Selling your BJDs
I hope anothercagedbird (guh why wont it let me tag you ;_; ) doesn't mind me posting this, they sent me a fan mail (hence why I can't just posted it publicly x_x damn it tumblr) because they're having some trouble selling a doll and are looking for a little help. I figured I'd throw up a post about it since it might come in useful to other people too.
It's a scary thought but I think in total I've probably sold something close to 30 dolls/heads over the years, I don't even know anymore... soooo I reckon I'm sort of qualified to talk about this XD
Over the eight years I've been in the hobby the second hand market's changed a lot. It had it's peak about five or six years ago, especially for those of us outside the US when the dollar was floundering (hell, it was almost $2 to the £. That was pretty glorious as a buyer), it was easy as hell to sell dolls on but over the years it's been becoming progressively more difficult to move much of anything. There's a few reasons that jump out of course, the mass-fuckage of the economy in general with the global recession that kicked off in 2008, leaving people with less money to throw around on hobby related things and the creeping reach of recasts and the paranoia that goes with them. It really sucks that the second hand market is where it is right now but who knows, maybe it'll experience another boom eventually...
So anyway, with the suckiness of the current second hand market in mind, there are a few ways to help sell your dolls rather than having them sat on the MP forever:
Post them everywhere. Within reason of course and where appropriate. There are loads of facebook groups around now that are for selling dolls and doll stuff, some are very localised and others not so much so throwing up listings on those can help. Local forums too and of course the DoA market place. Maximize your exposure (obviously without being obnoxious about it), the more people who see your listing the more likely you are to find your buyer. And of course remember to tag that puppy every variation of 'BJD' if you're posting here on tumblr.
Your pictures don't have to be amazing but they should be clear and be sure to take lots of them. I can't tell you how many times I've been put off buying a doll because there weren't any clear photos or the seller only showed them dressed or didn't show the body or details at all. Try to shoot in natural light were you can to avoid colour casts and show the doll as close to it's real colour as possible, making sure they're in focus of course. If there's damage or mods be sure to take lots of photos and be as transparent about it as possible. Buyers appreciate transparency. Include full body shots if you're selling a full doll, preferably naked, and of course extra parts if there are any, buyers want to see everything they'll be getting.
Ship internationally It's a bit of a weirdly US centric thing that some sellers point blank refuse to ship internationally. I don't know why or the reason behind it but if you limit yourself to shipping only locally you're cutting out a huge swathe of potential buyers. Your buyers are going to be paying the cost and most of us are familiar with how much it will cost us to get a doll from abroad.
Don't be that person who charges paypal fees I'm fairly certain it's the case pretty much everywhere now but in certain countries charging PP fees is against their TOS (including the UK) but besides that kind of makes you look like a bit of a dick, especially surprise fees after prices have already been agreed. If you're worried about PP's cut taking too big a chunk out of your money, factor them into the price from the start. Consider it an overhead if you must since it's a cost of using the service and just include that stuff from the start. A lot of people flat out will not buy from someone who states they're charging paypal fees.
Check prices of similar dolls that already sold It's hard to price a doll, what we consider reasonable might be way over or under priced for someone else. A good way of gauging how much your doll is currently worth is to check out any of the same sculpt that have recently sold. That can be tricky of course if it's a rare of underloved sculpt. Beware of course of trends in the hobby, there's always dolls that are super popular at any given time so prices on those can fluctuate wildly as their popularity increases or fades. Try not to undercut too deeply though, it can be tempting but undercutting massively generally fucks things up for anyone else trying to sell a similar doll in the future.
Be flexible While being low-balled (low-balling being making a ridiculous and unreasonably low offer) is insulting to say the least and should just be dealt with by giving a polite 'no thanks' being flexible about your prices and/or what you include (throwing in little extras like wigs or eyes etc) can help encourage potential buyers.
Offer layaway Given how tight money is for so many people these days and how much budgeting needs to be done around doll purchases the prospect of a layaway can be very enticing. I usually ask for a 25%(ish) non-refundable deposit then monthly payments for a length of time that works for us both. The non-refundable deposit it mostly to deter time wasters as sadly some people are serial flakers so it's mostly to put them off and encourage serious buyers only.
Don't force 'custom full sets' on buyers What I mean by 'custom full sets' is when an owner includes full outfits, wigs, etc with the doll since they're trying to clear out everything in one tidy lump. I know I've been put off from buying a few dolls because I didn't want to pay for and get lumped with a bunch of stuff I had no interest in/was pretty far from my tastes and the seller was unwilling to split. It's one thing to offer it as an option should a buyer want it but be willing to split that stuff unless you mind waiting.
Include photos of any paper work This is a lot more important than it used to be. Thanks recasts. But a lot of buyers are a lot more twitchy about knowing the full history and having proof of a doll's legit status these days so including photos of any paperwork you have can help.
Be clear about the state of the doll If it's been modded or has yellowed (all dolls yellow or mellow in colour, regardless of the conditions they've been kept in), make sure to be as clear and concise as you can about it and include photos.
I'm sure there's stuff I missed so I'll probably add to this later but that's everything that springs to mind right now. Of course sometimes it's just hard to sell a doll, if it's one that's not particularly popular it might mean waiting for the right buyer to come along or having to drop your price until it hits a level someone would be happy to pay. It's very much a buyers market at the moment and sometimes it's pure luck of the draw what does or doesn't sell but stick with it!
