What if seller on MP refused to sell doll because of planned customization?

Me personally: If I list a doll her on the MP, I have lost all attachment to a doll--- unless it was due to a financial emergency. If that's the case, I would see if someone I know in a close circle of friends would be willing to take them off my hands before I would sale them online. As a seller, I would probably put it in the description that the doll is being sold due to an emergency, and I am being choosy to who it goes to.

Anyways, aside from that-- I don't really mind what the buyer does with the doll. I probably would be selling so I could receive a new doll to customize myself. I personally enjoy experimentation. Now if my item was a limited item, sure I might not always enjoy what my buyer might do... but again if I feel like I would have a problem with certain customization or if I still have an attachment, I would put it in the description and make it clear to my buyer.

Personally, I would be a little bummed that someone wouldn't be willing to sale the doll if I was willing to modify it. Then again though, they have every right, and I understand that. Doesn't mean I can't sulk about it for a little bit though, lol. xD;

 

I don't see why it's any of the seller's business after it's out of their hands. If they don't like the buyer's plans, why should that be a concern if it makes the buyer happy? Even if the buyer ruins it, sure it may decrease the value of it a little bit, but that's their problem to deal with.

 

Technically, the seller has a right to refuse to people if they choose, as long as they aren't backing out of a sale after agreeing to it.

That being said, I couldn't imagine doing that. By the time I'm selling a doll, I've cut the bond and see them more as money in my pocket than as the character they once were. In fact, I'll often wipe a faceup first, just to be sure my concept doesn't live on. If I'm selling, it's because the doll is in my way, or I need money, and in either case, I just want it gone. Whether it's your grail, you'll keep it in mint condition, you'll send it to an artist, fix it up yourself, turn it into an experiment, or use it for target practice---I don't care, as long as I'm paid and the transaction goes well. If I see it absolutely destroyed later, I might have a moment of "Ohhh....you poor thing. You used to be so beautiful..." but that feeling passes the moment I click to a new page.

 

I figure if you know what you're doing with the staining I would let you buy the doll and then ask you for photos of how it turned out. If I've already listed the doll, i've already resolved to sell it. That probably means I've let go. Though I understand all the points of view here.

 

I once sold a head that I worked hard on modifying and repairing, Sold it, the buyer then completely undid all of the work that I took pride in. Never again....

Even if I'm strapped for funds, I'm never going to let my repair-works go.

 

A long time ago I sold a doll with a default face-up that wasn't spectacular but was still good-looking and in good shape. The buyer then slapped on a sloppy tattoo on its face that seriously looked like Sharpie. I cringed a little...but you know what, it wasn't my doll anymore and by the time I posted the doll for sale I had already made my decision to part with it, completely.

(General "yous" here. Not directed towards anyone in particular) I mean...you can't continue on protecting a doll once it's out of your hands. You can try and screen the possible buyers for the one who would take care of your "baby" but there's no guarantee that the doll will remain the same. The buyer may realize that the sculpt may not work for them and sell it later on...and then what are you going to do? There's also no stopping the buyer if he/she decides to do some modifications later on either. They can also lie to you and say that they won't do anything crazy but turn around and do just that. I feel if you're still that sentimentally attached to a doll that you need to sell for some reason, it's better not to think about it. Don't ask what the buyer plans are. That, or continue holding onto the doll until you're REALLY ready to part with it.

As much as I think it's overstepping a bit, it is still within the seller's right to try and screen potential buyers. Nothing much you as a buyer can do when they say no.

 

Hm.

I have only ever sold two heads: one which I hated, but had to buy because I was interested in the body it came on (and the body was not sold separately; and one event head that came in the wrong colour. I had no sentimental attachment to either head and - well, saying that I couldn't care less about what happened to them would be exaggerated; if the buyer had smashed them with a hammer I'd be upset at the destruction of a perfectly fine doll head. But at the same time, once the head is sold, it belongs to the buyer to do with as they please. I don't think I would have backed out of the sale if the buyer had announced a plan for the doll that wasn't at all a thing I would like. I didn't care enough obout the doll to keep it (which for me is extremely rare already).

At the same time, when I buy a second-hand doll, I do sometimes wonder how the seller might feel about my plans for it. I hardly ever do anything that isn't reversible, but still. I never announce to the seller what I intend to do, but when I'm very pleased with how the doll turns out, I sometimes think of sending a photo to the seller. Then again, I have never done so. I have never had a seller ask me to see what I do with a doll, so they can't be set on knowing... Plus, maybe what I think is great for the doll may not be their idea of great at all.

Now that I think of it: the first doll I ever sold was a tiny, and in that case I did ask the buyer if she would send me a picture of the doll once she'd styled it. It just made me happy to know the dollie had found a good home and someone knew what to do with her. I'm not sure how I would feel if I were forced to sell dolls that I didn't actually wish to sell. In fact I rather think I'd be heartbroken to see them change at all, never mind being modded or experimented upon :/. Even then: withdraw from a sale? That seems bad form, really.

 

This is an interesting topic...I feel I can see both sides here:

A - The logical view: Once I sell something it's no longer my property and the person who forked out the cash gets to do with it what they want... they could use it for target practice for all I care. I think your mistake was in telling the seller what you intended, as it wasn't really their right to know if you were handing over the money.

B - the sentimental view: Over the last year my freelance work has gone through some seriously dry patches and I had to sell all my beloved dolls just to be able to pay my household bills. It was a really serious cash flow issue and so there was no "I'm bored with this doll now, I will let someone else have it", I was still seriously attached to those dolls and close to tears when I had to pack them up and send them to their new homes. Maybe the seller was in a similar situation and is just having a hard time letting go. Until the final demand comes through the letter box, you keep hoping that you will find another way to get the cash and keep hold of a doll you truly love. My dolls had been around a long time, and even though they were basic dolls I had painted and dressed, now my work is back on an even keel, I simply can't replace those dolls as the companies no longer make them. So knowing they are still out there and (fingers crossed) and in one piece means there is still a slim chance I can buy my original back one day.... I know that's pretty unlikely but it's just how you feel when you were sentimentally attached to something!

Incidentally, I have experimented a lot on one doll in particular. After thoroughly sealing her I used a lot of thick acrylic and because I couldn't get the blending I wanted I also used some oils on top... then even pastel splodges here and there. I wasn't after a smooth look and the results were very successful. When I came to need to sell my dolls I couldn't part with her as she was (a beloved character of mine) and so I removed all of the paint and pastel work, it was a long arduous job (simply tenacious rubbing with cotton wool soaked in remover) but she came up like new and hadn't yellowed a bit under all that paintwork. I have also used oil based good quality cosmetics to give face ups a pearly or subtle glittery finish. I have removed the face-ups at a later date and there has been no staining or effect from the oils. I think as long as you seal well beforehand, you should be fine. This is the doll I experimented on:

 

It doesn't make sense to me. If you are selling something, for whatever reason, you don't want it any more. Whatever the buyer does with it is their business. Once i've sold a doll i forget about it. These are only hunks of resin after all, we're not rehoming puppies.

 

I see it more from a practical point of view - whether the prospect buyer tells you about it beforehand or not, once the doll is in their hands, they will do with it whatever they like. Because, you know, how as a seller do you want to enforce your "last will" concerning that sold doll? Not long ago there was a doll in the MP offered on the condition the buyer would keep it in its pristine default limited full set glory and not change a thing. I thought, fine, what are you going to do if your buyer does not obey? Make them sign a contract before and then sue them? Chase them around the internet to see if they posted the doll in a customized state and then start a flame war?
You see, my point is, it's rather pointless to tie a sale to conditions what to do (or not) with the doll afterwards, so you can really just leave it be. If you cannot bear to hear what someone wants to do with your ex-doll (a sentiment I can sympathise with to a degree), maybe better ask your buyers not to tell you in the first place because it might make you unhappy, or alternatively only sell to good, like-minded friends.

 

Pony: thank you

Yes, I painted oil over the acrylic layer and used it straight from the tube and kind of rubbed it into the texture, so it wasn't a solid layer. But the paint layer pretty much peeled off in lots of places once I made a few indents with the remover. She had the full head and body acrylic/oil/pastel layer on her fro over 3 years and there was no seepage or damage to the resin. The oil did take a while to dry though. I was thinking, I am sure you have thought of this already, but why not just paint up a head cap first and leave it for a few weeks before removing it all. Then you can experiment and also see if it had any detrimental effect on the resin below over time. Good luck

 

Did that doll actually sell? …I understand having a strong attachment to a doll and the pain of being forced to part with it when you're not quite ready, but at the end of the day it is an inanimate object for which you are receiving payment. You can have hopes for the doll's future, but I think that's about it.

 

I feel like while I do understand the seller's POV, s/he could've included a "will only sell to the right buyer" kinda terms. That way, the buyer wouldn't feel as though they were slighted. I feel like it's the buyers money and they should be able to do whatever they want with what they spend their money on.

 

When I first read the story, I thought the seller might have been a bit crazy. However, then I thought about what I would do if I had to sell Arania and knowing that the person was planning on using her purely for experimentation. Truthfully, I might have also turned down the buyer. If I were to sell her, I'd want to follow the buyer and see what lovely things they do with her, not see her bare and torn down for tests. It's not that testing on dolls is some grand injustice, of course; yes, they ARE just objects. But they're objects that are humanized and given personalities by their owners, and it's totally understandable if such an object has strong sentiments attached to them. Their owners put not only money into those dolls, but also a lot of other work such as painting them, clothing them, and writing stories for them.

HOWEVER, I think the crucial difference is that the buyer still deserves to be treated with respect, not suddenly blown off like that. I would have said, "I'm sorry, I appreciate your interest. However, I would really prefer that this doll go to someone who would reshell her into a loved character, not use her as an experimentation canvas, as I have strong sentiments still attached to her." Something to that effect. Thank the buyer for their contact, let them know why you're turning them down politely, then wish 'em luck! Simple as that.

 

I have bought second hand a fair amount and have run into very different sellers. Some don't seem to care at all and just want the transaction over. Most are pleased to see their dolls in a good home but have severed the bond. I have met sellers that are very attached. I have seen people not want to sell one doll without the other because that other doll is their partner. I have a seller who kept in contact with me about the doll after I had them and asked how they were doing. I can understand all the different perspectives. I think in this hobby everyone has a very different idea of what these dolls are to them.

People talk to their dolls, people attach a character so heavily to a particular doll that they can't give up that doll without giving up the character, they use them for practice to try new, pretty effects and makeups, they trade them away when a better sculpt comes around and they attach the new sculpt with the character. Some people see them just as collectors pieces, some as embodiments of characters, some even as members of their families. I don't see any of these as wrong. It would be like trying to tell someone how to decorate their house or take care of their car! It isn't my business. As long as my feelings are respected I really don't have the right to tell someone else they are wrong.

I don't know the seller changed their mind or not but they are within their rights to not want their doll to be used in a particular way. As long as the doll is still theirs it is still their right. Once the doll becomes yours they really can't control what happens. It was really cool of you to let the seller know ahead of time what you had planned. I feel the seller would have been broken up to see you alter their doll and had they not known it would have been hard for them. It would have been nice if the seller had reciprocated and given you a more concrete understanding of why they didn't want to sell to you but they certainly were in their rights to tell you no. I hope you do find a doll you can work with that can help you understand how to use oils. I am always curious to see new ideas in this hobby and those who try new things always have some interesting things to show.

 

It was rubbing me the wrong way just reading it.
I understand that she may not like the idea of someone trying something new on a doll, but it wouldn't be hers anymore so I don't understand. If I am selling a doll on the marketplace and someone tells me she wants to try something new like oil pants or modding, I don't see the problem. Once they have received the money and you have received the doll, what's the problem??? It's no longer in her hands.
Maybe she was thinking that if it went the wrong way, you would take it out on her? Maybe she just wants to avoid any issues.

 

It's really none of the seller's business what you do with the doll once you've paid for it. It's yours, do as you like. That being said, if you offer information about your intentions before the transaction and the seller refuses that's their prerogative. Simply move on and select another doll. If you like that sculpt so much wait for another one to pop up on the MP. As long as it's not a super rare sculpt chances are it'll come up for sale again- just be patient and wait for it.

 

There' not a lot of new things I can add, but I do feel that in most circumstances, if you've put a doll in the marketplace what the buyer does is their business. That said, I totally get selling a doll for finance sake or realizing that maybe this is a doll you shouldn't sell. I really love my crew and would be heart broken to sell any of them. However, if you intend to get the doll back, I agree with the suggestion if seeing if a friend would be willing to "hold" them for you. And if the seller wants to decline a sale for whatever the reason, that's also their business. I'm always a little nervous to tell any buyers if I even plan a name change.

Now, finances and sentiment aside, I personally think it's overstepping boundaries and a little rude to make requests of your buyer about the doll once its theirs. I've always loved the Hazy elfdoll and have seen a few on the market. One in particular caught my attention, but in the listing it said something like the buyer had to keep communication about the doll and take pictures and what not when purchased. And that really turned me off to the idea of a sale. I thought it was an odd request and felt if the seller was that attached to the girl maybe it shouldn't have been sold.

As for the issue of "experimentation", mods /terrify/ me. I would personally not be comfortable doings any mod (yet), however, if I had a doll I wanted to turn around because I no longer felt attached, I'd be very curious to see the mods. I have a friend who bought an Iplehouse Juan to do extensive permanent mods (Yes--an IPLEHOUSE) and even though it's still in it's early stages, he looks really good! It's encouraged me to maybe start poking some very basic blushing and face up options, even though that scares me too. XD

I guess the only thing I'd have to ask is that if it is a common sculpt, would you just be willing to buy it from the company? (Or did it specifically have to be /that/ doll since you mentioned the resin color?) That video on the skull was awesome and your idea sounds interesting.