Why did I pick eBay for my first doll!? (Scammer Saidee88 / mybayer2008)

How about the fact that I as a hobbyist will never buy an AoD doll now? I know there are others who feel the same. That's countless orders (and investment) AoD will never recieve. Their business will suffer but I want to be sure that I have a legitimate product I can re-sell if I have to. This controversy will have hurt AoD's business because everyone selling a second-hand AoD product on the MP will be second-guessed, so first-hand sales will begin to slow down.

This kind of issue hurts everybody. There's already infighting here, with people taking up Saidee88's fight and people decrying her. There is nothing that can be done for the people who have already bought dolls from Saidee88, but I stand by the mods' decision to ban dolls specifically bought from Saidee88's store. It is a means to protect the rest of us from buying illegitimate dolls on the Marketplace unknowingly and to discourage others with dubious morals from buying from Saidee88 thinking they're 'sticking it to the man' and buying their dolls outside of the company.

DoA is run by fans, for fans, but that doesn't mean they will accept every BJD ever made and nor should they. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and I'm comfortable with the line where it has been drawn. I would hate to think of a company run out of business for this and the best way to protect ourselves and the companies who produce these wonderful dolls is to buy new dolls only from legitimate sellers.

 

Vicemage - I just read through that whole other thread (have you?) and see absolutely no evidence of lying or rudeness on behalf of Saidee.

People were originally accusing her of lying when she said she wasn't actually selling fakes - which she wasn't. It seems that a few people on DOA assumed the dolls to be outright fakes and started emailing AOD with their concerns, and I believe that the initial hysteria has had a very large bearing on the situation overall when it could have been dealt with more conservatively (not by DOA necessarily, I mean generally).

The only issue that seems to be outstanding seems to be whether she was buying directly from the factory rather than AOD. AOD don't seem to have explicitly clarified that point, so it's still up in the air.

 

^ QFE. This is the core of the issue here. What this seller is doing is harming the brand name and their business in a legitimate, serious way. Someone buying a doll or two, then deciding they don't want it and reselling it isn't harming business. But Saidee88 is acting as a merchant, taking orders for new dolls and conducting business as a dealer, regardless of whether she's expressly stated "I'm a dealer" or not. She's behaving like one, but undercutting AoD's International sales profits. In the long run, if she grows more popular that could very much harm their business.

(Emphasis added by me) Exactly. Honestly, the mods could say "All white skin dolls are banned from this forum." (Just picking a random feature there out of the blue for example, please don't take that seriously). They don't say that, and they won't, but they have every right to do so if they chose because it is a privately-owned forum. They have the right to choose sides, and in this case they chose to support the company that makes the dolls and their wishes. It's as simple as that.

Yeah... I will admit that I am saddened by the sheer number of people even bringing up the fact, "But who would know if I didn't tell you where I got it?". I would like to think that members of this community are honest and have ethical standards, and would support the best interests of the hobby and the companies that make the hobby possible. Personally, I would rather support the company that makes beautiful dolls instead of harming the company just to save a few bucks. As for people who did unknowingly buy a doll from her before finding out, I feel bad for them but I'd like to hope they have the integrity to keep the doll off DoA. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the doll at home, play with it, mod it, take pictures and post them on your LJ or DA, or bring it to meetups. But I'd hope that people would respect the mod's wishes here instead of trying to "sneak one by".

In the end, regardless of whether it's technically illegal, what that seller is doing is at its core unethical. I think it's a bit depressing that it seems some people don't know the difference.

Actually, I am still considering buying an AoD body for one of my floating heads... and I'll admit this issue made me think twice. In the end, I think I'll just order direct from the company or an authorized dealer. But I'll keep my sales receipts, shipping packing slip, and maybe even the shipping label. It seems extreme, but if I want a doll and it IS from a legitimate dealer, I won't let someone else's shady business practices affect that decision.

Though I do feel bad for people who ordered legitimate AoD dolls before this situation arose and didn't keep documentation, because there probably will be some speculation every time an AoD doll goes up for sale without that proof.

 

Whoa there, of course it matters where she got the dolls from. Selling dolls purchased in a shady dealing is not ok, and even if she bought them from a legit source her selling large quantities as a retailer can really hurt AoD. Do you like AoD dolls? If you do, then you should care what happens to the company. If they can't make a profit then they can't keep making new dolls for us. Buying from someone like Saidee might save you a few bucks in the short term, but in the long run it's bad for everyone who likes AoD and wants them to keep developing new sculpts. Try looking at the actual consequences of all of this and then think about what you actually suggested was ok.

I hope for the sake of the people who bought dolls from her that you're correct. However, there are plenty of stories of otherwise reputable people suddenly flaking out for some reason. The fact that her ebay ID is gone and that this whole business of hers isn't quite on the up and up would be a matter of concern for me. Only time will tell, I suppose.

And by the way, as for buyers being made to feel bad: It isn't their fault--they thought they were buying from someone legit and Saidee didn't exactly make it known on hers ebay sales that she and AoD were having issues. The mods who posted in the original thread made it clear that people who bought dolls in good faith are not too blame for this. The ban on these dolls is to discourage Saidee not punish buyers as has been made clear twenty times over by now. I'm genuinely sorry for anyone who feels bad about this, but the responsibility for the situation needs to rest on Saidee's shoulders--she was the one that decided she didn't care what AoD wanted or thought or how this might affect them and their fans and decided to sell the dolls anyway.

I hope that doesn't happen, and it's a reason to support the companies rather than folks like Saidee. This hobby involves a lot of buying and selling, which requires a certain amount of trust--if that trust gets damaged then companies and hobbyists can get hurt.

I agree 100%. The lines that get drawn are to protect both companies and hobbyists--not just to inconvenience people as a few folks seem to think.

 

I'm going to close this thread because I don't think it's serving any purpose other than to give people something to fight about. Dolls from this seller are banned on DoA - people who disagree could complain about it until their fingers fall off, but it's not changing unless AoD's official statement changes. Again, I apologize to those who bought their dolls in good faith, but they simply cannot be posted here.

DoA is a private forum, staffed entirely by completely unpaid volunteers who love dolls and the doll community. Any revenue the forum makes through advertising is used to support our mindlessly expensive servers. It is a LOT of work to keep everything running. Please keep this in mind before you try to insist that majority rule is the way to go, or that the moderators do not have the best interests of both the forum and its members at heart.

This. Thank you for saying this.

If someone is going to lie so that their doll can be posted here, the mods can't stop them. But I am going to just hope that people value their integrity higher than that. If I were in the situation of wanting an AoD, I would either pay the extra $30 to buy from a legitimate distributor or I would take my unauthorized doll to another forum. Other forums do exist, it's not just an urban legend. Seriously.

As for sadie88, I think enough has been said about how her actions are hurting AoD, even if they may not be strictly "illegal." I think a couple people have made really fantastic points about how this has undermined consumer confidence in AoD - people doubt both first-hand sellers of new dolls and second-hand individuals who are selling their used dolls. Not just because of the inability to post on DoA, either. AoD will not service the dolls purchased from this seller, which is an issue with items this costly.

Anyway, I am closing this. If AoD changes their statement on sadie88, please drop one of the Mods a PM so we can reopen this thread and any other related threads. Thanks.