When does an imperfection become damage?

To me damage is everything I (as an amateur when it comes to customizing) can't fix just like that.

 

I agree so much with this. If you're someone well versed with dolls and know how to fix a ding or scratch on your own, then I think the variety of things that can be called " damage dwindles tremendously. I do believe that a small scuff or something is minimal if it's a second hand doll. If the seller advertises that,then I am perfectly okay. If I get a doll from a company and it has broken fingers or something serious like that, I'd probably be a lot more upset. Yes I know dolls can't always come out in pristine condition,but as the manufacturer, you advertise a fairly flawless product so that is what I expect since the doll has had no prior use.

 

For me it would depend on where the damage was. Anything that didn't effect the dolls posing or structural integrity and was able to be covered up would be alright and I probably woudn't even say anything about it. I the damage were to the hands like broken fingers it would depend and I may just turn it into part of the character. However, ANY damage to the face would be a huge issue to me and I would imedietly contact the company for a replacement.

Like many of you I don't consider seem lines to even count and while big ones on tan dolls suck they are just a part of this hobby. Luckily I have yet to have a doll arrive with any type of damage, knock on wood!

 

I bought a doll whose headcap wouldn't stay on. The doll also had uneven size eyes that were too obvious. So, my acceptance of flaws is probably pretty low. I sent the doll back and got a refund.

 

For me it's damage, when it is very distracting or hindering. For example, I don't mind if the fit of the joints is not 100% perfect. But when the doll can't be posed like I want to because of it, it's damage for me.

 

i agree with the concept that if it can't be fixed without a lot of modding, it's damaged.
however things like light scratches, sanding marks and seam lines actually don't bother me, and i wouldn't consider it damage. that's just part of the normal wear and tear of the manufacturing process. it's like flash on miniatures, just something that's part of the hobby.

 

On a body if anything is broken, defective or cracked, i think of it as damage. Small scratches or chips on a body wouldn't bother me if they were minimal and didn't affect posing or could somehow injure me or damage clothing.

On a head, if there's any unwanted marks on the face that i can't hide or fix its damage. (scratches, chips, flawed face ups, etc.) Or of course if there's any broken bits or it doesn't match the body its given.

I would however buy damaged or flawed dolls second hand as long as they were advertised as such an the price reflected the damages.

 

I'm a pretty accepting person. I actually flip out more over asymmetry in the doll's perfect newly cast face than in a damaged doll. So long as I'm already made aware of the damage, I can deal with it. A chip can be modded over, cracks can become tattoos, and little scratches are easy to ignore or turn into scars!

 

In 2nd hand, anything not listed in the sales thread, but visible (esp. in the face!) is unacceptable. Just list everything, that way I have a choice what I am bothered about and what I can easily ignore.

For new dolls, I expect them to be nearly perfect. I do not count seam lines though, because they are a natural byproduct of the manufacturing process and I will only expect a doll to come without them if I have paid for sanding, or when I know from other owners or previous experience that the dolls come sanded. Breakages generally occur during shipping, so when a company is willing to replace parts that got damaged during shipping, that gets them majorly into my good book. They are under no obligation to do that and if they won't I'll just pay for new parts (although I will​ be seriously bummed out by the whole thing of course!).

 

From the company, I will say that I think chips in the resin (even if they're not in the joints and therefore not impeding mobility) do constitute damage because that shows that the doll hit something at some point and had a chunk knocked off of it, which is something that quality control should be looking out for. I also agree that any seams that are large enough to get in the way of movement or clothing is a sort of damage, albeit from a lack of proper finishing rather than any kind of impact the doll received.

As for second-hand, I would consider anything damage that the seller didn't disclose in the original sales thread. To me that's just an underhanded way to fetch more money on the second-hand market.