Aftermarket clothing pricing

So I've been thinking about this for a little bit and wanted to see what people here think about it.

 

I don't have a ton of Smartdoll branded clothing myself but what I do have of it, I really like.  Everyone knows it's very well made and looks great on the girls and guys.  The only real issue is that *to me*, sometimes the retail pricing in the Mirai shop seems to be a little high compared to other similar brands.  I don't think this about every article of clothing there, just a few of them.

 

This led me to start paying attention to Mirai branded clothing on the aftermarket.  I've been able to find quite a few things for really good prices but I also see things that have asking prices of almost double the original price due to the pieces being either discontinued or very popular.

 

So my main questions to you all are these:

 

1) Do you look for used Smartdoll brand outfits and clothing on the aftermarket or do you mainly buy new from the Mirai store?

2) If you do find stuff aftermarket, do you find pricing to be the same, lower or higher than the original retail prices?

3) Do you see people asking higher prices for discontinued items and if so, do you think they are justified?

 

I am by no means complaining about pricing of Smartdoll clothing because I'm of the thought that you get what you pay for.  I've just been wondering about these things and was looking for others input to see what the general consensus is.  Thanks in advance for any ideas and comments! 

 

 

Billy

There are several things I would like to get that I missed out on.  I have gotten lucky on the few things I managed to get in that the prices weren't too inflated.

I have to admit that I recently bought my second Melody just to get a few items that you can't get anymore, and she was only offering those items with first dibs to whoever bought the doll...so in that case it cost me a lot to get those few items, but I love Melody and the price overall for everything was decent.

As far as the price being justified, I guess it depends on the item.  There are some things I want that I would never pay double for, and a few I would consider because I want them THAT bad!  I feel like with anything, once you can't get the items anymore the price skyrockets.  Especially things that are made really well and hold up over time, which I feel these clothes do.

I do buy SD brand clothing if it is something I really want, and now I try to buy as soon as I see it, lest I miss out on it because things can sell out and never come back again at any time.  I also try to find other clothing for my girls, and there are several sellers that I go back to again and again, but I feel none of them make exactly what I want.  I love TTYA but I wish they had more colors and styles to their tee's etc. I really wish Murasaki.me was still making clothes because I loved her raglan tops so much, as well as the yellow Tora Kigurumi with the cute yellow raglan she made for SD  I didn't own a smartdoll back then, but I planned to buy one eventually but took me years to decide on what doll I wanted and I really wish I would have bought that yellow Tora to put aside.

I guess the bottom line for me is that if I really like the item and know it is well made I am ok paying the price.  I do wish things were cheaper but with the amount of work and detail that goes into these clothes I feel the price is justified.  If the quality ever changes or something like that then I would have to reconsider, but so far everything I have gotten from them has been top notch. As far as the inflated secondary prices go, I kind of go back and forth on it.  Being hard to find I would expect the price to be higher, but some of the asking prices I find ridiculous, but it does seem they are selling at those crazy prices so I guess it isn't?

 

 

I recently bought a pair of pants from the latest Time Sale. I've heard so much about the quality and how a lot of people think they're so superior to other brand... honestly, I don't see it. I mean, yes, they are great! I love them. But they're by no means superior to other brands, such as TTYA, and I don't think they original price tag is justified. I get everything is made in Japan, because it's Danny's initiative to support the local market, I get that and I respect that. But as a buyer, I can't justify it, especially not when I only work part time for now ^ ^;

Having said that, I think that at the price I bought it at, it's -really- worth it. And so I'm always keeping an eye out for those Time Sales, because the price is then worth it to me to buy whatever I can manage to snatch before it's sold out. It also depends on the discount amount, because sometimes the discount is too small to be worth it still, but yeah. This is to answer whether I hunt secondhand or if I buy first hand. 

From what I've seen about the secondhand prices, they're always at the same price as  first hand, or more if they're discontinued items. I'm really not sure if anyone actually buys at those prices, but that's what people are trying to sell at... so to be honest, I never really look secondhand for clothes because of this.

I haven't bought any Smartdoll Clothes mainly due to the price. A lot of people say that the price is worth it and I know that the cost to make the clothes is a bit high due to Danny supporting the local economy which is really awesome! So for me, I definitely prefer to buy things secondhand. I have seen people increase the prices on highly coveted items that are discounted, so I usually try to find items (like the hiroshima jeans) that are still very much in stock. Secondhand prices of in-stock items are definitely lower and the price is much easier to justify. 

I've not personally seen any secondhand Smart Doll clothing that wasn't being sold with a full doll. But if I did and the price was right, I absolutely would pounce! I am mostly interested in the various t-shirts that have been made over the years, but I'm also not actively looking for them if that makes any sense.

18 hours ago, Shailara said:

I recently bought a pair of pants from the latest Time Sale. I've heard so much about the quality and how a lot of people think they're so superior to other brand... honestly, I don't see it. I mean, yes, they are great! I love them. But they're by no means superior to other brands, such as TTYA, and I don't think they original price tag is justified. I get everything is made in Japan, because it's Danny's initiative to support the local market, I get that and I respect that. But as a buyer, I can't justify it, especially not when I only work part time for now ^ ^;

Having said that, I think that at the price I bought it at, it's -really- worth it. And so I'm always keeping an eye out for those Time Sales, because the price is then worth it to me to buy whatever I can manage to snatch before it's sold out. It also depends on the discount amount, because sometimes the discount is too small to be worth it still, but yeah. This is to answer whether I hunt secondhand or if I buy first hand. 

From what I've seen about the secondhand prices, they're always at the same price as  first hand, or more if they're discontinued items. I'm really not sure if anyone actually buys at those prices, but that's what people are trying to sell at... so to be honest, I never really look secondhand for clothes because of this.

 

That pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. I really like Smart Doll items but they're not superior in quality than other BJD brands like TTYA, Volks, etc. Unless it's an item that I really, really want, I wouldn't pay retail price for it. As a European, I also have to take in account that any Smart Doll purchase is guaranteed to get hit by customs. So retail price + shipping + custom fees usually doesn't make it worth my while. Time sales do make it worth my while once in a while.

As far as I can tell, most Smart Doll items on the secondary market go for retail price. If it's discontinued, it might go for more. But I rarely see items go below retail value unless the seller is hoping for a quick sale. Once in a while, I will buy on the secondary market if the price is good and the seller is in Europe as it'll help me avoid paying custom fees.

 

 

Thank you all for your input and info!  I appreciate it! 

 

I've found that you can sometimes get lucky with the SmD clothing on Facebook, I recently got a couple of good deals there.  But I do also see a lot of SmD clothing there that is WAY higher than retail was.  And almost all of those items still sell.  It puzzled me for a bit but I think that it just boils down to a lot of SmD owners are also fans.... meaning that if they want something, they'll pay up for it no matter what.  And that's fine because I know I've overpaid for things I wanted badly too.  But I just wondered if other people were seeing that as a false inflation/perception of value.

 

Again, I'm not trying to say SmD owners toss money around like no tomorrow.  I myself am quite the Volks whore.  😄  I'm just wondering if anyone else sees the things I do or thinks like me when it comes to this, that's all.

 

 

Billy

I only buy on the secondary market if it's a bargain- that is significantly less than the Culture Japan price. I also try to wait for time sales and have gotten some really good bargains that way. Also- the time sales seem to be random- it isn't just things that he is discontinuing or trying to get rid of, because I have bought things reduced in the time sale, only to find later it is on the site for the full price again. So the time sales are a great way to save money on CJ branded items, but you have to be NINJA FAST to get things because they sell out fast.

TTYA is excellent quality at approximately half the cost of CJ. Also there are a lot of really great sellers on etsy and ebay and also just people who sell on the Facebook group or have their own website sales. I have never felt that anyone looks down on anyone else (and certainly Danny doesn't seem to mind) if you don't have your Smart Doll decked out head to toe in Culture Japan clothing. My own dolls wear a mix of CJ, etsy, ebay, other sellers, and my own sewing.

There are a few items I can't resist and pay full price for: The shoes are great (that said, I have gotten some shoe bargains on the secondary market- generally from people who buy the fullset and then don't want all of it). Also the jackets are to die for, they are so detailed and well-made. And then I had to get the boy's Hiroshima jeans. At almost $100 it was a real splurge for me, but one I don't regret at all because the jeans are beyond cool.

 

I pretty much agree with everything that's been said so far.

I've seen many things on the CJ website that I absolutely love, but I've only bought during the time sales (when I don't miss them) and, as another person from within Europe, customs fees are something I have to factor in as well unfortunately.

While the Smart Doll brand clothing I do have is lovely, it isn't superior to the clothes I have from places like TTYA, and even some Etsy sellers - I recently bought an SD13 denim hooded jacket from etsy for $44, and it's superbly made. I understand that Danny keeps production local and I applaud him for putting his employees first (it's an admirable thing in today's retail world), but it does mean things are out of my price range. I consider Smart Doll to be a premium brand in a luxury hobby. Almost like designer branded human clothing 🙃

As for buying second-hand, I've seen some clothes sell on ebay, but for pretty much what their original retail price was. Some of the discontinued items sold for FAR MORE than their original cost. It does seem to me like Smart Doll products are almost becoming collector's items. I did once see some items on Mandarake for less than their CJ price, but they sold pretty quick, which isn't surprising. Smart Doll clothes never appear that often on Manda from what I can tell.

Edited April 7, 2019 by Zaliayn

I hit up time sales like crazy, otherwise I find that aftermarket clothes keep most of their original price point. I see SmartDoll a lot like I see Apple or Nintendo brand items.  They're high quality, but most of the price comes from the brand itself, and that's a big part of what attracts people to it.  They're designer dolly clothes, and that's OK, but I can only buy sparingly... and that's probably for the best anyway. lol

I used to frequent the facebook group looking for smart doll brand clothing and found that it's actually pretty steady price-wise. I didn't see any gouging on anything that was discontinued (marked up sometimes, but not terribly marked up). Although I personally think it's overpriced, the neat part is that it does actually sell back for what you put into it. So if you bought the $70 shorts and kept them nice, you can expect to get a lot of your money back when you go to sell. Vinyl parts I notice, not so much. That's just been my recent observations though. I find that kind of interesting.

I rarely look for SMD brand outfit on the second hand marked. The few times I have people have up charged the price a little because it was discontinued. Most of the outfit's available on the SMD website don't fit the characters I have for the dolls. I have bought clothes from the SMD website but only when there was a sale, or deal. Even then it was just for a red shirt, the millennium boots, and the red tinted red tinted lenses. The lenses were on sale for $8 usd. 

If the clothes are Discontinued expect the price might be a little higher than how much it originally cost. This usually depends on where you find the item being sold. Facebook usually has better prices if you find SMD brand outfits. Ebay is a mixed bag as people are also add to the price to cover Ebay fees. Mandarake has fair prices for clothes too, but it always seams to go fast. 

My willingness to pay for an up charge is only dependent on how much I want it. I would give my arm for that discontinued purple coat, but for discontinued shorts, or a wig no way. People do this in all the hobbies I participate in, so I just see it as normal. However its always good to do some research and see how much it used to cost to compare to what's being charged. 

 

I have definitely “over paid” for second hand items before but that’s because they are items i missed out on when they released or are hard to come by. I’m happy to pay the higher cost cause I know that it can be hard to let go of items like that unless the reward is great enough. If I’m willing to pay the price then, to me, the item is totally worth it. It’s also nice that items retain their value for the most part if I do need to part with something myself. That being said, I love the quality of smart doll clothes and i choose to buy doll couture instead of human couture 😅🤣