Secondhand dolls, in-stock dealer inventory, and BJD warranties

I've never went back to a company with an issue (though in my cases it's been because the dealer caused the issue, not the company), but it sounds pretty reasonable to me.

We call them companies, but they really are just studios. I generally don't even expect an after-sales service from any artist I purchase from. If my order doesn't arrive, or it arrives in an unacceptable state, I'd ask them about it and want that fixed, but after that, if the print I bought became damaged for example, I wouldn't expect the artist to do anything about it - even if it's due to materials they chose. One artist I bought a print from packaged their prints in PVC, and a few years later, that print has been destroyed due to the chemicals in PVC destroying printed inks. It's "kinda" their fault, for choosing an unsafe plastic like PVC, but I'm not going to take it up with them. Even if they were still offering the same print, it'd be a bit much for me to message them asking they send me a replacement out of their own pocket because it's their fault on a technicality.

Since BJDs are artist prints, essentially, I view them the same and don't really find it wild or unreasonable that an artist or studio can't offer support years later or without proof of purchase. Heck, most of my stuff made by big companies that have the money to offer support and parts for years after won't talk to me after 30 days of purchase haha.

In the case of Fairlyland particularly though, considering that they are victim to some of the most widespread counterfeiting in the whole hobby, I think it's understandable that they're asking for some kind of proof of purchase. I don't doubt that they get no end of emails through from people asking for support with dolls Fairyland never actually made. If you purchased via DDE and have a problem with the doll, then I think DDE is who to talk to, rather than Fairyland. Fairyland will have a direct channel with them.

This aftermarket service or lack thereof has zero bearing on my perception of or willingness to pay the price, same as it doesn't affect my perception of artist's books, comics, and prints, when I'm browsing at a convention. It doesn't factor in at all, I don't think it's crossed my mind even once in my life!

 

Good points/discussion, I just want to offer a small theory of what FL actually wants from you, assuming you are not trying to warranty/refund the entire purchase or anything:

Put your name (email, FL site username) in the same photo with the CoA, and perhaps a print-out of your receipt from the vendor. Then FL can confirm that the purchase date makes sense, and can verify that they sold however-many of your doll to the vendor, and so forth. They don't know or have any way to verify your legal name, and there are plenty of reasons to not put one's actual name directly onto the CoA. They just need to see that you didn't pull a CoA photo from another person's re-sale listing. What they want to verify is that the person making the inquiry on their site is asking about a legitimate doll in their possession, and not using the company's time/resources to troubleshoot a counterfeit.

This is what I'd try, and of course they could reply saying that's not sufficient, especially if it's a truly major expense at stake.. but it's a sensible compromise which should suffice for general help and inquiries. I hope they can help you.

 

I have a lot of dolls (resin and otherwise) and find that many doll studios/companies do not offer replacement parts, its not just bjds. If I were to damage one of my porcelain dolls, I would not reach out to the maker, I would find a doll hospital and they would replace a part with the closest thing they had on hand.

While it would be nice for bjd makers to offer replacement parts, the only company I have seen do it regularly is Volks; they are a big company and you still have to jump through hoops to get resin replacement parts!

I have never bought a bjd with the expectation that I would be able to acquire specific parts if I were to break something. I have gotten used to the idea of having to replace the entire thing (or the body) if some major damage occurred and am perfectly fine with it. Like @nattherat mentioned, if I bought an artist figurine from someone, dropped it, and a limb broke off, I would not reach back out to the artist and ask for a new limb. I would either buy a new one or fix it the best I could. This is also why there are so many guides on how to repair bjds with epoxy and the like. Honestly, I actually have not thought too much about all of this before, lol.

 

when you purchase a doll secondhand, does the lack of warranty or ability to request service from the company factor into the price you are willing to pay? Not at all. Aside from any problems with a new doll when they first arrive, I don't really feel the artists have any obligation of after-sales services, unless they state on their site that they do offer certain things, and the terms in which they'll offer it. I don't really expect anything else after I receive my doll in proper condition.

Have you ever had to go back to a dealer and ask to make a warranty claim for an in-stock doll you purchased? What was your experience? Kind of? I have done this when I had the knee piece crack on one of my BlueBlood Dolls. BlueBlood was a dealer for Jie Doll and some clothes/accessories, and also sold their own dolls, but had them cast elsewhere. They didn't sell extra pieces, but at that point, I think I had bought maybe 6 dolls from them and talked to the artist on several occasions. She did get me an extra knee piece, but if she'd said no, I would have understood. I was actually pretty surprised she did send me one!

Have you ever gone back to a dealer to request service for your doll? What happened? Only if the doll arrived damaged, and I contacted them immediately to get it fixed. Both MintOnCard and Alice's Collections have fixed things for me by getting extra parts sent. I have not done this other than when the doll very first arrived.

Is your name on the COA for any of your dolls? Did you put it there? I don't think it's on any of my dolls' CoAs. I don't even have CoAs for some of my older dolls and the ones who have changed hands many times.

OG collectors: what is the service period for BJDs generally? Have you ever gone back to a company after, say, 5 years and asked for help with a doll you purchased? I've been in the hobby for 15 years, and I didn't actually know any company/artist offered a service period, so no, I haven't. Other than that one request I mentioned above about the knee piece, but that was more of a "can't hurt to ask" than really thinking about service on a doll.

 

I do actually to a certain extent expect some level of after sales service, considering I pay a lot of money for a single doll. I'm not saying if it's not in how Iplehouse shipped it for example, that should also be free, I do expect a fee. I do have a relevant story on the dealer end of things.

I was super excited that Giselle came home from Angeltoast and looked gorgeous, but I noticed part of her ankle had broken in shipping back to me, and it was noticeable. I emailed them essentially to say that "Hey, it looks like this broke a little bit, did you notice this on the trip to you, or did this happen on the way back." I had asked really just to figure out what to tell Iplehouse, but Andy said that they'd fix that for free and could you send it back? I ofc did and I actually expect that next week.

I had an easy go of it, being that it was an Iplehouse part, and Andy was so kind, but I do feel like there's also some level of being available that I think is the bare minimum for a company. I know doll companies are small and it can be a strain on resources, but I also think there's some inevitability in being in business and not everything is smooth sailing.

 

I think its really important to remember that most BJD "companies" are actually an extremely small handful of people, and sometimes even a single individual artist. For many of these companies, they are barely able to stay in business as A large part in fact due to the proliferation of recasts that has only seemed to get worse as years go on.

Because of these two factors, I absolutely understand why a company would request some proof of ownership. As others have said, I'm sure walking back the purchase history with DDE and sending that over should be more than sufficient. As far as any sort of "warranty" goes, I have never heard of such a thing in this hobby in 15 years. Most companies request that you open and inspect a package within a set time period of delivery to check for immediate damages, but then after that, you're on your own.

I think it would be an undue burden to expect these small artists and companies to replace any damaged or broken parts for all time, for various reasons:

• They have no way of knowing how the doll was cared for (or not), and what lead to the damage
• Companies change sculpts and bodies over time. It's very likely they will not even have the same molds forever to create new parts from
• Resin formulas change over time, as well as the age of the originally purchased doll having an unknown yellowing factor that won't match something newly cast
• Recasters are slimy. They do unscrupulous things to try and get dolls. What would stop them from sending an email asking for a "broken part replacement" here, there, everywhere, until a full doll is acquired. I think there is a reason a lot of companies only offer full dolls or bodies.

To answer your questions, no, I have never considered a warranty factor in a purchase I've made because I don't think it really exists in this hobby. If it does, it's rare and probably at the company's discretion. Companies unfortunately come and go, so I don't really think about a 15 year protection plan or anything of that sort. I'm just happy to have the artwork in front of me for as long as possible, and try to do my best to take special care of it.

That's of course not to say there won't be defects or accidents. But most companies care about their products and customers and will do their best to service. It's just not going to be on any sort of contractually-binding paper (which I'm not sure would hold any merit across oceans either).

 

Since I started buying before CoAs were a thing, I never bothered keeping the few that did come with dolls in those days and mnay of my dolls are hybrids form split snd/or bought on the secondhand market, I don't insist on a COA with a secodnhand doll and wouldn't even have dreamed that the original company mght be expected to honour a warranty on a second hand item. The only thing that impacts on the price i expect to pay for a doll is whether it's worth that price to me, if it is (and i can afford it) I'll buy, if it isn't then I won't.

Teddy

 

I'm a lawyer, but not in the USA so my views may be taken with a grain of salt... but I am of the opinion that once you buy a doll second hand, the company who originally sold it is not obligated to provide any aftersale services to you. In a legal perspective, unless the original manufacturer hands out specific guarantees that extend to 3rd parties, any aftersale services or inquiries about product quality would be based on a contract. A 2nd hand owner is not in a contractual relationship with the manufacturer but with the first owner of the doll. So any aftersale services that companies provide to 2nd hand owners, such as providing new parts to replace broken ones, are usually purely acts of kindness. It's nothing that a 2nd hand buyer is entitled to even if the doll would be flawed.

(Where I live, without a warrantee a 2nd hand buyer only has a possibility to demand service from the original manufacturer in case of more serious flaws in the product, such as if the product is a safety hazard to people.)

When I buy a doll 2nd hand, I would not expect to get any kind of aftersale service from the company, but I do expect the seller to disclose if it has any flaws. If the doll has undisclosed flaws, that's between me and the seller. So, no, I don't expect any warranty to affect the price of a 2nd hand doll nor do I care about such things. Of course writing to the company and asking never hurts, if for example the doll breaks in shipment and you wish to buy a replacement part that they don't carry by default. But if they decline, then it's an answer one should just accept and move on. It can be called poor service, but it's most likely legal.

I do care about getting a CoA with my 2nd hand doll, but that again has nothing to do with aftersale services being applicable and everything to do with the doll's value as a collectible and a way to proof legitimacy. That being said, many companies issue CoAs that are as good as nothing. Some (DFH) may leave them blank, and some (Dollshe) fill them with fancy serial codes that they don't register anywhere: they cannot give an answer when a customer gets back to them and asks if it's a legit CoA handed out by them.

 

Everyone seems to have warranty stuff covered, so I just popped in to say that sometimes you can find legit heads, bodies and parts on the facebook page 'BJD Rescue'. It's a good place to snag secondhand stuff for workshop projects and they're strictly legit dolls and parts only. There's where I got a pair of spare hands to practice on before the DFH body I ordered arrives (so I don't ruin the new ones).

 

I've had several instances where I contacted companies (not dealers) for support after purchasing the doll second-hand (with CoA). Each time I was requesting replacement parts, paid for out of pocket. I was not looking for, nor did I expect anything to be free.

The first time was Fairyland.
The magnet came loose on a foot and then I stupidly glued it back the wrong way (it was a moe foot and at the time only the a-line feet were available to purchase separately). Fairyland replied and actually informed me that the doll I had was part of a collab (Love Live) and I should contact Cerberus Project rather than them but they would do me a favour and sell me the part. Awesome!

The second time was with SOOM.
I noticed that both of the doll's magnetic wrists were Left and so the right hand kept falling off. SOOM responded and questioned why the doll was not associated with my account, I explained that I purchased it second-hand but that it was still within the warranty period. After that they sold me the correct part without any issues.

There was another time I contacted SOOM for a replacement but it was for a doll I purchased directly from them. Same day the doll arrived, I broke her wings . I contacted them with pictures and paid for replacements.

Another instance was with Dollmore.
I purchased a doll second-hand with CoA, and the notch that supported the doll's bust broke off. I contacted them with pictures and was able to buy a replacement torso. This doll was very old and definitely out of any warranty period (if they have one).

In all instances, I did have to provide pictures and the companies made clear that the resin may not match.

Edit: formatting

 

I'll be perfectly honest, I had no idea bjds had warranties at all ;×; I guess I've just been really lucky with my dolls (both first and second hand) as I've never had to contact about any issues. Though now that I've seen this thread I'm realizing none of the coas I have include my name. Hopefully as long as you have the coa, or even a copy, these places can in the end figure things out to fix any problems.

 

I'm sorry if my post gave off the wrong impression! I didn't mean to imply you were expecting anything for free at all. I just thought it would be worth mentioning since the term warranties is broad, some non-BJD warranties do cover free replacement parts (but not labour or installation for example). Replacements can be pricey especially when factoring in shipping for what are (usually) very small parts. That's all I meant. Sorry about that!

 

For what it's worth, I had an old B-line FL doll, and I asked about new wrists, and they told me the same thing. The problem is that he was a B-line, I'd lost the CoA (it was like, 10 years ago), and actually, they wouldn't have fit anyway since he was so old.

So I sold his old body and head and bought both new from them.

I don't think I'd want "aftermarket" parts made by folks other than the original company.

 

I broke a couple of fingers off one of my (second hand) CustomHouse Petite Aidolls (many years ago) and contacted the company about buying replacement hands. They refused to sell them to me unless I shipped the entire doll back to them so they could put new hands on. I bought suitably sized from another company instead, and she's had those ever since and they're nicer than the original company hands.

By contrast, Elfdoll were perfectly happy to sell my any number of sets of replacement hands (and wrist parts, when they switched to magnet-attachments) for my (also secondhand) Elfdoll Soah.

Teddy

 

First for reference I'm only experienced with.. 4-5 doll companies, these include a defunct company, some small chinese company and a rather well-known companies like Volks and Fairyland.

When you purchase a doll secondhand, does the lack of warranty or ability to request service from the company factor into the price you are willing to pay?
No, I rather decide between buy or not and actually never negotiate price much. Volks that missing head plate or Fairyland without COA are definitely a deal breaker though.

Have you ever had to go back to a dealer and ask to make a warranty claim for an in-stock doll you purchased? What was your experience?
No, I do have issue with some dealer and decided to not use them anymore and use other dealer instead. But, that's it.

Have you ever gone back to a dealer to request service for your doll? What happened?
No, never do that.

Is your name on the COA for any of your dolls? Did you put it there?
I have my name on a Volks One-off model COA which I received written already by the company. For the other COA, No. Usually I will leave it blank.

OG collectors: what is the service period for BJDs generally? Have you ever gone back to a company after, say, 5 years and asked for help with a doll you purchased?
Volks offer after sale service with the service fee. I had sent my SDC Gretel head back to have a new faceup once when her old faceup shipped. She's 8 years old when I'm using this service.

I also help my friend and sent another damaged head back to Volks, they make a new one with same faceup for her, the doll came back like she never got any damage before. I also can confirm that as long as you have the head plate/COA, Volks will give you the right to buy replacement of all parts of your doll. Well, Volks doll is in fact very sturdy, so I never got a chance to replace hand, joint etc.

I heard that fairyland will let you buy replacement parts in some case only, and only if they are still produce that part. But I guess that's still good. Some company won't sell replacement part no matter what. Your only choice is to buy the whole new body.