Selling: Do we need to justify it? (Sentimentality in sales threads)

I haven't ever sold a doll, but I do sell doll clothes. I don't think that I'd post any justification, just facts and in a friendly manner.

For buyers:
Does it matter whether or not a seller lists their reasons for selling?
Nah, I usually don't read through those. I just skim for the info I need.

Do you want to hear why a doll is not working out for them?
Nope

Are you more likely to buy a doll where the reasons for selling or stated, or do you just see them as an attempt to garner attention or facilitate a fast sale? No

 

hmmm, so as i'm reading everyone's thoughts i'm really contemplating the motivation behind all this. i've come to this (somewhat quick and not completely thought out) conclusion...

if it was just some store site, then it would be expected and appropriate just to list all the facts and get er done. i think on "community" boards, we are well, a community of fellow collectors so--being used to discussing our dolls--we add sentimentality to our sales too just out of habit.

and, i agree, sometimes these bjds are sort of like "family" to us...thus terms like "for adoption" so we want to tell others how we "feel" about dolls. it makes us more personable i think also, which i guess gets somewhat at wanting to sell, but not intentionally or manipulatively (is that a word?LOL).

but i totally agree that i don't want to hear how much you love your doll, and hate to sell...blah blah blah. i know some collectors that "are so in love" with a doll today, and it's gone tomorrow. it's not really scathing or anything, just funny/ironic/a bit annoying at times, etc. don't mind at all a "didn't bond" for all the reasons already mentioned

 

Why do you feel there is a need to explain the reason for selling a doll?
I think its because the buyer might feel there is a reason that the doll is being sold, a negative one. The "must be something wrong with it otherwise" mentality. (from a seller perspective)

Do you feel the need to justify your sale in your thread? (IE, do you mention "not bonding" or state the reason you are selling the doll?) If so, why?
Yes, in a way. I don't want to give the impression that I'm out to gouge someone or that there is something wrong with the doll. It also has become a bit of the "culture" of the marketplace to state why you are selling. It is an almost subconscious thing to do, To state the reason why.

 

i'm Irked because the "slaes talk" can also be just that; talk. I have had a seller say she wasn't sure she wanted to sell her baby (after she posted the thread and bumped for 8 days. we were coming to agreement , she says cold feet and then sells to somebody else. It really just comes down to money and talking a good game.

I prefer to just be honest. (just say, what you would like to get) and when push comes to shove if you got a better offer just say so, don't LIE.

Well Bummer, but I would prefer a more honest approach to the sales boards.

Dolls are an emotional purchase (a little face or feature that gets you)
Many times popular dolls are offered for 1 1/2 times their value (which is crazy if you can still order one) Just go to DDE or the doll site itself or join a split.

This may make others mad but if you have a 5 yr old yellowed doll, and what you really want is for the old doll to buy you a new doll, be honest about it's resale value.

Not that I haven't been suckered myself
Please excuse my rant (it shatters my pretty world to have the dollies pimped)

On this board i must say for every crab apple there are 10 real sweeties, and though this group I have met some really lovely admirable ladies, so hats off to the good ones

 

also I agree with apricotkiss

 

Out of curiosity now, would anyone justify selling a doll because they thought it was haunted/possessed? It can be both good and bad for the sale but I was wondering if anyone's ever actually done that in the marketplace?

I think it's the right of the seller not to give any reason at all as to why they're selling off their item(s) but it's sometimes interesting to know why. I guess it's just plain curiosity you know. So far, I've bought some dolls from a few members of DOA but they've never had to justify their sale to me. (: All I need is the important deets like whether the body's been damaged/yellowed/scratched and how long they've had it for and does it come from a smoking/non-smoking home.

 

Personally I like seeing at least a little explanation of why someone is selling. It's just one of those things; If there's no reason listed, I wonder "why is this person selling a perfectly good doll?" The first answer that usually comes to my mind is: "It's not a perfectly good doll."

 

To buyers and sellers: Why do you feel there is a need to explain the reason for selling a doll?

Not really a need, but it's customary here, isn't it?

To sellers:
Do you feel the need to justify your sale in your thread? (IE, do you mention "not bonding" or state the reason you are selling the doll?) If so, why?

It's added assurance that there is nothing else wrong with the doll, in addition to listing out what mods/damage/yellowing there is. But a short sentence will do, I think.

Do you feel you have to justify the reason you are parting with a doll so you don't seem like a bad person?

Sometimes, but, in the end, reason wins out.

Do you think that adding a personal story will encourage buyers?

The buyers here? I get a slight feeling yes?

For buyers:
Does it matter whether or not a seller lists their reasons for selling?

A simple reason would be nice, but if there isn't, that's fine too. If I really want to know, I'll ask.

Do you want to hear why a doll is not working out for them?

I'd rather not hear about the doll's previous character. Same reason, I don't like buying dolls with faceups.

Are you more likely to buy a doll where the reasons for selling or stated, or do you just see them as an attempt to garner attention or facilitate a fast sale?

If there's some long sob story, I would think they're trying to get attention, but, in the end, I don't really get affected by stories.

 

I personally, think it 'feels' a little cold when someone is listing a doll for sale and they don't say why.

Instead of 'oh, well I need the money, even though she's a wonderful girl', it feels too much like 'we just aren't bonding'. When it's just 'Here's the doll. She comes with this. Offers accepted. Please get her off my hands.' I get that it's just business, but it seems so sad to be the doll.

Then again, I'm little miss 'attaches a personality to everything'....

 

Interesting question!

As a buyer I don't care why a doll is being sold as long as any condition issues are noted. I always assume that people that are selling are doing so to garnish funds for another doll, etc. Doesn't matter to me why someone is selling and a sob story isn't going to influence me to buy (either it's a doll I want or don't).

 

Not really needed to attach loads of sentimental story to the doll your trying to sell. A quick "we arn't bonding" or "I need the money" is fine, really sometimes nice to be given the notion that it's not the doll's fault the owner is selling. Just...long stories about selling off your "baby" for <insert long reason here> are off-putting. Especially if there is an oddly high pricetag attached to the doll in question...

 

I've noticed a trend by which people talk about the dolls they've sold and buy their dolls back, (not replace the sculpt but actually buy back the physical doll) and that really puts me off wanting to buy a doll from someone who's selling it because they need the money. I want to give you money in exchange for a doll. I do not want to lend you money and take a doll as collateral.

 

Does it matter whether or not a seller lists their reasons for selling?
Almost no. It's a personal preference of seller.

Do you want to hear why a doll is not working out for them?
It's interesting for me, but not important. It's simply a part of doll's "biography".

Are you more likely to buy a doll where the reasons for selling or stated, or do you just see them as an attempt to garner attention or facilitate a fast sale?
No. If I'll like the doll, I'll buy him\her in any case.

 

I think selling justification is nice to hear, but far from necessary. I like reading a little bit of a doll's history, personally.

I think in a lot of cases, though, the justification isn't there so much for the sake of the buyer as it is for the sake of the seller. This is something you've probably invested a lot of time and money in, and it just seems irreverent to your own work if you just toss it up for sale with seemingly no rhyme or reason. I know it'd make me feel a little better if I sold one of my girls if I could type a coherent reason behind my getting rid of them.

 

IMO The marketplace is just that, a marketplace. While not a true 'store' or business, I prefer to buy (and am more likely to buy) from sellers who just give me the facts.
Sob stories and justifications aren't going to stop me from buying but they definitely discourage me. I'm personally more comfortable with clear cut, "this is the doll, these are the problems, this is how much I want for it".

 

As a buyer, i don't really care about the seller's reasons for getting rid of a doll.
I mean, they put it for sale, and as long as i can buy it it's ok to me. I don't want to know about what they felt about the doll and why they are selling it, it is just not my business. For the same reason, as a seller, i'd rather like complain about why i had to sell my doll on my blog rather than put it on the sale post.

 

I haven't sold anything in the Marketplace yet, but I would include a very brief explanation, such as 'we didn't bond' or something along those lines, so the seller doesn't think I'm selling the doll because it's damaged.

I hate sob stories. They really turn me off to a doll, even if I absolutely love the sculpt, and have been dreaming of owning that doll. I don't think anyone needs to know about my finances or health when I'm selling them a doll. I will be more likely to buy a doll if the owner says that they haven't bonded with it, or if they're thinning out their collection, or have found a sculpt they like better. There's something romantic about bringing home a doll that's in need of a new home because they just don't fit in their old one anymore, but I don't want a long and detailed story. I want to know what condition the doll is in, what it comes with, how much it costs, and information about shipping.

 

It's not a common practice for selling items, sure, but given the important place dolls have in most owners' lives, as opposed to, say, bicycle tires, I like seeing a general reason for why they're selling the doll, like "I'm not bonding." (In the cosplay hobby, however, I often see similar reasons for selling in sales posts of things like wigs and costumes).

But when you get a novel about it, it's just annoying. It clutters up the sales post and nobody wants to hear the sob story. When I look into a sales post and I can't even figure out where they've listed the price or whether the darn thing is NS or WS, I often click right back out.

 

I agree with surreality - I don't want to buy something that someone still wants, and I am more interested in the terms of sale and condition of the doll.

 

As someone who has sold 56 dolls /waits for gasps of horror to die down so she can continue talking/ I can honestly say that I no longer feel the need to justify anything. I always used to put down all kinds of reasons and explain myself until I felt I had something down that made it acceptable to sell my doll. The last couple I've sold though, I've just flat out said "hey, this doll is for sale". If someone is going to buy my doll, they don't care why I'm letting it go. Or at least in my mind I don't really think they should. Am I broke, am I fickle, did we 'not bond', etc etc doesn't matter. What matters is if the doll is in good condition, that I'm an honest and upfront seller, etc. If a buyer REALLY wants to know I guess they could ask me, but it seems like sort of a moot point, to me.

I think that sentimentality to a certain level in the doll hobby is just fine. But I have a friend who still gets all upset/shocked when I sell a doll. She's very attached to hers and thinks of them as alive more so than I do. Every time I choose to sell I have to go through this big explaination justifying myself, and frankly I'm a little sick of it. Yes, dolls are special to us. They embody feelings and characters that are important. But if the 'magic' dies, they're dolls again and at that point the money factor comes in. They're expensive, and if we'd rather have something else, that's our choice. Everything I feel for my dolls I realize is something I project onto them. My dolls are who I make them, but if that feeling dies, they're just a doll again, until someone else projects their thoughts and emotions onto the doll.

Luckily since my Suzuna came home to me in December I can honestly say that this hobby has come alive for me again. I am just totally smitten with tinies, and I hope I won't have to deal with justifying anything to anyone anymore...