The first-time buyer checklist
No email required. Other sites put this behind a signup form. We didn't, because a checklist that stops people getting defrauded is worth more to us circulating freely than sitting in a mailing list. Print it, copy it, repost it — attribution appreciated, permission not needed.
1 · Before you shop
- Do the weight test. Carry the weight class you're considering up your stairs — 55–100+ lb for a full-size doll. Do this before you fall in love with a face. Weight is the single most reported regret.
- Set an all-in budget, not a sticker budget. Add 15–25% for factory add-ons, care supplies, storage and import charges.
- Answer one material question honestly: will you genuinely keep up a monthly maintenance routine? Yes → TPE. No → silicone, or wait until you can afford it.
- Decide where it will live before it arrives. A standard closet rod bends under a full-size doll.
- Check your country's import rules. Legality, tax and seizure risk vary enormously.
2 · Vetting the shop (before you even pick a doll)
- Pricing is realistic. No 50%+ discounts, no "$799 full-size silicone", no permanent countdown timers. A discount that big is the scam signal, not the bargain.
- Brand authorisation is verifiable. The shop names the factory, and that factory confirms the shop is an authorised reseller when you email them.
- Factory-photo policy is in writing. Photos of your doll before dispatch, shipped only on your approval.
- Buyer-protected payment is accepted. PayPal or a credit card. Wire, crypto or gift cards only means walk away.
- Reviews read organically, including complaints that got resolved. Walls of invited five-star reviews don't count.
- There's a real contact surface — an address and a human who answers clearly about lead times and customs.
- Lead times are honest. Made-to-order means 2–8 weeks. Everything "in stock, ships today" at factory prices is drop-shipping fiction.
- Photos survive a reverse-image search and match the official factory catalogue.
- Policies are published before checkout — shipping, customs, cancellation, defects.
- The domain has history. Check any WHOIS lookup. Scam shops churn new domains constantly.
3 · Before you pay
- Ask: is this price DDP or DDU? Delivered Duty Paid means import charges are covered. Delivered Duty Unpaid means the carrier will bill you before release. A vendor who can't answer clearly is telling you something.
- Never ask the seller to under-declare the value. It's customs fraud, it's the most common bad advice in this hobby, and the saving is not proportionate to the exposure.
- Confirm the billing descriptor that will appear on your card statement.
- Confirm the packaging is unmarked and what the shipping label will say.
- Screenshot everything — the listing, the configuration, the price, the promises. Before payment, not after a dispute starts.
- Pay with PayPal or a credit card. This is the step that gives you leverage later.
4 · After you order, before it ships
- Silence during production is normal. Expect 1–4 weeks with no news.
- Demand the factory photos and actually study them. Face, body, skin tone, every option you paid for, against your order sheet. This is your last easy exit.
- Do not approve dispatch until the photos match. This single habit prevents the most-reported complaint in the entire category.
- Never accept an offer to ship in parts to avoid detection. In more than one prosecution, part-shipping was treated as evidence of guilt.
- Expect tracking to stall at customs for days. That's normal, not a sign of fraud.
5 · Arrival day
- Film the unboxing — continuous video from sealed crate to unwrapped doll. This is the evidence that wins disputes.
- Note any crate damage with the courier at delivery if you can.
- Run the factory authenticity check if the brand has one, on day one, while your dispute window is fresh.
- Confirm every option you paid for is actually present.
- Photograph any defect immediately and raise it in writing the same day.
6 · If something is wrong
- Document first, negotiate second. Vendors who stall with "please wait, remake coming" are running out your dispute clock.
- PayPal dispute: you have 180 days from payment. "Item significantly not as described" fits a counterfeit exactly.
- Credit card chargeback with the same evidence.
- Never trade a five-star review for a repair. That's review extortion, and you lose your leverage the moment you accept.
- Report the shop and warn other buyers.
Stuck on a question this raises? The buyer FAQ answers the common ones with numbers and dates.
Use the tools alongside this: the Scam-Check scores section 2 for you, the True Cost Calculator does section 1's budget maths, the 60-Second Finder handles the weight and material questions, and import rules by country covers the last item in section 1.
Use the tools alongside this: the Scam-Check scores section 2 for you, the True Cost Calculator does section 1's budget maths, the 60-Second Finder handles the weight and material questions, and import rules by country covers the last item in section 1.
When you're ready to work through section 2
You'll need a shop to run the checklist against. YourDoll is the one vendor currently on our vetted list — it already passes the ten checks in section 2, which is the point of the list existing.
The checklist is free and stays free — no email wall, no link required. We earn a commission if you buy through the button, which is why the printable version above deliberately has no affiliate links on it: a checklist you carry into a negotiation shouldn't be quietly selling you something while you use it.
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