Should Second-Hand Buyers pay back YOUR shipping?

It's obvious sellers can charge what they want. OBVIOUSLY.

Anyway. Being fair to a customer, sellers who want to do this should think about it and just suck it up. They wanted the doll and paid for it to be shipped to them. Okay they got the doll and now they don't want it. The decision was made after the doll was recieved and maybe after they opened the doll and decided it wasn't for them. It's nobody else's responsibility to pay for your shipping... you're paying that not expecting to get it back. BUT if the overall price of a doll (doll price+owner's shipping+buyer's shipping) is less than the price of buying the doll in an online store then obviously... lol. Who cares then?

 

As everyone has said sellers have the right to set their price.

my opinion: while they do have the right to set their price I'm always kinda irked when it's obvious they are wanting marketprice + ems shipping to them and then shipping from them to you. I hate to say it but your shipping was not the price of the doll. It was for a service to get it to you and I don't feel it should be taken into account when selling the doll.
Especially since even though some people their doll is new or a few months old but like new. Well you opened the box, so guess what, it's NOT new. So why do I want to pay the price for a "new" doll + more from you when I can (or at a time could have with the case of some limiteds) go order it brand new, with me being the first to open it.
I guess I just really feel that shipping is a service not a product, so why do people tag it onto their doll's for sale prices like it's some kind of bonus outfit.

 

If I want to buy something an extra 50 bucks or so isn't going to discourage me. I don't like scalping and I don't want to encourage it, but that isn't it. If someone rounds off a price a few dollars higher so what. It's not as if you are buying something you actually need. You just want it. If it galls you that much buy it yourself from the manufacturer/shop. If it's something you can't buy except secondhand, suck it up and pay.

 

It's more like "should the seller charge this" rather than "should a buyer buy from someone who does this" but... XD I already posted but lemme just say I agree with this "If it galls you that much buy it yourself from the manufacturer/shop. If it's something you can't buy except secondhand, suck it up and pay." Basically.

 

As everyone said, they have a right to charge whatever they want. I personally wouldn't add on original shipping costs, I'd just it how much I thought it was worth.

In the end ,if the price is too high for you, don't buy it.

 

Forgive my newbie question, but: Does anyone actually purchase a doll that is overpriced like this? And if so, why?

I mean, if you can get it from the company NEW and it would cost an equal amount or less than buying it USED from a random individual who you don't even know...then why take the path with more buying risk, an older product, and no bargain in price??

This is a question that I've wondered about for some time. I can't tell if it's the shipping or not, but I have noticed lots of dolls for sale that are NOT limited edition and yet are sold for almost the same price as a brand new doll straight from the company, sometimes even a bit higher. Do these dolls really get bought, and if so why? I believe sellers have the right to choose whatever price they want for their item, but I don't understand how they actually find a buyer who's willing to pay such a price.

Personally, I would only buy a second hand doll if it's either priced far below company price or no longer available from the company or exceptionally well customized/painted.



Edit: I think my post wandered a bit off topic - what I mean is, in essence: regardless of whether it's fair of the seller to price their item like this, why doesn't the natural order of free market cost and demand curtail the practice? Why are they able to "get away with" such a price?

 

Some of its down to convenience, you can have the doll now as opposed to having to wait anything between one and six (in unoa's case) months for your brand new doll from the company.
Also, as a general rule of thumb, BJD's don't really devalue in the current market, unless it's visibly yellowed or badly damaged you'd be hard pushed to find a doll second hand that's a significantly cheaper than it is new.



On topic:
No, I would never expect a buyer to cover the original shipping cost that I paid on a doll. I consider that as part of the cost of bringing them home and factor that into it when I make the decision to bring a doll home, I would take it as a loss rather than pass the charge on if I was to later sell the doll on.
What I would figure into it though is the availability of the doll, if I was to sell one of my limiteds the price I ask for would be one reflected by the current market value/demand, if that was more than I paid for it and ended up covering my original costs then fair enough, that's how the market works.

 

i have seen people who sold dolls who have included this shipping in the price of their dolls plus shipping to 2nd buyer and people snap it up immediately. i think it boils down to popularity and wait. if something takes a long time and is in demand, buyers are willing to pay over and above LET alone just extra shipping of 1st hand seller and 2nd buyer. after all we all love immediate gratification. As long as there is demand, the sky's the limit

 

Right... you can say what you think on this topic to no end, but really... unless it becomes illegal to do so, or DOA bans the practice of selling dolls for more than their original price (... good luck with that one)... it all boils down to what people who want the doll are willing to pay for the benefit of having it faster.

... and heck, even when it's illegal (such as specifically charging that 4% paypal fee here in the US) that STILL doesn't mean people won't do it... and that other people won't pay it. I've paid it... it burned... but I *really* wanted what it was tacked on to, so I bit the bullet and did it. Doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean I enjoyed the thought of it... but I was still willing to pay it to get what I wanted, so I can't really blame the seller for that.

 

I would say they can do what they want, If they want to gain more than what they bought it for they probably will do that.

 

I'm pretty sure this has all been brought up earlier in this thread, but there are all sorts of factors and reasons why someone might purchase a doll priced like that. Here are a few...

*Customs! I'm not talking about doll customizations, but some doll companies refuse to mark dolls at a lower value to save the buyer from paying customs fees (it is actually illegal, which is why most won't). If a buyer lives in a country where they may be charged a couple hundred dollars in customs fees on a doll marked at full price, it may be worth an extra $50 to them to have the doll marked down and pay less or no customs.

*Time! Some doll companies take a very long time to produce dolls, and a buyer may not want to wait 2-3 months from the time they decide to order. Other dolls are only open for order at specific times, like the Unoa dolls which are not *really* limited but only have sporadic pre-order periods. If someone doesn't want to wait that long for a doll, the price of shipping added on may be a real bargain (though you'd be very lucky to find a Unoa priced at only purchase price plus shipping XD).

*Extras! Some sellers include extras with their dolls, whether they're physical extra items like a nice pair of eyes, a nice wig, bonus outfits, etc. or services done to the doll like a new faceup, seam sanding, joint sueding, ear piercing, etc. I've seen some sellers sell a doll that's had quite a bit of work done, with a small wardrobe included, for not that too much more than the doll new from the company. If you like the work done on the doll or the clothes/wigs/shoes/whatever included, it can be more than worth the additional price!

*Paypal! More and more doll companies are removing Paypal as a payment option recently, because Paypal has given many Korean companies a bit of a hard time. A lot of people in the hobby don't have credit cards, or don't want to send a copy of the card and their ID, which some companies ask for if you plan to pay by credit card. Wire transfers can involve hefty fees. On the other hand, sellers in the marketplace here usually accept Paypal and some will take money orders or cheques. For some people, that makes the marketplace the only option to buy certain dolls, even if they're readily available on a company's webshop

*Personal taste! Sometimes there is a doll you've seen around on DoA that you've always liked- that particular combination of faceup, wig, or whatever. If that very exact same doll comes up for sale, it may be worth a lot more than the actual "value" of the doll to that person.

Really, there are even more reasons than that- all sorts of things. Some people don't like to buy stuff from other countries, some people want to help out a friend in need of money, some people don't really care about the extra charge, etc etc etc.

Sorry for the longwindedness! Sometimes I don't realize just how much I'm typing and then I look at the text box before I post and go "whoah!"

 

I think it is up to the seller but it all comes down to if the buyer is willing to pay for it.

 

I really just want to add that Anyone who imports goods and sells them must consider EMS shipping as part of the expense.
Basically, if you imported goods for a living, you would never make money if you didn't charge more than what you paid for the actual item because you would loose so much money to shipping.
And you would go out of business. Then there would be No imports.
(Reality is that companies order in bulk, but I'm trying to simplify things here.)

Just because we are private owners and sellers doesn't mean we have to lose money every time we sell a doll. (...right? )
And why is it assumed that the buyer deserves to pay less for more convenience?
That would be like having people who run group orders/splits foot all of the shipping charges.
...Maybe I am just panicking because I import way, way too much crap!

I do feel that over charging for actual shipping is nasty business though.

 

I think charging a second-hand buyer for your shipping is tacky, only when the doll has been played with. Obviously in that case you've gotten a lot of fun out of the doll, you've played with it, yada yada. BUT if the item is brand spanking new, it just doesn't suit, then I think paying back shipping is reasonable, as the seller shouldn't have to lose money over something they never used.

It also depends where the seller lives, and where they're shipping to. If for instance I bought something from Hong Kong, didn't like it, and am now selling it to the US, then no, I wouldn't charge shipping, because the new shipping costs already cover the expense of the old one. But if I got something from overseas and am now selling it within my country, then I'd expect the second-hand buyer to pay back my importation costs.

Make sense?

 

Looks like this kind of died since the last post was the 14th but I need to ask,

does this matter to you more if you are buying a doll from someone in the same country ? Because it seems to me that, since I'm in the US, and I needed to sell a doll from overseas for whatever reason and a buyer is in the US, then they'd still need to pay for imort costs, just like pp mentioned.

But if being in the US and my buyer is let's say Canada I kind of seeing that as buying in the US, even though the shipping charges might be $15-20 difference (US dollars). I think in Europe the shipping charges difference would be maybe $30. Of course depending on the size of your doll, but I think the shipping differences would only extravagant if the whole package hits oversized


I geuss I'm not understanding if this question is meant moreso as an ethics sort of question or if it's strictly based on the $$.

 

i think the buyer should be paying shipping becos its the amount of money u already forked it out for... in the bigger picture a cost of item is Item + shipping + taxes if any

if u do not claim shipping u'll be the one getting losses no?

but this does not apply to second hand played with dolls LOL

 

I'm paying $600 for my Souldoll Hye, this includes the face-upped doll and the shipping costs from seller to me! If I was to order the doll direct from Souldoll, the cost the doll with a basic face up is already $615. I think I have a good deal going here.

The seller might or might not be including original shipping costs, but I don't know. All I know is, this is a price I can afford (compared to the price from Souldoll) and I went for it.

Personally, I think it is cheeky to try and get back every penny you spent by passing the cost on to the buyer, it's not fair on them.

 

Well sellers have the right to sell at their own price, and no one is forcing anyone to buy anything...but I don't think that's fair. I mean I bought my Hound second hand, and the shipping was insanely less than it would've been if it were coming from Korea. I don't think people interested in buying a doll/anything should have to pay the original buyers shipping plus their own. Even though you have the right to sell at whatever price...I think that's abusing it a tad ><

I don't think I'd ever make anyone do that, I personally don't think it's right.

 

You guys all realize that this is exactly what every store you buy stuff from does, right? Retail markups are not calculated from cost, they are calculated from 'landed cost'. It's not abuse, it's what an intelligent business-person must do to keep their enterprise running.

If you are selling a doll as 'pre-owned', then the original shipping cost is considered as part of its original (landed) cost to you. Then it is up to what the market will bear and the condition of the doll as to whether its value has appreciated or depreciated in your time of ownership.

 

A number of people have pointed out that any business who imports goods included all their costs in the prices. I don't have a problem with that, it's business.

But I thought we were discussing private Marketplace sales not talking about business sellers and that's different. If you buy from a private seller they aren't obliged to comply with the same laws that businesses have to. You don't have the same rights to refunds from a private seller as you would with a business.

Most private sellers wouldn't offer a 14/28 day exchange/refund period which, I believe, most businesses are obliged to. (It may be different outside the UK. Over here if you buy something on the net you have a 14 day 'cooling off period' and providing it isn't used or, in some cases, opened you can send it back and the business seller is legally obliged to refund you.)

Having said that, a marketplace is just that, a marketplace. If you include shipping to you in the price and a buyer will pay the inflated price, that's your good fortune. Sometimes immediate gratification/a particular face-up/no risk of import duties/a discontinued item seems worth the extra cost. Sometimes it doesn't. It's up to the buyer. But I have to admit, when I see a non LE, currently available doll or head, with no face up and no extras, going for above the makers price I do sometimes wonder if the seller is a collector or an investor.