Anyone wish they had got into the hobby sooner ?

I got involved pretty much exactly when I should have, I think.

My preferences in dolls are what would be called "old school" these days... I'm more about the stylized sculpts than the realistic ones (Think CP Delfs and classic Volks-) and I tend to favor male sculpts over female. If I were just looking into BJDs now? I probably wouldn't be as interested in them as I was in 2005. Most of the current trends just don't appeal to me half as much as those older dolls did.

 

I definitely wish I could've but in a way I couldn't, the "height" of BJD was around 2013? I think (at least in my opinion, when Nicolle's Dreams was actively posting). I was maybe around 12-14 years old at the time and how could I afford a $500+ doll? But I'm happy to at least be here now, better late than never,

 

Definitive. A lot of the dolls that I'm just discovering now have been sold out for a long time.

 

I started the hobby in 2009. BJD was gaining momentum in the EU and the US, it was definitely an increasing trend back then. You could grab almost any doll you could afford. Limited edition ones were (and perhaps still are) sold in nice condition second hand all around. I felt a kind of hype around the hobby and I predicted a lot of hard-to-get dolls would be sold 2nd-hand later. Now, I don't follow the 2nd-hand doll market any more.
I think I started the hobby at good time, when clothing and quality accessories were still affordable too.

 

Fairyland Chicline.
Asleep Elidon (spelling?) tiny mermaids.
Mature tinies from multiple companies.
Iplehouse pets.
Oh yes, I very much wish I'd known about BJDs earlier.

 

I think I got in at the right time.
I had known about BJDs about 4-5 yrs ago and I remembered doing some research on it because I was a fan of dolls. I remembered looking through BJDs websites and had the feeling that none of the dolls interest me so much that I would get them. So I 'left' the BJD scene behind.
Only recently that I saw some instagram feeds that caught my interest and I found that the newer BJDs seemed to be more in-line with my aesthetic and had started getting them.

 

I have been interested in dolls my whole life. In 2015-ish I discovered BJDS, but was starting out my lolita wardrobe, so I didn't want to get into two expensive hobbies at the same time. I considered my lolita wardrobe complete in late 2019, so I stopped buying dresses and started looking into dolls. I was into an off topic brand initially, but now I am only really interested in Volks cuties.

 

Actually I didn't really regret my late arrival in the hobby. I like bjd since 2009 but I was able to afford one only in 2020 ... But I think it was a great thing. My taste in dolls has quite evolve since then, and without this long waiting, I would have surely regret buying some dolls that I loved by then.

 

I still feel like a latecomer because I missed out on the first few years of BJDs (1999-2003). So yes -- I definitely wish I had been around at the very, very beginning!

 

I’ve been interested in bjds for a very long time but until now never mustered up the courage to actually buy one. I wish I had taken the plunge sooner, I missed out on so many sculpts I liked.

 

I definitely wish I had gotten involved with the hobby sooner. So many of my grails are from now-defunct companies!
I also wish I had gotten more doll friends back then when things were a bit simpler, now I have no idea how to make friends in the hobby

 

In my case I wish I would have kept up-to-date. I started the hobby and joined DOA in 2008 but I only stayed in until about 2013, I still have my old dolls they have just been in storage. I'm AMAZED by all the brands, hobby artists and options that popped up. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all tbh but excited at all the new things as well. I wish I would have restarted back in 2018-2019 as some great sculpts came out those years I missed and haven't been remade ;A;

One of my good friends though remained in the hobby and she got me started again this past Dec ordering my first 70cm boy and now as of this week I have 3-4 heads on the way LOL!

 

Personally I don't feel as if there is any good or bad time to get into this hobby! I have been here since 2006 ish and have seen so many trends come and go. I have experienced so many different aspects during my tenure that I am proud and happy to be apart of this community. I appreciate all that I have had the chance to experience and what this hobby has done for me.

As a High Schooler/Young Teen when I started collecting. I had little to no friends or support group back then. I was going through some pretty tough life experiences. ABJD was an escape for me and I immersed myself into the hobby. It helped me find myself. I am thankful for the hobby as I believe that it truly helped save my life and keep me around in this world. Although I was heavily reliant on odd jobs and my parents help to support my hobby at the time... and maybe a little immature back then, ABJD really helped me come into my own and develop my own sense of self.

Now as an adult coming back into the hobby after a long hiatus, I am thankful that I am back again. My tastes have changed in the hobby and that is perfectly normal. I am thankful for the knowledge that I gained way back when and that I can apply it to today. I think getting back into the hobby is a great thing for me as an adult with my own money and stability as I can reconnect with a part of myself that I feel I need to. Although it sounds silly, it is forcing me to take time for myself and do something nice for myself outside of taking care of my home, child, pets, partner etc. I have been told I am a very selfless person... for better or for worse. Getting back into collecting dolls now has made me put away money for "my own needs" and allowing me to express myself in a way that I could not do otherwise creatively (outside of the realm of songwriting/playing music).

 

I wish I had been in the hobby before 5 Star Doll discontinued many of their dolls. My first dolls were from them, and they are still my favorites, but looking back at photos of their discontinued dolls, makes me sad that they are no longer available. That company never seems to come onto the second hand market either.

 

I was a kid with 0 money when I started this hobby so I think I am pretty good with how I started. I do wish I had tried harder to make dolls when I was little, but I am learning now!

 

I think I got in exactly the right time! Most of my favorite sculpts are still from the 2009-2012 era, which was a year or two after I seriously started researching. I definitely wish I’d had more funds earlier on, though - I was a late high school/college kid when I started.

 

Definitely! I had so much more money to spend on hobbies when I first came across BJD's and I missed so many gorgeus dolls. But I'm happy that I did even get in the hobby, as I was super scared I wouldn't like the dolls as I was told they could kick you and other horror stuff.

 

I joined the hobby pretty early on and it was definitely less hectic back then. Only a handful of companies to keep track of. But there were also less items available and most overseas purchases were almost impossible without a proxy. It can definitely be overwhelming to join the hobby in the recent years because there's so much more to see but I think the options we have available now is much better than what was then. I'd just take it slow and before you know it, you'll get the hang of it.

 

If anything, I wish I had gotten into it a few years later, when the selection of dolls available was more to my liking, and I was mentally in a better place... but I found my way, and that's all that matters.