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

Depends, just the sellers knows about their doll and is free to ask what they want. If the doll is limited is ok. Talking about non limited second hand dolls, if someone is selling the nude doll (without any clothes, shoes, etc) it has to be cheaper than the new one because is used. If it's the same price or more I would buy in the original company a new one. The only way to make me pay a little bit more or the same price in a second hand doll is the shipping cost.

 

Personally, unless it is a limited edition doll, I would never pay the full retail price or even less likely to pay above retail price for a second hand doll. Resin is voulnerable. Even if it is treated well there is still signs of it becoming yellowing or some stains. Chips will appear on face ups, small chippings on the body or few scratches. most dolls have at least one of these problems and even if they don't then its still important to remember that the doll has been used, it is not the same quality as the new doll straight from the shop are.

The fact that dolls have specialized face ups is not, in my opinion, a reason for it to keep its value either as I peresonally changes the face ups as soon as I get the doll to ensure that it fits the character I have in mind. the same goes for goodies that are being added like eyes and wigs.

In general I only buy second hand dolls if I get a good price or if it is a limited edition I really really want.

 

I would think that unless a doll is limited or special, it is usually sold for a cheaper price than what it was originally ordered for. It's like buying anything secondhand, if you can buy it new for the same price, why settle for a used item?

 

Actually, buying 'objets d'art' or collectibles is totally different from buying other items 'second hand'. I would personally have no problem paying the same base price for a '2nd hand' readily available doll from a buyer in my own country as for the overseas company sculpt - because I'd save a ton on shipping. There are dolls that are rare, limited editions that are NOT available anymore from their companies - those are going to go for a higher price due to market demand. Half my dolls ARE '2nd hand' in fact. I just don't consider them any different than the ones I bought new from the company. There are to me only two advantages to buying a doll new - one is that you KNOW it's genuine, the other is that you've established yourself w/that company (w/Volks that's apparently a big deal, maybe some others). Advantages to buying from an owner - often the doll has been sueded etc, has a unique face-up, shipping is less, the doll comes quicker, a lot of times it comes w/extras.

 

I feel like this really depends. If you don't want to wait sometimes the same price is perfectly fine on a non-limited sculpt. If it is a limited, highly sought after sculpt, it is understandable that the price would be more. For me it is perfectly fine to charge whatever you want, it is just up to who wants to buy it! If it is priced to high and isn't sought after it just won't sell...

 

I think it depends on the mindset of both seller and buyer. I know that personally when I surf second hand valuables, even dolls, I expect them to be cheaper, because for the same price I would just pay the company and wait, but get it brand new and with no issues and way more insurance in case something goes wrong.
But other people don't see this the same way, and of course each person is free to ask what they think is a worth price for their dolls. I understand that also the love we might have for them is a big influence, at least for me. I have trouble objectively setting a price because they're my babies and they are worth more to me than to others because of this.

 

I'm going to disagree with this. I have seen some truly unbelievable faceups done over my years in this hobby, and I firmly believe that those should be treated like the works of art they are. I know of one collector who paid quite a bit for a secondhand, rather yellowed doll, because her faceup was just that gorgeous. Faceups are not entirely reproduceable after all -- each one is done by hand, and even the same artist will never be able to entirely duplicate their own work just because of the vagaries of handcrafted art. A truly beautiful faceup by a reputable artist is worth a little extra dough, at least to me.

 

I actually came across this issue with a doll i had wanted to buy. i was okay with paying the same price as he would have been new because it meant i didn't have to wait 4-6 months for him to be cast. And I know a lot of time thats a point made on the second hand market and part of what you are paying for is the speed at which you then get your doll.
however what the seller had not told me was that they also wanted enough in pay pall fees that i would be paying more then the doll cost new with shipping. (this was told to me after i sent the them the amount they had asked for) and that i was unwilling to do considering the doll is not limited did not have a face up and other then some spare clothes they sent with him had nothing to up his value. when i noted this to to the seller their response was that i was paying for not having to wait and i agreed that was why i willing to pay the original price we had agreed upon but that i was not going to send them more money when the group we were working through stated you had to post all fees.
Now personally i think its up to the seller about what they want to price their doll at and if they want to price it at a more expensive price then it would be new for most people (i say most because of the difference in the currency around the world) then thats their purgative its annoying but in the end they're pry going to have to lower the price to be able to sell unless of course the doll was a limmited doll or is by a company that no longer exists all those good things however what i don't agree with is not telling the person your selling it to about fees until after they have sent you payment (sorry about the mini rant there)

 

Disagreeing with me is no problem, I might have phrased my earlier reply wrongly as what is stated was purely my personal opinion. I agree that face ups are pieces of art and that they are worth money, however when I buy a doll I often have a character in mind and due to this I will be changing the faceups unless I found out that the faceup fits my character perfectly which is very very rare. In my ten years of collecting dolls it has only happened once, which is why I stated that face ups is not a reason to increase the price.

I'll make sure to change my original comment so that it states that my reply was my personal opinion so that it does not bring confusion in the future

 

I'm the same way, I won't pay more for a faceup or clothes (unless the outfit is super awesome and fits the character which has never happened) or eyes since I will change all of it. I do my own faceups, make my own clothes, and I'm particular about the size, color and type of eyes I want for each doll. It's not that faceups and extras have no value, it's that they have no purpose to customizers like us who will disregard those things and do our own.

 

I generally go by availability. If I can get the same doll brand new from the company for less...well, it's a no brainer which one I'm going to go for. If the doll is long sold out and only available through the 2nd hand market...I'd take into consideration whether it was a stock product that got discontinued, a limited release, what's coming with the doll (fullset, blank, etc), damage, yellowing, package condition, proof of authenticity, how badly I want it, and how much that other guy is charging instead. And if the doll price ends up being justified and then some, but it's still outside my willing to spend range...then I pass on it and move on. I do think (at times) that some are being overvalued for what they are, but the great thing about the 2nd hand market is that sellers can price at whatever they want, just as buyers can buy whatever they want. While I can't speak for individuals, if something on the whole doesn't sell there's always a chance the price will fluctuate so there's no real harm in waiting if there's more than one for sale anyways.

 

Well you should also consider custom fees/tax paid by them on doll arrival
But true some ppl especialy on ebay trend to overpricing dolls but in the end its your decision to buy or not to buy

 

Yes all the time. Even if they're limited, I think if they're quite easy to find for sale that they shouldn't be ridiculously overpriced. But, I also think it's the nature of the hobby. I feel like some people on eBay and Y!auctions buy them just to sell at a profit.

 

Limited editions and discontinued sculpts are always going to attract more interest and inflate prices - scarcity works! Also, as others have mentioned, some people just want to recoup what they spent - customs fees etc can add a massive amount on to the price of a doll.

When I sold my first doll on eBay in 2011, I just aimed to get to get close to what I'd spent.I think I made a loss as I included all the clothes and accessories I had. I wish I'd priced her slightly higher.

 

Before I got access to the marketplace, I was all so looking forward to it hoping that I can buy limited / discontinued dolls. But after I see the dolls for sale there with their price tag, it makes me question if is it really worth it as for most of them are priced close to original price from company if not higher. Of course higher price is acceptable if the doll is limited or super rare, but for the rest...seriously I'd rather get a new one from the company if the sculpt is still available. I will only buy those second hand if I think it's worth it or decently priced. I still think ideally pre-loved stuffs should be cheaper than new.

 

Buyers are always free to seek the dolls they want at prices they wish to pay and sellers free to price their dolls as they want to. I think if there were ever serious flipping or price gouging issues here that the mods here would know it. Some people do buy to sell and that is how they make some of their money to fund their collections. It's a fine line between charging the most the market will bear and overcharging but if sellers overcharge, they usually don't sell things quickly or easily.

Also... a funny story: I know a woman with a doll collection (not bjd)...she has a LOT of dolls. Hubby started making some complaints so she put a few on the market at higher prices. They didn't sell but hubby stopped fussing at her. People have all kinds of reasons for doing what they do.

 

I have bought almost all of my dolls secondhand. Some have been cheap, others not.
When talking about limited, sold out dolls it is understandable that their reselling value will be high.
Some companies take forever to ship your doll when buying new doll so people are willing to pay more on secondhand dolls because you don't have to wait that long.

 

My second boy Alistair is a secondhand doll. I bought him on the marketplace for...oh, I don't remember how much of a deal it was, but it was significantly less than what Dream of Doll initially offered for him. There were two things that probably factored into his price:
A: He's a limited sculpt in very good condition, which could've driven his price up a bit.
B: He has some minor damage (two broken and repaired fingers), which could've driven his price down a bit.

Based on the fact that he was secondhand and had minor damage, I'd expect a little bit of a discount. Maybe a fourth off at most. Instead I got Alistair for what I deemed a steal, and that surprised me. I'm VERY happy to have him, no doubt about that, and I wouldn't have been able to get him if it weren't for that reasonable price. So I do think secondhand dolls should be a little bit discounted, but I think it's a shame that some of these nice dolls are being sold at such a loss for the initial owner.

 

This really frustrates me. Buying second hand you are accepting a risk that the seller might sell a recast (you never know), the doll may be yellowed, have some damages etc., you even can run into a scammer! So why should I be willing to accept these risks at a higher price when I can easily buy an original brand new doll from the company. Usual waiting time is 2-4 months which is totally bearable.
Why someone would include shipping and fees THEY had to pay leaves me puzzled. I've seen a doll offered for 450 while the original is 160 and the seller was complaining people ask him to lower the price. It's a basic of economy, if you want to sell something you have to offer it at a price buyers are willing to pay. I wish more people in the hobby would understand this.