Where do you look for used dolls?

[Geekmama]

I know there's a marketplace here, and I know there's one at Den of Angels (and I got an invite and registered, but have no idea how much longer it may take for me to get access to the marketplace.) I'm thinking there must be other places to look, too, but I don't know where to start.

I've looked on eBay, too, but maybe there are search terms I should be using that I'm not aware of. I usually try 1/4 bjd and check the "used" box.

Please excuse my newbie posts! Someday I'll have more than just questions to contribute.

[WhiteDove01s]

I'd scour yardsales if I had a car. Church rummage sales are a great place to look, too. For now, I really just stick to Ebay when my goal is "take ~$20 and get as many battered up and potentially interesting looking dolls as possible."

My search terms are usually just "doll lot", and then I scroll past any china dolls or the like. I always worry if I'm more specific I'd miss something - if I searched for 'Barbie doll lot', I'd miss any Monster High or Liv, for example. Even using the term 'fashion doll' can narrow results more than I like. Then I find the biggest, cheapest box I can, hopefully with a 'buy it now' option, and have someone mail me a whole box of Fun. XD

[DollyKim]

For BJDs Ebay. For the marketplace here you need to hang around and be active for a certain amount of time. Still you're going to need to be prepared to pay a certain amount of money because this isn't a cheap hobby.

Even if I paid under $200 for one of my minis or tinies they'd easily reach that level just getting the eyes and wig I want. I made choices to stop other spending and quit other hobbies for them.

[yarwel]

I think for Bjd you've mentioned the major ones. I've heard there are facebook and Flickr groups where people post bjd sales, but I don't know much about where to find them and which ones are safe. I've also heard of people finding deals on Mandarake and Hobby link Japan. Hobby link Japan has an english website(I think), but Mandarake is in Japanese, so you would have to use a translator.
If you are interested in miscellaneous playline, fashion, and porcelain dolls thrift stores can be a good place to look; you might be surprised at what you can find and all the variation out there. I've even found sideshow toys dolls mixed in with all the barbies.

[Anderson'sAllPurpose]

Mandarake has an English site as well! I've bought from them a few times without problem, although only smaller dolls and no BJD:s. The only problem is the site doesn't seem to get updated properly and sometimes will say an item is in stock when it's already been sold. You can use Figinstock.com to get notifications when something you're interested in comes in (I think that works for Hobby Link Japan too).

For non-BJD dolls I second the thrift store suggestions.

[OkamiKodomo]

Word of caution about eBay when shopping for BJDs, used or new: be careful of recasts. Sadly, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. But that doesn't mean all eBay sellers are bad, far from it! Just do your research, and when in doubt, ask someone with more experience.

I don't tend to buy used playline dolls very often, as I'm not as drawn to them as a whole. I have a huge collection of monster high, but not much else. I think the colors and personality in the face sculpts is what drew me to them. And I really like the stylized bodies too. Thrifting is fun no matter what you're looking for. I've found some great fabrics and props at secondhand stores, and it's super rewarding when you stumble upon that one special "find".

[WhiteDove01s]

Thrifting is fun no matter what you're looking for. I've found some great fabrics and props at secondhand stores, and it's super rewarding when you stumble upon that one special "find".

Very very true. The last time I had a good thrift store trip, they were having a 'bag sale' on any clothes they'd put an orange tag in. As much as you could stuff in a bag for $1 a bag. Quick mental calculations of fabric values and general stuffability and I targeted the silk until I was out of funds allotted for the trip... XD I still have a whole bin of silk shirts in all different sizes, waiting to be repurposed into doll clothes (well, unless they fit me).

Another place I thought of to check, speaking of thrift stores, is shopgoodwill.com

I don't use it too often, because for just cheap playline stuff their shipping can be a bit up there, tho not too bad if you're lucky and net a whole box. Always check what shipping's going to be before bidding, tho, as well as what payment methods each particular auction takes as it's not standardized. The Evil Overlord loves the place. (She mostly buys boxes of broken or cheap jewelry there to take apart and make into new stuff. One recent find of hers was a pair of bracelets that had little scarabs made of real semi-precious stone. She removed them and matched them up to make earrings... and I got the extra singles for Meritamen! XD).

She pointed out a couple of the smaller obitsu in their hobbies section a while back (both the same one I already had, tho). I don't know enough about the bigger BJDs to recognize them too well on the site, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or two go through there now and then. It might take some searching, though, as the folks listing them might not have a clue what they are and just call them a 'doll' and leave it at that... but that and the lower traffic on the site compared to Ebay means you might get lucky.

[Greyhaunt]

With the usual information on Ebay, try MSD Doll rather than 1/4. Even though MSD is technically a Volks term it is generally used as an all purpose term for that scale. You can also try the "generic" search term of Dollfie - again, that is technically a Volks term, but has become used as a generic term.

The next best way to search is to use the brand name you are looking for. So search Bobobie, Resinsoul, Souldoll, etc... Keep in mind that some, like Lutz are now used as keywords for a lot of things so you may not just get dolls, but it is one way to start.

A not often known fact is that you can narrow searches on Ebay by using a minus sign in front of a term. So you can do a search for Used BJD MSD -wigs -shoes in order to eliminate some things you don't want.

As has been mentioned above, be wary of recasts. If a doll that would normally sell for $500 is listed on Ebay for $200, then it could be a recast - or it's got some serious damage. It is an unfortunate fact of the BJD hobby that the dolls do not devalue and it's rare that they sell for less than they were purchased for.

[Geekmama]

Wow! Thank you all so much! That is really helpful info. I saw some deals on Ebay that were too good to be true that made me really think they had to be recasts. I've thought about building my own Obitsu, too, but by the time I got everything it wouldn't be much short of buying the one I dearly love. I''m definitely going to check that online goodwill shop, and I hadn't thought about checking thrift shops in general. Maybe if I hit some of the rich city thrift shops. . . Those are always fun anyway, as you said. ^_^

[Shyla]

Don't forget flea markets and swap meets for playline and porcelain dolls. I'm kicking myself, I saw a Porcelain Barbie! Porcelain! Barbie! I didn't get her, and I'm kicking myself for it. She was pretty neat.

Tuesday Morning Gifts sometimes has pullips and madame alexander dolls, as well as the playline dolls. It's generally a few releases behind whatever is in Toys-r-us, mine has the frights camera action, legacy day and new scaremester dolls right now as well as the tiger lilly pullip.