Would you buy a second hand doll for same price as a new one?

I would pay more than original retail value for a doll that is no longer in production, if secondhand is the only way to get it. I was very lucky in that my two grails became available again from the companies. I had been willing to pay almost twice their initial value and had been actively seeking them, but fortunately I got brand new ones from the companies after all. ^^

I've also noticed, though, that people try to sell used (and not good condition) dolls for the retail value or higher, when they're still available from the companies. I don't understand why anyone would buy them, but...well, who knows. I guess if you really don't want to wait 30-60 manufacturing days for a brand new doll in guaranteed mint condition, it's your own business. XP But I sure wouldn't do it.

 

1. Depends if they have anything extra done to them, like a face up or a mod and only if it looks amazing.
2. I would probably spend something pretty close to the original price, but only if it was in good condition.

Or if you just fall in love with it really...

 

I took the plunge to buy my first bjd after seeing one on ebay going for MORE than what she cost me new! She was just an AoD Qian, so nothing rare or anything - I think some people like to factor in their import costs, but I'd rather take my chances and order new, because often they skip through customs without a charge, so it's worth the risk unless the 2nd-hand one is a) in my country and b) considerably less than a new one would cost. I really prefer new to used.

Of course a sold-out limited doll is different - It would depend on how badly I wanted it, and I think people selling such dolls can charge what they like because eventually someone will come along who really wants this doll at any price. You can also charge what you like for a normal, easily available doll, but you probably won't sell it very quickly in that case.

 

Maybe, but only if the doll was brand new or a few months old. However, if the doll was older and has mellowed and been played with quite a bit I'd just buy a new one from the company. I don't mind waiting for a new doll anyway. If it's something I have to have like right now! I'd look for a newish secondhand doll. If the doll came with a custom faceup that I would want to keep I'd probably pay a bit more.

 

I just found my grail doll, with the full set of stuff she came with for $127 less than what she was from the company. Only thing I don't know yet is how much shipping will be.

Somebody hold my wallet.

In other words, as long as it's not a recast, and not still available from the company, then YES!

 

1. It really depends on condition, age, availability, shipping costs. If the doll is no longer available other than second hand, then it makes sense to pay almost full price. But often those dolls are older, and typically they haven't spend the entire time in a box so they are susceptible to small damages. Which both would make the doll worth less. It's just like buying antiques. They don't make them anymore, so they are worth a lot of money, but only if they are in as good a condition as when they were made. Things like that aren't very common.
2. Considering everything about the dolls condition, I still wouldn't see paying full price (or close to that) for a second hand doll. There would need to be a reasonable amount reduced considering everything about it. But, again, it really depends.

 

I do not buy standard doll second hand - not unless it has a to die for OOAK face up

I only buy things I cannot get from the companies direct

 

1. Would you buy a secondhand/preowned doll for the same price as a new one for the exact same doll?
Possibly. If it's in perfect condition and has a really good custom artist's faceup, I might. If it's brand new from the company and pristine, I might, since I'd probably save on paying shipping from what the company would charge. If the company is difficult to buy from for some reason, or having quality issues that it didn't have in the past, I also might. My second doll came from a company that was in the midst of moving, had recently had some quality control issues, and was just generally a bit unreliable and developing a reputation for problems at the time (they've since recovered, i think). I did pay more for him than he would probably have been new from the company, and don't regret it.


2. How close to the original price would you spend on a secondhand/preowned doll if it was in good condition?
Totally depends. If it's a rare limited that is in high demand, I expect the secondhand price to have skyrocketed, and would expect to pay more than original retail. If it's an unpopular sculpt, I'd expect the price to be less. If it's from a good company that is not difficult to buy from and has a decent reputation, and is a standard available sculpt, I'll pay a little more shipping and wait a few months and just get a new one. The more difficult the company is, the more likely I am to pay close to retail. But generally I expect the secondhand price to be less than retail. If I can order it new for the same (or even close to the same) price, I will.

I'm personally a sucker for marketplace bargains, though. Many of my dolls were bought for far, far less than the original price... sometimes they had minor damage, some the person just wanted a quick sale I guess, sometimes they'd sat on the marketplace a while with bad photos and an iffy faceup keeping people from considering them until the price dropped to a point I couldn't resist.

 

1. Would you buy a secondhand/preowned doll for the same price as a new one for the exact same doll?
It depends on the condition of the doll and on the company. One situation would be if the doll was taken out and immediately put up for sale because the owner realized they didn't like it / couldn't bond with it. I would also prefer a secondhand doll if I knew that the company was unreliable, had quality control issues, pre-order periods or exceptionally long waiting times (over 4 months). In that case, the doll could be a bit more played with, but I would definitely check that there is no yellowing or damage.

2. How close to the original price would you spend on a secondhand/preowned doll if it was in good condition?
it could be the same or $20-30 less than the original price if the doll yellowed a bit (still speaking of non-limited, easily available dolls). If the doll were damaged or drastically changed color (beauty lemon and beauty green are nice examples of that), I'd expect the seller to reduce the price by 10-20% and sometimes more, depending on the type of damage.
If the doll is a limited, completely different rules apply.

 

1. Would you buy a secondhand/preowned doll for the same price as a new one for the exact same doll?

Yes if the doll was quite new (no yellowing) and was in perfect condition.
That would be actually awesome because sometimes you need to wait months and months to get a new doll from a company.

2. How close to the original price would you spend on a secondhand/preowned doll if it was in good condition?

Oopsie answered to this in question 1. Same price if it was very new doll and in perfect condition.

 

I have bought (and am in layaway) for second hand. One is an LE and already much coveted by others. I was lucky and got him from a fellow 'local' club member so I got a bit of a deal. The one on layaway is Soul Doll's Chiron Centaur full set (really full set lol) in grey. It came to the original owner with a chipped ear but since Soul Doll has no plans to reopen sales of this item (info came from contact with the site) I went for it at full price. She gave me a deal on shipping ^^. Which is good since for some reason shipping from USA to Canada is nearly double if I had been able to order direct O_o go figure. Otherwise I WOULD have paid over regular retail still.

An important thing to note is this also comes with the CoA. If it had not... I doubt I would have bought it. With the issue of recasting and the fact that I will be wanting Soul Doll to redo the face up (I just want the other option face) the CoA was a must. And of course the doll is in excellent condition too.

The CoA is what makes me buy new from company if possible... think of it as getting the item WITH the warenty rather than cheap but no 'warenty' (CoA).

 

I would have to say no, I would expect to pay a little less unless the doll was a special edition and sought after and HTF.

 

I bought a doll off one of my really good friends from Middleschool. She had her for about 6-7 years and she had yellowed crazily, but evenly. She kept her original faceup, papers, and box, etc. I bought her for the original price. I mean other than yellowing she was still brand new really. She also gave me the eyes, wig, and clothes she had on her at the time and a small teddy bear for her. My fiance cleaned her up a bit for me and added some coloring to take away from the yellow on her face and body blushed her too. She looks fine! I think she would've taken less but she was a great friend, the doll was in good condition, and she was in a pinch--so I just payed full price (minus what she paid for shipping years ago).

However if the doll were damaged or something, I would expect to pay less. Especially if it had no face-up (or if the faceup was unwanted?)

 

Depends on the sculpt, it's rarity and how much I want it!

If it's a sculpt that's no longer being made and I am well aware of it's average selling price on the secondhand market, AND it's my grail, I'll gladly pay double the original price (not as if I haven't done that honestly. This is exactly the case of my first boy ^^; )

 

If it were a doll that you could still buy from the company.. then I would just get it from them.

However since there are only a limited number of certain dolls I would be will to pay what it cost new, & maybe more, because I'm sure there will be other people who feel the same way.

 

Would you buy a secondhand/preowned doll for the same price as a new one for the exact same doll?
Possibly, but there are SO many variables to take into consideration. How long has the previous owner had it? What condition is it in? Are all the original parts of it there, like possible fantasy parts, clothes/eyes/wig, box and certificate that it came with it (if applicable)? Is the doll still available through the manufacturer? How much do I REALLY want the doll? The list goes on, but all that said, unless it was in very close to new condition, included EVERYTHING it originally came with and wasn’t more than a year old, I probably wouldn't, assuming I can't get it through the original company.

How close to the original price would you spend on a secondhand/preowned doll if it was in good condition?I’m a newbie programmer and I spend a LOT of my time working on/with computers, so I sort of adopt the computer depreciation model. Every year, a computer loses a minimum of 20% of its value through depreciation. I apply this to everything that I would be buying second hand. Despite that, I do take into consideration how rare the item could be and I always do my research. Depending on the variables I mentioned above, I might pay up to 90% of the original price.
Basically, this is why I don’t have many dolls. I’m VERY picky about every single aspect.

 

If the doll I like is sold out, then second hand doll will be consider even it the same price as new doll or sometimes a little higher price won't hurt me as long as it in a very good condition (no crack or break part)

But if I can be able to make an order from a company then I willing to wait to get the new doll instead of paying for second hand for equal or higher price.

 

1. I'd buy the same doll for the exact price, if it's limited or maybe if I save on shipping. Though only if its a really good condition and includes everything and the box.

2. 10% less than the original if its not limited. xP If it's limited I'm willing to pay full but only if its a pretty good condition as well.

 

No, because over the past five years, I've seen too many people flip a doll for having a chip or something right from the company rather than deal with the company. If it's damaged, and they want the whole price and the shipping they paid plus shipping to the buyer, that's too much. Also multiple faces ups mean multiple wipes and that takes surface off the resin and thins it out. It's not worth it to me personally.