Why do people buy a doll just to turn around and sell it?

Oh my gosh, add me in as a third person for this. I'm waiting on two BJDs I bought way too impulsively because I thought they were rare and didn't want to miss the opportunity...but after I realized my mistake there was no way I could cancel. So now I'm waiting for them to arrive and already dreading the process of reselling them because I need the money back for house repairs and other preorders I want more. Mental illness makes hobbies hard, no matter what it is. I wish you both much love and luck with helping it. I myself am trying to persue more therapy to help it

 

Sometimes people buy dolls specifically to sell- I've done it with antiques and I’d do it with BJDs if I found something really valuable that I didn’t want, at a price that meant I’d make a good profit.

Don’t know how common that is in the BJD world, but I’m sure it happens.

 

I have! The doll immediately just felt wrong. She didn’t look right with any of my other dolls, her body felt too... different. Tiny, probably msd sized chest, sd hips. I couldn’t dress her to my satisfaction, without it being so clear. She was also expensive. So I sold so I could bring home a doll I liked. I’d buy her head if ever it came up, but her body I’ve learned does not work for me. I grabbed her for her resin colour, which I’ve learned not to do as an only consideration.

 

I don't think it's a rude question in the slightest.

Aside from falling out of love with something you thought you wanted more than anything else, like people above had said, I know that companies often use elaborate photoshoots and editing for their doll photos that make it look much better than it does in real life. If you aren't careful enough with looking through pictures of people who have the same doll, you could end up feeling like your major purchase wasn't worth it after all.

 

I was in a situation where I bought a doll after several days of thinking, and finally made a half heated decision to buy it. I couldn't cancel my order, just waited till it arrived, tried to bond with the doll, tried to make her closer to what I was really looking for, but eventually sold her. And it wasn't the end of it - about a year after this something else happened, doll unrelated, but it killed my interest in many things, including the dolls, and it happened in the middle while I was waiting for 3 preordered dolls to arrive. I was able to cancel two of the orders, and the third one, despite being a very beautiful doll, was put for sale just a few days after arriving.

Now I am back and can again enjoy collecting dolls and making costumes for them. I would never preorder again though. It was very well noted that after several months of waiting you might naturally change your mind or simply loose interest, or you might need funds for something else. It's a sad thing selling a doll so soon after its arrival, but that's life. If you cannot love it, better pass it to another person where it will be enjoyed. The only really bad part is all the aggravation of having to deal with the unwanted purchase - but, it's still not the worst that could happen. I regret buying some of the dolls in the past but at least I know my mistake inadvertently caused somebody happiness and probably made somebody's purchasing easier as I sold those unwanted dolls cheaper and locally.

 

I think a lot of times due to changes in mind and also it looks different from what you expect

I had experience that I was excited and order a doll. During the 4 months of wait I kinda changed my mind and regretted it. I looked at the picture I figure I don’t like it as much so I decided when it arrives I will sell it. But when I received, I found it cuter than I thought so I kept it.
I mean just by picture doesn’t do the doll justice. Ppl might decided to sell when they see the actually is different from their thoughts vice versa. And yes that ppl changed mind during the long wait. I think I jump into hobbies instantly all the time. The moment I got exposed to it I fell in love and started collecting new stuff and the old stuff just not as interesting anymore

 

I have done this several times, for me basically it comes down to one of two things, I didn't like the doll as much as I thought I would OR I needed the money for something else. I can't tell you how many times I bought a doll and then the car broke down/something else went wrong and the money I needed wasn't there because I just spent it on a doll!
I have learned to not leave myself without a cushion for emergencies, but sometimes things go so haywire that even the cushion isn't enough. And I have also learned that keeping a doll that I am not feeling out of some guilt I have for buying it in the first place is not a good idea. Guilt is a funny thing, and I when it comes to dolls I won't do that to myself any more. If I don't like the doll as much I feel no guilt in letting it go any more. It isn't like we can go see the doll in person to make sure we really want it, sometimes you take a risk and it ends up being a mistake.

 

Some people I find will buy a doll thinking they absolutely must have it. Then, once they get it, something doesn’t click. Either their size doesn’t fit their collection, the idea they had doesn’t work right, they can’t bond, there’s just SOMETHING that doesn’t seem to work right.

 

This happened to me once, I had plans for a doll when I bought it and then when it arrived I realized it would not work so I had to let it go.

 

So I recently bought a doll, and when it arrived, the resin was way different from what I was expecting. The company had drastically changed their NS to something much peachier/more orange. I just felt deflated when I opened the box and saw. So I put her on the marketplace the very next day.

Her resin color is starting to grow on me, though, so if I can't sell her this year, I might just keep her and get her a new wig that works better with her resin color.

 

I've come back to this thread after my dolls arrived. I thought about it, spent some time sitting with it, and I did end up keeping one. And selling the other. I think that if you're regularly in the marketplace or on instagram for expample and you see people selling and circulating stuff, it becomes a lot easier to set the guilt aside and do what feels right. And she did successfully sell, so thats another bonus point that feels like it was meant to happen this way. I'm a lot happier knowing that doll is going to someone who's going to really love it

 

I have no idea why people do this. I’ve seen listings on fb to sell preordered dolls that havent even finished production yet. I’m thinking maybe they just made an impulse purchase and now they need the money for something else?

 

Sometimes it's that, and then sometimes, it's because life happens and they need the money from a planned purchase for something they couldn't predict (car broke down, vet bills, etc). it's not allowed in the MP here, but the one time I knew someone who was doing it, it was for an egg-bound female panther chameleon (who needed surgery, but fully recovered!)

 

I have done it a couple of times. One was my first foray into more realistic styled sculpts, and the moment she arrived I knew she just wasn’t going to work…she lacked the fairy tale element I suddenly realized my collection needed for cohesion. The other looked much younger than she had in her company photos, so wasn’t quite right for the late-teens character I was looking for at the time. It’s all good however, and I just considered it a learning experience as I honed my personal aesthetic. That knowledge aided me in building my perfect collection, and I’ve since nailed it down so well that I haven’t needed to sell a doll in many, many years.

 

Sometimes by the time the doll gets to you, you realize it isn't actually what you wanted. Or, as soon as you handle it in person, you come to the realization that another doll you had in mind at the time was the doll you should have went with and you're kicking yourself. Personally, I'm going through the second one right now.

 

There are a few categories that this situation could happen in:

• People bond differently with dolls. It's funny to think about it, but the way people bond with their dolls might be a reflection of how they treat human relationships. Some might know right away that this is "the one" and stick with it for all time, others are finicky and bounce between different dolls and companies all the time, and some others may have multiple dolls and companies they love equally and can share that love with no problem. Doesn't mean they are a bad person or better than someone else, it just means that's how they bond or not bond with dolls.
• Buyer's regret. Bought it on impulse (possibly due to rarity of item or maybe because it looks so dang cool in the pictures). Realized after paying for it that don't want it or need it. Maybe found something you really want or need elsewhere soon afterwards. Order cannot be cancelled so have no choice but to wait until arrives and hopefully can sell it for the same price to use the money towards something you want or need more.
• Financial hardship. Some people may not have their financial situation in order and may purchase without realizing they cannot afford to do so (like may not have enough to pay rent, tuition, cellphone bills, food, etc). Or maybe at the time they could afford it, but depending on when the doll arrives (sometimes weeks later, other times maybe months to years later), financial circumstances changes so selling a mint in box doll close to original price or possibly higher is a more financially sound idea than keeping the doll and being in a deficit.
• Health reasons. I had a friend that got a doll that she really wanted and loved, but due to how the doll was made by that particular company (it was a limited edition and uniquely made), she developed health problems (resin dust poisoning related, possible face-up materials used related). She ended up selling it as soon as she figured out it was affecting her. For others, maybe finding out they are pregnant by the time the doll arrives or having a health condition like cancer where they need expensive treatment is another reason why a doll is sold right after arriving. Goes along with financial hardship.
• Emergency situation. It can be a combination of financial hardship and health reasons, or something completely random and out of the blue. For example, let's say you are a student and found out that your parent lost his/her job and selling that new doll could cover expenses for the month. Or your AC breaks down in the middle of summer and selling the doll could mean quickly repairing the AC or suffering in 100 degree heat indefinitely. Things come up.
• Doll didn't look like how it was online. This one is pretty common. Like others have said, sometimes the promo pictures are what the person fell in love with but the actual doll doesn't look like it at all (especially if the face-up and/or accessories/clothing/eyes/wig don't match or are not part of the purchase). I see this more with people that tend to not get the face-up and try to replicate the company face-up or do their own face-up based upon a character they have in mind. Or like someone else said when they see other IRL pictures from other owners and decide to sell the doll mint in box to again get as much of the original cost in reselling the doll. When it doesn't work out for whatever reason, people get frustrated, disappointed, or disillusioned and thus sell the doll.
• Negative experience. Sometimes it might be before the doll arrives (like the whole purchasing process, the shipping and handling experience, communication or lack thereof with the company/seller, or even the wait). Sometimes it happens after the doll arrives (like it doesn't meet your standards or idea of what it should be, customizing/accessorizing the doll to fit your ideal for it becomes too much/expensive/not worth it, etc). Or maybe you associate the doll with a traumatic event (like a bad break-up, the pandemic, death in the family, people teasing you about the doll, etc). If they are all with some very deeply negative experiences, feelings, memories, and/or associations, selling the doll might be the best option for the person.
• Doll didn't fit the character for a story or game, or didn't quite fit with other existing dolls in collection that did fit their own characters. Some people have a very specific character in mind and are trying to shell that character with a doll. Maybe before the doll arrive, visually it fit the character the owner had in mind. However, once it arrived or when it was compared to other existing shelled characters it wasn't a good fit and that is when the person may decide to sell it to try to shell the character with a different doll.
• Change in tastes. Could be an aesthetic thing. Could be they got introduced to a size/style/type that they are more into now than when they first purchased the doll. For example, maybe a person initially preferred the super tall, lean, hyper-realistic guy dolls that photograph well. But maybe in the time while waiting for sexy man doll to arrive arrive, they got converted over to what their friend was into which are the super chibi sized anime ones that look like animals and realize they preferred those now. For the price of one super tall doll, they could have an army of chibis.
• Leaving the hobby. Maybe at the time of purchase the person was still into the hobby. But maybe by the time the doll arrives the owner has decided they are leaving the hobby, whether temporarily or permanently. A new doll at this time doesn't make sense but selling it to reclaim some of it's original cost might.
• Scalpers. Yes, even in the dolly community. Doing it for the money and not for the joy of the doll collecting.

 

@Ligaya24 Really sums up a compact list of reasons or excuses. I don't think I'd ever understand why people resell new dolls immediately.

I've seen old dolls selling still wrapped new in box with all accessories in original packaging, never removed! That's an even greater wonder. The price shoots up multiple times for a limited edition BJD mint in box. I suppose these people are trying to flip? I start questioning the issue of authenticity. Sigh. Moi......I open the box and enjoy the doll!!!! Yeah. I'm not apologetic for unboxing, unwrapping everything and playing with dolls.

I've seen 30-50 year old vintage dolls mint in box. In fact, I have 1 left in my collection, a 1970s Licca Chan (Japanese Barbie). I do not play with her. No fun. Just keep her in the box and admire. Imagine doing this to a BJD!!!!! Noooo....

 

I've done it twice, both this summer. I really wanted a Minifee for sewing/crafting purposes, put up a WTB on IG, and bought the first doll offered to me because she looked really cute in the owner's photos. After a couple of weeks of having her, I realized she looked way too sad for me (Luha with default face-up) and I couldn't stand the odd gray cast the white skin had. The other was an OT doll & I discovered that I loathed her joint system, to the point where I dreaded taking photos of her. So I sold them to fund other dolls, which I bonded with pretty much immediately

 

OOOH such a good question.
I can be the buy then sell person.
1st off mostly because a doll looks better on the site or in a sales post then in person and it does not make me happy and second because I am not a rich woman so if I see a doll I really want I must sell a doll to get one. then there are the clothes, shoes and eyes.
I can not say I fell in love with all of the dolls I bought but I did love most of them and it boke my heart to sell some of them .
and sadly when I sell a doll or parts I loved to pay for bills or another doll I always have hopes to find again later but sometimes later never comes.
I will hopefully always have at least one full doll.

also in my family I am the only one that likes BJDs it is scary to accumulate too many dolls and parts because my children would just donate it all if anything happened to me . that thought freaks me out

 

I've rarely done it myself, however I've noticed it depends on how long I waited or what comes up. Typically, life takes over and it's unfortunate, but something goes. Bills and life needs are always first.

I've also highly been disappointed by a doll who looks great in promo or another collector's photos but suddenly looks not as expected in person. I tend to look for actual pictures versus posed ones now.

Things happen and tastes change too for others. I don't think it's always they dislike it, but a long wait can make people decide they no longer want it.