I truly believe hiding this information is detrimental to the BJD hobby. I understand why DoA bans it, because recast discussion destroys all enjoyment of BJDs. This page is not a discussion, but information you may want when checking dolls you have purchased from indirect sources.
It's almost hard to find this information now due to everything being locked behind accounts and group memberships. If you have more information, feel free to send me some of your tips.
Sometimes sellers are not disclosing that their doll is recast, but instead only writing "no CoA". If you come across this on a listing, message the seller and ask point blank "is this doll a recast?" Some will admit to it, some will beat around the bush. If the seller only assures you the doll is high quality, I would assume the doll is recast.
Many collectors of dolls (more than BJD) will buy recast because they simply do not care and did no research past hitting the buy button on AliExpress. Keep this in mind if you see other kinds of dolls in their sales listings.
All photos are of recasts unless otherwise noted. Many photos have been saved from secondhand recast listings on ebay. Right click to view image in new tab for full resolution. If any of these images are yours and you want them removed, DMCA me.
A recast master list existed and was updated by recast supporters until 2022. I have now removed the link because it's outdated and basically every new doll being created is being recast. Dolls made under the ShugaFairy name may no longer have the name of the original doll in the listing. Many old and unpopular sculpts are not recast still because there would not be much a profit from them.
The major BJD recasters are Oueneifs/ChinaBJD/Luo/Shuga Fairy, BJDPifa, HeheBJD, BJD Baby. If you see ANY markings on the doll with the name of a recaster, the doll is a recast. "Fallen Angels" is a sure sign of a recast, but I've been unable to figure out which recaster is labeling them this way.
Oueneifs headplate and marking on headcap of Iplehouse FID doll
"Fallen Angels" headplate on KID Irene
A few recasters have recreated CoAs for Soom The Gem and Fairyland dolls. Many recasters send their own CoA that does not resemble the original. Common generic fake CoA say "The only love For BJD" or "Doll & Certificate".
A few doll boxes have been recreated, but most recasters send dolls in a box of their own design with the original company's name on it. The packaging almost never includes fabric pillows anymore. Blister packaging is common now. I have never seen a legitimate resin company use blister packaging (Azone does for their dolls). In the past, the doll wrapped in bubble wrap and shoved in an unmarked box was common.
"Fallen Angels" IH KID Irene pull out box and CoA
There are plenty of recast box opening videos on YouTube which will give you an idea of what to look out for in packaging.
Many companies only produce dolls in specific resin colors. If the doll was never released in the color, that is a very bad sign. This is useful for Volks dolls, because many limited dolls were only released in a single color.
Details are often lost in casting. Look for imperfect fingers, messy text. Stringing channels may not be carved cleanly.
Minifee hand
Messy channels in LittleFee body (source)
If you have the original doll to compare with, look for
Shrinkage of Unoa 1.5, recast on left
Shrinkage of Minifee (source)
It is possible, but rare, to run across recast dolls on Mandarake and other secondhand Japanese stores. This Japanese wiki shows images of recast listings, what to look for, and comparisons between dolls. Mandarake will never intentionally sell you a recast, but mistakes have been made before. I have noticed Japanese sellers on ebay selling legitimate Volks dolls with obvious recasts from overseas companies beside them.
Kiki and Jill both have "キノコジュース" mark on their right butt cheek. Recasters often have trouble replicating the sharp corners of the text. [Another example, there are many more close up photos in this photostream]
Kiki's キノコジュース marking
PuffyPuffers reported recieving a fake Kiki with fake paperwork, kinoko eye, and box. I have only seen one instance of this, fortunately.
Every Kiki comes with a specially made pair of eyes for Kiki called kinoko eye. If you see a doll that does not come with kinoko eye, it is reason to be suspicious, though the original eyes could have been lost.
There are fake Kikipop dolls as well. They are easier to identify because their fingers look rather phallic.
Amaranth's Castaways has a detailed review on what to look for on recast Minifee.
Boxes that say both "CP/FairyLand" and "Made in China" are recast.
At least one recaster modified the Culur body to fit Minifee hands and feet. I believe most recasts have the correct hands at this point in time, but if the feet look too small for the ankles (or are recognizable Minifee feet), you have a recast on your hands. From what I can see, legit Culur feet do not have toenails, but many recasts do.
The first thing to check is if the doll has ever been released in the resin color you are looking at. A tan Lorina is going to be fake 99.99% of the time unless you are paying for someone's Dream FCS order. The resin colors you don't expect are often limited to auction models and Dream FCS and you should have plenty of proof these dolls are real when they go up on the market for insanely high prices.
Very old Volks dolls do not have headplates or grooves to place the headplates. School models did not come with headplates for many years.
Some recasters have recreated headplates. Some of these fake headplates can look legit to an untrained eye. Others either leave the spot empty, fill it in, or add their own headplate. Sometimes a correct-looking headplate from a completely different limited model will be pasted on the head. Please visit Mandarake/Dollyteria/etc to compare headplates to other listings of the same doll. "MADE IN JAPAN" should always be clear and detailed. Dolls made before 2019 should have "SD" on the top line and dolls made after have "VS SD". Dolls made in that year could have either.
Creamy Mami
F-73
Lorina 1st headplate comparison
note the period and spacing in the text as well as the smoothness of the well
unknown head sculpt
Note the detail lost in "MADE IN JAPAN". VS stamps inside the head were messily cast as well
This recast Tae is in tan. Her headplate information implies she is Lorina 1st or Date Masamune.
The recaster has removed all Volks markings inside the head and has added "Tae" as an identifier.
Volks never writes the name of the sculpt inside the head.
Bad pressing of headplates does not signify a recast. I have seen some VERY badly pressed plates on authentic dolls.
Amaranth's Castaways, BJD WTF V.2, No Recastbjd Twitter (JP), BJD Life