A recast is an unlicensed copy of a BJD, a knockoff, a fake. Usually the dolls are bought from a legit company (sometimes not even from the recast company itself, but from supporters), a mold is made (either making a physical mold or a 3D scan) and then the dolls can be mass produced. Usually made in China, but there are exceptions to this.
I'm not going into detail here on why they are a big problem, there are tons of posts about this on the internet. They are bad, they destroy the dollmakers and artists that I love, if you're fine with that, this blog isn't for you.
This blog is for those, that want to buy legit BJDs and don't want to accidentally buy a recast, which is getting harder and harder.
I'll put this under a cut, because this is gonna get a bit lengthy.
What not to do: Google "buy BJD", you'll literally get a ton of Ali Express listings of knockoff BJDs.
You will have to do some research up front, you need to know what company you want to buy. For that, you can go to the BJD hashtag, here, on instagram, sometimes even Twitter, and see if there is something you like. Usually people also tag the company and sculpt, and if not, asking usually gets the reply.
You can also go to one of the many official dealer pages and just click through their dolls to see if you find something that you like.
Stay away from Ali Express and Amazon. Both of these pages are riddled with knockoffs. Idk if there are actually any legit sellers on Ali, if there are, they are few. I think Dollzone sells on Amazon, but seriously, most of the dolls there are fakes.
Ebay and Etsy are also full of recasts, but you can find some legit dolls there.
So, how do you spot a recast store? Let me show you some hints, that are usually a dead giveaway.
A lot of different styles.
This is the header of an etsy shop. While the two on the left might be from the same maker, the other two are very different. (The one on the right is a doll from Fairyland, one of the, if not the most recasted company out there).
Different styles only make sense, if the seller is a distributor/dealer. If it's not a dealer, back out.
Which brings us to the next point:
Generic names.
If a shop were a dealer, they would give you the names of the companies and sculpts.
Example from an official dealer:
See how you can choose the company, size, and then the sculpts? Recast shops don't give you that (there's one exception, that I'll mention later).
They give you "1/4 BJD Doll MSD", "Girl BJD 1/6" or if they wanna go all out "1/3 BJD Doll 60.5CM Full Set BJD Doll With Clothes Resin Toys Best Gift for Girls Hand Made Doll Custom Dolls OOAK Art Doll diy Dolls".
They want to stay as generic as possible, so the newbies that google for "buy bjd" will be redirected to their pages.
If you find generic names, back the hell out of there. I don't know a single company or dealer, that do not tell you what doll exactly you're buying!
Short production time
BJDs take time to make. They are not mass produced dolls, they are casted, sanded, strung and packed by small companies. Even the big names in this hobby usually are just a hand full of people. So it takes time.
Usually between 2-6 months. I don't know any company that actually gives you an estimate below 60 days. Sometimes they ship faster (maybe it's a popular sculpt and they have actually made some for stock, maybe they didn't have a lot of orders during that time, etc), but they don't usually give you a shorter timeline.
If your listing claims the doll will be shipped in 1-2 weeks? Bad news for you, that's pretty sure a recast store.
Price
I hate to say it, but this is an expensive hobby. Dolls usually cost at least $200, oftentimes more. There are some companies that have cheaper prices, but if it goes below $150, I would definitely have a closer look.
Now, the price is usually the last thing that I mention, because before the price tag, you should check for all the things mentioned above. Only if you have a consistent style, specific names, and a timeline that makes sense, then you should check for the price.
I say that, because I know of one Recast store, that tries so hard to look legit, they actually put effort in it.
And that is the BJD Shop.
Look at that. You have company names, you have sculpt names, it looks like a legit dealer (if you ignore that their production time is 1-4 weeks).
But now look at the prices.
Not taking into account that this specific sculpt isn't even available from Fairyland anymore, the price? Is not even $100 (for blank doll).
Now let's look at the actual price by FL:
Rule of thumb: If a price is too good to be true, it very likely is.
So I recommend actually looking for the doll company, if you find a dealer you're not sure is legit, and compare the prices.
A good page for information is Den Of Angels. It's a forum, but a lot of things are easily available without account through Google. For example their dealer list. Is it complete? I don't know, maybe not, but it's a good start.
I hope this is helpful for anyone who isn't sure about a shop they want to buy from.
Great post! The only thing I’d add is Resinsoul. They do have estimates under 60 days, and have very cheap dolls! But they are an extremely legit company. They even do resin casting for dollmakers, and cast their dolls in tons of colors.
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Finished!! It's so cuuuuuute. This is a doll sized reproduction of the Little Star Ita Jacket on Peachiie Shop. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it, it's only taken me most of a year to make it 😑
The "pins" in the chest window are puffy stickers (thank you @dollsahoy for sharing that idea). The pin in the back is from @the-ebil-eye !
Been wanting this sculpt since it came out years ago, but never got him bc I already had so many dolls, but when I saw this little fren FS on IG I had to get him. That faceup is so pretty, I love faceups when you can see that it’s art.
I have removed the faceup though, bc I don’t feel a doll is truly my own unless I paint the face myself for some reason. 😭💖
Not sure what I will name him or what his design or character will be but it will be fun to think about it and do some sketches 😍
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I’m back frenzs!! Just got a new work table for the first time in 2 years after my old one was destroyed in the fire. So grateful to my beautiful cousin gifted me it💖 so keen to start operating on my dolls again💖
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hi i was wondering if you have plans on opening up commissions again any time soon? id love to commission a faceup from you and i’m wondering when i’d be able to!!
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I want you to know that i would die for you and all your precious dolls and you deserve the world and all the praise because you have a talent and flair people idolize and replicate constantly? You’re THAT iconic??? Anyway ily and you don’t know me BUT THATS FINE, just know I’m one of the many who supports and loves you and your work!!
Omg thank you so much! Never thought I’d be iconic to anyone 😭💖💖💖💖💖
