Would it offend you as a owner?

Generally, I'd say posting a WTB in the marketplace and/or other doll social media platforns would be a better option as it could encourage people who have been thinking about selling a doll to do so.
I would personally find it a bit odd if someone messaged me out of the blue asking to buy one of my dolls.

 

It really, really depends on context. Assuming that I've made no mention of selling the doll in question...

If it was out of the blue and I didn't know that person from Adam, I'd find it not at all reassuring. This person has apparently taken no time to get to know me or my dolls, they have made no move to gain my trust or proven their legitimacy, so it sounds like all they want is my doll for their own gain. I'd politely decline in a few words, ask them to not ask me such a question again, but I will note down this name as someone to be wary of.

If this person was known to me - either we've talked before, or I recognise their name from following me - I'd be more generous. Maybe take it as flattery. I'd still decline, since I've not put the doll up for sale, but I'd remember they asked.

Good doll friends who know me and my dolls well should know exactly how to behave if they genuinely want a doll I own.

Editde to add: I've thought about it a bit more, and changed my answer completely.

I think I'll be more charitable to a total stranger. They don't know me after all. I'd frown at it and be a bit wary, but I'd let it go and move on.
I'd be less charitable to someone who's known to me. In this case they should know better.

I guess the common theme is, I don't like it when anyone asks to buy a doll I haven't put on sale. They've crossed a boundary.

 

At one time, it was quite common (well, relatively) to receive messages out of nowhere asking if we'd be willing to sell this or that doll. Some people thought it was rude, others thought it was flattering. Personally I find it both flattering and a little funny. However I never accepted to sell a doll after getting such a message. And it also depends of how it is said. If the message is polite, no problem. If there is neither "hello" nor "please", then I find it rude.
Sometimes people show an interest in my dolls because of comments I make previously. Like "I wonder if I need to buy her a new outfit or I'd better sell her". Then, it's not rude in my opinion if someone asks if I can think of them if I decide to sell the doll. And I will keep them in mind indeed.

 

Easy! I would block them!

 

I wouldn't be offended. It is just a question. And if the person decided not to accept my answer, I would simply decide not to accept any more of their messages

 

I've had this, I have a doll that was pretty popular in my community a few years back and people sometimes messaged me if I could sell him to them. Sometimes it wasn't even a "would you be willing to sell?" but more a "I give you X money for him, sell him to me." The first way is usually fine to me, I tell them to just post a WTB. But the latter is extremely rude in my opinon. I even had one saying I was a horrible person for keeping him all to myself while I had more boy dolls. That was an instant block.

Overall, asking if someone was willing to sell their doll when they haven't talked about selling them is a no in this hobby. However, it is a grey area when you'd message someone saying "if you are ever thinking of selling, please keep me in mind." I think that's quite okay, but mostly with people that you know.

 

Like others have mentioned, it would greatly depend on how the question was worded and whether or not I know the person.

If it were a complete stranger who seems to be new to BJDs and they were polite, I'd assume that maybe they had come across photos of my doll by chance and that it has sparked their interest in BJDs. I would decline their offer, but also direct them to where they can find more information about BJDs. If the sculpt they are interested in is still available, I would also point out where they can get it legitimately.

If they were rude, I'd probably just block them.

And if it were someone I knew, I suppose it would depend on how they asked and what prompted them to suddenly want to buy my doll. But if, ultimately, they can't take 'no' for an answer, I guess I would have no choice but to block them as well.

 

I know of people who do this, not only as private messages but as comments on posts on social media, and I find it to be in horribly poor taste. If someone wants to sell their doll, they'll post it for sale. Otherwise it just seems kind of greedy and rude, like you just want that doll for yourself and can't just appreciate the doll as someone else's. I would be polite if someone asked me, but it would give me the ick for sure.

Now if they were a newbie and interested in my particular sculpt, I'd gladly direct them to the dealer/artist/company I got them from. I'd also be much more forgiving as newbies aren't as in tune with the BJD community and how things generally work.

 

Be very confused because none of my dolls are limited/discontinued, LOL.

For real though... probably a polite "No, they're not for sale," possibly a block if they start harassing me. I can see why someone would do it (this sort of thing happens in other hobby communities pretty frequently), so I wouldn't think it was weird, just possibly in bad taste if the person being asked has never indicated they're thinking of selling. I can see it being annoying if you just acquired a rare doll after a long search, and then you get messaged asking you to part with it!

 

I wouldn't be offended - it's not a rude comment on me or my dolls - but depending on how it's worded and which community/platform this happens in, I'd decline and see if I need to take some extra action if the conversation develops in a not-nice way. Then again, I'm really only properly interacting and posting on DoA where people mostly know how to read the room and use the dedicated marketplace.

That all being said, I don't think my dolls would be super interesting to anyone but myself

 

Like others have said, it depends on how the question was asked and where. There are situations when it may be ok, but in genereal, it's not the best way to find the doll you are looking for.
If it happened here on DoA I would report it right away as it is against the rules and I would never do busines with someone who have not even done enough research to understand (or worse; don't respect) the rules thye have agreed to follow. How would I know they would honor any other agreements they make? That would be and instant red flag to me.
This is a research heavy hobby and dolls are usually big purchases with a lot of effort and money involved, I don't think it's too much to ask that people take the time to read the room and learn the proper ways to ask for a sale. Likewise, this hobby takes patience and expectation management, you can't always get what you want right away.
If I get the feeling that someone has not understood that, I would hesitate to do busines with them.

Use the apropriate channels avaialble. Post a Want To Buy in the marketplace, link it in your signature. Hang out in the discussion thread for the doll in question and take an interest. Learn all you can about the doll and the company. Even a company no longer in business is worth learning about.
Sometimes some of their sculpts are sold to other companies that continue making them, sometimes the community has their eyes on second hand marketplaces in the country the company was active in and can advice you on agents and shopping services to get access to them and sometimes companies even come back to life.
If you have personal friends in the hobby or if you are part of a local community, let them know what you are looking for. That way they may think of you if they happens to stumble upon a sales post for the doll and let you know.

And don't give up! Most dolls will show up second hand eventually. In the meantime, save up to maximize the chances of being available to pounce on it when it does.

 

Also in the "depends how you ask" camp.
If you act like one of these entitled "please gift me your doll!!" brats you sometimes see in Instagram comments, then I'd be annoyed. Same for the ones that just crash into your DMs with no "Hello", or that keep pushing and pestering you after you declined. Especially when they get more rude and angry with every message.

However, if I just get a message from another collector who is hoping I might be interested in selling a doll I happen to own? Including a nice message, and a friendly "No problem, thanks for replying!" when I decline?
Totally fine. I understand shooting your shot, and you can never know if the current owner might have thought about selling already anyway.

I see no reason in flat out blocking someone for having the gall to ask, and I don't feel annoyed by it on principle. It's really all about the delivery of the message and how they react when I decline. I never understood why some people think it's rude or just downright lose it over these requests. I could imagine if you get daily messages like that, sure. But else? I hope they never get into the situation where they try to collect something and are forced to reach out to people in hopes one of them is willing to sell
But maybe it's because some people here think it's like being asked to sell their pet or child. At the end of the day though, especially for an outsider, it's just like asking whether you'd be willing to sell a Pokémon card from your collection or a pair of shoes.

 

What grinds my gears is when I get messages to sell a doll I don't even own. And yes that was a fad a year ago or so because some popular doll person apparently said this is how they get some of their limited dolls.

That falls under the "how you ask" category. Like at least look if I own the doll you want in the first place?

Otherwise I politely decline and move on.

 

I've never been asked that. I think I would reply a polite 'no' and then move on, but I wouldn't have a good impression of the fellow hobbyist who asked after that and would even consider blocking them depending on the way they asked and the way they react to the negative.
I'm a character-driven collector and get very attached to my dolls as to other stuff I own or collect, so for me they're not just any doll, but they are 'my character'. If a person out of the blue asks me to sell me this or that, for me it's not a 'thing I collect', but a 'someone' in my resin family...
It's only logical: if someone wishes to sell a doll, they will offer it for sale; if they do not, the doll is not for sale.

 

Perhaps from the point of view of an outsider, one pretty doll looks as much as another. But to me, my doll is my particular doll, I know what effort I've put into making it a certain kind of pretty. So the context matters, and many questions go through my head as I try to figure out the context of the ask-er, and whether the ask-er understands my context too. Question such as: What is the rationale they provide for asking me and not someone else? Why do they want to buy my doll in particular, instead of, say, asking generally about how to acquire the same sculpt that I own? Do they come across as unaware of the provenance of the sculpt, or is there some reason they're asking me specifically about my specific doll?

I'm a wary sort when it comes to matters of ownership, but I'll try to discern, from tone, whether a person is respectul, or respectful but awkward or unpolished in their phrasing, or a newbie who isn't familiar with etiquette or doll provenance in the hobby, or if they really can't read the room. In some cases I'd be more forgiving and charitable, in other cases less so. It depends greatly on context and who is doing the ask.

But in all cases I'll always have the question in my head: "why me, and why my doll?"

 

It has happened to me before but never bothered me tbh. I'd always politely decline and that's it. People will try whatever they can to get something that they want. I don't think that there is anything wrong with asking (if done in a polite way). I wouldn't do it myself but I can definitely see why people would try.

 

"Hi! Thank you for admiring my doll, but I don't sell my dolls."

^ That's how I react. I've actually had this happen to me once before. While it startled me for a second I feel that I answered them clearly and politely. They answered me back thanking me for my time, and that was it. I wasn't offended. It's nice they admired my doll enough to want to buy it.

That being said, I think it is weird to randomly message people to randomly want to buy their dolls if the person never even hinted that they want to sell their doll.

 

I can tell you that in most cases it's a simple case of "you own sculpt X and are open about it". That's it. It's not because it's you, or they want your specific doll.
It's just a numbers game. If there are ten of a doll out in the world, and you know five people that own this doll (because they post pictures of it, got it in their bio, posted a box opening long ago), that's the five people you will contact when it gets dire

It's rare that people fall in love with YOUR doll to the point they dare asking if you'd sell it. Your as in, the whole package with the customization VS just the sculpt. That's because the majority of people in the hobby know it's kinda frowned upon/the character is not sold with the doll. The only people that dare to ask for your doll usually fall above the unhinged Insta kids or the ones that will not take your no as an answer. Those usually become pretty obvious from their initial message though