Does custom faceup on a limited DD affect resale?

Honestly just curious, I saw a post today of someone selling an Emilia (well, they could be on the forum too. So hello😄) and lowered their pricing due customising elements of her faceup.

I guess this is just a "it depends" situation?

From everything I've seen over the years in the hobby, it all depends on the buyer.  Some buyers want a doll as it was in default setup... meaning no additions or differences in make up and everything included as it was on release like outfit, paperwork, box etc.  Other people just want the dolls themselves to change into characters of their own so having a different face up doesn't mean much to them.

But on average I've found that a repainted character like Kanu or Sakura does drop their sale value overall.  As an example, you can get a fullset Kanu for between $110 and $1300 on Mandarake most of the time in her full default setup.  If she is missing any of her outfit or weapon or wig then her price drops dramatically.  I've seen a naked Kanu with nothing but her default eyes sell for around $600 or so.... That's a big difference from complete in box.  I think that's due to Japanese collectors wanting a full set of a character tho.  Most people in North America will just try and get the doll they want as cheaply as possible and then find the missing parts later on the aftermarket.  I know people who will just buy a characters head and then find a body later due to monetary or time restraints. 

All in all, it really depends on the character doll and the person wanting it.  There's a lot of variables in pricing depending on where you look for them for sale too.

 

 

Billy

To

46 minutes ago, baldylox said:

From everything I've seen over the years in the hobby, it all depends on the buyer.  Some buyers want a doll as it was in default setup... 

I see. So assuming it's a full set. A custom faceup would mainly change how much you could potentially charge over MSRP (or what you brought them for?). Makes sense.

 

Also makes sense on the "who" front. I swear I've seen custom Miku's go for a lot still.

 

But yeah. Now that I know this idk how to shake the feeling that customising my dollfies is " defiling" them ^^" . (I'll get over it xD. I never intended to sell my dolls anyway.)

1 hour ago, luna_Lillie said:

But yeah. Now that I know this idk how to shake the feeling that customising my dollfies is " defiling" them ^^" . (I'll get over it xD. I never intended to sell my dolls anyway.)

I've been toying with this thought too; I'd like to do simple modifications to some of my dolls where I keep their factory face-ups but enhance eyelash details and add gloss to lips, for example. I haven't decided yet if I will but I'm leaning towards doing what allows me to enjoy the hobby most. 

Another example, I asked the forum in the past how people feel about keeping original boxing. In the end, I tossed/recycled mine because I was more concerned with saving space and keeping my home clean than stressing over resale. I'm happy with my decision knowing I take very good care of my dolls and their full sets/accessories.

I think I'm going to end up doing the enhancing modifications I've been debating because I know I'll enjoy displaying and doing photoshoots with my girls that much more. Like @baldylox said, it just comes down to preference. 

Predictably, it also depends on the faceup artist. A repaint by an amateur is likely going to negatively affect the doll’s resale value, but I’ve seen artist repaints go well above market value for stock makeup on Dollyteria a few times.

11 hours ago, ragnamuffin said:

Predictably, it also depends on the faceup artist. A repaint by an amateur is likely going to negatively affect the doll’s resale value, but I’ve seen artist repaints go well above market value for stock makeup on Dollyteria a few times.

That also makes sense - I understand ppl wanting a fully stock DD for collector reasons. But some of volks default faceups are kinda...boring? idk.

The work I've seen from artists based in Asia is so good. Sadly, I think most don't take foreign commissions (understandably).

On 9/24/2024 at 10:33 PM, luna_Lillie said:

That also makes sense - I understand ppl wanting a fully stock DD for collector reasons. But some of volks default faceups are kinda...boring? idk.

The work I've seen from artists based in Asia is so good. Sadly, I think most don't take foreign commissions (understandably).

Wow, idk how I missed your response the first time but I’m just seeing it now. I agree that Volks faceups can be really boring, and I really do not like the direction they’ve been going in these last few years, but I guess that’s good for the wallet 😅

Not sure about artists in the rest of Asia, but most Japanese artists don’t take commissions at all, and when they do, it’s hard to get a spot because everyone wants one. I also get the impression they’re not as open to customization requests as foreign artists either, it’s more of a “you get what you get” situation 🤔