About BJD Recasts (2020 Version)
What is a recast?
A recast is when a recaster steals, buys, or is given one doll, and they make multiple copies of that doll and sell them. It’s like buying a piece of artwork from an artist at a con for $30, then going to Kinko’s and making 50 copies of the artwork, then standing outside the Artist Alley selling the copies for $5 each. Synonyms are: counterfeit, knockoff, bootleg.
What is “pro-artist”?
Pro-artist BJD collectors do not buy recasts. Most pro-artist BJD collectors do not interact with collectors who own or support recasting.
Why are recasts a problem?
- Money made from recasts does not reach the original doll sculptor. Most BJD ‘companies’ are just one or a few sculptors and some support staff. They are small companies. When a person buys a recast, that money goes to the recaster instead of to the actual artist. This causes legit artists/companies to lose money, so they may not be able to make as many new dolls in the future.
- Purchasing any recast hurts all sculptors, not just the main companies. If you buy a recast of a “big company” (and even the largest BJD company is small compared to toy companies like Mattel), the recaster can turn around and use the profits from that purchase to buy and copy the dolls of other, smaller BJD companies.
- Recasts hurt the secondhand market. BJDs are “durable goods,” like a car or a house. They should maintain some value over time, though not necessarily exactly what they were purchased for. Many hobbyists buy dolls, then sell them as their tastes change. This allows people with smaller budgets to find budget legitimate dolls affordably. It also allows established collectors to reasonably expect their dolls to have some value. If collectors have to assume that they’ll never make back the money that they put into a purchase, they’re likely to buy fewer dolls. This hurts legitimate doll artists.
Isn’t it classist/elitist to insist that people buy legit dolls?
It is not. Encouraging people to buy legit dolls, even if they are more expensive than knockoffs, puts value on the labor of the original doll artisans. The sculptors who make BJDs deserve to be paid for their labor. Inventing a doll takes much more labor than recasting. When pro-recast people insist that they should be able to buy recasts at a low price, they are basically saying that their ability to obtain cheap goods is more important than the artist making a fair, living wage.
How can I avoid buying a recast? Check out this post.
What should I do if I bought a recast accidentally?
First, if you paid with a credit card, bank transfer, or PayPal, immediately report that you received a counterfeit item. Most cards and PP will respond with a “chargeback,” where they refund your money and sometimes try to get the money back from the fake vendor. If you bought the recast from a site like eBay or Amazon, report the seller to eBay/Amazon as selling fake goods. If you bought the recast from another hobbyist, contact them so that the issue can be resolved. Finally, post publicly about your experience, so you can warn others about the problem.
What should I do if I knowingly bought a recast, but I want to go legit?
Stop buying recasts. Post about your change of heart, and your reasoning. Put your recasts away and stop posting them (selling or donating them can be problematic). Save up for a legit doll if you don’t already have one. Then, celebrate your legit dolls and be happy that your actions are now supporting the artists who make these beautiful dolls possible!
I’m broke, but I want a doll.
There are tons of dolls available for under $300.
All the cheap dolls are ugly.
You have not looked at these dolls! You can also consider…
- buying secondhand
- buying an expensive head and putting it on a less expensive body (this creates a hybrid doll)
- saving up for your grail doll (check out this thread on earning and saving)
- posting a photo of your grail doll and asking for lookalikes at your price point
I can’t participate in the hobby with my one cheap doll.
Of course you can! Your love for your doll is what brings you into the hobby. To enjoy your doll without spending more/much more money, try: taking photographs, crafting a wig, sewing clothes, knitting clothes, writing stories, taking photos for a photo story, RPing with your doll character, creating a diorama or scale props, making eyes, doing your doll’s faceup…
If I don’t have the most popular Minifee, no one will ever notice me on social media.
It can be super difficult to get noticed online, especially when you’re just starting out. This is true for everything, not just the BJD hobby. But starting your collection with a fake doll is not worth it. Instead, try: commenting on other people’s dolls, joining Den of Angels, sharing/reblogging others’ doll posts with encouraging notes, posting your doll photos/ideas/plans, going to a local meetup (after coronavirus is over)… You will eventually build up some true friends in the hobby, which is more fulfilling than just gaining likes or followers.
All the collectors I see have 10+ dolls, and I don’t have any. I’ll never have enough money.
BJDs have been around for over 15 years! Most ‘big’ collectors have been in the hobby for ages, and have put their ‘fun money’ for all that time into dolls. Additionally, many hobbyists are adults with full-time jobs. Your collection when you are first getting started isn’t going to look the same as the collection of someone who has been into BJDs for a long time. More importantly, your dolls are about *you,* not anybody else. Instead of comparing yourself to others, spend time working on your doll story, crafting, photography, etc. You’ll feel much happier!
More about the problems of recasts…
- BJD sculptor FreakStyle talking about why recasts are problematic and more about how recasts hurt sculptors.
- Infographic: BJD sculptor Creature’s Dolls explanation of how artists work harder than recasters.
- Volks’ statement, published after a recaster tried to copyright the name of one of Volks’ sculptors.
- Repost of Fairyland’s statement against recasts.
- Repost of sculptor Fifth Motif’s statement against recasts.
- Explanation of the costs of producing a doll (as a response to complaint about doll prices).
- Video: Adam Savage from Mythbusters explaining the problem of recasts (he talks about garage kits but the concepts apply to BJDs).
- Video: Why replica Lolita dresses are a problem (concepts apply to BJDs).
- Another hobbyist explaining recasts.
- Author Maggie Stiefvater explaining how book piracy hurts authors (reblog).
- Author Seanan McGuire explaining why secondhand book sales aren’t a problem.
- Why secondhand BJD sales are a not a problem.
- Why music piracy is a problem (concepts apply to BJDs).
