What makes you NOT buy an item on the secondhand marketplace?

attitude!! the attitude of seller means a lot!!

 

Reading this threat has been quite interesting. I buy a lot on the secondhand market and i have been sending personal payments for all of them, sometimes also paying the fee without really talking with the sellers about it. So far no one has scammed me, but reading the many comments here I guess that I will have to be much more careful in the future.

What usually puts me off from buying is when the price is higher than retail price or if the doll is old but still very expensive. I don't mind paying the paypal fees but I obviously prefer that they are not there. Also the feedback of the seller is very important before I start a transaction.

 

What turns me off from buying a doll is first off the PP fees. Come on just add that into the final asking price.

Then next is negative feedback or being paged. If you have like one or two negative feedback out of like 50 I'll read it and be the judge of that. Also I don't want to be scammed out of my money and I'll follow my gut on that one.

Next is pictures that I can't view of the item you're trying to sell. Missing pictures, broken links, crappy photos, or even "I'll try to take pictures of it when I get home," then why are you trying to post it in the first place? Only if it's a scuplt that I really really want then I'll ask for some better picture, otherwise I just skip the post. Even the pictures of their doll in the clothes that they're not included with and/or the wig and there is no other picture of the doll in the nude, it's like what are the damages are you trying to hide? Did the item yellow? etc.

Then lastly if the doll comes from a smoking home. Smoke sticks to the any item for a while and need cleaning or airing out for a while. If the price for the doll is way up there and it comes from a smoking home there is no way I'm paying for it. Heck even if it's cheap I might even wait a while for someone else to post something similar.

 

All of my dolls until recently were purchased brand new from the companies, it's only over the past few weeks that I have ventured into the secondhand market for the remaining dolls I want that are no longer available brand new.

There's one thing I've struck twice so far which I haven't seen mentioned: Finding a doll and contacting the seller... Only to find out that someone has already bought it/has it on layaway. Seriously? Is it that hard to just edit the listing to reflect that the doll is no longer available? It doesn't have to be marked as finished, just something at the top saying that the doll is being paid for so I and others don't get our hopes up browsing through the photos.

The others things are mentioned already by others:
-No international shipping. I find this really arrogant. Other countries in the world exist and it isn't usually that much effort to send something internationally. The buyer is the one who always pays for postage, so that can't be a factor.
-Smoking household. Stuff stinks. Nope.
-Paypal fees. Seller should be paying them or increasing the price in the first place to include them.
-Photos that don't show the bare doll that you're getting so you can see it flaws and all.

And if a doll is currently available from the company then I'll only pay under that amount for it.

I can understand not having the box as those things can be a pain to store if you have lots of dolls. I don't really mind high prices either as I just won't buy it if it seems unreasonable, if it's for a rare, limited doll I can understand it costing more.

 

There are many factors that make me not buy from a seller:

- no pictures of the nude doll of the front and backside
- messy backgrounds in sales pictures (I've seen a sales post with dirty dishes and garbage in the background, clean up a bit a little for the sales pictures or else I'll believe the item lies around in filth too)
- wigs or clothes that don't look like the seller took good care of it
- when the item is in worse condition as descriped and it's obvious in the pictures

- if the price waaay above the original price, even though it isn't really sought after and I could find it somewhere cheaper

- seller with rude attitude
- seller that is extremely slow with responses (I can expect you to check your messages once in a week when you're selling something)
- bad feedback

I don't mind paying the PayPal extra fees, if a seller wants me to, but I will not accept paying as a gift when I'm pushed to do so.

 

Bigger factor of them all: doll is still available, it's not limited, but the seller asks for the same price as on the website and sometimes even higher (since they also want to get back their shipping costs + customs, and you still have to pay for yours afterwards), and then if you approach them about it they get arrogant and almighty. I could understand the exact same price, since you don't wait for the doll to be cast, but still. It's a second hand item wether you like it or not, so its prize devaluates of at least a small percentage.

But there are a few other turnoffs for me:
- A seller that doesn't update the status of the item (sold, on layaway, on hold, etc). I will probably skip their posts in the future if they do that
- "Not willing to ship internationally", like, why? You're not paying for it, and you can get a written binding message from the buyer that you're in no way responsible if the item receives damage during the shipment (as long as you packed it correctly, of course, but that's the same for local shipping...)
- Only accepting payment as a gift on Paypal. That always makes a few alarms ring in my head and I will try to avoid it and find the same item from somewhere else
- No clear pictures, not keeping the engagement of sending new ones
- "Comes with random eyes, wig and clothing" Why don't you just take a picture with those on???

Sometimes people make their own sales so much harder for them than they have to be, I will never understand it.

 

Most of my concerns are that price is too high or lack of certificate (i dont wana recast even for $50)

 

Paypal fees are instant turn offs. I haven't actually sold any dolls on the MPs, but I have sold things on ebay and also my art to private collectors, and honestly, I would prefer to ship only domestically - where I can just put in a weight, pre-print a label, pack it up, and drop off at the USPS counter, or better yet, leave with my UPS mailbox service provider for their expert packaging. My city's bad post services made national news some years back - they haven't improved - and shipping internationally would mean I have to spend up to an hour in line at the post office, fill out appropriate customs forms, and sometimes watch them literally toss the package into a bin behind them <cringe>. I wouldn't even know where to start if I had to ship something EMS.

I'd say at least half or more of my dolls are 2nd hand. My 1st Bernard and my Hound, I paid more than what I could've spend through Dollshe lately, but I bought them when they weren't available, in great shape, close to but still less than "new" price, and they came with wigs and clothes, etc, so I'm ok with that. A doll I can still buy from the mfr, I would not pay extra or even close to what I would've direct - I'd rather wait and support my company of choice by giving them the extra sale. I definitely won't pay more for some custom faceup, I don't care how popular the artist is - usually I want the sculpt and I can do my own faceup the way I want. I have, however, bought a few fairly-priced heads on the MP more for the faceup by the person selling, that was included for free in the artist/seller's mind, because I like their work that much. For me, appropriate pricing really is key.

 

Blurry photos are the first no-no. Take them again, it's not like you have to go get the film developed. Also, indications the doll has been owned by a person who smokes. Yuck

 

We are doing this again? Alrighty then...

1) Paypal fees: Not even going to look at the asking price, just move on to the next item...
2) Seller does not split: Ehhh, I tend to buy my doll in parts, so seeing a "will not split" is an automatic nope.
3) Undisclosed Damages: Thought this goes clearly with the "You feel the price is too high for the item's condition or age" Bit IF I see damages that weren't disclosed or a mention/warning that there might be damages. Then I will not hesitate to ask for some of my money back. ( And fight for it)
4) Negative Feedback: This is case by case basis for me, sure people can get negs for one reason or another. But it's how a seller handles that is a big part of if I trust you enough to buy from you. Plus, I would never do business with a person who has a really bad attitude.

 

I'm in the "other" boat, and mine comes down a lot to a seller's attitude, not just on the marketplace but elsewhere in the community. If someone spends most of their time displaying a snotty attitude or just plain rudeness, then I am hesitant to approach them about an item they might be selling.

My other "other" is where is the item being shipped from? I don't mind buying international if the item is something I really want and the rest of the terms are agreeable, but I do prefer to buy second-hand domestically when I can because I'm impatient. XD

 

If the seller doesn't answer my intial and following emails in a timely manner, I'm not keen to buy from them. If they don't have time to answer emails when they're selling an item, exactly how long is it going to take them to send it out when purchased?

I've waited days and days for mails to be answered when inquiring about items for sale, even though I can see the seller has read my mail the day I sent it.
It irks me, and no matter how much I might want the item, I won't buy it.

 

Visible, irreparable damage is my big no-no. If it's something I can fix or something that can be hidden or modded away, I can live with it, but if it can't be mended then I usually will not even consider the item in question. I believe that would fall under the category of feeling the item's condition is too poor.

Tying in with that is price. Sometimes sellers will offer a discount for slightly damaged items and sometimes they won't. If I think the price is too high for the condition of the item, then again, I won't consider it.

 

I did not care about certificate five years ago. But as the unauthorized copies are found in auction websites, it becomes my first consideration.

 

I selected price and pp fees, but another thing that makes me distrust seller is if they're not thorough enough with their listing description.

You have half a line of description and no pictures of the doll naked and upclose? Forget me!

Before the current DoA sale forms, I had to ask a seller to actually post pictures of the BIG mods they did on their doll. they apparently forgot about me and sold it to someone else, but how can you list a $300+ object and not take a single new picture??

 

A lot of time the main thing that puts me off is when the item is in another country - I'm in the UK so the market isn't huge here. Something that seems like a bargain isn't so much once postage is added and given that I've had a package go AWOL just coming from France I don't have much confidence in the postal service for more expensive items. It's not so bad when it's from a company that can replace the item but a private seller would end up just as inconvenienced as me.

PayPal fees bug me too. Just add it into your asking price.

 

In regards to the polls, my answer would be "all of the above".

 

This list is in order of importance:

1. The seller has bad feedback: You could sell the potion for everlasting life and I won't buy from you.
2. The doll is overpriced for what's offered: If you own a yellowed or damaged doll it is worth less than the original price unless it's some special limited. If you own a special limited doll and it doesn't include what made it limited (ie no fantasy parts, ruined face-up) then you just own a regular doll and it simply isn't worth that 1500+ to me. I'm not sorry. If it's damaged it's value drops drastically. That's life. That said I do have fun poking around the market place and laughing at the $900+ dolls that can be bought new from the company for half that price.
3. The seller has no proof of authenticity: If you can't prove you own the doll and you can't prove you purchased it legit then I'm not buying it because it might be fake or stolen. End of discussion. I have zero reason to trust you and I'm not required to.
4. Crappy photos: If I can't see the whole naked doll in good lighting I assume it's probably broken or damaged.
5. Seller charges paypal fees: If you can't google "paypal fee calculator" then I really doubt you'll be able to write my name correctly on the package. It's seriously not hard at all. That said, I've bought rare dolls with paypal fees before because I wanted the doll, so this isn't quite the deal breaker the other three are. Bonus points if you demand I send it as "friends and family". I'm not that stupid.
6. International shipping: This is no fault of the seller but every time I've done a sale from Europe the address slip has gotten damaged and it's been a huge pain because the package gets lost. I would buy from the UK/Canada/Mexico, but I've pretty much written any non professional sellers from overseas off my list unless I'm desperate. I don't seem to have this issue with the doll companies or sales reps from buying services. It's only private sellers where this happens to me.

 

It's mostly the price I won't pay. Some are mark ups or the price is the same as the company's, however their doll is five years old. I don't understand why I should pay the same price for new on something used.

 

I never buy secondhand stuff, just because I don't like anything secondhand