What would you do if...you bought a doll that had been stolen?

I'd feel pretty awful and probably (saying this as human nature. Talk is cheap when it comes down to it who would do it?) would waffle over it before asking if there was any specific details like a chip in the head cap or a special tattoo done on their back or something. If it matched I'd ask them when it happened and then file a claims dispute with paypal before explaining that I'll return the doll as soon as I'm able to. And if possible if they could do something for me in return...IE: Pay back the shipping so to speak. Like a face up for a doll I already have or an outfit or wig.

Something small but makes it fair. I know this will probably get me smacked but I'd want some form of compensation because I'd be the one caught in the middle of it.

 

I would contact the original owner and demand a refund from the seller, and an apology to the original owner! B(

 

If Paypal found in your favour, you'd receive a refund, but you would be obliged to return the stolen doll to the thief and there's no guarantee that they would do the right thing.

It's far better to involve the police because the doll will be returned to the original owner, you should receive a refund from the thief and the thief ends up being punished by law...so everything is as it should be.

It would be horrible to discover that someone had your stolen doll only for them to ask for something in return for sending it back to you. If the person who's doll had been stolen offers a reward or offers to pay shipping from you to them, that's their prerogative, but I think it's quite mean-spirited to ask for something from someone who has already had property stolen from them.

The important part of this is to ensure the thief doesn't get away with their crime. The only person in the wrong is the thief, so the original owner shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get their property back.

 

Possibly... I've seen some weird requirements from Paypal regarding refunds. (i.e. They can ask you to provide proof you've destroyed the thing before you get a refund in some cases)

 

Contact police, return doll, no question.
No doll cost is equal to the value of my self respect and honor.

 

Starlady, I agree with what you said. It would be sad and make me distrustful of buying from other individuals for a while....but my integrity is more important than a doll or money spent.

 

Yes, I've heard of that too - a buyer had to destroy a perfectly good violin even when the seller was perfectly happy to accept the item back. Either way, there's no way of guaranteeing that the rightful owner will see their doll ever again if you go through Paypal to get a refund, but if you contact Paypal with a police crime number and explain that the item is evidence in a criminal investigation, they may waive needing to destroy or send the item back.

 

No I mean I would be more then happy to send the doll back to the original owner but I would like at least something regarding the shipping fee if it was something big and expensive to ship. I wouldn't force it on them but I would be a little peevish for awhile after even though I did the right thing.

 

I would most definitely give the doll back, of course!

 

I would do EVERYTHING in my power to get the doll back to its original owner.

 

Personally, I would contact the original owner and ask them to help me in bringing the thief to justice and having the person who sold the doll to me return my money. Then I would send the doll back to its rightful owner.

 

I would contact the owner . I also would hope to get the money back

 

I would do everything I could to find the original owner and get their doll back to them. It would be a chunk of money down the toilet, but I would want someone to do the same for me if I had a doll stolen.

 

I would defently contact them and get ahold of whatever site i bought it threw so i can get my money back and they can be stopped to never do it again. I could not live with myself if i did not tell i know i would be heart broken if my was stolen. I would want someone to do the same for me too.

 

I think if i contact owner he could think that i'm the one who stole his doll or he could demand his doll back for free...i don't want to get into trouble like this...
But i will contact the seller and will try to get my money back.

 

I'd contact them and give it back if they still wanted it. It sucks to lose something (especially if you bought it), but it is the right thing to do. I would just hope I could get my money back from Paypal.

I have actually been scammed before and still have never gotten a doll head back so I know how it can feel :/ Of course, for all I know, they could've heavily modded it and sold it...

 

First, I would contact the owner. If they really want the doll back, then yes I would give the doll back. I wouldn't feel right owning a doll that had been stolen.

 

I'd go after the seller for selling me stolen goods, see if I could get my money back, and get the doll back to the original owner.

 

I'm back to this thread after months to see if my opinions changed or not (since people do change over time). First thing I would do, after knowing it was stolen, is to get my money back (paypal for the win). If I can't, tough luck for me. Secondly, contact the real owner. Then I'd ask them if they want their property back. If they decline, I guess I'll just keep it but if they want it back, I would send it to them but ask them to pay shipping. Honestly, I have very little faith in the police system of stolen goods so I'll stay clear of them if possible.

It would honestly suck if I bought a stolen doll. It's really not my fault, and it's not the person who got it stolen some people seem to blame, which absolutely disgusts me. It's the person who stole it's fault. But what happened cannot be changed. And while it sucks to be out of money if I didn't get it back, I definitely would not them pay for the doll itself and return it for only shipping. Because it's the right thing to do. This really isn't about being selfless, or kind. It's simply about what's right and what's wrong. You're out of money, sucks. But life isn't all about money. People matter so much more.

 

Wow. I have spent the past two hours reading some of the previous answers, because this is a fascinating discussion, and I see emotions are running hot, so I'm a bit afraid to join the discussion, but I really would like to register my opinion, so here goes.

First off, knowing me, I wouldn't even think about it or bother checking, unless there was something really standing out (if it's a rare doll or if there's a very distinct mark on it that the victim describes and I've noticed).

Then, if I DID notice, I would first fret for anything from a few hours to a few weeks, going between feeling guilty and greedy. Hopefully (yes, hopefully, I'd even say probably, but as I've never been in this situation I can't say for sure), the guilty part would win and I would contact the owner. Then I would ask for absolute proof that the doll is actually theirs, and once I got that, I would definitely contact the police, and give the doll back (or rather, turning it over to the police, after which it's up to the original owner to make them give it back), but I would not be happy about it. Especially if the original owner didn't offer some sort of reward or compensation; paying the shipping cost is the least you can do when you encounter a person this honest (I know this honesty should be a given, but we all know this is not a perfect world we live in), and if it's a really expensive doll, offer some sort of additional finder's fee (after having received absolute proof that I was not the thief, of course). I'm saying I'd like to be offered this, and in my current position economically, I'd take it too. If I was feeling rich at the time, feeling I'd done the right thing would be enough. I believe everyone's moral standards change depending on your own situation.
Anyway. Then I would make every effort to track down the seller, both for my own sake - getting back the money I paid - and the original owner's, who might be interested to know who the thief was, and any other people this person might have done this to, and to make sure they couldn't do this again.

On the flip side, if in a situation like this I was the original owner, I know I would be so pissed at having my doll stolen that I would probably, if someone contacted me and said they had it, be very suspicious if they tried to get money for it. That would just make me think that they were the thief, and even if it turned out they weren't, I'd still be mad at them for trying to punish me for losing my doll (I know, not what they would be thinking, but it's always good to try to see a situation from both perspectives).

So, yeah, get the proof, contact the police, work with them and the original owner to bring the thief to justice, and just hope that the original owner is grateful enough to give me some kind of compensation (but never ever bring it up myself).

That said, I completely understand everyone who believes that their greedy side would win, and would keep the doll or ask money for it. Both are natural responses. It's just, in my opinion, neither is a good idea.

And to everyone who would just contact the owner and try to make a deal, whatever the deal is – it's great that you would give the doll back, it really is, but remember, someone out there stole this doll, and most thieves don't just do it once...