Help Using Spoken Japanese To Buy 2nd Hand Dollfie Dream

Hi,

 

I'm going to be going on a trip to Japan this year and am planning on purchasing a second hand Dollfie Dream (hopefully Nanami or Yui). I know enough Japanese to muddle my way through situations like food ordering, getting directions etc as I have been to Japan before and can read Kana but cannot I read Kanji so am not able to fully read notes that have been written on the front of the dolls box regarding her condition/accessories missing. I know in Mandarake they have the dolls out of the boxes so you can see if they are stained but they don't always put the clothes/accessories out and other shops I have been to just have the doll completely in the box. I would use Google translate but often the phrase it gives you is different to what you are actually trying to say which can be embarrassing.

 

I would like to be able to ask:-

 

Has the doll been used?

 

Does she have all of her clothes and accessories?

 

What is she missing?

 

May I have a closer look at the stains?

 

 

Does any one know how I would say these things or have any experience buying a second hand doll in Japan face to face? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks in advance.

Having just recently bought from Mandrake I can assure you there's no need for you to be able to speak any Japanese.

When you ask to see one of the girls the staff will pick up all the pieces she comes with and lay them out on a table for you to inspect.

I had two of the staff directing my attention to any possible fault they'd found when they bought her.

They pointed out her left arm was loose (DDI that needed restringing).

They pointed repeatedly at her left eye. To this day I still cannot find anything thing wrong with her eyes, her faceup or her head.

They went out of their way to ensure I was going to leave happy.

There's always one staff member who has good English anyway.

 

P.S. Everything at Mandrake is used except their fantastic range of wigs.

Hi thanks for that knowing that they will show me does help.

 

I know that mandarake only sell second hand items but I know some dolls have not been "used" even though they are second hand like my Asuka that I bought from them online a few years ago so I knew she wouldn't have any stains etc I guess I'll just do my best to muddle through

Here's some stuff you can use on your trip. Keep in mind that if you ask questions in Japanese you'll have to understand the answers in Japanese too! This can be easy if it's a yes/no question. But if you ask "what" is missing, for instance, you might need to study up on the vocabulary for fashion pieces and accessory items so you'll know what they said. Of course, Mandarake usually has an English speaker on staff, and they can help too.

 

If you wanna give it a go and try the Japanese (encouraged!), here are the phrases you wondered about. Note that you'd typically word your questions a little bit differently in Japanese based on the usual secondhand shop vocabulary. I've rewritten the English parts below just so that when you hear the answers you get back they will make sense.

 

Is this doll UNUSED? --> このドールは未使用ですか？　kono dooru wa mishiyou desu ka?

 

Regarding her outfit and accessories, are there any missing parts? --> 衣装と付属品には、欠品ありますか？ ishou to fuzokuhin ni wa, keppin arimasu ka?

 

What is she missing? --> 欠品の物はどれですか？ keppin no mono wa dore desu ka?

 

May I have a closer look at the doll's condition? (whether stained or not) --> ドールの状態を確認してもいいですか？ dooru no joutai wo kakunin shi-te mo ii desu ka?

 

There's not really supposed to be a dash in shi-te, but I have to put it there so that this forum's swear filter doesn't erroneously change that word into "beep".

 

The employees of used-goods shops are very nice and will answer all detailed questions about a doll before you buy it. You can indeed inspect them yourself in person if you would like. Mandarake 4th Floor at Nakano Broadway and Mandarake 2nd Floor at Akihabara are two good places to go in Tokyo just because they'll have a lot of dolls to pick from. There are many other secondhand shops that also have DDs, but will usually only have 1 or 2 dolls at any given time.