Your thoughts on the Secondhand Market?

I'm thankful for the second hand market! I hopped into this hobby wanted two dolls, RingDoll Jack The Ripper and Soom Gluino. I stumbled on Jack one night on Ebay and almost cried since he is sold out and this was a full set I seriously didn't care that the price was over $1000 for something second hand. I keep trolling Ebay hoping to find my Gluino but all I see are recasts. I did manage to snag several retired/sold out 5Star Dolls from various sites for dirt cheap though.

Yup, the second hand market has turned me into a BJD doll hoarder "Hello I'm here today at Dollaholics Anonymous because I have a doll problem"

 

It's 50/50 for me. I've had items sale almost as soon as I put them up and I've had items sit there for months on the market waiting to go to a new home. Buying is the same. I'll be in the market for a certain doll/sculpt and the seller will want ridiculous amounts for it (mostly because it has a faceup by x artist which adds a useless $300 to the price because they don't do faceups anymore/hard to commission.) The thing is, people want that they paid or more for a doll that's older, even if it's damaged.

 

I don't mind secondhand dolls. One that i'm in the middle of paying for is fourth generation handed down. I feel that, their time with them is over for whatever reason, and it's my time to reinvent them and give them love. Makes sense? It will always hold value in some sort of a way. Especially if the individual holds them to value. What would be a valuable sculpt to another might not be to the next. It's a good way to track bjd doll throughout time and see improvement while still praising the classic.

 

I think the change in the secondhand BJD market is just a reflection of how much less scarce they are now. Ten years ago there were fewer companies out there and fewer people buying and selling. That scarcity made secondhand sales easier, since most of the time that would be your only chance to find those dolls.

But it's easier to buy new dolls now than ever before and there are more options across all price points. So it's like any other hobby now - there will be a few outliers that will still keep their overall value (or even fetch a profit), but by and large that's a thing of the past.

And I think that's fine, it's the normalization of the whole market. But I do think a lot of people still claim that BJDs hold their values and encourage newbies to buy dolls on the assumption that they can just sell them if they don't work out. And of course they can sell them, but at a loss. I do feel like that's something we should be more clear about these days - there so many threads out there that still have the old advice of "they hold their value, you can just resell", when some of those dolls will ultimately only sell at a fraction of their original purchase price.

On the flip side though, if you're buying this is a great time to be doing it.

 

I first tried to buy my first bjd second hand doll back in 2010, it would have been my first if I had not been scammed by the seller. That left a bad taste in my mouth for bjds so I tried again from a legit seller ( jeeryama) on eBay in 2014. Since the first attempt was a second hand doll, I decided to buy new for my first doll and get the one I really wanted. He's still my favorite doll, so much so I now have 2 of him! Only one other doll in my collection of over a dozen was new from the company. I've bought them or traded for them. I've never sold resin because I've always had much better luck offering what I had available for a trade. This has allowed me to have dolls I may have never considered before. The last trade I did got me 3 tinies in exchange for one SD body.... so I've always felt it was most worth it to me to trade. The last trade even included 2 event dolls that as it turns out, a lot of people wanted to buy, but they were only available as events. Neat! Since I get fair deals on trades, I can always offer to trade something I don't like so much in person again. This works really well for me since I do not like to subtract from the value of my collection, only add to it.

So, buying second hand has worked well for me. I've never sold resin, only traded and I feel that I don't devalue of my collection this way. I've never had anything listed for long when I was looking to trade for something else new-to-me. This works out great because other people that don't have cash on hand are more likely to take interest in what I have. Everyone wins this way. I think it's a great way to refresh your collection when someone doesn't fit in anymore, but you don't have a bunch of extra money.

 

I bought all of my dolls 2nd hand mainly from my local buy/sell app! I usually get them at very reasonable price but i seen dolls selling at very high price there bt they been there for a year and nobody buy! I think mainly its the price and condition of the doll, for me i wont buy if its doesnt comes wif coa.

 

Secondhand is sometimes a good way to get dolls. It has had its ups and downs for me.

I ended up buying a Soon Sov when the price was a bit higher but when I decided I didn't want the doll anymore, the price was in a low.

Secondhand has helped me get a discontinued JDF body for one of my dolls. I was so happy someone had it in light brown since it was like oh gosh this is a long shot to get a discontinued body in a color that isn't white/normal.

Selling takes a lot longer than it used to, especially for dolls that aren't limited. Took me nearly a year and dropping the price from $75 to $50 to get rid of a floating head. In the past, it didn't take me nearly as long to flip a doll.

I have another doll I am not really into lately, but I think I am just gonna box him up and let him sit around until inspiration hits rather than to bother selling him since I don't dislike him. I just don't know where I am going with him. And selling him is most likely going to be a long wait and a loss, so I feel at this point I am better off just sitting on it.

 

It might be more difficult to sell nowadays because there is less people in the hobby than there used to be... I remember when I first found out about the BJD you needed a special invitation to register on DoA and now you don't. So more people look to sell and less people look to buy. And of course there are a lot more dolls circulating so people can be picky... I remember years ago when I had no money it wasn't a matter of getting a doll I wanted - but ANY doll at all.

What I think of the 2nd market in general - it often makes no sense to me. I've seen people ask for a doll more than you'd pay for a brand new on a company's website where it is currently being sold. In the end it is their evaluation... but I don't know. It would be easier if the dolls didn't yellow an therefore didn't lose quality over time. And since they do it's sometimes hard to justify the prices?

But over all I think it's fun that the 2nd hand market exists in this hobby. It makes it more exciting and... I don't know, unpredictable? It was so strange for me to see a doll from DoD that doesn't exist anymore after I've wanted it throughout all my high school...

EDIT: Reading posts in this topic I'm starting to think that I'd likely have my 1st doll as 2nd hand if I had access to the Marketplace from the beginning... maybe my second doll

 

I prefer not to buy second hand only from dealer or from the company direct because many times I’m almost buying a fake, it is too much and everywhere also even when I’m buying second hand I will always think what if this is s fake? So I’m not comfortable

Also from reading I’m too worried to buy second hand I know it is rare but I do not like the chance of being scammed or have to chase the seller to send me my things I paid for and then they make me feel bad for even asking when they are late, like I am begging them and that I am inconveniencing them with asking if they ship my thing even when it is available and they say they will ship in one day

I buy secondhand only from company like mandarake because they are reliable and I do not have to worry I got my first doll from the in person so I trust them

 

Love the secondhand market for buying.

As others have said, selling can be another matter. If a doll is more popular and in demand, you’ll have better luck selling. If it’s a rather common or unpopular sculpt or there’s no demand - regardless if it’s a limited or not - you may have to step the pricing back and kinda take your losses....depending on how aggressive you are about selling it.

Given the pace of the hobby, I tend to buy with little to no selling in mind so my buys are more careful now than they used to me.

 

I enjoy the second hand market because I don't want to wait unless I have to. I have a few dolls I want in specific skin tones with specific body types, but if its a basic doll I'm down with a second hand doll or parts. If I get it for less than new that is a bonus! I don't pay more than I would new for a second hand one though.

I have sold a couple dolls and made money and sold a couple and lost money. The ones I made money were ones I got damaged, fixed, and then sold. Still less than the original doll would have cost, but more than I paid. The full dolls I sold I lost money on, but I was just wanting to clear out some dolls and stuff I didn't use or want any longer and was just looking to clear out so I was willing to take a hit. I'm not buying my dolls in the hopes of making money because I generally don't intended to sell them.

 

I bought a secondhand doll from the doa marketplace for the first time last month! I had a very good experience! I asked a couple of questions about the doll before I paid and the communication was great! I received the doll a few days later and I was so happy to get her! It is a good thing to check the sellers feedback before you purchase!

 

I've managed to sell the few dolls/parts I've put up for sale over the years, and I've never really had a hard time buying. Mostly I just post WTB threads on various websites (here, FB, IG, etc) and wait to see if anyone contacts me. I've had good luck so far with finding older sculpts and parts I want.

 

It is depended on the market, some dolls in the second market are really cheap

The problem is for finding the old parts

And for some special old body, it is so difficult to find the suitable clothes and the hairs

Our first volks doll is alomost the double price than the current price in the second market now.

I bought it at USD850.- 3 years ago, and it is just USD400.- in the second market.

For some super rare dolls, it is really difficult to find it in the second market, and the price will be expensive

But the problem is 3 years ago, everybody is looking for it, and nobody expected that it is not rare now

The fasion always changes from year to year!

My freind booked one new doll one year ago, and did not receive it now, while I already bought 2 same ones in the second market

I think it is most important to check if other buyers were satisfied with the the seller

I just have one experience last month that one seller wanted to resell her doll twice, it really confused me how she could sold the doll to one person, and resell it again without any doll with her.

We checked her sales records, and contacted the seller, and the seller told us she will ask her friend to ship it to us, but we can pay to directly to her, it really confused me

me too

it is easy to buy some time, but not easy to sell

Somtimes, it is too fast to receive a lot of dolls in a short time, fantastic!

You are right, tons!

i would like to give you my knees

sometimes, it is not easy to sell soem dolls that you do not like, and it is not easy to get the one you love ~~~~

I remeber I sold my first booked doll in the half price, and then began to collect the dolls just in the second market

I received the first booked doll after 3 months, she looked different from the photo, and I resold it one year later~~~~

In the second market, I usually ask the owner to show me many photos, and they are usually very honest, I like the second market

And all the dolls that i received from the second market are really very cute, I will not resold it

carefully buying, and never reselling

For some dolls and clothes, i thought I will never resell them

 

Dong2016, I don’t think you’re supposed to spam threads with twenty posts in a row like that just to get your post count up. Just make one post, use the multi-quote option if you want to reply to people.

 

Since my husband gifted me a doll for Christmas, and she turned out to be a fake, I am very scared to buy second hand. Clothes or practice heads are not a problem, but I have not even given her a name, although I had a lovely one picked out. The trouble I have when I go to doll sites, is I can't tell if they are legitimate, until I come back here and check the lists. But even then, I saw a new sculpt but it did not bend at the waist. Aren't they supposed to?

 

I haven't had issues because other collectors have offered the parts to me for sale. I'd say look around on Mandarake if you're after Volks dolls.
But yah the market has been all over the place these past few years, and you can't expect to get back what you paid for a doll originally, either.
Basically if you want a doll, get it when you think the price is right, because whether it'll skyrocket or plummet in price is totally unpredictable. *shrug*

Sorry you ended up with a recast. DoA will give you the official websites for specific companies in their DoA wiki pages.
And, uhhh, not all dolls bend at the waist. It really depends on which sculpt you're talking about.

 

personally ive seen the second hand market get really expensive for dolls but alot of the time i can understand it especially when they have done extras for said doll i just dont like the ones that buy the doll then sell it way more expensive when its not worth that much especially when it looks esackly what they brought it like ir even has chips

 

I agree with you!

 

I think Den of Angels's secondhand eye market is hard to navigate in general. I wouldn't mind buying eyes secondhand, in theory, but when I'm looking for sparkly glitter eyes in a specific color, or realisticly shaded blue glass eyes, "<color> <company name> <material>" doesn't help at all. Not all glass eyes are realistic, not all urethane eyes have fantasy designs in them, and the lack of ability to see the picture before clicking on it is just... not a very practical format for buying eyes. It's also not useful for buying wigs, I'm tired of looking for a long black wig with no bangs for my Soo, clicking on a sale thread, and finding a shoulder length bob. Shoulder length hair is not long hair.

As someone who happily buys old delfs when she has the money for them (just bought a head off the marketplace and eyeing a second head) I don't mind the lower prices. Not really caring for the current "popular" trend of doll chateau esque bodies and not really caring for Dollshe at all helps, a lot.