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Best places for used Dolls?

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ButtonsMcGee

Hey there guys! 

Just had a quick question as to where the best place is to look for used Smart Dolls/Parts in your opinion.

In specific, I'm looking for a Serenity head in milk. (Possibly a full Serenity, but right now I can really only afford the head.) I know it's probably a long-shot since she's discontinued and so is her skin color, but this is the doll that is my absolute dream doll. She's to help build a character that's been very near and dear to me for well over a decade, and I've gotten every other piece needed to build said character except for her head. 

I've been trying instagram, but the algorithm isn't good. Heck, my roommate found a Journey head that's for sale that wont even show up for me when I search the tag we know she's tagged in. I've still got about a week and a half of making posts here before I have access to the marketplace. I've also had no such luck on Ebay. I've heard of the mystical magical Yahoo Japan, but I'm not even really sure how to go about doing that. Does anyone have any tips on Yahoo Japan?

 

Overall, where are your favorite places to buy your dolls when they've had previous owners? What have your experiences been? 

 

How long has your hunt for your "dreamie" taken you? (Using Animal Crossing terms here lol)

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BeyondTime

Mandarake and Yahoo! Japan Auctions, are probably your best bet. 
 

You can search Mandarake in English, but Yahoo! Japan has to be searched in Japanese. Yahoo! Japan also requires a proxy for purchases. 

You could check eBay, but the markups tend to be slimy.  

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The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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Guest

You could make a looking for type of post in #bjdsale on instagram along with some Smart Doll tags. I see used Smart Dolls in there every now and then, even the discontinued ones, and priced really well.

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Gallye

Lemme fling some links at you!

Here is Mandarake's entire doll section, which includes things like wigs and clothing. It's been machine-translated into English, which can be awkward but is usually understandable. With Mandarake you make an account and then put things in the shopping cart and 'check out' without paying; they check their inventory and get back to you two or three days later, letting you know what is still available and how much you owe. (Sometimes things sell in their storefronts before they have time to mark them as 'sold out' on the website.)

Here is a direct link to Mandarake's Smart Doll selection. They don't actually get that many, so it's not too hard to keep up.

You can also try Dollyteria. They get even fewer Smart Dolls, but they do show up from time to time, and they have translation available at the top of the page. If you translate and scroll down to the bottom, there's a page marked 'International Order' that shows you how to check out and pay.

Here's a direct link to Dollyteria's Smart Doll content.

Y!J is... more complicated, although it's easier than it used to be. Here is a link to all the Smart Doll content on Y!J - this includes clothes and things that were made to fit Smart Dolls, so you need to double-check what you're actually getting. There are links to Buyee at the top of most sales pages, which will auto-translate the page for you. You can make an account with them and bid sort of like you would on eBay. You can also sign up with other proxy bidders, if you'd prefer. (I've used Buyee with no issues in the past, but YMMV.)

Also, as a side note, Dollyteria also sells dolls on Y!J. Don't buy them there! They are cheaper if you go directly through the Dollyteria site.

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Secrets

Honestly, rare Smart Dolls can be incredibly hard to find. There aren't many on the aftermarket, and when they are they seem to be common ones, like Mirai. Though, Serenity Milk was still available for awhile, so there's definitely a chance she'll pop up! 

 

I typically check places like Instagram and Ebay. Though, I've heard facebook is good as well, but I haven't been checking there myself. As the others did say, Mandarake and Yahoo! Japan are good places to look as well, but I mostly see DDs there. I've been looking for a SMD Crimson Cinnamon myself, but no luck so far.

 

I hope you're apply to find your Serenity soon!

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ButtonsMcGee
On 9/8/2020 at 2:54 PM, BeyondTime said:

You could check eBay, but the markups tend to be slimy.  

Yeah, that's what happened with my Kizuna V1. She only came with her original cards, stand, wig and panties (not the bra) but didn't have any of her original clothing with her. They charged $816 (after shipping) for her, even though the original was a couple hundred dollars cheaper. I figured it was worth it because her sculpt AND color where discontinued. But after everything that happened ( : her being stained to hell and back, her entire body and hair smelling of cigarette smoke, everything being covered in a layer of filth that I had to scrub off, all of the "extras" included with her pretty much being literal trash that had to be thrown away), I honestly don't think I'd ever trust ebay again. It's just not worth the heartache. Don't get me wrong, I adore her, but admittedly some of that bitterness has tainted the experience of getting her. 

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ButtonsMcGee
16 hours ago, Secrets said:

Though, I've heard facebook is good as well, but I haven't been checking there myself.

Thanks for the input!

I wound up getting a Challenge instead of Serenity because it almost looks like they have either the same sculpt or a VERY SIMILAR sculpt and I was gonna need custom painting on her anyway. 

But yeah, while I'm really curious about going onto facebook and joining one of the groups to see about getting second hand stuff there, admittedly some of the drama that I know has happened in the past kinda makes me hesitate to do so. I don't want to join the "wrong" group and then be banned just because I was trying to reach out. You know? 

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ButtonsMcGee
On 9/8/2020 at 4:15 PM, Gallye said:

Lemme fling some links at you!

Here is Mandarake's entire doll section, which includes things like wigs and clothing. It's been machine-translated into English, which can be awkward but is usually understandable. With Mandarake you make an account and then put things in the shopping cart and 'check out' without paying; they check their inventory and get back to you two or three days later, letting you know what is still available and how much you owe. (Sometimes things sell in their storefronts before they have time to mark them as 'sold out' on the website.)

Here is a direct link to Mandarake's Smart Doll selection. They don't actually get that many, so it's not too hard to keep up.

You can also try Dollyteria. They get even fewer Smart Dolls, but they do show up from time to time, and they have translation available at the top of the page. If you translate and scroll down to the bottom, there's a page marked 'International Order' that shows you how to check out and pay.

Here's a direct link to Dollyteria's Smart Doll content.

Y!J is... more complicated, although it's easier than it used to be. Here is a link to all the Smart Doll content on Y!J - this includes clothes and things that were made to fit Smart Dolls, so you need to double-check what you're actually getting. There are links to Buyee at the top of most sales pages, which will auto-translate the page for you. You can make an account with them and bid sort of like you would on eBay. You can also sign up with other proxy bidders, if you'd prefer. (I've used Buyee with no issues in the past, but YMMV.)

Also, as a side note, Dollyteria also sells dolls on Y!J. Don't buy them there! They are cheaper if you go directly through the Dollyteria site.

You are absolutely amazing! Thanks so much! These links really help. 

Admittedly I miss just being able to go through Mandarake when I was there visiting, so the website makes things a lot easier when I'm so far away from them. (Seriously, once you visit Nakano Broadway in Japan then nothing else ever feels as good again.) 

I also didn't even think of Dollyteria. Thanks a bunch~

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BeyondTime

The forum has a multi-quote feature, so you don’t need to do multiple replies. You can also edit the quotes so you only include the lines you need. 


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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Guest
2 hours ago, ButtonsMcGee said:

Yeah, that's what happened with my Kizuna V1. She only came with her original cards, stand, wig and panties (not the bra) but didn't have any of her original clothing with her. They charged $816 (after shipping) for her, even though the original was a couple hundred dollars cheaper. I figured it was worth it because her sculpt AND color where discontinued. But after everything that happened ( : her being stained to hell and back, her entire body and hair smelling of cigarette smoke, everything being covered in a layer of filth that I had to scrub off, all of the "extras" included with her pretty much being literal trash that had to be thrown away), I honestly don't think I'd ever trust ebay again. It's just not worth the heartache. Don't get me wrong, I adore her, but admittedly some of that bitterness has tainted the experience of getting her. 

Ebay usually sides with the buyer from what I understand if it's something like a product not matching the listing. If they made no mention of her smelling like smoke or disclosed the stains I'd see if you could do something about it. Though the option they may present to you could be to return her for a full refund and I'm not sure if that's something you'd like to do.

Edited by Guest

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ButtonsMcGee
6 minutes ago, rainglow said:

Ebay usually sides with the buyer from what I understand if it's something like a product not matching the listing. If they made no mention of her smelling like smoke or disclosed the stains I'd see if you could do something about it. Though the option they may present to you could be to return her for a full refund and I'm not sure if that's something you'd like to do.

Yeah that was the only option the site gave us and honestly, despite how pissed I am over the whole ordeal I honestly don't think I have it in me to send her back. 

First things first, a doll this expensive has specific needs when taking care of her, and this person obviously didn't know how to meet those needs. She looks like she's never been washed in her whole existence and that's pretty sad, honestly. Secondly I didn't think I could stand the thought of someone else going through the same thing. The doll was either going to get caught bouncing from home to home with the same thing happening over and over again, or she'd be stuck in a place where they would probably wind up breaking her. 

I figured with me, I can fix her up as best as I can and then either keep her, or possibly re-sell her to someone who actually knows how to take care of her. For right now I'm still in the mindset of keeping her, but we'll see just how much work it takes to get all of these stains out. It's already taken a lot to properly clean her. 

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BeyondTime
18 hours ago, ButtonsMcGee said:

First things first, a doll this expensive has specific needs when taking care of her, and this person obviously didn't know how to meet those needs.

I think a lot of the dolls you find used and in need of repairs are from homes where someone wanted a giant figure of the character but had no idea the effort needed to maintain a doll. It's not like a figure where you can just put them in a display and occasionally dust them.

Dollfie were really meant to be a hobby, and were created by a company that specializes in detailed scale kit models & supplies. Smartdoll seems to cater more to folks who want something ready made, so they don't sell blank heads, and until their recent kid friendly changes they did sell pre-blushed busts. It's a different model of business, but in either case the dolls still need regular care and maintenance.

  • Like 2

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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