Why people sell?

I think eveyone buys a doll with the intention of keeping it and liking it but a lot of people buy dolls with a preset character in mind for that doll or with the hopes of 'discovering' the personality over time. It's just a different way of enjoying the hobby. However, sometimes when the doll actually arrives the owner can't get it to look like the character they wanted or they can't find a personality to fit at all and it ruins their enjoyment of the doll hence they don't 'bond'.

I have done this before and at the beginning I honestly thought the doll was right for me - otherwise I wouldn't have bought it but it doesn't always turn out that way for people who have a more character-based way of enjoying this hobby.

 

I’ve actually just run into this situation myself! I did months of research and thought I found the perfect doll for my character, but now that I’ve had her for a few months I’m just not comfortable with her. Her lips are too thin, her expression is too soft, her eyes are too big. I love her body but it’s so big and difficult to find clothes for that I just put her up on the marketplace as a feeler. It’s truly heartbreaking, but with something like this it just feels irresponsible to hold on to a doll that I’m just not going to use for what I bought her for. I guess with such a luxury item, we feel we just need to make a justification for spending money on these dolls, ie this doll is “useful” because it portrays my character. I can’t quite justify keeping her just because she’s “pretty.” After all, there are lots of “pretty” things in the world that I don’t feel the need to spend $650 on.

 

I totally understand about not being able to bond with a doll. The first doll I bought, my elfdoll soah Eleana, I had so much trouble bonding with her.

I kept looking at her and thinking "This is not my doll."

It's like bonding with a pet for some people. I still haven't sold her 'cause I'm convinced I'll regret it, but I'm barely attached to her. It's very tempting to sell her sometimes so I could focus that money on my other dolls, who I am VERY attached to.

So far I haven't... it's getting tough. I feel bad for her because I feel like she KNOWS I don't especially like her.

I'm still going to keep trying. She is so pretty and once she has some proper clothes and hair and a new faceup and gets her body sueaded (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) maybe I'll feel better towards her.

 

I think it's mainly because of the price not whether they are collectors or not. The dolls are expensive, so you would expect people to buy a doll that they will absolutely adore. Online postings/news of a new doll that you purchase might not be exactly what you thought it turn out to be, so people would sell it and attempt to purchase different one. This is almost like an endless cycle until they are satisfied.

Luckily, this didn't happen to me, I bought the doll in person so I was able to look at it before purchasing.

 

If I stick to the title of this thread, Why people sell?, several main reasons come to my head. A doll which finally does not fit (It may happen whenever as long as you do not have it yet in front of you to be sure he/she is exactly what you wish), a pocket bad period (Circumstances affect),... Going farther and of selling BJD after having them only during a short term, I also think there may be different reasons to do so, like realizing of being wrong and giving a new try until getting the right one/s. I think it is ok always the person is satisfied acting that way to find her/his own style, even with the high cost BJD usually mean. I believe the best is keeping what you really want.

But when it comes to Have you done this? I must say never as I have never been in that situation nor might imagine myself into such. I just sell event heads, I got with no intention and by luck, and things I did not expect, but had to purchase to obtain other ones (For instance, ordering dolls and selling their bodies because what I wanted were their heads).

About What were your reasons for it? The reason I have never thought about selling any of the sculpts I intentionally bought is, firstly, because that is not my way of doing at all (If I am not pretty convinced I do not buy, although even in that case you may be wrong), but also, probably for that reason, and for sure because the BJD I bought absolutely match the idea I had in mind of them.

Do you ever feel a bit nervous buying from someone who has done it? I guess I should not, as that reflects just her/his personal way of doing about her/his own BJD, not of selling, but in fact it truly depends on the case.

 

ive only had two dolls. i kept one and sold one.

I sold my doll because i don't look at dolls (or at-least BJD's) as a collectors item really. I do use the word from time to time when I tell people about my dolls but they still don't feel like collectors items to me.
I cant justify keeping such an expensive doll around unless I absolutely love it. I didn't bond with my second doll, my plans for her went down the toilet, and I couldn't think of any other plans for her that made me excited enough to want to keep her.

So not only was she a very expensive item sitting on my shelf that i did not adore, but there were plenty of people out there who would cherish a doll like her (she was a soom amber) so for me it was pretty much common sense. yes i spent alot of money on her but selling her i got it back (i realise not all dolls retain or increase in value like mine did but i still would have sold her even if i had to lose out on some money) and plan to use it to buy 2 other BJDs.


Do you ever feel a bit nervous buying from someone who has done it?
no i dont think i would. all it means is that either the person has a habit of buying and selling dolls (mostly common in people who buy a lot of bjds) and in that case they just bought the doll on a whim and its understandable how that can lead to wanting to sell, or the doll just wasn't what they expected it to be or it isnt working for their character.

just because the doll is on the marketplace does not mean anything is wrong with it, peoples plans and styles change, had i bought a luts kid delf bory about a year and a half ago it would be on the marketplace now because a new doll has been released that fits the character (and my style, i like more realistic dolls now) much better.

 

Oh gosh! How a doll FEELS to hold and move is very important to me, how large the head is how the proportions are. This actually can not be seen in pictures you really need the doll in your hands, how it feels also includes the weight and the texture of the resin. I am not talking about double jointing either just how any of the dolls move. Sometimes a doll might be say 43cm tall but there is a big difference between a dollzone and a volks MSD size doll - dollzone is very slender and volks is much chunkier in person. Its like two totally different worlds. Until you have had quite a few dolls in your hands its hard to know what I am talking about

But I think finding the doll that clicks with you is the most important thing and that might take some time (buying & selling)
Also over time taste changes as well. For example I was really into Yo-sd size dolls for a long time and it was my total focus but now I just dont' feel it for them any more. Nothing I can do about that.

I always take company photos with a grain of salt fyi! and I always know I am taking a chance when buying a new doll.
Certainly some dolls you know right away if you should sell them others you feel it might grow on you and rare is the one that hits you with love and they stay in your heart forever more.

 

i did this. twice.
but when i bought it, i didnt thought i'd be selling it!
the first one i kept it 2-3 months. it was a very beautiful doll. very photogenic! but i hated his body (delf type 1) and i didnt know what kind of clothes to buy him! i tried. but i felt i wasnt ready to own this character just yet. so i sold him and will probably re-buy him someday (but in NS this time)
the second one i kept it 2 weeks. it was kinda cute (Unoa Lusis boy) but when i got it i though ''OMG why the hell did I buy a LUSIS boy???'' and i have been drooling over L-bi while waiting for the lusis xD so i sold him to change the doll mold

i had 3 dolls so far. my very first one is still here. he is cute. i have bounded.
the others i didnt see the need of keeping them since it wasnt working out. those dolls ARE expensive, I cant just afford keeping it in a box! its not worth it!
but when i buy them, its because i believe it'll work out! i dont just buy and then sell them for the LULZ.

 

My dolls are just like a part of me. They are like my childeren. I don`t really play that much with them but I do buy them stuff, dress them up, take pictures and even hug them. I have had about 4 dolls that I had to give new homes at some point. No matter how hard I tried I just could not bond with them no matter what. There is a reason for every doll that I get. Everyone have they`re own place in the doll family that I have at home. Some times you fall for the doll you see on the computer screen. And when it is home something just not feel quite right after a while. For some people the dolls is so much more than just a collection. You just know it when a doll belongs to you and when it doesn`t. So ofcourse it is nothing wrong in selling the doll you could not bond with even if you just had it for a while. But personally I never sell a doll before many months have pased and I know for sure I can never bond with the doll.


One example is my very first doll. Never have I regreted getting him and he will always be with me. After getting him I started thinking that I would like to buy him a BF. My first doll btw is a DOI Luke ver no.1. So I got him A DOI Crush ver no.2 for a BF. After my boy have had his boyfriend for a while I realized that my boy was the dark and more masculine type. (I used to dress him all pink and cute and all). And the kind of BF I really wanted for my boy was the cute Oshare/ Decora and crossdresser type. When I had realized all that I could no longer bond to this BF that I had gotten him first. Even long before I had realized I had bought the wrong doll/ BF for him, there were something that just did not feel right about the choice I had made.

So my boy`s BF ended up living with/ being my cousins doll. And she loves him dearly. And I am glad for that. Lucky I did not have to sell him to someone I did not know.

I then started to dress up my dear boy the way he was meant to be. Dark and Goth. And a while later I got him the cutest little Oshare/ Decora boy ever. And they have both been together since.

So for us who does not just collect dolls, whe just know when a doll belongs to the family or not. Every doll that we buy we have that little feeling for as if they were our childeren. And sometimes there are dolls we don`t feel that way about.

So thats the meaning of selling and make sure they get a better home than they had.

 

I agree with everything octobercrow said. I sold my Elfdoll Wu because I was not that attatched as pretty as he was so I let him go where he'd be more appreciated and used the money for a doll I preferred more. Now I will have two Hounds and if I find that I love one way more than the other I will sell one of them as well. I don't see the point in keeping such an expensive doll around if I don't absolutely love him/her.

 

if I don't bond with doll, I sell it. I don't need hundreds of dollars be dusted on the shelf. I can use it in a better way, and someone will be happy with a doll I sold more than I myself.

 

I think some dolls you just know you will never sell... some can move on and you know it was the right thing to do.

When I first got into BJD's I bought the dolls that appealed to me ... then after a while I figured out which size dolls I am most comfortable with, which ones I didn't really bond with etc... and moved the ones out that didn't fit into that.

 

The thing is, BJDs are so realistic, I think buying one after another in an attempt to find "the right one" is almost comparable to going to a club or something to meet potential boyfriends you'd previously only seen on Match or eHarmony. The internet can't, sadly, replicate that "chemistry" humans tend to have (that type of people you become best friends with the day you meet them, because you just click so well.) And I guess it can't replicate the doll-owner chemistry, either.

So, of course, you get people who realize the person or doll wasn't as great as they thought it would be when they finally see it in person. So; in the online dating world, they stop seeing that person; in the doll world, it's sold on to save for another one. Considering that these dolls can sometimes be worth as much (or more) as your rent, it's not surprising to me that people take them that seriously, and only want to keep the few they love. Why keep dating a "disappointment" you didn't like? Why keep a "disappointment" that cost you $700? If it wasn't everything you thought it would be, and you're not 100% happy, by all means -- go find the one that is for you!

You also have to consider that not everyone in the hobby is rich. And neither should people feel like they need to have such an immense disposable income to be "allowed" to be in this hobby -- a "poor" person can still enjoy owning a BJD, if they've saved up patiently and worked hard for it. There's a reason why (unlike in other doll hobbies) owning just one BJD doesn't carry that pesky "Oh, you're not a true collector" stigma. The ones who can afford it buy a lot, the ones who can't make the best out of it and enjoy the few they have. The only difference is, people who aren't as wealthy might have a "limit" on how many dolls they can get. Usually, this leads to the common rule of "after ____, it's sell-one-to-buy-one." That way, they aren't pulling money out of their salary to foot the bill for the new dolls.

 

Amen.

I have literally been buying my Rika doll one piece at a time, because I just don't have the disposable income to say on a whim, "Oh, think I'll go buy half a dozen wigs/eyes/outfits to see which one will work." Fortunately, I know EXACTLY what I want for her, and it's those things I'm working towards. Heck, quite literally the first thing I bought in the process of putting her together was her SHOES, because they were perfect. I got what I thought were the perfect socks for her about two weeks ago, only it turned out my monitor deceived me and they were yellow ^_^; (the auction had said yellow but I thought it was only referring to the ribbons on the socks!) Rather than say, oh well, seven bucks down the drain, I tried to make the best of it and bleach them.

As you can see in my sig, I want Yumeko (DZ Cherry) to be my second doll. She'll run me $500 (and that includes the $80 that getting her in tan will cost), and that's not taking into account a wig or eyes or clothes. That is a LOT of money for me. I'd preorder one today if I could, but I just can't, and I don't have a CC because I HATE being in debt -- still owing student loans is more than enough for me. I have to do it the old-fashioned way, putting away whatever money I have left from my last check when I get paid, and knowing full well that life circumstances will likely sap me of even that. Getting her may well be a pipedream for a while, but it's one I like to have. Everyone's gotta have goals

 

Have you done this? What were your reasons for it? Do you ever feel a bit nervous buying from someone who has done it?

Yes, I have sold dolls before, because it turned out they were just not what I expected them to be. Of course I do research before buying, but still it turns out occasionally that the doll is not what I wanted, because the sculpt looks slightly different than on the pics or the body is not to my liking or I cannot handle the size and so on and so forth. Buying the wrong doll happens even to the best of us .
The reasons for selling were simple, I bought an expensive item, it felt not right for me and so I decided to sell it, to recover at least some part of the money spent on it.
I've also bought pre-owned dolls before and I would buy again from the marketplace. Actually half of the dolls I own today were bought second-hand. Absolutely no problems with that and I luckily never had any bad experiences with my sellers either .

 

So I've made a huge step and put up one of my dolls for sale, which was something I NEVER thought I'd ever do. I had been thinking about it for a while but kept convincing myself that once I sold her I'd want her back, the I'd have to buy her all over again. I had a hard time bonding with her, and she honestly felt like more of a decoration than an actual member of my doll family. It was really tough to finally put her up for sale because I really love her, just not as much as my other girls. But I'm ready for it and I hope someone buys her and gives her a nice home. I figured I should start this thread to hear other stories of others who have sold their dolls.
Was it hard?
Why did you sell in the first place?

 

<u<;;; I'm sure there's threads on this already, somewhere. But this is really more suited for the GD, imho

 

The first doll I sold was a pipos limited crown rooney, I had bought
her (on layaway) along with my sleeping baha....so she was one of
my first BJD's but my third to arrive. Hope that made sense.

Anyhow, I never thought I could or would sell one of my dolls, because
I do have a difficult time letting go of things (emotional & material lol)
but I found someone who had been looking for her for a very long time
and I needed the money for a layaway (sounds bad, doesn't it?) so I
decided to see if this person wanted her. It turned out to be a very nice
experience, which I feel very fortunate about. But I can tell you honestly
that I still think about her. Since then I've sold 4 more of my dolls, which
I regret for various reasons, but at the time I needed to let them go.

Not bonding with a doll, oddly enough, doesn't always mean you'll feel OK
with the decision to let them go....which makes it really difficult to know
when you should or shouldn't!! I've only been in the hobby for a little over
3 years but I'm only just learning what dolls I really prefer, which I
had to learn by getting dolls in other sizes first. Now I have 2 SDs and 3
tiny dolls that I haven't bonded with but am still uncertain if I can let them
go without regret As much as we want to give our dolls personality &
emotion, we have to remind ourselves that it's merely projected and cannot
be returned to us. For me selling a doll is still easier than having to let go of
any of my living/breathing/feeling creatures. So if I had to choose I'd let go
of a doll without a second thought.

 

I put my Dolkot up for sale in the marketplace just a little bit ago. I think I've had her for four months by now? She was my first doll, and I loved her, bonded with her, and adore her resin, her face, everything! It's just she didn't fit the character I bought her for.

In the end I had to buy a new doll for that character, and my poor Dolkot wound up to be like you said, more of a pretty decoration than one of the family. It's depressing, especially because I was able to order her before they officially released the Model girl body line by contacting Dolkot individually since I already had an order going and upgrade it with her new body. I loved her so much that I overpaid for her, just to make sure I could get her.

It's really just a matter of prioritizing I think...as much as it hurts to let them go, they are better off in a home where their characters can grow and flourish. It's usually harder to the "right" thing. Kinda like putting a pet down that's been really sick and won't get better. Er--sorry, that's a terribly morbid analogy--how about, not eating a delicious tub of chocolate ice cream because you know it'll go straight to your thighs?? I mean, you'd enjoy that chocolate ice cream while it lasted, but hate it every time you had to haul your fat butt up some stairs.

In the end, I only hope someone who will love her as much as I do will buy her

 

Sorry I realized I put this in the wrong category. Ill move it