#truebjdcounterfeits

[the-bjd-community-confess]

I‘m a bit shocked and thought I need to share it here. I follow some very vocal pro artist people who voice their opinion all the time but haven’t said a word about Ukraine being attacked. Many of my fellow doll friends are from Ukraine and it makes me sick that people seem to care more about bootleg dolls than people dying. Where is your seek for Justice now? You all suck 🖕🏻

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Not a recast:

Today I learned: The “Night Lolita” dolls found on AliExpress and Taobao are -not- recasts. They are also not BJDs. They are something else.

“YeLoli” is a 3D animated series (can you even call that an anime?) in China. They started in 2013 so the first-gen characters all look kinda derpy. They’ve since mostly improved. The “Night Lolita” is a translation of the series during the first season but since then, the series was renamed “Leaf Loli(ta)” instead. These two names have the same pronunciation in Chinese which adds to the confusion. The series is a combination of the Magical Girl genre and Rosen Maiden, and has an aesthetic like a good number of Barbie movies. The main characters started out as grade six students (about 12 yo) and that’s the main target audience, too.

For more information, here: https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E7%B2%BE%E9%9D%88%E5%A4%A2%E8%91%89%E7%BE%85%E9%BA%97/12740112

As for the dolls, they are considered a tie-in from the series; so they are basically “merch.” The jointed dolls are made from ABS + PVC. They are hinge-jointed with elastic stringing for the torso. They come in 1/3, 1/4 and 1/6 and a special edition 1/6 body. They’re uniformly priced, too. All 1/3 dolls cost $260 RMB (about $41 USD), the 1/4 are $200 (about $31.54 USD) and the 1/6 are $90-100 ($14.13-$15.77). The limited 1/6 usually run for $158 ($24.91). There are some “Royal Edition” dolls that run about $2000 ($315.34 USD) but they are not very common. Other merch items include accessories (like magic wands) from the show as well as other figurines, collectors’ cards, blind boxes, etc. Basically, the Leaf Lolita is an IP that’s similar to Barbie’s movies or Disney’s Fairies. They have a similar aesthetic, a similar production method and a similar target audience.

Just like BJDs, you can switch out their eyes, wigs and faceups. Their clothes are interchangeable. It’s easy for overseas collectors to confuse them with BJDs. With a much lower price point and language barriers, it’s easy for people to think they’re getting a BJD at a bargain price. It’s also easy for people to think they are recasts, too. But they aren’t recasts at all.

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Econ anon here again just wanted to reply to some of the comments https://at.tumblr.com/the-bjd-community-confess/not-quite/x59g10p6gbrq

Thank you for your input and healthy discussion, warms my nerdy lil heart!! 🥹

Regarding e-commerce sites, I’m speaking purely in terms of maximizing efficiency for buying and selling on the second hand market. Far easier to sort through items on eBay than the #bjdsales IG hashtag for example. Also that’s why so many (Western people at least) end up buying recasts entering the hobby as there aren’t very many luxury goods today that you can’t buy legit off of e-commerce sites. You aren’t wrong as to the “why” knowledgable legit BJD buyers don’t list/search those sites but the result is still an overall hindrance to legitimate secondhand market transactions. 

Regarding unknown buyers/sellers, this originally started back in the early 2000s when there were little to no recasts. The concern was overwhelmingly getting scammed and having someone run off with your money. Even now it’s rarely an issue an informed buyer is being sold a recast or being tricked into buying one. Most transaction issues with unknowns revolve around sale scams for legit dolls and items. I’d say recasts are part of the concern now, but that can usually be assuaged with a CoA verification . But overall even without recasts not selling/buying to/from unknowns would still be standard. 

Great comments regarding IP issues and price. Although I will say what you mean by “inflexible” actually means more flexible or more elastic in economic terms.  Lol it is a bit confusing but basically what’s considered “flexible” isn’t based on whether the price of an item ever increases or decreases or the frequency it does, its based on people’s willingness to buy when it does change. We are essentially saying the same thing though!  Companies that raise their prices will be generally unsuccessful.  

Taking this a step further this actually made me really consider if the BJD market is a competitive market as a whole. I would say the smaller companies and independent artists are price takers, meaning the above theory would apply to them as they cannot set a price in the market on their own. The market determines the price. Ex, heads are usually anywhere from $85-160 (depending on skin tone, size, etc). An artist charging $300+ for their head without any other extras, faceup, etc. would be looked at like they were insane lol. 

HOWEVER, companies like V0lks and Soom are more likely Monopolies. They can set that higher price themselves regardless of the market and consumers are willing to pay it because of their brand and products (superior goods).

Soom especially quality is rather mid in comparison to the prices they charge for a basic nude doll. Many people complain about QA issues of head cap magnets being weak, obvious seam lines, the resin skin tones are not consistent between batches, need to be wired/sueded to pose, jointed hands are DYI kits, etc. Yet they are still widely popular despite all these quality issues.  But it’s also a big trait of Monopolies in economics that they do not have to prioritize quality above all else as people will want them regardless. V0lks on the other hand has higher quality standards but they have their own unique way of selling and offering dolls (lotteries, one-offs, not being able to buy blank dolls, full sets coming with glued in eyes, etc) that people do complain about often yet there are still thriving in business.

Not to mention both V0lks and Soom come out with limiteds and full sets that can be 3x-5x times the price of an average BJD doll already costing hundreds. They don’t even have to offer heads because they know people will want the sculpt enough to buy the full doll. 

Going back to IP I don’t know much about IP law but I am not surprised at the costs to go through legal proceeds being ridiculously high, which you are right is likely the reason they don’t enforce. However, I don’t think it’s because the dolls are underpriced though. It’s likely even if they were able to charge say $300 a head, they still wouldn’t be able to generate enough to cover legal costs. Lawyers can be $300 & up an hour in addition to retainer fees. Only V0lks I would guess would have the resources to sue and even with them its likely the opportunity costs aren’t worth it to them. 

At that level it’s never really about the principle of fighting for your IP and all about the money. Now if a multi-billion dollar company like Matt3l started stealing V0lks IP, you bet it would be worth then to sue. Not to mention they could likely get attorneys who would work for a percentage of the amount won, rather than charge hourly saving on the up front costs of legal expenses. But that usually just happens in extremely high profile situations when lots of money are involved. That’s why you rarely hear of anyone suing anyone else over IP if they themselves or the person they are suing aren’t a big corporation with lots of money, the costs wouldn’t be worth the reward otherwise. 

Regarding Lou, I don’t think the argument about Lou its a bizarre at all. What you are suggesting would be a duopoly or a cartel (no not the drug kind lol!). Cartels in Econ are companies who each agree to make a certain amount of an item so they can split market profits on that item rather than compete (usually illegal to form in most industries due to anti-trust laws etc). Although I do think someone mentioned it in the comments too, the downside of cartels is one side (Lou in this case) is incentivized to cheat. Companies would be wary giving Lou molds as he could essentially then do what he wants, sell for lower prices, produce more than agreed upon, not give them their share of profits, etc, etc.  There is no promise he wouldn’t sell more than he is supposed to or even if they did give him an exclusive sculpt he could use it to copy and make his own (like he has before).

Regarding overhead costs of legit vs recast. This isn’t true at all that it would be more expensive for Lou to go legit or that he is saving lots of money by stealing at this stage. Although there are heavy fixed costs in the short run of starting a business, Lou is now a successful recaster. He has the materials and resources to sculpt his own if he wanted to. The start up costs of getting a warehouse, resin, casting materials, etc, for his recast business far out way the costs of spending a bit more time refining a doll with sculpting, sanding, etc. Time is the main cost in sculpting original creations rather than money. 

For proof of this look no further than some of the western artists presales on IG. They will get people excited with their sculpting process and get lots of preorders. But when it actually comes to paying a caster and getting other supplies to produce the doll that’s when they flop. They either take way longer to deliver or out right become a scammer and don’t deliver dolls because the overhead costs of producing the doll were way higher than sculpting one, even when they weren’t the ones doing the casting themselves (short run vs long run marginal costs). 

However, this is a pipe dream Lou going legit honestly. It’s far more lucrative and brings more economic profit for him to remain a recaster having a monopoly on it being the main recaster. If he were to go legit, another recaster seeing opportunity would take his spot. Thats why even if Lou’s recast factory blew up tomorrow and he left the businesses, it would only be a matter of time before another recaster took his spot.

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

So will recasts be ok once the company becomes as big as Gucci? Because I once called out an anti for illegally downloading music and wearing a shirt from shein with a stolen design from a small artist. And they said “it wasn’t the same”. I’m confused because is it not? Both hurt the artist so-

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

I made the mistake of going to the recast positive confession blog and I feel I lost brain cells trying to comprehend a majority of these anons confessions defending literal theft. But one confession that put me over the edge was this anon listing out all the “reasons” why buying from recasters are better because they supposedly “understand the business of selling dolls” than the artist they steal from.

According to them, because they sell dolls cheaper, make dolls faster, quickly answer to their beck and call, and offer customization with colors, that makes them a “better” doll company than artists supposedly who overcharge, take forever to ship and steal your money, don’t have good customer service, and supposedly don’t offer customization.

And I’m just like, yeah, because they have a fucking factory stupid. They have the space, resources, multiple employees to handle every part of their business from casting, social media, shipping, customer service, painting, and can charge much less because they’re charging you to cast the doll not because they created it vs the artists that they steal from are usually a one-man team or a handful of artists doing all those same roles all while making time to create dolls and expecting the same from a small business is asinine. If Fairyland, the hobby’s popular company right now with multiple employees, can take hundreds, possibly even thousands of orders a month, and they still take a few months to ship out orders, why are you expecting it from one person.

There is a reason why artists charge as much as they do for their work, and it doesn’t have to do with being “greedy”, it’s because running a business is hard fucking work that I’m very sure many of these anti-artists wouldn’t be able to handle if they were to take on this business. Artists are not fucking Amazon, they’re small businesses, and anyone who thinks like that anon, even if those who try to distance themselves by calling themselves neutral, you’re anti-small business, period.

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Pro-recaster really using manipulative language. "Deserved" As in "Why do you think poor people don't deserve dolls." That's manipulative language, because it's not about deserving, or not deserving something. The right word is "entitled" no you're not entitled to have a doll. Side-note: Language like that is also used a lot by abusers. I know this sounds like a dogwhistle, but it's just me pointing this out, because my lived experience has made me very aware of how language like that is used to guilt trip, or make accusations at others for being "mean" or "snobbish", or gatekeeping. 

Being deserving of something is incredibly subjective, and not an argument in this debate at all, because it's not an isolated topic either. You can say you deserve something, but the moment it hurts others, or affects others, or any of that, then it's just plain old entitlement all around without a doubt. Why is entitled the right word? Because by asking that question, you're making it all about "one person" without care for others. You turn "deserving" into meaning "this person should get something, regardless of how it might affect others in a negative way."

People clearly say they're being affected by recasts, and that it does mess with their livelihood. Last week someone mentioned how their friend has their art stolen, and sold, and can't keep up, and losing sales. Saying you "deserve" something, but then also arguing that people creating certain art don't deserve full credit and monetary compensation, turns "deserving" into plain old entitlement. Obvs I'm talking to the choir here, but ehhh, whatever.

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Recast Confession. About 10 years ago I had a friend on LiveJournal that had BJD's. I kept trying to get her to tell me about these dolls. Every time I would bring up the subject, she would say something vague like, 'Oh, these are expensive dolls from Asia.' I kept poking around on LiveJournal, and found the BJD groups. I would go in and try to ask questions. These elitist snobs would just laugh, 'Oh, these are expensive.' and my LiveJournal friend said to the others, 'Oh, he is just a high school student, he can't join the hobby.' They finally linked me to a full set doll going on an auction for over $2,000. Of course, I couldn't afford that, I still wouldn't buy a doll that pricey.

It was maybe a couple years later on eBay that I saw all these 'FairyLand' dolls for under $100 so I bought a lot of these cheap brand FairyLand dolls, they looked a lot like the expensive dolls that I kept trying to find out about, but these were affordable. I later found out about recasts, but at the time FairyLand seemed like a cheap alternative doll company compared to that $2,000+ doll I had been linked to previously. I don't buy recast once I learned the difference. I know honestly, if these 'exclusive' collectors on LiveJournal would have spent just a little time telling me about these dolls, even pointed me at Resinsoul, I would have never bought the recasts, as it was, I was completely uninformed. I would have been so happy with an affordable Resinsoul, but instead they pointed me at a $2,000+ doll, and laughed when I finally agreed I couldn't afford to be 'in the hobby'.

People have become so much nicer now to newbies, and I think that is a wonderful thing. I see new people come into the hobby, and BJD collectors happily tell them about the dangers of recasts, and where they can find the less expensive dolls, or encourage people to save up for a doll they really like. I don't see people pointing at the most expensive doll that they can find, and then laughing when a teenager decides they can't join the hobby yet, because they aren't wealthy enough.

I do understand where the 'elitist snob legit owners' come from, because I had to deal with them. I think they are a thing of the past. I hope that they are. I do feel they are partially to blame for some people having turned to recast, or people buying recasts uninformed in the past. I think maybe people that still think Pro Artists are snobs, came into the hobby when it was 'kool' to be super elitist in the hobby and laugh at the poor who couldn't afford these grand expensive and exclusive dolls. To the people that couldn't take the time to help and inform newbies, you might point your finger at the recast owners, but all the rest of the fingers on your hand are pointing back at you. This isn't a pro recast post, this is a what it happened to me post.

~Anonymous

[the-bjd-community-confess]

This right here is why scammers and bad companies are NEVER going to be gone from this hobby. R@p1993 is doing a collab with culor. One big name artist collabing with a very well known scammer who got her start in this hobby selling modded recasts as legit then later turned even worse scammer with the doll she created and all the drama from it. All the time I see posts asking about Dollshe wait time and wanting to order their new sculpts, then other posts about people waiting 2+ years for their dolls that they're lucky to even receive in the end of things. There are near daily posts on IG about wanting to buy culor dolls for literal thousands. It never ends. This is what's wrong with the hobby. This is why these terrible things keep happening. Because too many hobbyists allow this to continue. Even artists are allowing this to continue. How much must these scammers and bad companies do before enough is enough?

~Anonymous