Let me say first that I am 100% in support for sculptors. I NEVER have and NEVER buy or Reborn a stolen kit. Now with that said, I just saw a video on YouTube of a lady who bought a doll on aAlliexpress for $52. The pic she showed of the Ad was beautiful, but you know the DOLL itself never is right, but omg…this doll WAS beautiful. Looked just like the pic 
She had gorgeous blond hair! I think the kit was the older Charlotte kit. But the doll was VERY WELL MADE. Which is scary to me as an Artist. Because times are hard and sales are slow, and if these fakes now are looking so good now, many people don’t care that they are stolen . All they see is a very good looking fake Reborn for $50!! This is really bad for true artists and sculptors, it’s so sad.
I see that China evolved in their ‘reborns’. They are not like they used to be. Someone told me that they offer Levi for $5 + free shipping.
There will always be people who will buy cheap. BUT true collectors know better and not buy those. We should continue to educate people and those should be our customers.
I agree, but is it putting a huge dent in sales. Unfortunately cutting our buyers to Reborn “collectors” only, basically. And with so many Artists out there, soon there will be more Artists then Collectors ( buyers). I love reborning and I truly hope the market for it doesn’t die and get over powered by cheap stolen fakes.
I have also noticed that the quality of the fake kits they are painting and the paint jobs have improved. I think that these type of dolls out in the market does impact demand and is harmful. We need the buyers that buy lower end beginner babies AND those who pay more and support advanced artists. Some collectors will still buy from new artists and some will not. When I started painting they did not have a choice. If they wanted a reborn, they bought a handmade one that fit their budget. For the past 3-4 years I have heard that it is no loss to real artists because these people were never going to buy from us, but some would have bought lower end dolls so it is a loss. The price of real beginner babies drops, then the middle range is pulled down, only the top tier may not feel this. Maybe I am wrong, but this is what it looks like to me.
So funny you should say this, I just watched three video’s today, same thing…Two AE and one was Temu.
They are “cute” and they were not those horrid scam babies that first came out. My guess is those production partners learned a lot from us on forums and You Tube.
Are they “great” reborns, nope, They are just skin tone vinyl, minimal blushing, white nail tips and eyelashes, the eyebrows are a template. They are basic, and two dimensional, The ones I got to see had painted hair, not great but for a child’s plaything not bad.
If I were a mom with limited funds, had a kid who really wanted one and the only way I could get it, knowing it would end up at the bottom of a toy box two weeks after Christmas…Well I most likely would opt for the 50 vs. 500 dollar doll.
What chaps my ass is people in the hobby, in the art doll community, doing social media and You Tube who are making money off of it promoting these babies, no shame.
If they are obvious copies much more unethical.
I am not the boss of the world but it is hurting us, bottom line.
Barbie fanatics don’t buy dollar store “Barbie” They look for the real thing.
My hope is people who love to seriously collect know the difference and will keep looking for the real thing.
I agree with you- the recent movement toward normalizing and legitimizing fake kits within our own reborn community is far more upsetting to me. It’s to be expected from Chinese factories (not saying it’s ok, just that it’s the unfortunate standard), but it should NOT be coming from professional reborners who know full well the impact of their choices and who should care about that impact on sculptors, artists, and collectors alike.
That said, I have noticed the same. The paint jobs are getting better. Ugh…
I believe it’s hurting all us Artists and sculptors in the long run. Sales are already the slowest I’ve ever seen.
I am not selling on Reborns right now, so I am not monitoring it too closely, but I went and count how many were sold in last 24 h.
30 dolls! - Those are Christmas sales numbers in previous years.
I didn’t do any analyses on prices as majority now don’t display sold prices, I didn’t look if they are new or pre-owned, just got the number.