Selling 'unique' dolls?

Well if one of the ubove was done to it, NO. I won't buy it, even if it was a limited i really wanted, why? Cause I believe their mods would utterly destroy the mold. 'nuff said.

And if it were me, no I wouldn't sell the doll, and if I did, I would certainly lower the price of it.

EDIT : Technically I think all sellings of dolls even for limiteds should be decreased cause they were in a person's hands, even when someone is like, "Mint condition" price should be lowered.

 

It entirely depends.

Does the mod make the doll appeal to me less, or more?

The mod that is hideous to you may be something that someone else has been trying to find for ages, after all.

 

I personally think that second hand dolls should be cheaper unless:
it was bought nude and without clothing and you are now selling it with make up and clothes. However if the buyer does not want the extras you might be able to negotiate a better price. THen again I suppose it really depends on the doll. the ones that are totally ripped apart however should be very cheap.

 

What surreality said. Dolls that have already been modded are also appealing to a person who always wanted to mod that particular sculpt, but didn't feel right about wrecking an intact head, especially if that head was limited or discontinued. I know I paid a decent price for a pre-modded Hound head on eBay once because I didn't really want to do massive mods on an intact Hound given that they were no longer being made. I'd rather salvage one that was already "messed up."

Also, if it was a doll that was absolutely impossible to find and buying a heavily modded one was a chance to get said doll at the price the person originally paid for it, then it might be a bargain if the normal secondary market price is now a few hundred dollars more. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd jump at the chance to buy a modded Sard or Bermann for the price of what those dolls originally cost from the company.

 

Would you buy a doll for nearly the same price as buying it new if one of the above mentioned things have been done to it? Even if it was an LE or a doll you've wanted for a long time? Doubtful, I tend to try not to pay full price even for perfect dolls! I always have my eye out for unpopular unwanted passe' sculpts that have been up for awhile yet remain unsold. I'm very patient (and usually broke anyway).

Would you sell a doll to which you've done one or more of the above mentioned things? Would you sell it for nearly the same price you bought it for (or more) because you 'individualized' the doll, which took you time and effort? If I am at all unsure of its value, or otherwise what price to make it, I put it on ebay at about what I have into it and let the market decide. If it didn't sell, I'd lower the price and so on.

Raven

 

i would have to agree... i wouldn't buy a second hand doll for exactly/near the same price it was new. Unless the mold is LE, sold out, discontinued i don't understand why people sell a doll that is second hand for exactly how much you can buy it new.I can understand how you'd want your money back, but you cant expect to sell something you've had for awhile for *exactly* what you paid. Especially if the doll has some problems (uneven/severe yellowing,scratched) or it might be "mint condition" but the fact is that its depreciated in value since you've bought it unless its in the 3 categories above. I think the only one thats an acception is when the doll was recently purchased and still wrapped in its box.

as for modded dolls, it would depend on the mod. some people might like the mod, while others may not. That is all based on preference and would probably need to feel around how much someone is willing to pay.

 

I wouldn't pay a new price for a modded doll, or, like everyone's been saying, even a "mint condition," but still used, doll.

I guess doll owners should be glad the doll they're trying to sell isnt' a car, since cars go down to almost half of what you paid the second you drive it off of the lot.

Depreciation is normal, and it kind of irks me when people insist that their used head has the same value as a new one. Especially if the doll is fairly common/ still available. If I have to pay the same amount, I'm going new.

Hm... not sure about how I feel if the doll is a sold out LE, though. :/

 

I would generally say no. Because unless its one of those "big name" mods like OneGreyElephant's stuff- which goes for pretty high prices- nearly all the ones I've seen have been sloppy, unprofessional and cheap looking. And in a hobby where even a pair of DOLL SHOES cost more than I could ever hope my own to cost, sloppy, unprofessional and cheap looking just isn't gunna fly. At least not with me.

But lets say that I WAS looking for a doll for my character with scars all over his back, or a random third eye placed somewhere on his body. More than likely I would still not buy it if I found it in the marketplace for sale. I would much rather buy the parts new and send them to a professional or at least very talented modder. That way I would know from start to finish what those parts have been through. There's no possibility of finding out later that the doll was stained, disfigured, or gouged beneath whatever mods were done to it.

 

Yeah, unless the mod was done by someone professional, I would say no to anything near a "new doll" price. I can't handle the idea of buying a nearly new doll at anything under at least 50 bucks of it's original value. Otherwise I might as well buy the new doll.
An OOAK mod, that was exactly what I was after, done on a brand new doll: I would buy for the price of the modding, which all professionals have a set or quoted price on, and the price of the new doll. That's about it. It would have to be exactly what I wanted though, or better :P

Lately, I'm not liking the whole "jacking up the price of an MD by more than 200 bucks" that is happening. I get that it's a limited.. but unless it's your job to resell, you aren't losing anything selling it for the price you bought + your shipping costs + mine. If it's a limited, I don't mind paying shipping to you, cos hey, limited, and you want to get back what you got for it. I recently bought a LE body with that in mind, and the person selling was fine with it.
Sure, you can jack things up massively.. But most likely it is not going to make a good long term name for yourself in this community. I know in threads, that most of us avoid certain sellers due to inflation attempts.

 

*hopes her selling thread wasn't part of the inspiration behind this topic*

I am currently trying to sell a doll body that was dyed a tan color, though I am trying to remove the dye now. The price I'm selling it for is already much lower than what I originally paid, but so far I have received offers for it that are even lower (to nearly a rock bottom price).

On one hand, I consider the body to be "damaged" due to the dye job and therefore the price should be lower than if someone were to buy a new one, but on the other hand, I don't want to lose so much of the original value of the body especially since the value of a brand new body from that particular company has not changed in the wake of companies lowering their own prices.

I wonder what others would do in this situation...

 

Hmm. Interesting questions. I have to admit that these days, when I hear the term 'LE' I think specifically of really difficult to obtain dolls (namely, the Rozen Maiden girls), so my answer is based on that: Absolutely not. If irreparable modifications had been done to any of the Rozen Maiden girls I wouldn't buy them at the prices that they go for on the aftermarket. Not a chance.

If it were a doll that I've wanted for a long time. . .Say, my precious Camine. I don't think that I'd buy a doll that was heavily modified at all, much less for retail price. I fall in love with the molds that I do because I like them the way that they're presented on the site, or the way that they're presented in box opening/owner photos. And that's the doll that I expect to get.

Of course, I have to admit that I'm considering modding Rosencrantz a titch; this is an irreparable mod but it's just to fill in the valley underneath his right eye. It's to make painting on his eyelashes easier. Assuming that the mod came out well and didn't mess with the overall texture of his face, if I were to sell him. . .

Hmm. I can't bring myself to say that I'd sell him for retail. Even though it's such a small modification.

I'm odd like that. . .I can't really bring myself to sell anything of mine for full price. I've used it, I've touched it. It's not new. So I shouldn't sell it new. I admit that I'm a bit thrown off by anyone who sells their doll for the price advertised on the company's website, but if the doll has hardly been touched and is intact, I can understand it.

But it's not something that I would personally do.

 

Would you buy a doll for nearly the same price as buying it new if one of the above mentioned things have been done to it? Even if it was an LE or a doll you've wanted for a long time?[/B

Most likely not, unless the mod was well-done and something I had been wanting to try anyway. I probably wouldn't buy a heavily-modded LE or heavily-modded version of another doll I had wanted for a while because...well, I would want the LE or the other doll, not a modded version. It would probably depend on the mod, though. For example, a mod that left things like the original color and face shape alone -- say, something like making wing scars on the back -- probably wouldn't matter so much, as I tend to fall in love with faces more than anything. But something that altered the face shape or some other obvious modification, like a dye job, would be much more likely to make me choose not to buy a particular doll. Either way, unless there's something really special about a doll (e.g. an LE, particularly a highly-sought-after LE), I think a second-handle doll should be sold for at least a little less than the original purchase price.

Would you sell a doll to which you've done one or more of the above mentioned things? Would you sell it for nearly the same price you bought it for (or more) because you 'individualized' the doll, which took you time and effort?

Considering that the biggest modification I've ever done to my dolls is swapping out the eyes and I don't really have any intention of doing anything more adventurous than someday attempting faceups on them, I would say probably not. If I did sell a highly modified doll, I would probably be inclined to go somewhere like eBay where I could put it up for auction.

 

You've hit on one of my bugbears. My skin crawls in terror when I see the word "Custom!" or "Mod!" on a sales thread, and nine times out of ten it's not just the same price, it's extra.

I certainally won't buy a modded doll. I like to make the dolls personal, and I've yet needed to take a knife or a can of spraypaint or any of the other common mods yet.

However.

I don't technically have a problem with them selling the mods. Just with people asking for the buying price or more.

 

Would you buy a doll for nearly the same price as buying it new if one of the above mentioned things have been done to it? Even if it was an LE or a doll you've wanted for a long time? yes, I would, I prefer not to, and I am a haggler (I have pissed people off doing this before, but hey, you gotta ask right?) and I have a few times bought dolls that have had modifications, however the price depends on whether this changes the value of the doll for me. An interesting and well done mod will increase the value, or maintain it, but some mods are just plain awful, in which case I blink, and then close the thread. if I consider a price asked to be totally unreasonable I will simply not buy the doll, or even make an offer. Not even in the name of rescuing it.

Would you sell a doll to which you've done one or more of the above mentioned things? Would you sell it for nearly the same price you bought it for (or more) because you 'individualized' the doll, which took you time and effort? I wold sell the doll for what I think it is worth, I would not sell it for more unless something about that doll made it worth more, and if it made it worth less then I would certainly sell it for less. I have a modified Hound, he has large elf ears, that makes him unique (see my avatar). I have to say that if I was to sell him I would START taking offers over 1K. This reflects my work, attachment, the quality of the mods, and the fact that old style Hound is now a rareity. On the other hand I am in the process of selling my shiwoo, he has a lot of piercings, all permanently drilled. I am not selling him at full price as if he was new, and the reasons are: he is several years old so there has been some yellowing (he is recently sanded all over), he is not on a delf body, but an older style iplehouse one, he has drilled piercings that may not appeal to everyone, so in all fairness I will not sell him at replacement cost, that would be unfair.

 

Would you buy a doll for nearly the same price as buying it new if one of the above mentioned things have been done to it? Even if it was an LE or a doll you've wanted for a long time?

I prefer not to buy extremely modded dolls, but would not rule it out entirely if I fell madly in love with it. Most dolls I see in the marketplace in this condition, however, I would consider to be "rescue" dolls. I doubt that I would buy one, and would not pay full price for it.

Would you sell a doll to which you've done one or more of the above mentioned things? Would you sell it for nearly the same price you bought it for (or more) because you 'individualized' the doll, which took you time and effort?

I have two or three dolls that I have modded (not LE's) and if I were to sell them, I would reduce the price, probably quite a bit.

 

Unless the mold is otherwise unavailable OR it's got an amazing perfect expensive artists faceup and/or mods that suit my needs, I'm not paying regular retail price for a secondhand doll. If the company is extremely hard to work with, their resin or body sculpt has changed for the worse, or some other extenuating circumstance exists I might consider paying full retail for a doll in perfect condition, but for a standard from the majority of companies there has to be a price break - you can't enjoy a doll for a year and expect to get the same price someone could buy one new for - you pay rent to watch a dvd or use a car for a few days, why would you get to have a doll for a year for free? I've just recently seen a standard doll listed that I was mildly interested in, except there was a long litany of "minor damages" (some of which were IMO not that minor) and it ended with "so I want to get what I paid..." Um. NO!

About severely modded ones, though, it's a bit different. I've seen very heavily modded dolls that some might think were awful that I would LOVE to have, and would definitely pay more than retail for - they were beautiful pieces of art. We all have different opinions on mods. If it's a well-done mod it can definitely add to the value. A badly one done, not so much. Similar to how I will and have paid more than retail for a head with a gorgeous custom faceup and mods on it, but laugh a bit when people mark up the price on a head because they've done a practice faceup on it that I know the vast majority of people will wipe the second it arrives. I understand MSC is expensive, but the Winsor & Newton I'll use up to wipe the faceup off isn't free either, and there's the risk of hidden staining to worry about too. Even a company faceup won't raise a doll's price for me if I'm planning to wipe it.

I think people have the right to list a doll at whatever price they want to get for it. And everyone else has the right to just not buy if the price seems unreasonable to them. For extremely modded dolls, it's often a case of waiting for the buyer who needs that specific mod - a doll that's worth not much to me because the mods don't fit what I want may be worth much more than a new one to someone looking for that specific work already done. There's a doll up right now I'd have bought already if it hadn't been modded, but it has, so I'm going to save twice as long and buy new instead.

The market will tell if the price is reasonable. Either the seller waits for the right person to come along for that doll, or lowers the price until it sells. When I see a doll marked a price I consider unreasonable, I just assume they really don't want to sell it. If I'm really interested in it I might keep watching it though. Eventually the listing will be pulled or the price will come down.

 

Some prestige can be gained with "rescue dolls" among people who like doing mods and fixing up dolls, but to get the tag "rescue doll" a doll has to be ripe for the garbage bin so to speak and I wouldn't pay full price for that. 2/3 of retail price max, if I think I can fix it well enough to put it back up for sale again.

If it's a limited I really want, it still needs to have that part of the limited I want to make me pay full price. It's the difference between a compressed cube of metal that was once a Ferrari or a Ferrari without wheels and a horrible paint job. I can't make my dream sports car with the first, but I can with the latter.
If it's just a regular edition doll, I won't pay full price for a heavily modded doll unless the mods are done very well, add to the value of the doll and is just the thing I've been looking for. A rare chance.

Would you sell a doll to which you've done one or more of the above mentioned things? Would you sell it for nearly the same price you bought it for (or more) because you 'individualized' the doll, which took you time and effort?
I have sold a mod project head that I basically butchered for practise and sold it for what I paid for it at the secondary market. Maybe I could have gotten more for it to reflect the time and material I spend on it, but my face-ups aren't the best and I figured the new owner would have to commission an artist eventually to have it repainted. I've had my fun with the head. That is worth something too.

 

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that some of hte people that sell these 'unique' dolls that make you go actually think they look good, or looked good at the time. I know it's a matter of personal taste, and I do understand that.

For me, it depends entirely on the mod. If it's something such as opening sleeping/dreaming/tender eyes, then sometimes the doll looks a lot nicer like that, and I would be willing to pay more. I guess what I'm saying is that if it's a GOOD mod, then of course you should pay more. If you got the doll yourself, you would have to pay someone to mod it, or you'd have to take the time and effort to mod it.

But this goes back to my first point. The question then becomes how do you know it's a good mod? If you are the modder, or you are had it comissioned and you liked it on the doll, you'd consider it to be a good mod and therefore worth more money. After all, this doll is now OOAK. However, if the majority of people think it looks bad, then they would consider it to be a bad mod and therefore would consider it to devalue the doll.

Modding, whether good or bad, is an additional cost. A fair few doll owners will reflect this in the price. Unfortunately, I guess it goes back to beauty being in the eye of the beholder.