Reliable places to buy secondhand?

I'm also interested in this. I've bought one doll off ebay after making sure it was legit but for some reason the last two sellers I've talked to have been squirrely about selling? Mercari is one place u might try, I've been looking there as well but haven't bought anything.

 

Ive bought one doll head through Mandarake, the only thing is the shipping cost since it does come from Japan. I also got another one of my dolls through Yahoo Auctions using a proxy service, but again shipping costs are a bit pricey. I also like checking DollyTeria too!

 

The best thing to look for in a user-to-user marketplace environment is that there are consequences (bans, a visible warning on your username) for not fulfilling your side of the agreement as buyer or seller. DoA's Marketplace does this. Some private BJD communities on platforms such as Discord or Facebook also do this.
I would advise against buy/sell situations where users can remove feedback they don't like themselves e.g. an Instagram sales account. I found myself in a position with a non-paying buyer who only had good feedback, but then other people in problem transactions with them messaged me trying to see if anyone had gotten the buyer to fulfil their sales or commission obligations. The buyer had scrubbed all less-than-steller feedback from their IG.
Don't pay via Paypal Friends and Family as you'll have no way of recovering your money if the buyer doesn't uphold their end of the deal.

In terms of reliable secondhand BJD selling businesses, I only know sources from Asia (I'm Australian). Dollyteria and Mandarake are generally reliable, especially Dollyteria as they specialise in doll sales. Recasts occasionally make their way onto Mandarake, but they're usually listed with titles like "cast doll body" without mentioning a specific dollmaker.

 

Here's my biggest tip: if the seller gets squirrely about authenticity, DO NOT BUY.
Ask point blank for the authenticity info and if you detect any nervousness from them, skip it. If they start skirting around your questions, do not trust them. To people outside of DoA, "no CoA" does not mean "this is legit, but there is no CoA because I lost or never got one". They seem to think avoiding the truth makes it not a scam. Trust your gut when something feels wrong.

 

I've bought dolls on Mercari with good results. One thing I like is that the seller doesn't get paid until you have gone onto the site and indicated that you received the item and everything is in order.

 

That's a interesting theme. I'm also looking forward to finally being able to use the marketplace here. But until then, I've mostly been buying on Instagram. Fortunately, I've only had good experiences there so far. But once, on eBay, I was also scammed. Unfortunately, some Facebook groups are currently on hold. And the hashtags on Instagram don't work as well as they used to, so it's become difficult there too.

 

How do you buy from instagram? I’ve seen others say they buy from there, but I don’t know how it works.

 

@Arucane It's all user-to-user sales, usually discussed via DM.
Instagram search and tags no longer work very well, so most people advertise via specialised BJD sale accounts.
A word of warning: I don't recommend buying from someone on IG if they have no links to outside feedback, as a user can delete comments they don't like, such as feedback that isn't positive.

 

Okay thanks I will keep that in mind.

 

I'd be extra careful with transactions over Instagram and other places where you can simply delete or ignore any negative feedback, especially if you don't have a lot of presence there. I think the specific place where you make transactions doesn't matter that much, but you need a layer of accountability in case something goes wrong. Generally if there's an established community, users in the marketplace want to hold a good reputation. Paypal is not an automatic guarantee, even if you don't pay F&F (and you should never pay F&F with strangers).

 

I bought a Narae head on Vinted. I did not find anything when searching for "Narae", but found it when browsing with a general bjd search term. So the search engine does not always work well.

 

Either here on the Marketplace or eBay because of the money back guarantee.

I am very particular though. I won't buy a second hand doll without the CoA unless it's from one of the less expensive companies that doesn't make them. I will not accept a copy of a CoA, if you have it, send it with the doll, why would they need to keep it? I want the box, if available and I will pay extra shipping for the box. I want picture nude front and back of the doll, so I can compare the body with that of the company and I want to see a picture of the hands in full view.

I've gotten a lot of second hand dolls, most came in their original box some with their original full set of clothing, all with CoA's if the company made them. Some people are afraid to buy on eBay, but I am very careful when I do.

 

Second outside feedback. On Instagram I link to my eBay so people can buy there if they prefer, and see my years of feedback. It’s very difficult to fake.

 

I mostly buy on Instagram or Ebay these days. The marketplace here is lovely, but a lot of active hobbyists don’t have access to it so you’re missing out if you depend on listings here.

 

I think any secondary market warrants some caution, for a whole raft of reasons! So I think of it more as risk tiers. Here, feedback is very reliable, and I consider transactions low risk (relatively). After that, Dollyteria and Mandarake. EBay and Mercari are a mixed bag, so more caution recommended (imo, and based on a bad experience). I can't speak to FB or IG since I don't use those.

With any platform other than known companies (and even then, still look at feedback!), I'd just always advise going slow and cautiously. You're more likely to have an issue anywhere at all if you get carried away over something you really want, or a "great deal." Emotions can make you dismiss common-sense concerns. You may miss warning signs about feedback or description, miss condition issues, be less cautious about payment methods (like using friends & family), etc.

No platform is "safe" enough to fully protect you from bad buying experiences, or yourself, so always be cautious. (This is from a bad experience of my own when I should have been more cautious, not judgment!)

 

I agree with what has been said before my comment. As a fellow person in the USA, I would recommend these second hand markets: DoA, Mandarake and Dollyteria (shipping will be steep), ebay/mercari/shopgoodwill as long as you yourself are able to tell legit from recast. Instagram - I only bought once from someone I know so I trusted them. Facebook - mixed bag honestly. I have had some great buying experiences and also one really terrible one. So I try to stick to either buying new or on platforms where my negative feedback does affect the seller. There is also Circllly which I have bought from - I don't know if there is a feedback feature but I had positive experiences there. There is also BJD Collectors which I bought from once. Regardless of where you buy, think long and hard on if you want to buy the item, if you do, make sure you do some research first, ask questions if you have concerns. If you don't get a response, forget about it and move on. Your grail will find you.

 

@jessholy I've only used Circlly from the jfash side, but if the whole website works the same way across item categories, there is definitely a feedback feature. Users also have a "scale" of feedback: a user might have +5 from positive transactions with -1 for negative transactions, which gives any potential buyer more information to make an informed buying decision.

 

Oh I would also recommend beejaydees.com as I have bought from them before as well!

 

There are users who post dolls that are for sale in their stories. If you want to sell something yourself, you mention them and ask them to repost it. If I want to buy something, I write a message to the seller and discuss the details. These users who repost are, for example @bjdsale @bjdtranactions @bjd.sale

 

Ebay can be a good place to shop with a few precautions. Since you're US-based, recommend going into Advanced Search and select "US only" to filter out all those hundreds of repetitive listings from overseas recasters.

Look for listings that specify the brand name, sculpt name, resin color etc, indications that the seller has an actual doll and knows what they're talking about. Also look for owner photos rather than company photos.

Avoid vague descriptions like "customizable doll" rather than a specific brand, or using only company photos. Especially avoid ones that offer a choice of resin color or faceup (these are being cast to order and likely recast).

 

I've been very lucky with the Facebook sales groups but I second all the helpful replies you've already received about protecting yourself and not getting carried away in the moment. You can (and should!) always walk away if the seller is being shady for any reason.

When you're dealing with peer-to-peer sales, reputable sellers should be willing to show you their feedback (such as proof of fulfilled past sales, their DoA feedback thread if they have one, or their account on a marketplace like eBay/Mercari) and provide whatever proof you ask for such as photos/videos from multiple angles. If they don't have it in their listing, ask for a photo of the doll where they include a piece of paper with their name and the current date to prove they actually have it. Using Paypal Goods & Services goes without saying, along with making sure to have shipping insurance for the full cost.

I'm in these specific Facebook groups and they're pretty active:
BJD Addicts Commissions and Sales Page
BJD Adoption
BJD Addicts WTB/LF/ISO group (Not a sales group, but for posting your WTBs. This is how I got one of my grails!)

There's also the BJD Addicts Feedback/Community Alert Page where you can check for known scammers. As long as you take the proper precautions, I do think the Facebook groups are a good option to have, and they're comparatively easier to search than IG after they mucked up the tags.