Second hand dolls: Shouldn't they be cheaper than new ones?

I am new to BJDs and enthralled by the idea. I want to have one or a few and see what they are like. I love beautiful toys and am of the philosophy that you never grow out of wonderful playthings!
I am careful with eBay for many reasons (but still buy other things there frequently), but the new dolls on eBay have the same wait time as the company websites and come from Asian companies like the websites. The used dolls I've seen on eBay seem questionable and not particularly well priced.
I don't own a BJD and I've never seen a BJD, but I am intensely, horribly curious about them!! I have seen some beautiful pictures of them!! I think a few BJDs would be an incredible addition to my doll collection. I want one! (or more than one!) I've looked at DDE and other USA based dealers of BJD and can't find anything I might like to own that they have in stock. )
I would gladly have paid a fair price for a used full set BJD that would ship immediately but could not find one I felt comfortable buying on eBay.
The appeal of the used doll for me is that it is already in America and can be in my hands within the week.

 

@slgslc -- Yes, it's great to save on shipping and waiting when you buy a doll that's already in your country. Yeah, Ebay is not a great place to buy these days... too many fakes. Although if you're careful, you might find what you want. But when you get Marketplace privileges there will be much more choice in second-hand dolls. They aren't always less expensive than retail, but a lot of them are!

 

As April said, they aren't always going to be bargains... So, don't go into the marketplace expecting to find a wonderland of perfect, full-set dolls for rock-bottom prices, Slgslc. That's unrealistic.

What you *will* find are dolls in all sorts of conditions sold for a variety of prices that range from 'Really excellent deal!' to 'What in the world are they thinking?'. If you're patient and luck's on your side, you'll eventually find something that hits that perfect sweet spot between your budget and your dreams, but it may take awhile.

 

I do think that they shouldn't be super over priced.. I can understand if they have a good faceup and extras like clothes, eyes, and wigs... But when it's a naked doll with nothing else, i think that's kind of unfair... Especially if its not in super great condition, even if it is a rare doll. Now if its rare and in great condition by all means sell for whatever you want...

 

That depends entirely on the doll. It's not at all "unfair" for a popular sculpt that's in high demand or for a rare, limited or long out-of-production doll that's hard to find to have a price tag that reflects those circumstances. As much as we all might love it if every single second-hand doll went for yard-sale prices, that's just not the way collectibles markets work...

Some sellers do start out with pretty unrealistic prices, but more often than not in order to make a sale they'll end up having to come down. Most sellers do end up taking a loss... often a considerable one... even on dolls that may still seem over-priced to people who are used to thinking in terms of "used" always meaning "cheap" like it so often does outside of collectible hobbies.

 

I could see someone wanting to buy from someone already in the same country. Even a doll priced somewhat more expensive than new could still be cheaper than buying new + shipping + customs + taxes. But outside of that country, it wouldn't look like a bargain at all.

It also makes sense for sellers to start off high and then slowly come down until they find a buyer. That seems reasonable to me.

 

Heh. Well it seems unfair to YOU as a buyer, but what if it were your doll and you paid $400 for it and you think it's still worth that--you kept it in great condition, just like new--and you need money for your grail doll, or worse, something has happened and you need money for an emergency (rent or food or paying vet bills because your pet got sick). Are you going to price low because you feel like it's unfair to a buyer? You CAN do that, of course. You can price your own items however you want! High or low. Because the buyer has a choice to buy or not to buy, no one is MAKING them buy. And you don't have to sell your doll low just because someone thinks that's better. Sellers have the choice of not selling at all, or selling at whatever price they think is right for them. If no one wants to buy it and it's an emergency, they may be FORCED to put a lower price on their beloved doll.

Buyers always want to buy at a good price. Sellers always want to sell at a good price. These two things come together whenever there is a sale... but you have to remember that you may be that seller who is forced to sell their doll... Would you want to be forced to sell low if you needed the money, just because someone else thought it was unfair?

I'm not picking on you. Lots of people feel the way you do.

 

BJDs are not toys - they are expensive art, or at the very least collectibles. Good heavens, poseable action figures often cost more in the 'secondhand' market - ie once the manufacturer stops making them the price soars. So of course w/BJDs that happens. And again, art objects - when you are talking about a sculpture one does not use the term 'secondhand' you know. Numbered lithographic prints aren't referred to like that either. The term 'provenance' is used to describe former owners. A lot of these dolls totally fall into that category.
Under no circumstances would I sell any of my fullset, limited, no longer in stock dolls for less than I paid for them LOL If no one wanted them now, well my kids can sell them in a few decades when I'm gone....

 

I think a seller is absolutely free to ask what they want. No matter what it is they're selling. I've paid serious dollars for things like needlework patterns I'm never going to stitch (but were the last ones I needed for my collection of a specific designer). It's a matter of how rare something is, and how much you, as a buyer, want it. Whatever it is. (If I want to pay $100 for a mint-in-package roll of 1980's Hefty bags, then I'm free to do so, just like I'm free to laugh at a seller who puts such a price on such an item...)

And yes, sometimes you (as a buyer) get burned (when the company decides to re-release the valuable 'out of production' item, for instance) and sometimes you don't get something because you think it's too expensive and you miss out and never get the chance again.
But ultimately sellers ask what they want to get for it, and it's their decision at what price they want to part with something. And it's the buyer's prerogative to not buy something that is grossly overpriced, to not get too caught up in the spirit of the auction, and to check the feedback of the seller before closing a deal.

I have two almost-fullset dolls, limited, no longer in stock or in production, and I'd definitely ask more (maybe even twice as much) as what I paid for them, unless it was an emergency sale...

 

I don' t know if this has been mentioned before, but I see that the Bjd hobby has a lot in common with the music hobby. Sometimes people will ask for an old instrument as much or even more than the cost of a brand new on of the same company. An easy example of this is the Stradivarius violins, who are over 100 years old and still fetch millions when sold.

 

i think it depends, if the dolls is in mint or near mint (mild mellowing), then selling at the same price you paid or close is very fair. However, ive seen people sell broken dolls for more than they paid, sure the doll was limited, but if its damaged, i dont think you can justify price hiking purely on the basis that it was a LE, if the doll is damaged, lower the price.

its quite simple, but some dont think so, ive seen people hike prices because of a face-up, you can up it a little, sure! but ive seen people up it by like $80-150, and i dont mean to be funny, but not everyone will want THAT particular face-up, some people will strip the doll and start over. my point is, paying someone else for a face-up is for YOU, its something you decided to get, its a custom service, but the value you think its worth and what someone else thinks its worth are different, i think with things like custom paint jobs, unless its a true work of art (entire body), then perhaps accept that as a loss and just up it by what a company face-up would be.

as for extras, well thats extras and adjust accordingly, but still be fair because odds are, its all been used and its unfair to charge full price on a pair of socks that may have a thread missing.

i guess its a case of, use common sense, if the doll is perfect, with box and everything; untouched, then yes, same price you paid.
its a LE or discontinued sculpt? up the price based on what others are selling thiers for, or make a price but let people make offers!

 

but... You have to let the seller set the price. They don't HAVE to sell their doll. But if they want to sell it, and they price too high, no one buying it can mean they will have to re-think their pricing. If a seller wants to jack their price, it's up to them. Price-fixing is frowned upon everywhere, at least in a sort of Capitalist country. Buyers TOTALLY have the choice of not buying, in which case the seller can't sell. THAT'S the buyer's power and it's a BIG one!

 

The thing about buying and selling is what people in the market are willing to pay for. There's actually nothing wrong with sellers marking up their dolls, but I guarantee they won't sell unless the buyer is A)unaware of the actual price the seller paid for a new one or B) is desperate enough for it. I have seen absolutely ludicrous pricing for things I know the original prices for, and the sellers have done things like irreversible mods, self-made faceups, and damage. But you know what's great about the Marketplace? You don't have to buy it. I've found a lot of the time, if a seller puts something up for a large price and nobody buys it, the seller will mark it down. Does the seller lose money? Yes. But that's just the gamble you have to take sometimes, especially if it's not a in-the-box mint condition doll. ( Also depending on the rarity of the doll because yes, some dolls you just can't find anymore and I totally understand some of the prices they go for.)
I guess the thing about why some common dolls are priced so high, especially in this market, is because someone is always willing to pay for it. If buyers in a market are willing to pay high prices for certain things then sellers will sell high. If buyers are not, then sellers will sell low. Supply and demand. Really simple economics. Just be a smart buyer/seller. I myself sold a doll where the price originally started at original price, and it sat for a week. Literally within 24 hours of dropping that price, it sold. I was willing to part with it at that price, she was willing to buy it at that price.

For sellers: I'd like to advise that you look at other listing for the same item if possible. If not, put a price YOUR comfortable with. Nobody is pressuring you to sell at a certain price. Decide if you are willing to negotiate (I personally LOVE negotiating), or stand firm. Let it sit for few days. Buyers don't usually pour out of the woodwork on the first day you list. A lot of the time the buyers will actually watch your listing for a time before deciding.The only time I would change anything about my listing is if it's been sitting for at long, long time. Then it might be time to do some more research and decide to lower.

For buyers: I'd like to recommend that you look at multiple sellers for the same item (if possible. If not, check what people have paid for for such items). Check feedback, match prices, and be PATIENT. Never jump into a secondhand sale. It's like an auction; you gotta bid for that sucker at the right moment.

Sorry for the long post, I hope this helps?

 

Well I understand that, ive just seen a mystic kids Lillian in the same condition i have (which mine was bought second hand) and she was selling it for 300$ + shipping, i could get it brand new for 225$+ shipping...
Also if a doll is really old & yellowed/mellowed, and has little damage I'd consider selling it slightly lower than what you got it for..
I mean that's just how i think.. Honestly I've been selling things, they arent dolls. But i do sell stuff and i do lower prices to be "fair" because i have to include the shipping cost in the total...

 

Yeah i can totally understand if they are "like new", then hell yeah I'll totally buy it for what you're selling... But if they aren't in that great condition then I'd rather buy brand new if i can get it for the same price.. I also sell stuff online & i lower the price because i have to include the shipping price in the total.. So i consider it "fair"

 

If a buyer thinks the price someone is asking is unreasonable, then they should not buy that doll. A buyer is not entitled to demand that a seller change the price to whatever they subjectively think is fair. They can certainly try to haggle if the list price is set to negotiable, though

Higher prices can be due to a lot of reasons: the seller may be overestimating what the item is currently worth, they might want to make a profit (and it is their right to do so if they are okay with waiting for someone to want the doll enough to pay their price), the doll might have an expensive faceup from an artist with a year-long waiting list (or who does not do faceups at all anymore), the doll might be limited, they might be trying to recoup shipping/customs/paypal fees...

If a buyer takes issue with any of those reasons for a higher price, then they should simply not buy that doll. No one has the right to tell someone else how to price their possessions.

 

There's always the question of whether you will pay for instant gratification as opposed to waiting for months and months and months with certain companies.

 

You have to keep in mind the face-up expense that the original owner had paid, or if they had done any successful modifications, tattoos, wigs, eyes, etc.

 

I've noticed that too, but if I can still get the doll from the manufacturer, I don't worry about it. I always sell my dolls for the price I paid for them including shipping fees, because I usually sell a doll I don't want right away, and don't want to lose money on them. But on the other hand I can ship it much cheaper than the company usually does. So people are paying a few extra bucks for not having to wait. I've never tried to make an actual profit though. I just don't think of this hobby in that way.

 

IMO people can price their dolls or items however they want, it's the buyers that ultimately steer the prices. A seller may try to sell a blank, naked Luts Kid Delf Ani (unlimited and readily available from their website for $232) for $350 but chances are nobody will buy it and they'll be forced to lower the price. On the other hand a doll that was a super popular limited may be in very high demand and may sell for $2000 even though the original price was $700. Personally there's no way I'd pay full price for an unlimited, readily available doll and I'd laugh at the idea of paying MORE than what the company charges.