.

I think everyone compartmentalises in life, and as long as people are happy and the spending, etc are controlled, it’s fine really!

Also this hobby is weird, exclusive and expensive, so what might look ridiculous in terms of cost outside the hobby, looks reasonable in context.

Edit: as for insecure websites, I totally get you with that one as I am also guilty of this sort of thing. Issue is, you can’t always find what you want on dealers websites etc

 

$30 for one pair of jeans vs $30 of what is possibly a full outfit. We can get good jeans for cheap at places like GoodWill, but it's much harder for doll clothing.

There's a big difference between hiring a company to mow your entire lawn and them not doing what they're paid to do, and a doll that can be covered.

I've personally never heard of a person in the hobby using their CC on a known insecure website. News of someone's card being stolen due to a doll related website would travel fast. From my experience, the majority of sellers use PayPal.

It seems it's not uncommon to use shadier websites.

 

I feel similar.
Like I can spend hundreds/thousands of dollar on outfits for my dolls but I could never do that for myself... if one outfit cost 80-100 for my doll, I’m like it looks good I will buy it but if it’s like a shirt for me that’s over 50, I’m like no I’ll wait for anything else on clearance...

Maybe one day I’ll learn to not buy cheap things for myself? But then again some doll clothes are pretty amazing and there’s nothing wrong with spending money on things people like more lol

 

I still find it a little disconcerting that I pay as much or more for miniature clothes and shoes as I do for my own clothing, but I also know that the people I choose pay for their artistry are uniquely skilled at what they do.

 

Definitely! I'm a pretty frugal person in general, except when it comes to dolls, seemingly. I would never even spend more than 50$ at a time on anything, but 30$ for a pair of eyes I might never use? Sure! Why not! I'll worry about it later. Maybe I'll get a 500$ doll next time I have money, and those eyes can go in them! Or not. I think the only thing I own that's anywhere near as expensive as my dolls are my glasses, which are cheaper than one of my dolls, my actual car, which is only partially owned by me, and my computer+phone. If I could find the items to do so with, I would spoil my dolls more than I would ever spoil myself lol. Spoiling myself vicariously?

 

I know the issue with clothing at human size versus doll size is that human clothing is mass produced, and can be less expensive. We're used to paying less for human clothing, whereas doll clothing is specialized, often handmade by artists, and not in as high a demand as human clothing.

Idk. It is a hard topic. I just know for myself personally, I'm okay with paying for the artistry in the hobby, be it 50 dollars on a pair of doll shoes, or 50 dollar eyes. I can see the craftsmanship, and am willing to pay for it c:

 

I think, in my head, I know I'm paying for a higher quality product, which is why I'm okay with spending more money. I mean... I've tried making doll clothes. It's hard! I understand that people who make doll clothes need to spend more time hand sewing, and the price being higher is fine. I know that clothing stores (theoretically) didn't spend hours hand sewing each individual pair of pants.

Though credit card scams are everywhere, it's not terrible to have faith in humanity a little bit that maybe this website isn't a scam.

Do check credit card scanners at gas pumps tho. Those things pop off (so they can be put on and recovered by scammers) so a hard tug should let you know. XD

 

For me, especially when it comes to clothes, I know that my dolls will always fit their clothes and, as long as I take care of them, they'll last (nearly) forever. I also think that shopping for them is more fun, too! The same cannot be said for myself lol. Plus, I rarely have to do doll laundry and the storage for the clothes is much easier than people-size! When it comes to credit cards... I try to use paypal when possible, but I've also just accepted that lots of bjd sites are not secure X'D

 

I think it depends on prioritizing and the level of enjoyment you get out of something. If you want to be in this hobby, these things -especially the expenses- are just part of the thing, and if you accept them here but not outside the hobby it means you find dolls to be worth it more than other things. If you don't want to spend 30 bucks on a tshirt for yourself, I guess it just means you don't enjoy fashion as much as dolls :P
It's much the same for other hobbies; to outsiders, it always seems an excessive amount of money/work/risk taken, but people in the hobby think it's worth it.

Personally I'm not like that with dolls (yet?), but I'm just starting out and I think I'm working on a smaller budget than most. I couldn't spend hundreds of dollars (well, euros) on things even if I wouldn't mind to

 

I think, it's because of this: We usually compare prices of jeans with average prices of jeans on market. So, if we know it's possible to buy them cheaper, we prefer to buy them cheaper. And when we are buying dolls, we compare prices with other dolls, not jeans for humans. Besides, hand-made things are always more expensive than factory made ones.

I notoriously hate buying what I need because I usually don't want things I need. I want things I want. Like for example, I colect unusual clothes, so when, let's say my boots are beyond repair, I'm not happy to buy new pair because I loved the old ones and now it's difficult to find new boots I would love as much.

 

My doll's $45 jeans will last forever, my $45 jeans will have holes within a year. The doll jeans are 99% likely to actually fit my doll and look good. Finding jeans that fit me right and look good is nearly impossible, so if I find a pair that flatters me and is high quality, I'd buy them instantly, even at a higher price than I would on a doll's. I won't spend more on shoes for a doll than for myself. My makeup definitely costs more than faceup supplies-- $10 lipstick is a great deal, a $10 tube of acrylic paint is way too expensive!

But other things? Yeah, definitely. Besides video games and doll stuff, I don't spend a lot of money on anything for myself. I might drop $20 on something cool for my doll, but not myself. Then again, spoiling my dolls IS spoiling myself, and spending money on fun stuff is a lot easier than spending a lot of money on boring necessities.

 

Do you guys remember when you were kids and you got a present? It's your birthday, and your aunt comes with a present, you open it with excitement, until you see... Clothes! Not a toy! How dare you, aunt Teresa? Lol! Well, this is more or less the same. Buying clothes for oneself is, at least for me, less amusing than buying props for my doll, figures, or fun stuff in general. So it's very likely that I'll be willing to pay more for my hobby than for "stuff that are needed but I won't have fun with it". Ok, maybe I won't have fun just if my doll gets new clothes, but it's more satisfying.
Also, I know peopme that spent more money on a bicycle than on their car, just because they are not car people but still needed that car, but they really really liked bicycles.

 

I buy a lot for my dolls but I also think sometimes I forget how much I spend because it feels like smaller amounts of money.... but then it starts to add up.

I work very long hours and I feel like I end up just buying more dolls than spending time with the ones I already own. I am trying to take some time off to spend properly with my dolls and finish sewing their outfits and making their wigs.

 

The thing that I put up with in this hobby that I would NEVER put up with under any other circumstances is the whole "we'll take so long to cast your doll that your paypal protection runs out, and you'll just have to trust that your $500+ item gets to you eventually!" thing. I only barely put up with it, actually, but... I do, nonetheless. I imagine it'll only take one company abusing my trust to make me never order a doll again, though.

 

@0bsequi0us That is a good one, yeah! I was struggling to think of anything I thought was particularly unreasonable in any way, but that is definitely one thing. Luckily I have not been burned yet, but I have hardly ever had a company send the doll to me within the PayPal time scale!

 

At least as far as clothing is concerned, I have one very hard, very fast rule: I do not spend more on an article of clothing or an accessory for my doll that I would pay for myself.

That having been said, there's a reason that I make all of my dolls clothes.

Tossing my money into the ether and hoping that a doll arrives eventually, however... been there, done that, will probably do it again.