Buying from Ebay/Amazon

[versora]

I don't know if this sort of question goes here. But yeah. Anyways...

Since I plan on buying a BJD is okay to buy from Ebay/Amazon? Since they seem to be a distributor. I know Alice Collections is one too. The main Doll Family-H site is in Japanese, and they have no PayPal option.

So, yeah, there ya have it. My question in a nutshell. I may add more questions if I can think of any.

[Trethowan]

My first choice is always to go through a reputable dealer. I prefer to buy through Junkyspot, Mint on Card, and Alice's Collections. Both Mint and Alice's carry the brand you're asking for. You can email a dealer and ask them if they can order the particular doll you want. These guys offer the best shipping and their reputations are stellar. Your money is safe with them. Junkyspot and Mint on Card are both located in the US so the benefit is English speaking customer service and fast shipping. Alice's Collections is in China. There's a language barrier, but it's not awful, they're usually good about answering my emails. I use really basic sentence structure for their benefit.

http://mintoncardinc.com/dolls/browse.p ... y+-+H&cbh=

http://www.acbjd.com/doll-familyh-event ... 53f83a5aaa

If you can't go through a dealer, I suggest buying directly from the company, if it's an option. If there isn't an English option they may not like to sell internationally, preferring to use dealers instead of having to translate requests from loads of different countries and languages. Most companies have several languages set up, but I see (as you've posted) that DF-H doesn't have that option.

Personally, I would only use Ebay or Amazon IF they were affiliated with a reputable dealer or the company direct. If you're looking at buying from individuals, which will be a 2nd hand doll, be sure and do your research on them before sending them your money. Check their feedback, ask questions about the product to see if they know what they're talking about. I like to ask basic questions to see if people know what they're talking about or not. If they can't answer questions (especially in doll lingo) it could be a stolen item, or they could be trying to pawn off a recast like it's the real deal.

Looks like Mint on Card has the Lei Li up for pre-order and they're giving the sale price too. That's spiffy! Alice's has the event sale also but I don't see Lei Li in stock.

[victoriavictrix]

Given the option, since Mint On Card has it on pre-order, I would go with them.

[versora]

Ah. Thanks. Hubby and I still need to file our income tax, so hopefully I can eventually buy him. PayPal is picky about cards though.

[MeltedCaramel]

Errr....*Clears throat* Far be it from me to defend Ebay or Amazon, since they both have a myriad of problems, but they're not the evil monsters they're made out to be. If you do your research, the biggest pain in the behind tends to be the after-market price hike. I've had problems with both regarding dolls. On Amazon, I bought from a retailer that sold anime merchandise in their "brick and mortar" store, and were closing down and selling the merchandise off online (all of this checked out under investigation), and I bought an extremely popular and expensive 1/8 scale figure from them. The fake was so good that if I hadn't had the "companion figure" to go with it, it would have gone completely unnoticed. I approached them in a rather hostile manner thinking they were trying to scam me, but it turned out they had no idea they had been sold a fake and were rather ashamed and very quick to refund me my money and get things sorted out. Unfortunately this figure is so popular that the people who manufactured the fake work VERY HARD to make it look like the real thing. They were extremely apologetic and did the right thing and paid for everything to be shipped back. I didn't let it discourage me though. I've just educated myself on the dolls I'm buying and try to make sure I'm either buying from the source (usually Japan) and I just stay vigilant. If there's ever a problem, you can open a case against them for a fraudulent product if they refuse refunds.

Overwhelmingly I've had a positive Ebay/Amazon experience regarding dolls because I arm myself with as much research as I can.

Also, Trethowan has a good point about checking feedback. If you see anything fishy, move on.

I need to point out one thing though. A lot of "red flags" that usually apply to spotting a fake are a bit murky in this arena. Many people on Ebay are businessmen and women, pure and simple. They have no intent to defraud anyone, they're just looking to cash in on something that they're taking a gamble on that will be popular. So many legitimate dealers use stock images and don't know all that much about the product. It's akin to going to your local toy store, pulling a toy off the shelf, and demanding the cashier know everything about it. The biggest thing is to check feedback, and where the doll is coming from. If it's MIB, stock images may be the norm because it's one item in a giant online store full of items. If it's second hand, you may want to ask where the original person bought the doll, if it was MIB when they got it, etc. Sadly, just skip over Hong Kong and Chinese retailers. Not all of them are selling fakes, but the majority are, and it's a sad situation that undercuts the honest dealers profits, but in the end it's YOUR doll.

In short, just use your common sense and a little bit of caution and knowledge about your product and Ebay and Amazon are just as safe to use as anything else, and sometimes end up being the ONLY place you can find the doll you want!!

[versora]

Errr....*Clears throat* Far be it from me to defend Ebay or Amazon, since they both have a myriad of problems, but they're not the evil monsters they're made out to be. If you do your research, the biggest pain in the behind tends to be the after-market price hike. I've had problems with both regarding dolls. On Amazon, I bought from a retailer that sold anime merchandise in their "brick and mortar" store, and were closing down and selling the merchandise off online (all of this checked out under investigation), and I bought an extremely popular and expensive 1/8 scale figure from them. The fake was so good that if I hadn't had the "companion figure" to go with it, it would have gone completely unnoticed. I approached them in a rather hostile manner thinking they were trying to scam me, but it turned out they had no idea they had been sold a fake and were rather ashamed and very quick to refund me my money and get things sorted out. Unfortunately this figure is so popular that the people who manufactured the fake work VERY HARD to make it look like the real thing. They were extremely apologetic and did the right thing and paid for everything to be shipped back. I didn't let it discourage me though. I've just educated myself on the dolls I'm buying and try to make sure I'm either buying from the source (usually Japan) and I just stay vigilant. If there's ever a problem, you can open a case against them for a fraudulent product if they refuse refunds.

Overwhelmingly I've had a positive Ebay/Amazon experience regarding dolls because I arm myself with as much research as I can.

Also, Trethowan has a good point about checking feedback. If you see anything fishy, move on.

I need to point out one thing though. A lot of "red flags" that usually apply to spotting a fake are a bit murky in this arena. Many people on Ebay are businessmen and women, pure and simple. They have no intent to defraud anyone, they're just looking to cash in on something that they're taking a gamble on that will be popular. So many legitimate dealers use stock images and don't know all that much about the product. It's akin to going to your local toy store, pulling a toy off the shelf, and demanding the cashier know everything about it. The biggest thing is to check feedback, and where the doll is coming from. If it's MIB, stock images may be the norm because it's one item in a giant online store full of items. If it's second hand, you may want to ask where the original person bought the doll, if it was MIB when they got it, etc. Sadly, just skip over Hong Kong and Chinese retailers. Not all of them are selling fakes, but the majority are, and it's a sad situation that undercuts the honest dealers profits, but in the end it's YOUR doll.

In short, just use your common sense and a little bit of caution and knowledge about your product and Ebay and Amazon are just as safe to use as anything else, and sometimes end up being the ONLY place you can find the doll you want!!

Ah. Yeah. I ordered from Amazon once, but it wasn't a doll. It was Hellsing wrist bands. My mom swears by Amazon and Ebay, but I am more catious. Mother usually only buys DVDs. But I have been doing research, I may have to drop all my other info seeking projects, and concentrate on the dollie. Since I tend to get easily distracted, lol.

[victoriavictrix]

Here's my reason for avoiding Amazon for anything other than the odd Jun Planning doll.

Amazon: The merchant probably does not have the doll in stock, but WILL ding your credit card for it up front, leaving you with a payment but no doll for months (average wait time for a doll shipped from Asia is 1-3 months). The merchant might have the doll in stock, but if you and someone else happen to buy it at the same time (this has happened to me), one of you is either going to get the transaction cancelled or will have to wait.

Ebay: recasts are an issue. Stolen dolls are an issue. Breakage/loss in shipping is an issue. Dolls not being as advertised is an issue. Doing your due diligence will help, but not with shipping problems which can take months to sort out among you, the seller, Paypal and the shipping provider (K2 and I are going on 2 months now with a missing doll head and still no joy and K2 is about the most wonderful person on the planet: it's UPS at fault). Plus if you are buying from the original maker via ebay, you are going to get your Paypal dinged up front then wait for 1-3 months, and if there is breakage/loss in shipping, now you are dealing with an international shipping agency.

Buying from Mint On Card, however, means that you will get charged only when the doll arrives at Mint On Card and is ready to be shipped to you. Mint On Card will deal with any international shipping problems and you will never know about them. If there are domestic shipping problems, Mint On Card will deal with them immediately, refund you, arrange for replacement parts, and go after the shipper themselves.

Once you've bought a couple dolls, it's not so bad dealing with these hassles yourself. But for your first doll, it's much easier to go with a domestic merchant.

[MeltedCaramel]

I understand all your points victoriavictrix, like I mentioned, I've had problems with Amazon and Ebay plenty of times. (I think I've had to open around 20 dispute cases on Ebay, but that's 20 dispute cases versus 1000+ items so...eh, not so bad. And most times the seller resolves it themselves without having to have Ebay be like the referee on a dispute, it's just that a dispute case is the only way to 'properly' go through the refund spiel on Ebay.) Conversely though, I have never had a problem with a retailer not having the doll in stock that I order on Amazon, so I honestly can't comment on that with any authority.

As for Ebay...of course all of those things are an issue, but sometimes the risk is worth the reward. Also, I find that the Japanese sellers tend to be EXTREMELY courteous. I've had several times where there has been a stock miscalculation on a doll and they take it upon themselves to go and find the doll instead of just refunding and saying "try your luck elsewhere". They're also likely to actually search out items you request, customize things, etc. I know Ebay is a bit of a minefield, but really educating yourself on the signs of a legitimate fake goes a long way.

Your situation with K2 is an unfortunate one. Also, hint: It's always UPS' fault. But in all seriousness, I just don't want people thinking it's impossible to buy from Amazon or Ebay. I agree for someone new to doll collecting that Mint On Card would be the surefire choice, it's just not the only choice. Of course there can be bad experiences, but if the doll you must have is available only on one of these sites, it could very well be worth taking that small risk.

As for dinging credit cards...there are people (like me) who actually prefer to have the money taken out up front and then wait. Money can be a devious thing, and if it's not already spent and gone you might find yourself wondering where that $450 went that you were holding for a pre-order. I know that reeks of lack of self-control on my end, but sometimes it's easier knowing that the transaction itself is over and done with and I don't have that money taunting me every time I see something I want, because it is in effect already spent.

I agree Mint On Card is the best option for a new collector, if Mint On Card can get the doll you want (I've read they're usually pretty good about this if memory serves correct), but if they can't, I just wouldn't cut Ebay or Amazon completely out of the equation. Both have methods of dealing with things like fraud/breakage/etc, and they're usually in the buyer's corner. I've had stuff legitimately lost in the mail that has been recorded as being delivered to me, and Ebay still sided with me, despite the tracking number saying differently.

The biggest thing, buying from anywhere, is to do your homework. You're rewarded in the end.

[versora]

Thanks, so much. I think I will go with Mint On Card. I searched the doll I wanted on Ebay and the location of the doll was China. I heard bad things about BJDs sold through China, like they were recasts and whatnot. If it is a recast well that would be my regret, But I would still keep it. On the other hand the price of the doll was the same on Mint on Card and Alice Collections, and the main store. So it may be the real doll.

[MeltedCaramel]

versora, that's using your head!! If the doll's origin isn't from China originally, that's a definite giant red flag right there. It's sad for the legitimate Chinese and Hong Kong Ebay users that genuinely want to make a profit from real items, but when using Ebay, I try to avoid sellers from there because it's overwhelmingly going to be a fake/recast/etc. The only time I go for them is when I buy cheap gashapon figurines to test out my painting skills on. (Just a note: I don't consider that buying a recast. We're talking 1 inch high figures for $10 that I have already bought legitimate versions of, which are often severely over-inflated on the secondhand market (...one of the series I collect for, their "blind box" 4'' figures that cost $10 originally? They go for around $300-500 on Ebay when they're legitimate and not bootlegs. ). I like to test my skills as a painter by trying to match the original. It's good to keep in practice! )