DISCLAIMER:

Please understand that the information below is only meant as a guide, based on my personal experience in the hobby and my opinions. It is in no way meant to be law, there is no perfect way to buy or sell. I encourage you to do further research and seek out other sources.

General Information

• The second-hand market in the BJD community is active and usually strong, but goes through periods of slower sales just like any hobby.

• Buying second-hand eliminates the long, grueling production waiting period (some companies have waiting periods over one year) so being able to buy a doll and have it arrive within a week is very appealing.

• Item location plays a factor in pricing. In the EU for example, many buyers will prefer to shop domestically where there are no additional import, VAT tax or currency conversion fees. Second-hand prices may be higher in some places when compared to other regions since you don’t have to account for the cost of overseas shipping and related aforementioned fees.

• Den of Angels is a members-only website for BJD collectors. They have excellent resources and a wiki available to the public. They also have a marketplace and marketplace “graveyard” where “for sale” and “want” ads are archived for dolls that have sold or that have been found. You need an account with marketplace access in order to view it, also please understand that buyers may have negotiated with sellers, and the final sale price vs the original listing price may be different.

What are recasts?

• A recast is an unauthorized reproduction or copy of a doll or part. To put it plainly, they are fake. They are copied by the use of 3D scanners or by making a mold from an existing legitimate part. This is a violation of the original artist or company’s exclusive right to control the distribution of their intellectual property. The original artists or companies receive no proceeds or credit from recasts, and can jeopardizes artists’ workshops and small businesses. If not informed, it is easy to mistakenly purchase a fake doll if new to the hobby.

What are face-ups?

• Face-ups are the painting on a doll’s face, they are either done directly from the company at the time of purchase or the dolls are ordered blank, the owners can then paint the dolls themselves
• Some face-up artists are “famous” in the hobby and their work will add value to a doll.
• Older face-ups can chip and flake off.
• A doll’s face-up, condition or lack-there-of will affect the price.

What is yellowing?

• BJDs are cast in resin, when resin oxidizes with time and the red pigments fade, this leads to the resin changing to a yellow-er color. There have been cases where old tan dolls have turned green.
• Modern companies have since adjusted their resin formulations in an effort to combat yellowing, but yellowing is inevitable!
• A heavily yellowed doll, like one that was on display in a sunlit room will decrease the value.
• If dolls are stored clothed or with wigs, it’s possible for them to become unevenly yellowed.
• Uneven yellowing will decrease the value of a doll even further.

What are “splits“?

• Splits refer to selling just part of a doll, like the head, body, or accessories.
• I would advise against splitting a doll unless you have not had any interest in the full doll.
• Start off by splitting accessories, then try selling the doll before splitting the head and body.
• If splitting a head from a body, I recommend giving the CoA to the buyer of the head, but keeping a photocopy to go with the body. Recently, some companies started giving out two CoAs for both parts.

Receipts, CoAs, Boxes

• The more you have, the better! Provenance is a great way to make buyers feel at easy when buying second-hand due to the presence of recasts.

Paypal

• Do not ask for Paypal fees, this is a huge turn off, instead incorporate fees into your price.
• Do not ask for “friends & family” payment, it is a huge turn off and it comes across a little sketchy.
• ALWAYS ship to the Paypal address! No exceptions.
• If for some reason a buyer needs shipping to a different address, send an invoice instead, this method allows you to pre-fill in the address (let me know if you need help).

Layaway

• Sellers who accept a layaway tend to have slightly higher selling prices since buyers have more time to pay the item off. Likewise, a seller might be willing to offer a discount if a buyer can pay in full right away.
• Layways aren’t without their down-side, some people are flaky, this hobby is particularly bad. There are always new dolls being listed for sale and the temptation of newly released “limited edition” dolls can be hard for some to resist.
• Make sure to always ask for a non-refundable deposit, even $50 is better than nothing.
• Spell out your terms clearly, here are what my terms look like: https://www.beejaydees.com/layaway/
• Give a shipping quote beforehand. I have seen many sales fall apart because of shipping.
• Try to keep layaways short.
• Communicate with your buyers!
• TL;DR Layaways can get you a little more money, but they may also come with headaches.

Shipping, packing & returns

• ALWAYS purchase insurance, make sure the amount insured covers the doll + the shipping cost.
• Insurance protects the seller not the buyer, the buyer will always win Paypal and eBay cases.
• Bubble-wrap the sh*t out of everything.
• If you think you’ve used too much, you’re wrong, it’s not enough.
• These dolls are so delicate, hands are especially so, consider removing them and packing them separately.
• Do not pack with newsprint, they are staining agents!
• Always re-package doll boxes in other boxes
• I recommend using new packing supplies, it might be tempting to re-use bubble wrap or boxes but most have lost their integrity. I purchase my supplies from www.uline.com
• Do you want to accept returns? Spell out all of your terms. Who pays return shipping?