How can I avoid buying a recast BJD? (2020 Version)
Find out if the doll is currently for sale from the company, or if it is a limited doll from the past.
Some companies sell limited dolls for a short period of time, and then don’t sell that particular doll again for a while. If you know that a doll was a limited release in March 2015, but it’s currently April 2020, you shouldn’t expect to find the doll new. Move to the secondhand purchases section!
If possible, buy directly from the company.
Most BJD companies have English websites and allow you to order directly from them. The prices on the English websites are usually listed in USD. Occasionally the price in dollars is a bit higher than the price in RMB or won or whatever, but not by that much. It is *possible* to order directly from the company from eBay or Taobao, but it’s also possible to get scammed that way (http://geminick.tumblr.com/post/82377046814/a-story-of-fraud-please-repost), making it not really worth the amount of ‘savings’ you might get. Some companies offer layaway, and others have dealers that offer layaway.
Check out the dealers listed on the company’s website.
Some BJD companies have dealers in the U.S. or E.U. Sometimes dealers have layaway, and shipping may be less expensive. Only dealers are allowed to sell dolls as new; other sites selling the dolls might be fake.
Look at the price listed on the company’s website. Expect to pay that price.
The original price is what you need to expect to pay for the doll you want, if you’re buying it new from the company or from an official dealer. If you’re interested in a doll that costs $400 new from the company, a website listing it for $150 is not selling a legit doll. Just like you know what an iPod should probably cost, you know what the doll should probably cost. An extremely discounted price from a website or dealer is suspicious.
Avoid Amazon, Alibaba, Taobao, eBay, and other unmoderated marketplaces.
Many recasters list their dolls on these sites because the websites get a lot of traffic, but there is no oversight to check if the dolls are legit. Yes, it’s possible to find secondhand legit dolls on these sites, but it’s much more likely that you will be scammed. If in doubt, post about it on social media and ask experienced hobbyists.
Avoid listings that have conflicting information.
A listing that says something like “Volks Soom 1/3 ¼ BJD Fairyland Minifee Luts” is fake. A doll can’t be both 1/3 and ¼ scale. Volks and Soom are two completely different companies. This keyword spam is used by recasters to bring their fake dolls to the top of search results.
Avoid listings with warnings that the faceup will be “similar”.
Default faceups should look like the company’s original release photos. Pictures of a doll with a faceup that is blurry or not like the company photos are suspicious. Warnings that the faceup will be “similar” are suspicious.
For secondhand purchases…
Make sure the doll’s resin color was offered by the company.
Especially for tan or fantasy color dolls, make sure the company actually produced the doll in that color. Gray-skinned resin Volks dolls do not exist, for example. If the seller says that the doll was dyed or painted, ask for progress photos.
Find out how the company marks their dolls.
Many companies have identifying marks on their dolls. This can include headplates, names, numbers, or stamps sculpted inside the head or inside body parts, L and R markings, and more. Logos and marks in the resin should be relatively deep and clear, with some variation. Some companies have magnets to include option parts.
Some dolls do ship with seam lines; find out what’s normal for the company you’re interested in. Abnormal would be a double seam line, which indicates that a doll with a seam line was recast, and the second set of seam lines is from the recasting process.
If the doll is missing the company marks, or they’re abnormally faint or blurry, that’s suspicious.
Look for imperfections or abnormalities.
Some dolls are recast without the faceup from the original doll having been removed, so the lips are fattened by gloss. Details can be lost in the fingers and toes, and in the ears or the nostrils. Some companies do ship dolls with ‘snowflakes’ (small white resin marks), but large pits or bubbles are problematic. Ears that were pierced by default but are closed on the sale doll are suspicious. Dolls that were released by the company with magnetic hands but have hook hands instead are suspicious.
Look for paperwork and boxes.
Find out what the company’s boxes and packaging look like. Few legit companies send their dolls in plastic clamshell packaging, like what children’s toys come in. Most companies have a distinctive box and packing style. Find out what that is. Some buyers do throw their boxes away. But if the seller can’t explain why they don’t still have the box, and they don’t have box opening pictures or some other signs of legitimacy, that is suspicious.
The older the doll you’re interested in, the less likely that paperwork was provided. Ask around to hobbyists who have the doll you’re interested in to find out what the original paperwork looked like, if there was any at all. Bootleg paperwork does exist for some companies, but that doesn’t mean that paperwork isn’t valuable. If you’re buying from the first owner, they should be able to provide you screenshots of their order on the company’s website, or they should be able to explain how they bought the doll but can’t provide screenshots. The seller should be able to explain why paperwork is lacking if there should be some.
Look at clear photographs of the doll for sale.
This isn’t just to protect against recasts, but to protect yourself from buying a doll that is dirty or damaged. Sellers should post bald shots of the head face-forward, and from the sides. There should be photographs of the head plate, if the company installs headplates. There should be nude photos of the front and back of the doll’s body. If the seller has these pictures but they are grainy, blurry, etc, request better pictures. Not all of these photos might be in the listing. However, if the seller can’t provide them when asked, you should probably pass.
Find out about the past of this specific doll.
If the seller doesn’t state whether they were the first owner, ask. If the seller bought the doll secondhand and says so, see if you can trace the ownership back to the original buyer. Lots of dolls can be found on the DoA marketplace by searching for the sculpt name, so you can see if there is an obvious previous owner (or more than one), a split, etc. Sometimes you can’t get back to the original owner, or any previous one, so ask the seller if you need to.
Investigate the seller.
Look at their feedback thread. Look up their past posts about the doll they’re selling. Are there box openings? Meetup pics? Anything? Basically, use those internet-stalking skills you developed on your high-school crush or whatever to investigate the seller. This is important whether or not the doll is suspicious! Not everyone on the internet is good at being responsible when it comes to money, packing, shipping, and being timely, even if they seem very nice otherwise.
If you end up with a doll that you think is a recast…
Post pictures of the doll and what about it makes you think that it is a recast.
Ask the opinion of experienced hobbyists, including showing them the doll in person if that’s an option for you. On DoA, this has to be in the “Ask the Moderators” forum. On your own social media, you can post as you like. You may find out that your doll is fine! If lots of people agree with you that the doll probably isn’t legit…
File a claim with PayPal / your credit card company / your bank
Even if the time limit has passed! Explain that you were sold a bootleg, counterfeit product marketed as a legitimate product (put it in terms of brand: you thought it was Fairyland Brand, but it is a knockoff).
Post negative feedback.
Start a negative feedback thread (on DoA, in the forum/group where you bought the doll, etc.) and a public social media post about the transaction. If someone has scammed you, they don’t belong in the community, and you deserve to get your money back.
More information about avoiding recasts can be found here on Den of Angels.
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