When someone buys your doll just to resell it at a higher price...

When I first found the bjd dolls I started to watch eBay to see if I could get one at a lower price. I was so happy when I found a fairyland Chloe doll in my price range. The final day of the auction another buyer started bidding and finally worked the bid up to a price I couldn't match and got the doll. I was so bummed. Not even a week later the doll was back on ebay at more than double what she had been sold for when I was bidding. It made me so mad to think that I had wanted the doll because I liked her and they got her just to make profit.

 

I know that on a personal level, I would feel a bit angry that it didn't go to someone who would appreciate it, but the only way I know how to combat this is to never list anything lower than what I would feel comfortable being paid for said item. That is my number one rule for my eBay sales (or any sales for that matter). I don't follow items that I've sold, because if an owner would like to sell it later it is ultimately their choice; they won it/bought it fair and square from me.

 

Seems like you had seller's remorse and were hoping for a different outcome, but I don't really see anything wrong with what they did.
I would be mad if the doll had been gifted to them for free, if they were your friend, or if they tricked you into selling it for much less than it was worth because you didn't know the true value etc. Seems like that wasn't the case though and they were just opportunistic and happened to grab a bargain on an ebay auction.

I get that you probably invested lots of time and effort into that doll and had expectations for how the new owner would treat it, but at the end of the day you were trying to make money from them, and they are now trying to make money from it as well. Auctioning things on ebay that you are attached to is also not the best option, as it really gives you no control over where, or with whom your doll will end up with. Maybe the profit they make from that doll will help them to afford their grail doll or something important to them?

 

I think this will make me sad but I can move past it since buying and selling is a business for some peole..
Also, if I sell my doll, it would probably mean I wouldn't be very affected by the loss.

 

hmm... that's why it's important always to part only with the dolls we really know we won't miss (unless the money is so tight that we either sell it or become homeless&starving >.<)

But well... other than this... that's what I did myself a few times, however.... when I was e.g. trading just to then sell it for more money, when I received such sweet letters/extras (and I did ) I thanked the person and when sending them my doll for trade I tried to include some extras too, so as to make them feel good when opening the box, etc. For me it's part of the hobby to lose and sometimes to make a bit of money on it... I generally live by that once the doll is out of my hands, it's none of my business

Like, anothe time, I sold a doll to someone (my first ) and they wied the faceup ASAP lol and put a new one and it looked like crap imo and well... I was like... WHATEVER 1st it's not my doll that's ugly 2. it's not my doll - I got the money to enjoy now and 3rd it's just NOT MY DOLL anymore they can give it to their dog to chew, flush it down the toilet... whatever

 

I think its a bit of a complicated issue that comes down to emotional value, because without it our dolls are simply hunks of resin and there is no moral quandary about buying and selling them for profit. But since we put so much of ourselves into these dolls we create emotional value every time you carry your doll every time you work on their face up or clothes put work into their character, simply holding them and posing them can imbue them with this emotional value that is your time care and effort. These things give our dolls the emotional value that goes beyond any simple price tag. It allows us to put a part of ourselves into them that we then recognize and bond with.
When someone sells their doll they are not only selling the resin creation they are selling the embodiment of their time effort and care. When doing so it is difficult to think of the doll as simply another item up for sale. Instead you find yourself thinking of everything that the doll is to you and we expect without thinking about it that the person buying it would give in the same emotional and intrinsic value. However both of these are value's that are personal and therefore do not apply to the world at large.
it is a difficult thing to face because without thinking about it we trust that others will value the things we value in much the same way that we do. An example for me would be when my Grandmother had to be moved into a nursing home. Her family came into town and was throwing out a lot of her stuff rather then saving it. Now there was one thing that i wanted out of her entire home that would remind me of her. A glass ball. It was something i had always played with and loved. At first i couldn't find it and was saddened however after much searching my mom found it for me. I didn't put that ball down for the rest of the day. Because although it meant nothing to anyone else it meant the world to me.
This is the problem. The worth that we give things with our time and our effort are not reflected in the worth that others give them. Its difficult and it hurts. It makes us wonder if we give some things to much worth.
If i might though? My simple conclusion is that its okay that we don all put the same worth on things. If we did the world would be the same. We wouldn't have different cultures have different foods and dances languages and places. It does couse problems and it couseses pain but i think it reminds us how to hold tight to the things that matter to us and how to let go of those things when we need to. To be wiling to look at what really matters to us. Is it really the doll that matters or was it the time effort and love you put into it? For me i know its not the glass ball that really matters its the memory of spending time at my Grandmothers and more over the fact taht it was the only thing in the entire house that i was allowed to touch lol ^-^

 

I've seen someone charging far more for a doll I sold them a year ago on facebook. The doll is now 4 years old which they've neglected to state. It comes with exactly the clothes etc I sent the doll with. It just makes me laugh, i'm not bothered, if someone pays that price they've been well and truely hoodwinked.

 

this actually happened to me, too. I sold a doll I had carefully modded, given a nice faceup to, given a 'look' and accessories for the sale. I priced at fair market value here on DOA, which was slightly less than at the company despite the customization work. I had to sell that doll (among others) because my laptop was dying and i needed to replace it. I found a buyer fairly quickly, and i even remember her complaining about the shipping cost.

I heard the next month that this person I'd sold the doll to was selling it on their website at 3 times the price she'd paid, with a new dress but basically the same, with my facup/mod completely uncredited as an 'art doll.' she apparently had a bit of a racket going where she sold more traditional doll collectors who were not part of the BJD fandom with full set art dolls~ at hugely marked up prices and people bought them thinking they were like the Lowe and Zeitler dolls.

I've never been bothered when I see someone reselling the doll i sold them on Den, no matter what the price is they get for it. Market values change, for one thing. But I was very bothered by this, because she was profiting a whole lot off the look i'd created, and because she was basically scamming collectors who weren't aware of the real value of the bjd market, and was using I'd sold to her in good faith to do it.

Legally those kinds of resales are fine, but I don't think 'remove credit, markup way beyond market rate, sell to trusting outsiders who think that's just the going rate' is ethically sound.

 

I've sold nearly all my dolls (and accessories) on ebay for stupidly low prices, mainly because I'm impatient and want quick cash. I try not to price too low any more, as I worry that a recaster will get their hands on it, so that's a consideration, although I'm not the moral police and people don't have to go down that route. But I'm well aware the buyer will likely resell the doll at a profit, and it doesn't really bother me - I got what I asked for the doll ASAP (sometimes within a couple of hours of listing), and if they can be bothered to resell it (photos, listing, waiting, checking, waiting, checking etc etc etc for up to a year sometimes, then packing and posting and worrying about damage), then good for them! Least I've made someone happy I guess - plus I got money in my bank so I'm happy too

 

I'm sorry to hear you were upset about the sale or more likely upset with the buyer. It is hard selling something that you like because you need the money or have mixed feelings on selling something only to turn around and see that it was for profit. It is not that they are making money on it but more that you feel disrespected or still have have ties with it. I know, I've sold things that I regret. The best thing is to cut all ties with the object and and see all ties with the object with you. I know this seems out there but when I do this I feel a weight lifted and can move forward with my decision. I imagine huge scissors cutting these ties. Try it and left me know if it works.

 

Thats pretty sad. If she reselled the doll with a same price or I didn't know she resell it, I would feel nothing. But I know she sell with a higher price, that break my heart.

 

I'm sorry you had to sell your beloved doll. I hope you have others to comfort you!

I agree that once a doll has been sold, the new owner can do whatever they want with it. About the only lesson we can learn from this is, if you have to part with a doll, be sure to price it at the current value, or at whatever you think you can reasonably get. Like some of the other posters here, I've never sold a doll I loved. I've only sold ones that I had little attachment to, so I have had no regrets.

Obviously, it is much different if you gave a doll away, and the person you generously gave it to turned around and sold it. That is reprehensible and ungrateful behaviour. I could only forgive that if the seller was in financial straits, but it would be nice if they at least explained that to the giver first.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I guess the important thing is to make sure you no longer have an emotional attachment before you sell, and as @galatia9 says, price it at current value.

Also @Lirin I think I know who you're talking about. I had a similar experience, even the complaints about shipping cost.

 

That is a sad story. I'd like to think that I wouldn't be bothered because logically I shouldn't be. But emotions follow their own rules.

 

There's so many people on Ebay who do this (with everything, not just dolls). You find a bargain which you intend to use, and someone with 2000+ feedback buys it to resell. It's just >_<

I love that you went around telling people what their items were worth to scupper the dealer's plans

 

I can see why it would hurt a bit to see that 1) you could've gotten more for your doll than you did, and 2) they're just moving from seller to seller without finding a good home yet. But yeah, once they leave your hands it's no longer your say. It's hard because we get very attached to them - putting so much work and emotion into something and then seeing it not be appreciated the way it should is rough. Guess that means if you really love a doll, you just shouldn't sell them.

 

I would prefer the person to want the doll and love it, however, the reason I'm selling my dolls is because I need to sell them and clear space. I've moved on from the emotional attachment before I sell, if I'm setting them at a lower price it's because I want to move on already. If they make a profit out of that more power to them! I don't feel cheated, because I will have received the money I accepted for it.

I think it's great if someone can gain from my need to move on, I would feel the same no matter what we are talking about. In a way I helped them to gain more money, and for all I know they need that money, and if they don't need it, they might still enjoy it. The doll might have gone to a new owner that really loves it too!

I think things happen for a reason. I like to imagine the best out of what I see. I got what I wanted from the sale, beyond that, I just hope people are happy, whatever they choose to do with that thing I sold!

 

I don't have a lot of money, so if I sell my dolls it either because I want them to go to a good home or I need the money. Most recently, I sold my largest/first doll because I hardly have the time or desire to play with her. I still love her a lot, but she's much too large for me to want to play with, so it's really important to me that she goes to a good home: someone who wants the doll and will take good care of her. After all, we spent 6 years together; she deserves someone who can give her the attention she's worth!

I can't imagine if I sold her and saw her relisted for a higher price. It would absolutely break my heart (even thinking about it makes me want to cry). I guess that's a good reason not to sell on Ebay!

 

It's just very sad. As other members have said once a doll is sold it's up to the buyer to do he/she pleases with it, but even so.
We, well I, put a lot of spirit, love, care and affection into mine and mysteriously I think that stays with her. This morning I sent her head to a face-up artist, it was like losing a limb, well not that bad but you know. I think I would be most disappointed to find the person I had sold to had regarded her as a commodity and not a small person like I do.

 

Honestly if I were in this situation, the only person I could rightfully be mad at is myself for failing to research market value properly and set the appropriate price to begin with. The clever buyer/reseller is not at fault - indeed, if anything, I must congratulate them on their initiative and having a keen eye for opportunity.

I say take this as a lesson learned for the future. Everyone makes a mistake at some point during collecting, whether it's selling too low or buying too high, just let it go and consider the price more carefully next time.

However, I think the point where reselling becomes unethical is - as others pointed out - if there is some kind of deceit involved, like if a hypothetical buyer were to wheedle a lower price out of you on the pretense that they looooove this doll and are going to keep it forever and a day. Or if the buyer were to try to resell the doll under false pretenses - like the example someone noted about someone on eBay buying bjds and then reselling them as "one of a kind art dolls" in hopes that people who aren't familiar with bjds will be fooled into paying a much higher price. And scalping, though more of a grey area as at least there is no outright lying, is also tacky and distasteful.

But seizing upon an opportunity to grab a bargain and resell it is not wrong, it's just good business.