Are you a "Revolving Door" Owner?

I have no problems with revolving door owners, if anything people like that are how I can get more dolls and accessories myself!

I'm personally a forever owner, with how expensive these dolls are I try really hard to scrutinize ones I like and who's worth getting. I have to see it and fall in love with it! My list is always changing up in who's in it and who's the priority doll

 

I'm a bit of a mix I suppose. I buy dolls that I think I will like, but sometimes I just cannot seem to make it work out. I'm currently struggling with my Luts Centaur KDF, who currently has an Elf Yul head (I have a Basil and two different event heads to tinker with as well). Sometimes I realize that I may adore a sculpt, but it just isn't for me and unfortunately, I cannot realize that until they are in my hand.

I think part of the 'dislike' for revolving door owners comes from a place of jealousy. They see dolls coming and going frequently from the same person and think "I wish I had those kinds of funds" without really thinking about the time/money that goes into it. Not everyone can budget/have the patience to sell dolls in order to buy new ones. I see quite a few people who impulse buy in this hobby (not saying there is anything wrong with it) to the point they have no more dolly budget when something they really, truly think they want comes along.

 

As long as other people aren't rude and aren't hurting the hobby, it's hard for me to be upset about how other people play with their dolls! I'll admit there are times I feel a sense of sadness over the condition of someone's doll though. I also think of my dolls as long-term purchases, so to see someone who sells dolls a lot does give me a sense of sadness for the dolls! In my head, I feel like they deserve to go to a 'forever' home.

But that being said, as a collector it's not upsetting to me per se because people who have 'revolving door' owner policies are people who make sure that people like me can get our grail dolls even if they are no longer made. There are many sculpts you can only get second-hand and unless someone tries to sell them, the person who has waited years for that sculpt may never find it!

I've sold one doll and one body so far; the doll I sold was my first "dream doll" and I decided after many many years that she was too big for me. I sold her to a 'forever' home and that makes me so happy! I spoke to her new owner recently who shared photos of her much larger doll family and I felt really relieved she had found a good home. The other sale I made was simply I body I bought that didn't fit.

I wouldn't say it's impossible that I'll ever sell a doll again, as some purchases just don't work out, but I am definitely not planning on it. I try to purchase dolls that I definitely want to keep forever! That's just me though.

 

I feel as if ive gotten a bit "revolving door" a lot of it had to do with not knowing what I wanted in a dolls character from the beginning. My first doll, ive reshelled his character three times, my 2nd doll his character head was changed twice and now he's been reshelled again. I did the same reshelling of another doll and then sold a doll than I never quite bonded with. Its not a lot in the grand scheme of my time in the hobby (14 years) but I do tend to stick with the same characters at least. As far as what bonds me to the dolls ive kept? Well face-sculpt in relation to the character, posebility and scale are all important. It took me all this time to figure out I prefer the MSD's for their size, but enjoy the face-sculpts of SD size more. Its been a difficult balance, but I think I’m finally getting there. Who knows though. I also tend to impulse buy on occasion, so the revolving door may continue.

 

I didn’t know people got upset about this. I personally haven’t sold a doll and it’s unlikely that I will any time soon. But, I honestly don’t care what others do with their things. I don’t see how an owner selling a doll is any different than a company selling one other than its another chance at a limited doll.

I think the reason why I don’t sell is that if I like the sculpt, I don’t have a problem with changing out accessories and outfits to make something new and then back again. I even sometimes just switch heads around. I don’t want my doll to actually look like a “someone” who could exist in real life. I want them to look more like a suggestion of a someone. I hope that makes sense. I’m sure it makes things easier when it comes to picking the right doll.

 

Kind of? I never set out to sell any of my bjds as I bought them because I liked them. But as I grew in the hobby, my tastes did change so I’ve completely re done my collection. Then sometimes I needed the money, so I sell (even to buy a new bjd). Or I feel guilty for having so many bjds and sell to bring the number down.

It doesn’t bother me if someone has a revolving door policy regarding bjds.

 

I’ve had periods where I reshelled and reshelled characters trying to get them right. The Miyu in my avatar is the uh, 12th shell of a particular character of mine (a return to her second shell, actually, because I finally gave up and admitted to myself that I made a misstep when I sold her years ago). But I also have a doll at home that has been with me for eleven years now and I’ve got a good number now who are several years old, so I guess I’d say I’ve flipped some and hung on to others.

 

I used to think I wasn't such a type, but I am. Mostly because I have learned not to keep things that do not inspire or make me happy and let them go. Before, I used to feel guilty towards the things I bought/got, but now I prefer they move on. I have also given up on owning dolls that fit characters in my stories. That just does not work out for me. They're far too precise and vast a cast to ever find dolls for all the ones that matter.

 

What's the opposite of a revolving door owner? A deeply entrenched fortification owner? Because that's what I am. I've never sold a doll, and I'll go to pretty major extremes to not even have to sell a body. If I start falling out of love with a doll's character, I just make them a new one. I did this three times with Dagny (my first) and Fuyu (my third) and twice with Otakar (my second). They seem to have settled, thankfully. A lot of my dolls just... kind of hold onto their characters with no need for variation. I think part of this is that selling them is almost more work than just remaking them, for me at least!

I don't mind revolving door owners, of course, but since I'm the polar opposite, I guess you could say that I have a bit of trouble getting into the headspace... I decided on a ridiculous project for a new doll because I didn't want to have to bother selling a body on one of my hybrids and it was cheaper to buy a whole new doll than buy the head's proper body, which I didn't like anyway... So just. More dolls for me!

 

I'm an absolute horder, lol. I've only ever sold one doll, and usually just play around until a character "sticks".

That being said, it baffles me to think anyone should or could dictate how someone else is allowed to enjoy the hobby. At the end of the day, they are things. The amount of meaning you put into them is your own prerogative.

 

I am somewhat in the middle of a revolving door. Typically when I buy a doll, I buy it with the intent to keep it for a very long time. But about half of the time the doll will arrive and I do not bond with it so I typically will either resell it to a friend or try and find a new home for the doll. Personally I don’t think there is anything wrong with reselling. I prefer to buy secondhand dolls because, for me, the worry of damaging a brand new doll is much lower. I have never damaged a new doll before but, whenever I go to work on a face-up or a wig I have some anxiety in the back of my brain telling me I’m going to mess it up. I typically benefit greatly from people who enjoy a doll for a few years then end up reselling for this reason.

 

I buy dolls with the intention of keeping them as permanent part of my group. I've sold three that didn't work for me. Since I'm currently waiting for doll #20, I'm considering letting some of my current group go. But because most of my dolls are mature tinies many of them are limiteds or discontinued, so they'd be hard to replace if I changed my mind.

 

Depends on the doll. The undertaker will have to pry my ancient and now worthless Customhouse dolls from my cold, dead hands . . . but there have been plenty of others where I just never felt any spark of connection after the initial rush of "oooh, pretty!!" I think it's much better for those dolls to move on and get the appreciation someone else would give them, if with me they would sit lifelessly on a shelf or be put away in a box for years on end.

As for the idea that there's some kind of Moral Principle that should prevent me from selling dolls I'm not enjoying -- I work hard enough trying to fix stupid in my day job. Not going to try in my limited hobby time.

 

Well, I did sell off a bunch of my earliest dolls as more realistic sculpts that better fit my characters became available, and I've definitely sold a number that just didn't end up working within the group. But at the same time, I've hung onto a number of dolls that didn't work out for the characters I bought them for, just because I loved the sculpts too much to let them go. So... somewhere in between? I tend to get attached to the OCs I write about, so when I find the right sculpt for them, they stay.

I admit I was a little disappointed when I saw someone turn around and resell a doll they bought from me soon after, but that's just the way the hobby goes sometimes. I'm not going to criticize anyone for that!

 

You know how there are some people that you just click with as soon as you meet, and others that you know from the start, no matter how nice, really aren't quite your type...so while you may be friendly acquaintances, you'll never be true friends? Well, that's how I am with my dolls. If it's not love at first sight out of the box, then the most I will ever feel for them, even with a new faceup or wig or whatever, is just a whole lot of 'meh' and regret. As soon as they arrive, I know if they're a keeper - and I've long since given up on the idea that maaaaybe if I just change this or tweak that, I'll love them to pieces. Not happening. Of course I buy each doll with the intention of adoring them and keeping them forever, but that's as likely as loving every person I meet, just because we have something in common. So yep, I sell probably two thirds as often as I buy, and I do it without regret. And as a result, at any given moment I'm completely happy with my collection - because it doesn't contain a single doll that I'm only lukewarm about. So I'd say that I'm a revolving door owner, but a chosen very few get stuck in that door and will never leave.

 

I've sometimes seen people heavily criticizing or even attacking people for buying and selling too often, being fickle and indecisive or not loving their dolls enough. It made me wonder if most collectors keep theirs forever or swap out often.

How many of you are like this too? Do you often sell and buy or trade or keep them all long term?

I'm the kind of person that believes that as long as you are not hurting other living beings with your actions, then live your own life as you please, it is none of my business and it shouldn't be the other way around either. I don't see how people selling or keeping the toys they buy with their own money can possibly hurt or bother others (again, as long as they are not literally hurting others, like supporting illegally acquired toys, which does hurt others).

I don't normally sell my toys, I am a bit of a hoarder and actually have kept all of my toys from when I was a baby (they are mostly in storage now, but I still own all). Mostly because I am a possessive person when it comes to my material possessions; I get emotionally attached to my material things. I did sell one BJD body, but I can't see myself getting rid of a whole doll or even head sculpts -- more so if I modified them. I only sold the one tiny infant BJD body because I felt it would be better for someone else to make good use of the body, knowing I wouldn't be playing it ever again. It was in pretty much new condition only had played with it a handful of times; I felt bad not having any plans to do anything with the full doll anymore, so I chose to sell the body (if it hadn't been a resin doll, I would have never sold any part of the doll). I am still contemplating modifying the head sculpt a bit further, but I don't feel the need to own the full doll in order to do so. I don't see myself selling anymore of my resin doll parts in the future, that was the one and only time I've done so, and I don't believe I'll be doing it again (although I don't regret it). I feel that if people want to purchase a super rare, super sought after doll just to look at it in person, and then sell it the next day or next few hours, it's a hundred percent their decision and none of my business at all (just to reiterate, as long as it was legally acquired). (:

 

I wish! I hoard almost every doll I've ever had, but I wish I could sell them and have a small collection. I like the idea of handling a lot of different dolls and picking the ones I really love best.

But if I don't like/bond with a doll I stubbornly keep it and work on it until I like it too much to get rid of it. :C I subconsciously associate "not bonding" with a doll with personal failing of some kind... like I'm "writing them off".