A Realistic Discussion about Recast BJDs and their Impact on The Hobby.
I completely get that this post is old, but it’s shown up like 3 days in a row on my dash so I felt a little compelled to respond.
This is really long you can tl;dr with just the bold segments its still long though lol. I will attempt at being funny by adding more pics to keep this entertaining. I am sorry in advance.
Let me start by saying Good Job!
I think it’s awesome that you’re spending the time to make such a well thought out post for your reasons. It works. Its great that you make your own dolls through recast for experiments and gifts. Its awesome. I’m so glad you don’t sell them though lol.
I actually don’t collect resin dolls anymore, but do want to point out about the real problem with recasts. You’re right, it isn’t about the artists personally. No one really actually cares about if the artist ate last week or not as long as there are dolls for us to enjoy. Save for the few golden souls among us. The back end logistics don’t matter as long as we get what we want, right? Shit-tastic but true.
No one gives two fucks about who has what doll sculpt or how much they actually paid for it. No one. Not even OOP. “Pros” conveniently miss that point every time.
I will laugh til I die at any petty bitch that really does care about that. That’s #PettyLaBelle and #PettyPaige levels of Petty. #Renegade4life, #Fuckdapolice if that was the actual problem with recasts. I’d defend everyone’s reason to own one to the death if it was about people being classist or gatekeepers about only allowing certain people to own certain sculpts. But it’s not. That’s not why people argue about this so much, though it is often misconstrued as such.
The real problem with recasts is their quality. Not that they are shit, but because they are almost flawless. Recasts are like counterfeit currency and they lock up the legit second hand market because of it and destroy the hobby’s economy unintentionally by devaluing the originals. Yes, we have an economy *gasp* and this post is explaining those economics. We’re talking about MONEY!
A long time ago, I got a recast Soom tiny body on the 2nd hand really cheap for a floating head that I had. After I got it, I ended up leaving the hobby for a bit, and coming back I truly understand now why recasts are not good and why I won’t be buying more of them. The little recast body is flawless and perfect for my girl. Despite my new anti-recast stance, I can’t bring myself to throw it away because I legitimately feel like I am throwing away money. I might as well be tossing away the real thing. It is a perfect replica for a fraction of the original’s price and it serves the purpose of the real thing, there is no need for me to buy another legit body to replace it. I couldn’t justify it if I tried.
This is why recasts are so hazardous to the hobby. When I first got into dolls the doll hobby economy was strong. Dolls for sale at good prices got snapped up, especially in good condition and even poor condition or unpopular dolls were re-homed in a respectable amount of time. Over priced ones just sat until either someone gave in or the seller dropped the price to a good one.
Before recasts became so popular, there was a flow of money throughout the hobby and people could buy First hand and if they didn’t like it or broke it they could sell it Second hand and then buy another. This allowed companies to thrive, allowing them to produce new sculpts, sets, concepts, etc.
Recast dolls block up that system worse than consuming 2 lbs of mild cheddar in one sitting.
Recasts give consumers an alternative that makes it impossible for the economy to work properly. Hobbiests are now having to be more selective about what dolls they bring home first hand. This is because, if it doesn’t work they’ll be bumping threads for years for that artist doll they bought on a whim. Broken dolls, less expensive companies and unpopular sculpts don’t stand a chance at getting re-homed because what someone would have paid for that broken or unpopular doll could instead buy a fresh, perfect replica or 2 of a more sought after fad sculpt, new resin smell included.
Not to mention the distrust in the community spawned from the asshats that try to pass off the recast dolls as legits. For old dolls that don’t have CoA or a way to prove that you got it legit anymore you’re screwed. I’ll probably never be able to get rid of some of mine. I actually tossed their CoAs with their boxes when I moved and they are original 2008 series Soom MDs. lol.
Fairyland, for example, is the most recast company out there, and now has QC issues where they never had them before and longer waits than historically.
For every legit MNF Chloe there are probably 10 recasts of her. Admittedly, I’m pulling this stat out of my ass for example’s sake but it’s possible lol. That isn’t a good thing, not because of the Chloe flood, but the money spent on those 10 recast dolls would have stimulated the hobby’s economy. That money could have purchased a new Chloe, homed a 2nd hand one, or a different sculpt all together that wouldn’t have been homed otherwise. Smaller companies or less popular ones without fairyland’s consumer base have shut down behind it, because the cashflow on the legit side is stopped up. More legit dolls from unpopular companies are sitting on wishlists rather than coming home.
Why? Because only fad or “in demand” dolls get recast. Less popular sculpts stay at their regular price and thus stay “expensive” with unattractive price tags compared to recast prices. Its why “Pros” don’t listen when “Antis” offer up low cost legit companies.
I mean-- Why buy BBB or Mirodoll when you can get a new “Fairyland” (which is what they actually want) for the same price? &B4 -- “It isn’t really FL...” The quality issue comes up where the replicas are just as good as the real ones. Morality isn’t always enough to pull someone back from crossing this line.
There is no doubt in my mind that the doll economy is why we no longer have Dream of Doll. They were one of the oldest companies out there besides Volks, Iplehouse, Doll-Zone, BBB and Luts, with a small but steady fan base usually over shadowed by the bigger companies in popularity but always drooled after in the gallery. As the popularity of recasts grew, their waiting rooms trickled to a halt and a lot of their sculpts ended up on Wish lists rather than Saving for and Waiting. The companies don’t get paid and can’t create new content without taking a loss. Even re-branding attempts are a loss if it doesn’t fix the problem and increase sales.
It’s the same reason Patreon exists for media content creators, so they can create more, without having to worry about a day job to keep a roof over their head. Like it or not, this is undeniable and the effect of recasts on the hobby economy and the real reason why “Antis” are so up in arms about the prevalence of recast dolls, ready to fight.
Yes, some “Antis” can be zealots and out right fucking mean. I don’t support actual bullying. Read that again, please. I don’t support ACTUAL bullying. Telling someone to burn their doll or kill themselves is stupid and really crappy just because they bought a recast or legit doll. Shame on anyone that does. Stating your stance that you don’t support recasts and do not wish to be affiliated with anyone that does is not bullying, but telling someone that they are “trash” for owning recasts IS bullying. Not wanting to be affiliated with those that do, is not bullying that is a preference. Encouraging others to shun that person is being a dick bully.
The hobby isn’t worth that kind of shit. People have real anxieties, not everyone has the “thick skin” or “spine” to stand up to the battering ram of people’s hate. If the internet is your only reprieve from flame thrower of real life and you’re getting fire from the internet; comments like that can make one feel trapped and make those issues worse. This hobby isn’t worth that and never will be. I love our hobby even though I’m not actively purchasing resin dolls anymore, but it’s not worth that. That’s shitty and just makes the “Anti” side look terrible and pushes people to the recast side either because it looks safer or due to some petty sense of rebellion. Yes, it’s still petty just admit it. “I’m going to buy only recast because people who buy legit dolls are mean.” Yes, it is petty and that’s ok, really funny to me, but ok. lol
Recasts are as beautiful as the originals, and it’s okay to admit that. However, they do damage the hobby we all love so much on a grand scale, and that is why people beg and plead with “Pros” to go legit.
Again, it’s not okay for someone to be bullied for their choice to buy a recast. Whether they care about the impact of it or not. What’s done is done. Its okay to try to dissuade someone from doing so, but after the fact, the doll isn’t going to unmake itself and it will not change anything. You’re not going to get someone to throw away their money that they chose to spend on a doll legit or not. It’s just not going to happen, let’s be clear on that.
At the end of the day, I support education and dissuasion. I will try to sway you and help you understand the “why” before you make the decision, but after it’s done, it’s done. I can still be friends after that if you’re not being an asshat on either side, or overly petty, see above.
My stance is that I am Anti-Recast, and that’s ok. I want us all to be in the hobby, but I want us to do it the right way.
Cheers, Bitches. [cue most overused gif ever]
