Another post about Withdoll and Recasts
The topic of recasts can be a … very gritty, very emotional one. It’s a topic a lot of people don’t like, but considering the growing market of counterfeit items (not just in regards to recasts, but also bootlegs of all other sorts), it’s a very real reality, especially when some companies have gone defunct because of recasts. BJDs is a very niche hobby; it’s so small that even the largest companies are, in fact, often tiny. It’s easy to refer to single-artist dolls and such as being “artist dolls,” but in truth, all BJDs are artist dolls. Every one. It’s a distinction from other dolls, such as fashion and playline dolls, that is not often made. On the pro-recast side of the debate, it’s easy to dismiss the legitimate dolls with the excuse of “I would have never been able to afford it” (or some variant thereof), “I don’t like xyz of this company” and so on, but the reality of the matter is: Buying recasts funds more recasts. By buying a recast, you are not just funding recasts of xyz company because you can get “their doll” on the cheap and not have to deal with their lackluster policies, but you are helping the recasters steal more dolls. The recasters bottom line is to steal anything that will net them some kind of profit. They do not care if a sculpt is a one-man artist operation, they do not care about if the artist is barely scrapping on by, they do not care if you might object to one of their recasted dolls specifically. The recaster does. Not. Care. They want what will make them more money. Not only that, but recasts also undermine the secondhand market. How many old minifees, pre-CoA have you seen on the marketplace? On secondhand bjd sales on facebook? So on and so forth? I’ve seen a lot, and they all tend to have a hard time moving their doll on, and it’s because it can be so incredibility hard to prove the legitimacy of your doll, especially since CoAs are a new concept and a lot of people come into the hobby expecting that to be the norm. Minifees are probably the most recasted type of doll, and when you hear about people scamming others with their recast as a legit, it can be daunting to buy a doll without the paperwork behind it. People often make comments about how, some companies such as Resinsoul, will likely “never be recasted,” most likely due to their price range. Resinsoul is, by far, one of the most affordable companies in the BJD market.
However. Despite that, recasts are often much cheaper. To put this into perspective, if I was to order a Resinsoul Mei, she would likely cost me about $140 in a basic skin tone with no faceup. If I go onto aliexpress, I can buy a recast Chloe shipped to me for less than $75. Recently, a few rather affordable dolls (especially since they also do layaway) from Withdoll, a very small Korean company, have been recasted. These dolls are their limited tinies that are often re-released with many of their other limited dolls. Their tinies are $160 + shipping legitimately. On Aliexpress, the recasted Withdoll tinies are anywhere from $83-$167 (depending on color, faceup or lack thereof, shop, and shipping). The legitimate doll is $160. These are recasts of dolls that are only $20 more than Resinsoul’s dolls. Let that sink in. Resinsoul has already taken precautions with their dolls, and now release CoAs with them. I honestly believe that, at this rate, we may very well see recasts of even Resinsoul in due time. If recasters can take a $160 doll and make it profitable, and also sell msd-sized dolls for $75 and make a profit, what is stopping them from recasting a $140 doll? Please remember that BJDs are not “normal” dolls. They are art dolls. They are handmade. When you buy a BJD, you are helping both fund this hobby by helping the creators that make it possible, and you are paying for their design, the creation of the doll, and to help them make more dolls. When you buy a BJD secondhand, you are doing much the same - you are buying a doll where the artist got paid and funneling more money into the BJD community where it might go towards another doll, wigs, clothing, etc. When you buy a recast, you are funding theft. You are funding people that don’t care who they hurt in order to make a quick buck.
