1 limited doll vs several dolls?

My thought process when buying resin is basically this: The price is too much if I don't like the sculpt (and extras) enough to justify paying the asking price for it. It doesn't matter if it costs $100 or $1000 -- if I'm hesitating at the face value, already my gut/instinct is saying that it costs too much. And my gut has had a good track record, so I listen to it.

If I miss a window for buying the limited and have to resort to the secondhand market, it's still the same question. Sure, I may be paying a premium for missing out... so this is a great chance to evaluate again how much I like the doll. If I truly, truly want it, the price will not be a factor, because fulfilling the desire will be worth all that money and effort. If in the end I still can't find the limited at an acceptable price... well then, I didn't like it THAT much after all, so I'll live without it.

It may sound like a brutal thought process -- but BJDs, limited or non, are luxury goods and cost a lot. This is my hard-earned money I'm forking over, so it'd better be worth all the blood and sweat and man-hours I spent earning it. YMMV, but that's how I decide.

Oh, and I only think about the sculpt I want to buy next. I just don't have the bandwidth to consider buying more than one doll at any given time.

 

The limited dolls mostly are a fullset and I don't want to have a fullset doll, I want to decide myself how the doll looks like. So for me it's quite an easy decicion. And of course money plays a part in it as well. I'd rather have two lovely dolls then just one. Unless I couldn't find basic dolls that I want then I would take the limited. But I'm pretty sure that will never happen. I think, for me, the most important thing is that I love the doll I'm getting.

 

I would get the one I liked the most, but if I liked them all equally I would go for the limited because I notice when I pass up on a limited I really like I just end up paying more for it later.

Same goes for limited outfits and sometimes you don't even ever find the item again

 

If it's a limited and you absolutely have to have that doll, then go for it. Unless it would put you over your budget, as you've stated it would. Kudos for making such a responsible decision!
Like you said, if it's really meant to be then he will show up second-hand.
Personally, I'd rather finish dolls that I already have (floating heads, wig-less dolls, etc.) then buy another doll. I'd also rather have multiple dolls that I adore instead of just one.

 

I personally love buying limited dolls, besides the value in them, there is a chance that this doll is no longer produced, which may be impossible for us to get them after. For the basic / non-limited one, we can always save up for later buy, but not limited dolls.

There are lots of dolls in my wishlist. Some of them are limited one, others are non-limited. Because I'm quite new to this hobby (I join in 2009 but purchase my first doll in late 2010), some limited dolls I like is already late for me to buy, makes me always haunt the MP for the chance to get them. But if there's a chance for me to buy it at the first place, I will buy the doll directly, delaying the purchase of other basic / non limited dolls.

There's another option that I'll do, if I really like the mold but my budget is limited as well.. Take the limited doll, split the outfits / wigs / accessories / parts with other buyers in MP, keep the main body + head. If I experience worse financial condition? I only take the head <-- I do this to some of my dolls. But that's for me, may not applicable to you, but this is one doable way

 

Although this may look true, time has proven that basic dolls can be discontinued. Take the Delf line that was going strong for years and it looked like they would be sold forever since they sold pretty well, but they are discontinued now. They may be released again, but there are no guarantees they will be released in the same shape. (They may get upgraded bodies.)

I have 3 dolls, 5 heads and 1 body that were once basics, but now they are discontinued. Usually basic dolls will still be there in one, two or three years. Most of the basic dolls that I bought are still available. I'm just saying it stinks if the basic doll you love gets discontinued (or the company simply drops off the face of the earth, which has happened) and you do not manage to buy it before it's no longer available.

 

It would really depend on how badly I wanted the LE. If I really wanted the LE, I would do that first, since the standard dolls will be around, and I can always save up and buy them later. Though standard dolls can be discontinued, unless you really wait a long time to get them, you should be ok. If it's a matter of buying a body for a head vs another doll, it depends partly on what I'm in the mood to work on -- the old head or a new doll. So I guess for me, it all depends on the dolls in question, availability, and what's currently grabbing my attention dollwise.

I have used a three month layaway through Leekeworld to get my two LE girls. The first one I put on layaway, but was able to get her home early due to selling another doll. The second one took all three months to pay off. If you're positive you can make the payments, then layaway is not a bad way to go -- I definitely would not have been able to get that second girl without it.

 

I think it all really comes down to the one you want more. Limited dolls are amazing because there harder to get. And one doll is easyer to care for then getting 2 for the price of one.

 

I don't go looking for limiteds deliberately because I'm really just looking for blank canvases to make my own, and there's usually plenty out there to choose from that's not limited. But then I certainly wouldn't hesitate to get a limited if it was the perfect canvas for me either. I accidentally purchased a doll that was limited...it wasn't limited when it came out but was cancelled within only a couple of months because of the difficulty in producing that amazing sculpt...so yeah, she's majorly limited now. And in fact I just put a limited doll in layaway because I'd have been absolutely devastated if I didn't get that doll! So while I don't go deliberately looking for limiteds, if it's the perfect blank canvas for me, I certainly won't hesitate to buy it...whatever it takes! And the fact that the money could be spent on two dolls instead of one never enters into my decision frankly. (Trust me, once you're in this hobby long enough, you'll wind up with plenty of dolls over time so why worry about that?)

But here's a perfect example: I was looking at a limited doll. She was adorable and came with many extras which I really liked and I had a great character for her. But I talked myself out of purchasing her because I just didn't want to lock myself into another long layaway at the time. But almost immediately thereafter, another limited doll came out costing exactly the same, and I couldn't push that "buy" button fast enough! Just goes to show how I must not have been so keen on that first one as I thought. Big lesson there.

 

It looks like you've made your decision, but just in case it might be helpful to others...

I agree with Sorenka. If you decided the LE doll was what you wanted more, you can sell off the fullset outfit, eyes, and wig. That way, you still have the doll you wanted and save a little bit of money. (How much/how long it would take depends on the markeplace desirability of the items.) You also have the option of selling the body if you don't mind having a "floating head" and you can always hunt for a body later on when you have the money. (It gets tricky if the LE doll has a rare body/skintone type, so head/body splitting may not be the best idea for those types.)

Of course, if you really loved the whole package (I typically do with the LEs I fall for), then you can't go this route.

 

That's just like it: if I see a limited doll, I can afford and I fall for it totally - yes! I'd buy it rather than couple of basic dolls. It sort of save the bother, if I don't need to thing of wig, eyes, clothes and shoes. Shoes are worst, I'd say But of course anyone is to decide oneself about reasons.

 

I've been in this conundrum for a couple months myself. I wouldn't mind having a limited doll, but I know that the doll would most likely just be a shelf item. Because of that, I usually opt for several dolls. Even now, though, I opt out of a new doll and buy more clothes/accessories for my existing dolls. It helps me save money and enjoy my current dolls a lot more, I feel until the right sculpt for the next character finally shows up.

 

Do you save up and buy a limited doll?
Sure! If I love them a lot I definitely would save. I try to only buy dolls I'm absolutely in love with and if that means saving a bit, so be it! There is a price range I won't go over though, but I won't just buy another doll just because I have the money.

Do you put them on layway?
I have never put a doll on layaway, but I suppose I would if I had to.

Or do you skip the limited doll and buy several dolls for the same price?
No way! I'd rather save or spend more to have something I really love than to get a few home that just...don't work.

 

Do you save up and buy a limited doll?
Yes, so far I've done it twice. But if it was between two dolls (LE and non-LE), I would pick whichever I wanted more. If the LE is already sold out, there is always a chance to get it on the secondhand market. If the LE is available from the company, I would choose that one so I wouldn't have to pay the secondhand price.

Do you put them on layway?
No, I wait until I have enough to pay in full before I purchase.

Or do you skip the limited doll and buy several dolls for the same price?
Again, it's whatever one I would enjoy more!

 

I don't really care if a doll is limited or not. If I find one I want, I'll try to save up for it (werther it's a limited one or not). Im not one of those people that just want limited ones to get mor status in the doll community.

But If there was a limited doll I fell for, I'd probably do a layaway if I really wanted it, but so far I've not fallen for a limited one.

 

I would have gone for a limited doll if i was confident that i would really love it and had the money for it. But there often is alot of limited dolls in different mp so you can be weery lucky there too =)
Though then it can also often go for some completely insane high prices.

 

Honestly, I guess it depends on what type of collector you are. There are people who enjoy owning limited dolls because they're exactly that: limited, but more often than not I feel like it's better in the end to just go with whatever sculpt you love. You might have that beautiful new limited fullset, but what good does that do if you find you're constantly still eyeing that sculpt you originally intended to buy anyway?

The thing about limited dolls is that there's time pressure involved in deciding to buy them, so in the end you don't end up thinking out your decisions as thoroughly before buying. At the same time, aside from the initial disappointment when a LE doesn't work out, they're usually not a monetary loss, and standard dolls are always there (unless they're discontinued or something...) But from my POV, I've owned two limited dolls, not because they were limited, but because I thought I really liked those sculpts (or maybe convinced myself that I really liked those sculpts), which was stupid of me as there were other standard dolls that would have made me so much happier and saved me tons of trouble.

So if a LE is what you really love and what will make you happiest, then there's nothing wrong with paying the price of several other dolls to acquire it. But there's really no point in being able to say you own an LE when it's sitting on the shelf, you have to interest in customizing or playing with it, and you're pining after other sculpts anyway.

 

I don't even look at LE dolls. The moment I see 'Limited Edition' in the title I walk away. Why? Well, because I'm a student and a hefty price tag would put me off even the most lovely doll sculpt in the world. I also do not want to risk 'falling in love' with something that I have a possibility of not obtaining (I have this attitude with everything, not just dolls). I think it'd be better to have several cheaper dolls, although that is perhaps due to me actually wanting a lot of dolls with a lower price tag. Thankfully, the faces that I like never seem to be at the higher end of the price spectrum, and there's plenty of information from different owners about them because they're usually rather popular.

 

I would go with what doll mould I like the best. Limited or not, as long as you enjoy the doll and don't regret buying it.