help needed Any doll outfit/accessory shops you recommend/How to tell if a shop is a recast seller?

Hey yall.. ima be honest i need help..

Im in a BJD server, and im starting to get stressed out for searching for anything for the doll..


The reason is cause of fear of the seller being a recast seller...

Cause they say that even if you buy something else from them thats not a doll.. it would basically say "You can sell recasts, i wont buy it but you can sell them.." And its stressing me out.. especially given i am the type that would buy something that has good reviews and looks good.. but reviews cannot be depended on for telling.. you'd need to look through the entire shop before buying one item.. and again.. it is stressing me out..


So.. I beg of yall.. do you have any shops that you frequent for BJD clothes or accessories.. that are not recast sellers to your knowledge..

An extra question.. how can you tell if you found a recast seller or not, or even better, how to tell if a shop is secretly selling recasts behind the scenes.. (Like SophiesToyParadise on Etsy for example)... so when I'm looking on my own, I can notice and avoid them..

Usually you can avoid recast sellers by buying from shops on etsy, aliexpress etc that do not sell dolls themselves. SophiesToyParadise sells items from various stores from Taobao, which PabaDoll, MoeMoedoll, BeckystuidoArt and other shops also do on etsy (and there are a few on aliexpress) and don't appear to have doll sections from what I can tell. You can also shop directly on Taobao via proxies such as Bjd bhiner, superbuy, parcelUp etc and you can google reputable taobao shops, there are a few lists on tumblr I think. Shopping directly from Taobao/ via proxy can end up being cheaper compared to the etsy and aliexpress shops, not factoring in shipping. There are also many shops on etsy that make their own clothes, eyes, hair etc. Cottonhoney, Dollishsweets, AlrunasAesthetics, DKcrfatshopdoll, TTYA are all reputable stores on etsy, and there are many more, if they use the same models and backgrounds etc that's usually a good indication. Most recasts on etsy and aliexpress do not usually have the name of the sculpt attached from what I can tell and are often labeled with 'toy' in the description as well. Aside from Gokidoll, dollsnshop, codeNoirDoll and other mainly very small artists, most dolls aren't sold on etsy I believe, usually a reverse image search on google can help clarify, or if the store looks like it has a lot of dolls of a variety of styles and vague names and fairly low prices then it is most likely recast. 

There are also lots of reputable doll brands that have their own websites and sell a variety of clothes and accessories such as Luts, Volks, Azone (also on amiami, 1999.co.jp), nine9style, Sadol, Dollmore, Leekeworld and many more you can probably look up! There are also doll (mainly resin bjd, but a few carry vinyl) dealers that carry legit dolls as well as clothing (most from taobao), such as ACBJD, LegendDoll, New Clover Singing, Janesdolland. 

As a side note....this community is not going to rip you apart if you made an honest mistake while shopping. Please do not work yourself into an anxious frenzy avoiding anything that could possibly have a recast taint to it - yes,  it's good to avoid buying from known recasting companies, like DBS, Oueneifs, ChinaBJD, etc, but all the recast companies that I'm aware of are Chinese, and sell either exclusively on Chinese platforms like Aliexpress or on their own websites.

Sellers in US-based shops, like Etsy, that sell recast dolls alongside stuff like clothes and accessories are typically "drop shippers" that buy products directly from China for cheap to resell at a much higher price for a profit. If the dolls don't sell, they quit buying them. SophieToyParadise, MoeMoeDoll, BeckyStudioArt, and sellers like them are good examples of that. Drop shipping has its own ethical debates around it, as it's considered a form of scalping, but buying clothing and stuff from drop shippers is not the same as supporting recasters...yes, even if they have recast dolls listed. You're only "supporting recasters" if you buy a brand new recast doll, or if you buy anything directly from a recaster.

Aliexpress is where it gets a little more difficult, as recasting companies DO have storefronts there, so on that site it's definitely a better idea to just avoid shops with dolls listed entirely. If you really want to buy clothing from China, I'd recommend browsing Taobao with the help of BJD Bhiner and then buying directly from Taobao storefronts with a proxy such as BJD Bhiner or Superbuy. That's the safest bet, and the cheapest, because you're not going to deal with drop shipper or reseller markups, either.

If your budget is a bit bigger, you could also check Japanese secondhand sites - Mandarake is an excellent storefront that does their best to check the legitimacy of everything they sell, so it's fairly safe, and they will ship to the US without needing a proxy. Dollyteria is another trustable secondhand seller, though I think you need a proxy to buy from them. Dolls and accessories occasionally pop up on Suruga-ya as well, though they're not always the best at checking condition. You could also check out Yahoo Japan Auctions and Mercari Japan - they're Japan's equivalent of Ebay and Mercari, so you're usually buying from fellow doll collectors. Low chance of supporting a recaster there. You'll need a proxy, though, and the Japanese words for what you're searching for in order to search those sites.

You're also always welcome to post up a link to a store you're interested in and ask if it's a known recaster! People will appreciate you trying to avoid them and are usually glad to help.

Edited January 7 by Oculae