What sort of things could ruin the value of a doll?

Excessive yellowing (so much so that no body can match the skin tone), most mods, scratches or broken off parts.


However if I like that second hand doll a lot and it is discontinued AND if the damage is fixable maybe I would consider buying it.

 

''Imminent re-edition by the maker who assured that the doll was a limiteed edition'' XD

 

Severe yellowing, bad damage, noticeable scratches/stains and if they'd done anything..."unsavoury" with the doll. (Read some BJD confession tumblrs, the horror)

 

Ha, this.

Also damage or mods or uneven yellowing. This doesn't mean I won't buy said doll (I love a fixer-uper - and I've got a couple great mods bought second-hand), but it better be cheaper than a new one. If price doesn't reflect condition, no way am I buying it (well done mods being an exception)....

Scratches are not something I really think brings down the value IMO. I've bought a few second-hand dolls where the seller disclosed every tiny scratch and when I got the doll in my hands I couldn't even find them XD
I think pointing them out is something that needs to be done for sure, but in some cases I don't believe the value should be affected.

 

Things like yellowing (especially uneven yellowing), badly-done mods, stains, and deep scratches are what would bring down the price of a doll for me. Like VampireAngel13 said, those won't necessarily stop me from buying a doll if it's one I really love, but I wouldn't pay a brand-new price for one with any of those issues.

 

It depends on whats damaged. I stay away from most mods, repairs, chips, ect on dolls. I don't mind yellowing as long as its even.

Whats important to me is that the seller is honest in representing/describing all the damage and mods on a doll. I've purchased secondhand dolls and found mods on the doll that were not disclosed which is upsetting. I want to be aware of all the changes made on a doll before I purchase.

 

I will NEVER pay more (and rarely will pay the same price) for a secondhand doll I could still buy from the company! I've seen it a lot, where the seller is charging more for extras, a custom faceup, etc, but none of that is really worth it to me.

What devalues a doll? Yellowing, damage, mods, smoking home, dye jobs, poorly matched hybrids.....That doesn't mean I won't buy a doll that isn't perfect, just that I wouldn't pay full price for it. Minor yellowing, light scratches, professional mods that I like would be acceptable, if the price reflected that. Things like broken fingers, cracks, poorly done mods, dye jobs, severe uneven yellowing.....I usually won't buy at all. If the doll is extremely discounted, I MIGHT consider it. I once saw a severely damaged, dyed MSD with missing parts on the MP for $35. I would have paid that! But somebody beat me to it. lol

 

For me it would be if it were damaged and that damage wasn't reflected in the price. Outside of a tiny number of very rare, very in-demand dolls, a secondhand doll shouldn't be listed at the same price as a new one (especially if it's still available from the company), and a damaged one should be significantly lower. For a project though, a reduced-price damaged doll is perfect!

With regard to modding, in general that makes the doll too specific to the modder (ignoring poorly-done mods that are essentially just damage), but sometimes a very-well done piece would demand a higher price, and that would seem fair to me.

 

Aside from damage and things that other people have already listed, a personal pet peeve of mine is when the photographs of the doll are extremely poor. It makes me think they are hiding something, or just don't care enough to take a decent photo so I don't trust them to pack and ship well either. Included in this is if they are a selling a doll in a different state than what their pictures show--ie "the faceup in the pictures has been wiped" or "the body will be an *offbrand whatever* not the one pictured" or something like that.

 

i find extreme modding devalues the price of the doll, stains, dents, cracks, scratches, etc. My doll is secondhand and she was covered in acrylic tattoo paint that I didn't like so I had them clean it with acetone (thank god it didn't eat my doll)

 

Now, with all the re-casts, it's probably a good idea to have as much documentation for your doll as you can in case you are going to end up selling-- such as COA, receipts, previous owners if you got it second-hand, boxes, doll manuals, etc.

People may be less willing to pay top price unless you can prove you have a non-counterfeit item and can proven the provenance (where you got it from, previous owners, etc.).

Personally, I won't buy, or will only buy for a LOT less if there is:

Any mods (unless I really like the specific mods)
Bad faceup or blushing or staining from paint that needs to be removed. Or even lots of paint that needs to be removed.
Bad yellowing.
Uneven yellowing.
Chips, cracks, broken pieces, scratches, lots of wear.
Sometimes--lack of default faceup.
Sometimes--Lack of default parts.

I basically want my dolls to be as pristine as possible and as close to fs or partial fs condition as possible.
So, best prices will go for--

Fullsets
Dolls bought right from the company
Dolls not played with at all, kept in box, not displayed
Dolls with special pieces or parts of fullsets and default faceups
All the correct documentation
No mods
No yellowing
No scratches or wear
No chips, cracks, repairs, broken parts
Boxes and original pillows/packing/protection
As close to new from company and perfect condition as possible

 

To me, second hand is second hand, and doesn't have the same value as a new product. I don't care what the product is, or if it's limited. Dolls included.

 

For me, a head being blank will 'ruin' the value for me. I want all my heads to have default company face-ups, so to buy a blank second-hand head, it had better be $100 cheaper than I wanted to pay ($50 to ship it to the company, and $50 for them to do the face-up for me). Nothing disappoints me more than seeing a head I long for up for sale, only to check the thread and see it's blank T_T

Uneven yellowing or permanent mods will also lower the value for me in most cases. I'm a collector of company 'default' dolls, not artistic works based on company dolls (as lovely as those pieces of art can be!)

 

Physical damage to the doll that I can't repair or repaint is about the only thing I can think of. I don't mind repaints or face ups. They can always be changed if I really don't like something but it's a lot harder to correct a doll that's skin is pee yellow or that has missing body parts or a huge chip out of it's nose or something.

 

Things that don't affect the financial value to me:
(I would buy for slightly lower than 'new' price)
Being second hand in general.
Average or well done mods (piercing, scars, tattoos, facial or body mods etc)
Average or well done face-up.
No original box or pillows.

Things that would decrease the financial value to me:
(I'd expect discounts)
Being third hand or more.
Even yellowing of any severity or mild uneven yellowing.
Poor face-up.
Minor stains or scratches.
Seams.
Commonly available sculpt (if I can buy a brand new one for the same price or cheaper I won't buy a used one).
Broken or damaged optional parts.

Things that decrease the financial value significantly for me:
(If it's not really inexpensive then I won't touch it with a stick)
Moderate or severe uneven yellowing.
Broken parts or missing pieces.
Permenant and medium or large stains.
Deep gauges.
Bad all over paint/blushing job.
Bad mods.