Would You Buy An Unstrung Doll?

I tend to prefer that dolls be sent unstrung too, and I’ve asked sellers to do it for me. I find people wrap the doll better when it’s in pieces and there’s less chance for parts to rub awkwardly against each other and break.

I think of restringing as a normal part of doll maintenance. I can’t imagine being put off by it.

 

My first doll was unstrung! (Or rather, I got two in the same shipment and one was strung and one wasn't.)

Given the option, I'd prefer to have the doll in a state where I can play with it out of the box, but if unstrung means I'm going to save a ton on shipping, or its current stringing is a mess and I'll have to redo it anyway, then by all means I'll string it myself.

 

Every doll I have bought on the marketplace has been unstrung. I prefer it that way to save in shipping cost. Also the DD I have bought on the marketplace I have got them unassembled. I never keep the boxes so I really don't care about them. The only strung dolls I have is when I buy them from the company brand new.

 

That depends. First, I would want to know why the doll is unstrung to begin with and I would want pictures of all the parts, first to make sure they're all there, secondly to make sure they're all undamaged. I would also ask (in the case of a highly-jointed doll, like a minifee) for the parts to be sorted properly so I don't have to figure out what goes where. I'm not buying a jigsaw puzzle! Example: All left-leg parts in one bag, all right arm parts in another, ect...

Ironically I just saw someone posting several unstrung dolls for sale on facebook and each disassembled doll is just tossed into a plastic bin all willy-nilly and that's a big turnoff for me. So is lack of box and any kind of paperwork. I'm like, if you can't take care of your own dolls then I sure as hell don't want them! Who knows what sort of shape they're in? I could see the one was covered in white paint, too, which was mentioned as an unfinished mod project and added that it could easily be cleaned off, but I'm of the opinion that the seller shouldn't be so lazy they can't clean up their own dolls before selling them.

 

All day, every day.
I don't mind putting a doll back together, it's like a puzzle. I also have all the elastics and tools so it's no sweat.

 

I've never bought a doll unstrung, so maybe I'm not the best person to give her opinion. Still, at some point or another you're going to have to restring your doll (elastic has a shelf life), so sooner or later you'll have to do it anyway (or have it done if you've got the $ to pay someone, or a kind and experienced friend to do it for you).

 

I actually prefer unstrung as long as all parts are labeled and carefully packed. I always wash a secondhand doll, so I’m going to unstring it anyway. I do prefer to have doll boxes but it’s not a dealbreaker without one. If it saves a ton on shipping costs, definitely! I can restring a standard doll in maybe 10 minutes, definitely worth saving some cash!

EDIT: I also prefer to ship unstrung because often I don’t have a box big enough for the full doll and don’t know where to get one, or because people get outright offended by shipping costs when I give them quotes, even though that high price is exactly what they charge or even a bit lower. When I do ship unstrung, I always label the parts to keep it simple and of course the string is always included. Sometimes I add a lovely drawing to help with stringing. lol

 

yes, unstrung, since I like restringing dolls once they come anyway, it's safer for shipping and more cost-effective. I have more pleasure from putting up a doll from scratch, as if, so I in fact enjoy re-stringing.

 

Even though I haven't bought an unstrung doll, its an option to me if the shipping cost is significantly lower than that of a fully strung version. I can't keep all my doll boxes because I have limited space. Since I recently just learned to restring my dolls anyway, reassembling one isn't too scary a prospect.

 

A doll being unstrung wouldn't prevent me from buying it in most cases, though I'll always prefer strung and in its original box.
But considering the trouble the "fashion" size has given me with their tiny parts, I would definitely think twice about those.

 

Yes, I would purchase a doll unstrung BUT only if the box and such are loss. I love having doll boxes so having a doll unstrung doesn't make much sense if it's being sent with its box. I wouldn't save on shipping at all. lol

 

While stringing can be a hassle, I'd definitely do it if it meant I could save on shipping

 

It's not preferable to me! I prefer original box and to be strung. However I did twice due to sellers.

 

I prefer unstrung to save on shipping costs, restringing is easy and string is cheap.

 

Definitely! I wish more companies sold kit dolls( unstrung sometimes even need to remove flash and seamlines) as it is i always take apart, hot glue suede and restring a new doll as soon as i get it anyway. I feel like i learn alot about the doll, how the best ways to pose it, what all peices it has and that way i wont panci if i have to put it back together if the elastic breaks or something

 

I find it difficult to string a doll by myself even with the proper tools so for me the fewer times I need to restring, the better. I prefer to have the doll sent strung because I find it easier to bond with the doll when it arrives if I can see all together with a wig and clothing. If I get the doll strung and it needs to be restrung because of age or twisting I typically still dress it up and look at it for a day or so before I restring it. I like to see what clothing and hairstyles look good on the doll when it arrives in person. I have a hard time deciding on what style I will like on a doll until I get to see it in person. By doing it this way I get an idea of what clothing and wigs I want to order for the doll and if I want to add more blushing and tattoos based on the style they start to develop. If I add blushing after I take the doll apart then I only have to string the doll once.

 

I don't mind much either way - I unstring and restring my dolls all the time normally, to spray them if needed and do blushing and sueding. I also love a project doll, so if I can save money by getting them unassembled or even a little bit dirty or scuffed, I definitely will do that too.

 

While I prefer buying dolls strung because I like having the original boxes, I have once bought a doll unstrung. I was having him sent to my friend who I'd be visiting and then bringing him back in my carry on, so I'd have had to unstring him anyway (not to mention a different friend dyed him for me first so saved them a step and some money on shipping). I don't remember if his previous owner didn't have his box anymore or if I just asked not to get it that time, but I know I'd have been heartbroken to have to discard it myself, as I'm a collector at heart and boxes are such a nice detail.

I have a bit of an issue with too much elasticity in my muscles and it makes me rather weak and prone to dislocating body parts, so I needed assistance putting him back together once I got home, but despite how difficult for me that was, I don't really regret it. It was what the situation demanded and if needed, I'd do it again.

 

The first all resin BJD I purchased around 2006, came unstrung. Back then it was a thing for some companies to sell unassembled kits during holidays, for a bit less than the assembled and painted doll. I was still in college, so I thought it was a great way to save a bit as a whole, even though I wasn't sure I was going to be able to put my doll together myself back then, the lower price was a blessing. I only owned a Volks DD back then, but she was only partially strung and not as heavy as a resin doll of a similar size. The doll ended up being a Christmas gift, so I didn't even pay for him myself, but I wasn't angry that my mom and my bff didn't pay full price for him. He did come in his regular box however, so shipping didn't cost any less, just the doll as a whole was quite a bit less expensive than having purchased him already assembled. I wish companies still did things like that, although I don't purchase dolls anymore while I was still actively shopping for them, it would have been nice paying less if they were sold as kits -- I've never purchased a whole doll second hand, so it has never affected me second market sellers are willing to do so or not. I dis sell a nude blank body unassembled to actually save the buyer on shipping costs, so I definitely find unassembled dolls appealing and not the other way around. Even more so if that means lowering the price of the actual doll, from the original company. Domestic shipping isn't that big of a deal to me, but from overseas or halfway across the word, it tends to get quite expensive for larger dolls -- despite preferring smaller sized dolls, the majority of BJD I own are larger sizes (when I stopped purchasing BJD, smaller mature sizes weren't a thing and I'm not huge into infant/child dolls). (: