RE-CAST BJDs: Counterfeits, Fakes, Online and Ebay
WHAT IS A "RE-CAST"?
A Re-cast is an illegally copied or counterfeited cast item. Resin BJDs can easily be purchased and then taken apart and have casts made of it so that copies can be made. There are factories in China and other places, but mostly China (where copyright and counterfeiting of anything is a major problem because they don't respect the idea of copyright or theft of original material. Sure, they have laws against it, but they don't seem to be enforced).
WHAT IS BAD ABOUT A "RE-CAST"?
So what's the big deal? For one thing, someone put in a lot of work to sculpt the doll and market it in hopes of making their investment back so they can live to continue to sculpt and produce dolls. If someone makes copies of that doll and sells it cheaply, the artist and everyone else involved in the making of the doll, is having their sales cut. That means it's more difficult to create more dolls. (The re-cast factories can make the dolls more cheaply because they don't have to pay a sculptor or a marketer or a photographer or a faceup artist or people to test resins and colors, or run customer service and Q&A, or website-makers or anything else that goes into creating a doll...)
So what's the big deal if the doll is sold out or rare or people are too cheap to buy the doll at retail price? This hurts the BUYERS and the OWNERS of bjds. How??? Well, if you want to sell your doll and there are re-casts around at half the price, it will lower the number of people who might buy your doll. It will lower the price of your doll because people will see the lower prices and not want to pay more. Buyers will also worry about whether they are getting a fake or a legit doll, so sellers will need to have proof like Certificates and Boxes and Receipts, etc., which is a lot more of a hassle. Without proof sellers can maybe have trouble with buyers who will claim the item is a fake and you have sold them a bad doll. Buyers will need to worry about who they are buying from and if there is proof they are getting a legit doll. It is just much more of a nightmare all around.
So who cares if I want to buy a Re-cast? It's my business! You are breaking laws if you import a counterfeit into the US. If you sell it without disclosing it as a fake, that is illegal. Ebay, Amazon, etc., do not allow sales of counterfeits/fakes. Den of Angels forum, and most other BJD sites, does not allow any re-casts on the boards. Most all BJD Cons and Meets do not allow re-casts. It is unethical--you are participating in stealing the design of a legit artist for your own gain. You are hurting all bjd owners and buyers by having a recast that you may sell and may end up in the hands of a buyer who thought they were getting a legit doll. You are participating in an ugly, evil activity because you are a selfish entitled, law-breaking brat! (Seriously, I hate you so much if you do crap like that!). Just try and do the right thing, please! I don't care if you THINK it won't hurt anyone. It's just wrong.
HOW TO AVOID RECASTS/COUNTERFEITS WHEN BUYING FROM INDIVIDUALS
The easiest way is to BUY DIRECTLY FROM THE DOLL COMPANY or doll artist or an official rep. Most doll companies only have a few official reps selling on ebay or online, mostly so people can buy more easily domestically. Check with the company websites--they will often list their official dealers. If not, then ask the companies by email or on the Q&A boards, or ask on Den of Angels, where lots of people keep up with the latest information.
Buying second-hand is a great way to get a doll that might be sold out on the company sites, to find dolls near you so shipping is not so costly, and to find bargains. The best and safest way to do this is on the DEN OF ANGELS (DoA) MARKETPLACE, because they have a feedback system, screen for scammers and are anti-RECASTS. The problem is that the screening means you have to join DoA and then further qualify for Marketplace Access by posting a certain number of posts or being on their a certain length of time to show you are not someone who has joined just to scam. The pros are great, though. DoA is THE biggest bjd forum and a source of information and discussion that can be found nowhere else, and the Marketplace is HUGE.
Another way is to BUY FROM SOMEONE YOU TRUST--someone who knows a lot about bjds and would never buy a recast. Other ways to avoid any uncertainty is to ask for proof of some kind that this is a legit doll, by having the seller show receipts from the company and Certificates of Authenticity (CoA), although not all dolls have those and some are easily faked. Do your homework and see if the doll comes with a faceup that is legit (from the company) or other items that usually come with legit dolls. Recasts usually come in basic resin colors or colors that are not the colors the company uses for that sculpt or at all. They will usually come nude and blank and with no extra parts. So if you see some of the things like official box or pillows (protective padding) and papers and wigs and resin parts, that is a good sign. Sadly, sellers have to provide more and more proof that they have a legit doll these days because of the huge increase in re-casts, which makes it harder for seller and buyer, but it's important to do this if you want to sell and buy and know what you're getting.
Caveat Emptor goes for just buying on impulse without doing any of the checking and research. There are also plenty of scammers who will take your money and claim they sent a doll that never arrives, or will just disappear and never send a doll, etc. Buy wisely and safely. Even if you think you're getting a bargain--it's NOT a bargain if the doll turns out to be a fake or if it doesn't turn up at all!
A Legit seller will understand you wanting to make sure you are getting a legit doll and not going to get scammed, so don't be afraid to take the time to ask lots of questions and get information and proof they have a doll, have sent the doll, etc. Hundreds of your dollars are at stake.
SPOTTING A RECAST IN-PERSON is not easy, but it is possible. When a doll is recast (a cast is made from using the parts of a doll) there is SHRINKAGE of the resin that has happened in the legit doll, and then happens again with a recast--so the doll will be very slightly smaller. If you have a legit sculpt to compare it to, you may be able to see this. RESIN and RESIN COLOR is another way to spot a re-cast. The resin will not be the same as the legit company's resin in color or texture a lot of the time, but white and normal skin is difficult to tell the difference between companies. Definitely the tans will look different. Some people have reported smelly or badly cured or mixed resin. SEAMS, JOINTS, smoothness of the INTERIOR may be more sloppy and rough. Sometimes the dolls don't have things like magnets removed when recast, so there won't be the magnet wells as there would be in the legit doll.
RECASTS/COUNTERFEITS ON EBAY
Lately there have literally been hundreds and hundreds of FAKES being sold on EBAY. I've REPORTED them as EBAY supposedly has a policy against COUNTERFEITS/FAKES/COPIES. But there still seem to be too many fakes. I'd say-- BOYCOTT EBAY, until they do something about being one of the world's premier marketplace for counterfeit items. Or just be very, very careful. Check the seller's other auctions and if they sell too many different dolls and other items and are based in China--forget it. But the Chinese Re-Cast Factories also have sellers in the US and other countries.
Amazon has similar problems. Facebook is full of re-casts and scammers and you have no safety-net. Do not be stupid and save a few buck but end up losing hundreds on a scam or fake item!
It may be safest to buy ONLY on the Den of Angels Marketplace. They are anti-Re-Cast and have feedback and many informed eyes who can spot trouble.
Or from someone you know and trust.
Of course, it's always safe to buy direct from the company, or maker/artist, or official agents (usually listed on the company websites).
HOW TO REPORT A RECAST AUCTION ON EBAY
I'm not 100% certain I'm doing it correctly, but as best as I can figure out, here it is:
1. You spot an auction--
---Usually it is "from China",
---uses company photos but doesn't show actual item and isn't the company, and often has the original sculpt name, but maybe not. Logos erased from the photos.
---sold by sellers like lilyinfashion and ctgmart (see BELOW for more complete list and links).
---They sell multiple dolls, as "new" and without faceup but will offer a "free faceup" --so, no company faceup or any of the fullset items shown in the photos!
---They offer various skin tones--but not the unique ones of the real companies.
---And it's usually 1/3 the price or less of the legitimate doll!
---Owners of re-casts will often put "re-cast" in the information, thinking that this will get them out of trouble for passing on a fake (fraud!!!)... but it won't get them around the Ebay Replica and Counterfeit rules!!! So feel free to report away!
2. Part way down the auction page, above the Description/Shipping Info, there is small-type "Report Item" link on the RIGHT side of the page. Click on that. (you do not have to hit the drop-down arrow exactly--anywhere in that text box will work!)
3. Goes to-- File Report Page: First drop-down, "Report Category", choose: "Copyright and Trademark"
4. Second drop-down menu, "Reason for Report", choose: "Counterfeit Item or Authenticity Disclaimer"
5. Third drop-down menu, "Detailed Reason", choose: "Counterfeit, Fake or Replica Items"
6. Hit "Continue" button at bottom.
7. a "Brief Description" window opens. Type something here, such as: This is a Re-cast or FAKE or REPLICA or COUNTERFEIT. I also like to say: "Illegal use of copyrighted photos" if they use company photos, and maybe "actual item not shown". You can't really type much more than 2 or 3 brief phrases at most. Just emphasize that it's a counterfeit/fake/replica. I copy what I write and paste it for the next Report.
You can see EBAY makes you really jump through hoops to report by clicking and writing stuff...!!! But I really despise these people. They are taking away sales from companies and from those selling legit dolls! and they are SHAMELESS!
I'm just a person looking through ebay in order to buy items... It just makes me angry that I am sometimes tricked myself by these auctions, even though I KNOW what I'm doing in the BJD world (been into bjds for over ten years).
Plus I just don't like seeing artists in this wonderful field, or any field!, getting ripped off. It makes them less able to survive at a decent wage and therefore hurts our BJD world!!!
THESE ALL SELL USING THE SAME AUCTION FORMATS--PROBABLY HAVE DEALS WITH THE SAME RE-CAST FACTORY...
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SELLER: bijouxboxes --big seller with some of the same re-cast auctions as the rest
http://stores.ebay.com/bijouxboxes/_i.html?_nkw=bjd&submit=Search&_sid=1001455825
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SELLER: ctgmart (around 150 recast auctions)
www.ebay.com/sch/cgtmart/m.html?item=252043456129&hash=item3aaef5ee81&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
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SELLER: directsale1212 -- a couple of the same (re-cast factory in china) auctions
http://stores.ebay.com/directsale1212?_dmd=1&_nkw=bjd
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SELLER: domoki1988 -- a couple of the same (re-cast factory in china) auctions
http://stores.ebay.com/domoki1988?_dmd=1&_nkw=bjd
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SELLER: gainfree -- same (re-cast factory in china) auctions...
www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=gainfree&hash=item58cb5fadc9&item=381369167305&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xdoll.TRS0&_nkw=doll&_sacat=0
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SELLER: groupsignup --big seller with some of the same re-cast auctions as the rest
stores.ebay.com/groupsignup?_dmd=1&_nkw=bjd
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SELLER: jellycrewus -- same deal (I think they are testing new seller names out!!!) GRRR!
stores.ebay.com/jellycrewus/_i.html?_nkw=bjd&submit=Search&_sid=1192137039
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SELLER: jewels-malls -- a couple of the (re-cast factory in china) same auctions
stores.ebay.com/jewsmall/_i.html?_nkw=bjd&submit=Search&_sid=929237072
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SELLER: less10-ltd -- a couple of the same (re-cast factory in china) auctions
stores.ebay.com/less10-ltd/_i.html?_nkw=bjd&submit=Search&_sid=1126423404
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SELLER: less20.ltd --big seller with some of the same re-cast auctions as the rest
stores.ebay.com/less20-ltd?_dmd=1&_nkw=bjd
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SELLER: lilyinfashion (hundreds)
www.ebay.com/sch/Dolls-Bears-/237/m.html?item=291522395838&hash=item43e016bebe&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&_ssn=lilyinfashion&_sac=1
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SELLER: miamiamia7777
www.ebay.com/sch/Dollfie-BJDs-/160850/m.html?item=121722303804&hash=item1c5736f53c&_ssn=miamiamia7777
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SELLER: millionnsc --big seller with some of the same re-cast auctions as the rest
stores.ebay.com/millionnesc?_dmd=1&_nkw=bjd
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SELLER: moodystar88 --- based in BINGHAMTON, NY !!!! SAME FORMAT OF AUCTIONS--SO HAS RELATIONS WITH CHINESE RE-CAST FACTORY.
www.ebay.com/sch/moodystar88/m.html?item=121656119695&hash=item1c5345118f&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
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SELLER: papa1022 -- new seller with same re-cast auctions as the rest
http://stores.ebay.com/papa1022/_i.html?_nkw=bjd&submit=Search&_sid=1407759407
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SELLER: princess*doll -- newer seller of same (re-cast factory in china) auctions
www.ebay.com/sch/princess*doll/m.html?item=171895905133&hash=item2805cb5b6d&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
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SELLER: roundy-store --big seller with some of the same re-cast auctions as the rest
stores.ebay.com/roundy-store/_i.html?_nkw=bjd&submit=Search&_sid=930951169
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SELLER: spring_smalltown_bjd -- new seller with same re-cast auctions as the rest
www.ebay.com/sch/spring_smalltown_bjd/m.html?item=191723623234&hash=item2ca39e5342%3Ag%3AsfQAAOSwwbdWLPq9&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
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SELLER: threewong -- same deal
stores.ebay.com/threewong?_dmd=1&_nkw=bjd
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SELLER: up2extrem (almost 200 recast auctions)
www.ebay.com/sch/Dolls-Bears-/237/m.html?item=261934229910&hash=item3cfc7f2996&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&_ssn=up2extrem
There seems to be one main chinese factory making all these things and selling on one website (BJD-SHOP, http://bjd-shop.com/), and getting various sellers (existing big ebay stores based in China!!! or using various names) to sell their items on Ebay. They also might be on Amazon and other places. Counterfeits are against ebay policy... Many of these auctions also use Company photos and don't show the actual item, which is also against policy... SO we CAN report them. However... I don't see Ebay doing much. I think it might take threat of a law suit. And in China, legit Chinese BJD companies need to report the re-casters. All companies need to report the stolen company photos used on the ReCast BJD selling website. The only thing we can do as individuals, is report Ebay auctions if we see them...
