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

If an item is super expensive and the seller doesn't offer short layaways I usually have to pass due to the way I get paid. And if a seller asks you to pay with "friends and family". Unless we are actually friends I won't take the risk.

 

For me, it depends largely on the doll and how much I want it. The only for sure deal breakers on one I really want is doubt of authenticity and too poor condition. No one enjoys over-paying, paying PayPal fees etc. but sometimes it is what it is and I want the doll. I've payed a higher than market, higher than new price, wallet-gutting fully insured overseas shipping costs and the PayPal fees for 2 dolls I really wanted that I was sure of the provenance and condition of. It was worth it and I have no regrets. They were old, had an unusual amount of their original items from their full sets and everything is in very good condition for their age and those were big deciding factors that it's really hard to put a dollar value on. I could have balked at any one of those factors on principal and I'd be sitting here without the dolls. Looking back, I'd make the same choice again in a minute. One is still my fave and I'm crazy about her.

 

The usual is "too much for what it is" because I can't see the point of paying retail for something unless I really don't want to wait, it's in my country already and it's EXACTLY the colours I wanted. But if I could buy the same thing new for the same price and with any modifications or coloured resin I wanted... yeah.
It has to be cheap enough for me to "settle" or be perfect already.

I also dislike the charging for a faceup because honestly? Unless I LOVE that faceup (unlikely) I'm gonna want to wipe it anyway. So if the price includes cost for faceup or the faceup looks like it'd be hard to remove i'm gonna pass. Often I pass on factory faceups as well because I just don't want to have to wipe a face to make a doll look how I want, it's extra work and i'd have to be saving enough to justify the effort.

dodgy payment methods. If you won't accept paypal or expect me to pay friends and family, you can get outta here.

Damage I don't think I can actually repair or damage that's not reflected in the price.
Like, your doll has three broken fingers and an ear glued back on and you still want close to retail? uh.. no.

But yeah currently my biggest turnoff on an item i'd otherwise buy is weirdly, having an existing faceup or mods. Because 98% of the time those mods or faceups aren't going to suit my specific wants or needs. I say that but I HAVE bought a doll because of his faceup before now. It inspired me, so I bought him. Ahem.
But that's a real rarity. Usually I have a clear image in my head of what I want a doll to look like and part of that involves doing my own faceups, so having one prefaceupped kinda... removes a large chunk of the appeal of bjds for me. Doing their faces is one of my favorite bits, gives me time to bond with the doll and really see their personality come to life. It's part of my doll enjoyment process, so I will by preference buy blank dolls.

 

If something is unevenly yellowed or damaged I won't even consider it. Nor do I buy from anyone who expects you to pay THEIR sellers Paypal fees. I won't buy a doll without a COA and the original box. I am very unlikely to consider buying from anyone who does not offer layaway. I read every word of their DoA feedback, and if it is not stellar, I do not buy. Why would you buy from anybody the least bit hinky? If a seller has a small, fuzzy, unattractive photos of a doll they have for sale, I always figure they have something to hide. I really only look if they have nice clear large photos, preferably multiple photos and closeups.

 

I feel like the most obvious answer is that if I'm not buying an item it's probably because it's not what I'm looking for. That might mean the price is too high, but it could also be the condition, or the specific option parts that are (or aren't) included, or just that the seller is someone I've had a poor experience with in the past.

Poor condition isn't necessarily a turn-off as long as it's been clearly labelled and is reflected in the price.

 

If seller asks for PP Fees or says payment needs to be sent as a Gift, I'm out. If you want PP fees, calculate it into the total. And the only way I will send payment as a gift, is if they send me the doll first and Ill pay when it shows up.
I had a seller tell me that was an unreasonable request (yes the seller wanted me to pay as a gift) and I simply told them, I was only asking for the same trust they were expecting from me.
Its so easy for a seller to expect a buyer to trust them to send the item if they pay as a gift, but they get baffled when you ask them to trust you to pay if they send the item first.

 

I've been trying to sort out my logic on this, but there is so much! It would have to be a doll I really want and from a seller I feel is trustworthy. The price needs to be fair depending the the rarity and condition of the doll. That aside, I really only say no because of my own indecisiveness.

 

My other reason is face ups. Sometimes it's hard to tell how the face up was applied and if it would have stained/ruined the resin.

 

Price vs. condition, photos (blurry, unclear photos are an automatic no) and negative feedback are probably the 3 things that would absolutely stop me from purchasing.

The feedback part is crucial - if somebody has negative feedback, I would not purchase from them regardless of the price.

 

I don't buy if I cannot sufficiently tell the condition of the items; I also don't like it when the sellers charge PP fees, it's similar to ebay sellers who have low prices but charge high handling fees.

 

My biggest thing is the seller asking to send funds via friends and family. It's a huge, huge, huge red flag for me.

 

I haven't bought so many secondhand items over the DoA Marketplace, but I tend to make a decision based on the quality-to-price factor and the seller's own feedback.

On a side note, an unrelated factor that deters me from getting a full doll is in fact the shipping fee -- I live quite a ways from the U.S. and Europe, and it just cannot be avoided that I'd be adding a considerable amount of dough to the bill just to get it flown across the globe. Topping it off with PayPal fees makes it even harder on the heart.

 

Since I tend to fall for more of the limited/older releases... I don't mind paying more than the original price. However, if I am going to pay the higher amount I expect to see clear photos of the doll + all of the fullset items, all in decent condition. If the condition of the doll is poor and the asking price is high-- I'll pass and keep looking lol.

On other sites I'll close the listing if I see the seller saying I'd have to pay paypal fees--- unless it's something I really, really want. Even then it has to be within the price range I feel is fair concerning its condition and how much the doll has sold for previously. I'll also close the listing if the post rubs me the wrong way, whether it's format, poor photos, perceived tone... :'D I... I get really fussy over things sometimes, I'm not entirely sure why.

If the seller has really good feedback I'm more likely to be ok with paying via friends&family, but I'm more likely to pay f&f if I've seen the seller around and they seem like a good person.

 

Other: I've backed away from some legitimate good deals on items I'm somewhat interested in (and the seller is reputable) , because I know there are people looking to get into the hobby who will appreciate it more than me. They may need that deal to crossover from being an observer to becoming a participating owner. I've declined to increase my bidding when I perceive the other(s) involved are really fighting for the item. They'll have low feedback numbers (ebay) or I'll just get a feeling that I should let it go to someone else. I'm older & want to encourage younger folks to know what it's like to open a box that contains their first doll or grail item. I've been blessed in this hobby & I'd like to think I'm helping pass it on.

 

reading through the comments has made me change my mind. Originally, i was going to say 'if the product is priced too high above it's original retail value.' However, if the doll is limited, got a specific faceup/modification to it then it makes sense for it to be more expensive because of demand or/and the work that has gone into it.

my new answer is the paypal gifts thing. I have heard too many horror stories about sellers running off and the only way people got their money back was through paypal dispute services. Too risky for me to take a gamble here and bjds are certainly not cheap and it's a lot of money to risk and lose.

 

Pricing has never really bothered me. Obviously, I'm not going to buy an item that I personally think is overpriced, but the seller has every right to charge whatever they'd like ( I just have every right to scroll past that sale). It's something I'm pretty neutral about. If there's one thing I've learned from years of buying/selling in general, it's that SOMEONE will want to buy your overpriced thing eventually.

The things that make me stay away from not just a listing, but a seller in general are:
1. Missing certs on dolls that have no excuse to be missing certs. Things like split dolls are fine to be missing a CoA on- the seller probably still has an e-receipt somewhere, so that will work.
2. Smoke-friendly homes. I simply won't purchase from smoke-friendly homes. I have helped friends remove the smell of smoke from their clothing (a note to all: try not to mix hookah bars and wool), and I have absolutely no interest in doing that on dolls, doll clothing, and doll accessories. At least with human clothing, you can toss everything into a washing machine and pray.
3. Sketchy PayPal behavior. Bump the price up if you have to- the buyer is not supposed to pay PayPal fees. It's annoying as both a buyer and a seller. Requesting payment as F&F? Hard pass.

 

For me it depends on how much I want the item. I generally do not care too much about damage or yellowing, as long as it doesn't ruin the doll - I don't like scratched faces or broken pieces that affect poseability.
However:
1. The price has to reflect the condition and the availability. If the doll has been modified or is severely stained, yellowed, damaged, etc. I expect the price to be lower than the same doll in mint condition. If the doll is still for sale from the company, I expect the price to be lower than the new doll price.
2. This doesn't mean that I won't pay more than the original price for a limited sculpt I really want, even if it is damaged - but in that case I do want the certificate, to make sure I'm paying for the real thing.
3. The seller has to accept PayPal, as that is the only way I have to pay. And I want the PP fees to be included in the price. I really don't want to use the 'friends and family' option when paying. (So far I've only had really great transactions, but better safe than sorry!)
4. I don't understand the 'not willing to ship internationally'. I realise I live in a tiny country and 90% of my transactions are with people in other countries, but really, international shipments don't travel through a void where they can be swallowed by sandworms... International packages with tracking are probably safer than domestic packages without. The seller only has to stick on a small customs form. It's the buyer who pays the shipping fee, customs fee, insurance fee, etc.
5. If the pictures don't show, or there are no pictures, or the pictures aren't clear. Please check every so often whether your picture links are still valid.

 

Lately, I've been losing faith in the secondhand market mostly because I feel ignored. The last few instances in which I attempted to purchase a doll, the sellers have never answered any of my inquiries. It is as though people post dolls for sale without the intent to actually sell them and this is extremely frustrating. It has soured me on the concept of the secondhand market immensely. Why post something for sale if you're not going to answer the people who have questions about the item?

 

For me, the big concerns are:
-pp fees. If you included it and your price was a little higher, then fine. I will not do paypal fees, unless it’s a GO because I get that. The organizer shouldn’t lose money in a GO.
-overcharging for a faceup/blushing. Odds are it doesn’t suit my character. I don’t care if it’s factory default, or done by the owner, or done by a huge name in the hobby. If it doesn’t work for my character it gets wiped. I just don’t like paying for stuff I won’t use.
-hybrids people won’t split. There’s a doll I watched for ages, but the head and body weren’t quiiite in proportion. Didn’t end up taking it home. Split options are a godsend.
-“I won’t ship internationally.” I live in Canada. I can’t buy from you if you’re American and not willing to send stuff across the border.

 

I am tired of sellers who charge paypal fees. It's one thing if I'm asking them to do layaway, but that's against Paypal's ToS in the US, and it's really irritating to think "oh, that's not a bad price for that...." only to find that fees were not included. Fees are not difficult to calculate!

Also, sellers who sell their doll and don't set the status of the sale post to Finished. If it's not available for me to buy it, please stop acting like it is!