Where do all the cheap dolls go?

I guess that those dolls are just too awesome to resell

I never made research for bobobie and other dolls of that kind on the MP since I have no interest in getting one but I still saw 1-2.
but these days I notice there aren't that much doll on the MP at all (almost all the dol I look for on the MP, no one is selling them. and I look for a s**tload of dolls everyday xD )

 

I'm that happy with my Sprite that I would never sell her. She may have been relatively inexpensive compared to some of the dolls, but she is dear to me.

 

Regardless of what people who buy mind-numbingly expensive dolls might think,
some of the people who buy less expensive dolls, purchase them because they truly like/love them.
Most of my collection consists of rather inexpensive dolls but I acquired all of them because
I wanted them, not because of the price. So I would never sell any of my dolls because of their cost
(or for any other reason actually). I have had most of them for a long time now (some since I learned
of BJD back in late 2003), I have no plans to get rid of any of them because some were “cheap”
or some were “costly” – I am pretty sure I will never sell any of my dolls regardless of how much I paid for them.


Just because something is relatively easy to acquire, it doesn’t mean it is easy to get rid of (be if for
sentimental or monetary reasons).



- Enzyme

 

Just guessing here...

I think that with cheaper dolls you will make less of a profit reselling. If people are trying to get back some funds they might sell a doll that held it's price or increased in price. Take my ShuShu for example, she is not a limited doll and she has yellowed noticeably over the years. I know she is worth less than what I purchased her for so I never consider selling her because it feels like a loss.

 

Personally, I buy cheap dolls so I can keep them. I think a lot of people who buy expensive dolls plan on reselling them in the future, from the start, because of how much money they spent. I'd imagine they want to get some of that back.

 

I imagine it's because a cheaper doll is a more attainable starting point for some people, so a doll like a BBB/RS ends up being their first doll, or a very early one and thus it holds a lot of sentimental value to them. They may also not be able to justify selling a doll and losing that connection for the much lower price that it would bring second hand, I think?

I'm just speaking from thought, though, as I have never owned a doll myself - but this is what I'd see happening with myself.

 

^Yep! I wouldn't have gotten my BBB Apollo if I didn't like how he looked. He looks AWESOME!! People who buy less-expensive dolls do so for the same reason why lots of people buy expensive dolls: it's about buying a doll you love, regardless of price.

Some thicker elastic, and he'll pose like a dream.

 

I don't really see why there has to be general reason at all. I would imagine each individual person has their own for keeping or selling any doll, "cheap" or not.

Personally my Resinsoul Song is on my list of dolls I won't sell...because I like him. A lot. He's stuck around through me selling way more expensive dolls. My B&G Ymir will stay for the same reason. Losing money has nothing to do with it. The second hand market depends on what people want in the moment, and money has been lost on expensive dolls just as easily as "cheap" ones.

 

Thats what I think also ^

 

I don't really think it has anything to do with people buying cheaper dolls because they like them. I mean, there's a good portion of people who buy expensive dolls because they like them too, so this doesn't really explain the lack of cheaper dolls on the market.

I think there is an underlying understanding, still, that the easily-available dolls that already come from the company for a very reasonable price will not be in very high demand and will therefore be difficult to sell. People have various reasons for selling a doll, but the two most commonly cited ones are either need of money, or the inability to bond. Because the "cheaper" dolls are harder to sell, they tend to be the ones that aren't put on the market, and instead the owners choose to put their more expensive/limited dolls to sell so that they can get the money they need. This cuts out out half of the doll's chance of ending up on the market - meaning that most likely, a cheaper doll will only end up on the MP if the owner isn't satisfied with it. But again, there's a really big drive in this hobby to "bond" or to "experiment with your doll before giving up", and someone with a $100 doll is probably not going to feel as pressed into selling a doll they don't entirely like than someone who looks on a doll and realizes that it's $800+ sitting right there, staring back at them blankly. A more expensive doll creates a bigger temptation (I know this for myself, the Chrom I used to own was the first to go) to sell than a less expensive one, where the gain won't be as big - and because the cheaper doll is a standard with a pretty low but level demand, keeping the doll to experiment a bit more with won't create as much of a loss. So people probably just hang on more to their less expensive dolls. Additionally, I've seen many people say that they've given their "cheaper" dolls away, to friends, or kids, or something like that - again, because it's easier to part with them while knowing that they won't fetch much on the market, and also knowing that giving it to a friend of to children will make both you and them really happy.

 

Recently I sold my Bobobie doll, which was definitely "cheap" relative to many other BJDs. I wanted to reduce the size of my collection, and I didn't give him much attention anymore. At first, I didn't want to sell him because I didn't think it would be worth the potential hassle (if I'd had a bad buyer, which I didn't) and the possibility of feeling sad about no longer having him. I think many people have some emotional connection to their dolls, even if the doll no longer suits them, and gaining $100-$200 may not be enough of an incentive to sell the doll.

Also, I'll add that my Bobobie sold very, very quickly. Maybe I was just lucky or priced him too low, but perhaps these dolls sell so quickly on the MP that they're gone before you notice them? The MP definitely encourages impulse buying, and for lower-priced items, people may not take as much time to consider the purchase. This theory is likely incorrect, since it's based purely on my example, but maybe others can give their opinions.

 

Eh, I really wouldn't assume that. Just as people shouldn't assume the people who buy less expensive dolls don't love them, you shouldn't assume the same about people who spend more. Lots of people no matter the doll don't plan on reselling -- it's just something that sometimes happens if someone can't bond, feels that their doll family is getting too big, is in dire need of cash etc.

When you look at the marketplace, it's always chance at what happens to appear at any given time. I've seen plenty of BBBs, AoDs etc along with midranged and very expensive dolls for sale. It just depends and who happens to be selling what when. At this very moment (I haven't been on the MP over the past few weeks since I don't have the cash to spend and don't need the temptation) there may well be fewer less expensive dolls for sale, but that doesn't mean that they don't end up there. I've bought some less expensive dolls and bodies secondhand in fact, though now that I'm choosing to focus on dolls from fewer companies, a lot of them (minus some of the bodies for hybrids) are actually the ones that are going.

 

I admit, I rarely check the Larger Size sales threads because I don't like larger dolls but I have actually seen quite a few in the Mini and Tiny sections and some do indeed just sell really quickly, so if you don't check often you won't even see the sales. I suspect since most "cheaper" dolls are standards people tend to price them at original cost or more likely below original cost while many expensive dolls are LEs and the people selling them expect to make a profit and so ask 10%+ more than what they paid originally, (or just bought them for a lot more and want to get that money back) which can make them just sit in the marketplace as the marketplace has changed. Back say 3, 4 years ago you could make a guaranteed profit (or at least not lose money) reselling a doll but now that is not always the case.

 

My first doll was a Bobobie, and I've been holding on to her mostly for sentimental value. I can't speak for others, but I find it hard to sell my first doll. Although I'm considering it now that I realize she's not what I want.

 

I don't have a doll yet. but I'd assume if you started with a cheap doll, and then wound up with some more expensive ones that you liked better later... wouldn't that first inexpensive doll make great fodder for trying your hand at most/faceups, ect? Just what I would think.

~Elijah

 

I have seen "cheaper" but popular dolls (like f.e. RS Li or RS Mei) both on the MP and in Ebay quite often. It seems that right now there is a huge amount of LE dolls flying around the MP for rather high prices, but I would assume rkold is right saying that they sit in the MP for a longer time while the cheaper ones are sold fast.

Also I see cheaper dolls used for unusual/experimental mods or as face-up practice sometimes (with nice results, too!), so that might be another reason - if one grows tired of such a doll, it is much easier to decide on modding (as opposed to modding an expensive LE - hey, there are even ethical discussions about this topic on DoA).

Last, but not least, I own a couple of dolls that would be considered "cheap", and if I ever had to sell any of my dolls (out of financial need; I don't think I'd ever sell them out of other reasons, because I had no trouble bonding with them)... Probably I would sell them last. Because they are as dear to me as the expensive ones, but wouldn't bring in much money (if any at all... considering the risk that comes with each transaction, be it Ebay or Paypal in general, what if the package is lost in the mail? The seller is often responsible, and it involves work with all that insurance stuff, and sometimes can lead to loss of money AND doll) - it is just less of a deal.

 

I have a many dolls from all price ranges and have to say that when it comes to how much I love and enjoy them, the price is irrelevant....I love my little Dollzone tanned BB Kay every bit as much as I love my Volks SD10 Nana.....
Maybe people do hang on to the 'cheaper' dolls thinking that there is no point selling as they won't make any money, but I'm more inclined to think it is because they feel the same as I do...that the price they paid for the doll is neither here nor there....it is how they feel about the doll and the interest they have in it that is important.

 

What? No. Most people buy dolls regardless of the price, because they love the look. My 'expensive' dolls are just as much for keeps as your 'cheaper' ones.

As for the lack of cheaper dolls: like others have said, I too believe it's because most of the cheaper dolls are standards and right now, with this economy, if you want to get back what you spend on the doll, it's safer to sell a popular limited. Look at Soom and Volks in the marketplace; you hardly see any of their standards either. But the market is flooded with rare and limited dolls.

 

I've seen plenty of 'high-end' dolls stay on the Marketplace for quite a while, but 'low-end' dolls get listed and snapped up quickly People like a bargain after all, and it all depends on what the buyer is looking for. A cheaper doll might be the perfect doll to start modding with, or to fix up and give as a gift, whereas more expensive dolls are quite a significant investment to begin with and if sellers aren't interested in layaways, there are fewer buyers with $1000 lying around to spend on a doll.

Perhaps the reason you haven't seen many Resinsoul/Bobobie/AoD dolls for sale is because they've already been sold?

Assumptions can easily be wrong There are people who buy investment dolls to flip them later on, but I think the vast majority of people are buying dolls to keep, and if they do sell dolls later it's because the doll didn't fit their expectations, rather than just to raise some money...and even if they are selling dolls to raise money, there could be a very important reason behind that. I've bought my dolls for keeps, but I'm also saving for a deposit to buy a house one day...if by selling a doll I could raise that little bit extra for my house fund, I could do it. I would be sad about selling the doll and I would see how far I could get first without having to do it, but if it was the price of one doll standing between me and a decent deposit, I could do it.