair. No one has a right to own a doll more than anyone else. No one needs or deserves a doll more than anyone else, ever. (Ever ever? Ever ever.) These are luxury goods, not necessities. We buy them because we want to, not because they are essential to our ability to live our lives.

Besides, if a reseller bought the last limited, guess what they're going to do with it....resell! Which means the doll will be back on the market for someone who does want it, albeit at a higher price. And while I do not personally agree with buying a doll with the *sole intention* of reselling at a markup, I will support anyone's right to do so. Does this make me a hypocrite? No. Just a believer in a free-market economy, based on supply and demand.

On a side note, I would really love to see a convincing, non-egocentirc argument for why Person A deserves SuperAwesomeDoll more than Person B. I mean, what makes Person A so much more worthy other than the fact that they want SuperAwesomeDoll and Person B has it? How can someone possibly more worthy to own an inanimate object than someone else? Where or what is the criteria? I'm kind of being sarcastic here, and kind of not. It's just that I've seen this kind of entitlement come up so many times that I feel like there's a list I'm overlooking.

 

Hmmm...I'm going to have to agree with Rikka_Mika and SailorLimaBean on this one. I can understand why people get frustrated with resellers in those instances--if I were in that position I might be disappointed too, yet at the same time the dolls will still go to people who want them. Actually, more people will end up having a chance at them in the long run. When it comes to limited quantities, there will always be people that weren't able to get the doll they wanted, even if you took resellers out of the equation. I'm not sure any system is going to be completely "fair" (though I don't think fair/unfair really comes in to it all that much--it would be more accurate to say I don't think any system is capable of making everybody happy), because there is often going to be fewer dolls than the people who want them. If resellers are going to be a fact of life (and they are), I think it's better to take into account the silver lining that does come with them rather than stew in disappointment over it.

 

This, so much. I feel like people keep applying the term "unfair" to what is essentially a business practice. If the person in line before you (general "you") at Starbucks gets the last piece of coffee cake, is that "unfair" if you like coffee cake way more than they do?

Dolls are a luxury inanimate object, when you get down to it. End of story. No one "deserves" a doll more than another. No one else is responsible for the amount of emotional investment you (once again, general "you") put into that object, nor should they be held accountable if they choose to invest less emotion into it.

Sorry if it comes off as harsh... but it's just basic business. If the market holds a price that people will pay, that is the doll's value. The original price is irrelevant to the current value. Like it or not, that's how a free-market economy works. "Entitlement" or "deserving" something is just not a part of the equation when it comes to luxury items.

 

This may be a stupid question, but who cares? People buy houses, fix them up, and flip them for more than they paid for. I know people who build computers and sell them for more than they paid for. I know people who level their World of Warcraft character to 80 and sell the account. I don't hear anybody condemning those guys.

The only real difference I can see is people are more likely to bond to a doll than to, say, a computer. So the idea of selling something you bond to is off-putting. But if you're a person who bonds to the doll you probably won't "flip" it anyway. And if you don't bond to the doll you have every right to sell it for whatever somebody wants to pay for it.

Maybe I'm missing something.

(I'm not trying to pick on you, Rinse. This is just a general question.)

 

Quoted for emphasis; totally agreed.

One of the dolls I have and absolutely cherish was a quantity limited (50) doll. It sold out fast. A number of people sat around on the forum until ungodly hours of morning to get it, since when it would go on sale was announced ahead of time. (6am for me if I remember correctly.) It still took a day or two to sell out I think -- but because it sold out so quickly, the company added another 25 quantity, as obviously more people wanted this doll!

While this didn't bother me and was thrilled as it meant I'd get fewer hairy eyeballs for having enough coffee to sit up and grab one at the right time, and I didn't see it seem to really trouble any of the other people who sat up until ouch-o'clock, we bought it with the expectation of 50 of them existing -- and now there were more than that. I could very easily see someone having an issue with that change if they were concerned about the number of dolls out there for their own collection or for potential reselling-for-profit. (And it is a good spank to potential profit-alone resellers if you think about it -- if someone only bought to resell, suddenly their margin could drop if some of the people who wanted it and missed out in the initial batch was able to grab it in the second.)

People have griped often about the Soom MDs in the 'OMG price hikes' threads regularly -- but do they stalk the Soom site to see that these things do get relisted for sale if someone drops their layaway or cancels their order partway through? That they could get it retail, even if the chance is slim?

Truth is, if it's something you want, there are sometimes ways of getting it retail, even if it's a rare thing that an order is canceled and one goes up for sale, or a company extends a popular edition. So for the people really only speculating for profit, there are a lot of pitfalls there.

I don't see anyone saying, "Speculating and reselling for pure enormous profit is so nifty keen and I can't wait to do it, ha ha ha!" in this thread. Anywhere. I see a lot of people assuming that anything over base retail price on anything from a one-off down is tantamount to mugging someone's granny in an alley at knifepoint -- and in some cases, they don't even know what the actual price paid for the item -was-, they're just assuming they do.

I haven't sold any of my dolls and don't plan to unless there's a gun to my head or to make sure the roof stays over it -- neither of which I foresee happening in the immediate future -- so I have no personal reason to 'defend' any point of view here. It's just common sense to me.

The whole 'fair/unfair' issue strikes me as victim-think. Not getting a thing you want -- even if you want it a lot -- when it's a luxury item just doesn't make you a victim. It may make you sad, or frustrated, but it's not something anyone is entitled to have. Everyone has their combinations of good luck and good timing and money in hand at the right moment. Maybe the person who lost out on a limited doll got a great deal on a house or a car or some other high-ticket item (necessity or luxury) that the doll owner would have far preferred! It's impossible to know, but you can bet it happens every single day just within this community. But compartmentalizing, as we naturally do, to the hobby -- since it's sort of the point of the forum -- makes people lose sight of that very, very quickly, and it's something that really should not be overlooked in discussions like this.

 

Oh I agree too, it isn't unfair, it is just business. I think I got confused over someone else pointing out one thing made it more fair and was attempting to point out that pretty much doing the same thing was actually unfair to just as many people.

Ah, business.
But as for "doing up" houses/computers etc, I say go ahead, make it look shiny and new again, but personally on a small-lot thing (basically, 10 products) it is kinda ... scroogey to just buy something with the intention of reselling it for more and profit. Sure it's good business... but it's also bad business in a way.
Almost feels like ransoming it, maybe? Buying it means the person you're aiming to sell it to basically -couldn't- buy it.
Personally I don't even like rebranding (I'm trying to start my own fashion and cosmetics lines, and I refuse to rebrand to make money). I kinda like the pureness that comes from buying it direct from the makers. For dolls, its an art/craft so it feels I dunno... nicer? For it not to be a big money grab. If you want to do business, do business, don't just resell and ignore all the legalities and whatnot.
Probably just my own feelings of rebranding/reselling there.