Newbie with questions about DD Mari

Hello,

 

I'm a complete newbie who decided to dip into DD solely because of Mari Makinami (Eva).

 

I saw a couple of guides in this site that I'm going to read later, but I wanted to ask a few questions here:

1 Given my ignorance in the hobby, I don't know squat about market pricing. My friend (who led me to this comm) told me Mari's head and body alone might go for $800. Can anyone give me ballpark figures for her market price (just so I, at least, would know at first glance if a deal I see is worth looking into or not)? (I'm currently looking at one auction, that I might throw money into if it looks good)\

2 What are the top 3 things one should look into when considering a DD that's posted for sale?

3 I'm avoiding Mandarake because they don't undervalue and I'm going to be kicked really hard by customs if I buy anything more than $200 from there. Other than Mandarake, I've only ever seen Mari in Y!A Japan (while I'm looking for other hobby stuff and additions to bf's Mari fig collection). Would you consider the marketplace a good place to look at? It's my go-to for hobby fashion and toy purchases, but I'm not sure if the same can be said for DDs.

 

Thank you and appreciate any help.

Hi,

 

Even if you don't want to buy from Mandarake you can still use it as a reference for price. It looks like they offer Mari fullset for 80k new and 50-60k used ($442-$707 USD). There's also another site that carries a lot of DDs, Jungle (http://jungle-scs.co.jp/sale_en/), that's very similar to Mandarake. I don't know if they undervalue on customs forms or not.

 

I'm kinda new myself so I'm not going to go too detailed into what to look for in used dolls. But generally speaking:

1) Any mention of joints cracked or loose - Up to you how much it matters, it may be difficult to get replace parts for DD2 internal frame. You could replace the entire body, or just get the head.

2) Any mention of stains. Not uncommon for used. Light to moderate stains are relatively easy to remove.

3) Any odors (pet or smoking home). Removable... I think.

 

Whichever way you decide to go, I hope you will be able to get your Mari. =)

I think $800 should buy you a complete Mari, easily. She's not one of the more popular DDs. I love my Mari, I think she has one of the more unique head sculpts, and I've enjoyed her appearances in Evangelion so far.

 

This listing on Mandarake gives you an idea of the most of the common issues with buying a used DD: http://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1049511033&ref=dos

 

Staining on the head from the wig is not really an issue I'd care about (you might, and that's fine), it's a good way to get a price drop when buying from Japan. Light staining on the legs, and the stitching on the snaps coming undone, these are fixable, and typical issues you'll end up dealing with anyway. I have quite a few outfits that need or have needed some minor sewing to fix snaps and such. If you buy a new Mari, pick up a head cap from Cool Cat to protect her head from wig staining, and while you're at it, snag one of those DDII neck joint upgrades. Those are great.

 

The example here is missing her shoes and glasses. Mari's glasses are notorious for breaking, they are made of a very brittle plastic, and they will start cracking as soon as you try them on the doll. That's the biggest problem with DD Mari. I have 2 pair, and both are cracking.