Are you a "Revolving Door" Owner?

Yup, exactly! I got so frustrated at one point I tried not having her at all for a while, but she always crept back in when I got a sculpt I was unsure of. Now I just make jokes about how she’s a Timelord who chooses to always be a cute blonde girl.

 

It's very easy to covet what others have without knowing their situation. I've been lowkey jealous before of other owners who tend to change their collection often, but honestly it's none of my business! Whether they are swapping out one doll for another or whether their doll funds are larger than mine is irrelevant. I recognize that a) we can all enjoy the hobby however we'd like as long as it doesn't hurt others, and b) other people's budgets don't impede my enjoyment of my own dolls.

I'm on the other side of the spectrum; I have almost every BJD I've ever bought for the past 13 years. As for what keeps me bonded to them, it's their sculpts. I like a pretty wide variety of styles, so I never feel like I need to upgrade or trade a certain doll when aesthetic trends change or new dolls are released. I also don't typically buy dolls to base on original characters, but rather buy the doll because I like it and let my perception of the doll or doll's character grow organically from there. I also enjoy my dolls differently; some are parts of a story, some may have only a suggestion of a personality, and some I just see as dolls. I don't care if they all look like they belong together as a group (they don't!) or if they're all the same relative scale (they're not!) or even if they're all in the same stage of completion (never!).

I'm thrilled with the dolls I have now and only have a few more planned, but that's also basically been my mindset since day one and yet they keep multiplying. I never really consider my crew "finished" because a large percentage do actually need a ton of work still, but even my "complete" dolls get new things from time to time, whether it's a new wig, eyes, faceup, accessory, etc. I enjoy changing my dolls up but not changing my actual dolls, apparently.

 

I have definitely been a revolving door owner. Not on purpose, mind you! Part of it was trying to figure out what I liked, the other part that I was stressed out and depressed so it add to that. Things got sold immediately if it didn't work.

I'd rather not be like this personally because this hobby can be a financial drain if you aren't careful! Slowly but surely I've reduced my collection down to favorites who will stick around, and am planning on any new additions being well thought out. I haven't cut out doll buying cold turkey, but my doll buying has slowed down enough that it doesn't add any stress so I'm proud of that. I'm hoping next year to be able to proclaim myself "not a revolving door owner!". No shade for anyone it does work for, it's just not for me anymore.

 

Long term. Even if I decide a doll doesn't fit in for me, it takes an age to get around to listing them and moving them on (it has, occasionally, happened quickly, but only due to the happy -coinsidence of mentioning I['m thinkign of selling to someone who jumps at the chance to buy). I think the delay is partly due to it seeming like a betrayal to want to get rid of a doll... Although you'd think that wanting to move them to a new home where they'd be more valued/appreciated would seem like a god incentive.

Pretty much it's a case of once their character is set, they've found their place. It may take a while for their character, or aspects of it, to be revealed, but it's ll part of gettign to know the doll and who they are, and once we've been through that, the bonding process is done and their place in the household is established.

In termsd of BJDs : Ongoing for over 14 years now. In terms of off-topic dolls: All my life.

It's a continually ongoing process.

Many of them have outfits they "default" to but most of them have and/or will have multiple outfits for diffeent seasons and occasions. I have a "someday" plan that they will each end up with a basic wardrobe of summer and winter clothes with variations for everyday and "best", plus other special occasion outfits (and no need to share!)... but it hasn't happened yet since the families keep growing and I don't sew as much as I used to these days. The boys are definately the "poor-relations" in terms of clothign choices, since I prefer sewing dresses to sewing trousers, and it's harder to find bought stuff that works nicely for Victorian/Edwardian boys than it is to find equivalent girl styles.

Teddy

 

I am involuntarily a revolving-door owner. Although it has chaged a bit during the past couple years when I'm more busy with school rather than with searching for the perfect doll and dolly items, but generally, yes, I buy and sell something dolly related at least 3-4 times a year. The longest time with no change was maybe some 6 months or so? That's how I am. It's a multifold issue.

First of all, like some of you mentioned - I needed to re-shell the characters. I never went to 12 changes but 3 or 4 for one character... yeah, been there. I used to be really into OCs, and drawing them etc. And when a new doll didn't feel like on the pictures, it had to go. Meanwhile, the OCs were evolving too. At times, I'd only change the faceup... at times the head or even the whole doll. But nowadays, i'm notinto OCs anymore. At all. I even keep my dolls nameless and I'm happy about it. But this, on the other hand, makes me elss connected and more likely to re-sell.

Then, I jumped into the hobby into a deep water. With little research, such dramatically little knowledge of companies (I meant: I googled bjds, went to see iplehouse and "Oh too expensive", then I googled 'inexpensive bjds' and went to resinoul, went to the website knowing I wanted a big boy, looked for one, clicked, and proceeded to paypal). This is the first time I am saying it officially: I was a lazy, uninformed thing that didn't bother to check any owner pics or look for a few more companies and simply wait with spending my money.). And so, the first doll that came to me was totally not my cup of tea. A week later, I became a bjd-tag-addict on tumblr and soon my dissatisfaction with what I owned increased. So, I didn't take enough time to think how I spent my money, simply.

I believe that because my first doll turned out my personal disaster and didn't stick with me, I then was forever into that "searching for the grail" mode. If my first doll was to my taste, even if not perfectly fitting into my currect preferences (nearly 7 years later), I'd have still kept it. Because anyway I am into classics. After all these years, I decided that the dolls I saw online during my first couple years are the ones I like best. VS Nana, Supia Rosy etc. Classics that everyone had about 10 years ago lol ;D I recently even thought of rebuying my first big crush - Crobi Lance and Migi Jina (I used to own both). And so I believe that if any of the aforementined was my first doll, I'd have still have them. They're classics for a reason, I guess.

I've always been torn between having only as much as I need (which is hard to define in case of collectibles and toys lol ) and trying out all the cuteness that is in the hobby. often, I follow some doll collectors, see what marvels they do and I want the same. Not an exact copy, but the same doll anyway. With clothes that I fall for - it's easier. I make them on my own. With shoes and wigs - I have already tons and the're all I need and would suffice a collection 4 times as big as mine. But the dolls? I can't help but just go an buy. Nowadays, I try to be more thoughtful, but I still justify the purchases that at least I don't spend much on accessories, so it's not 'that bad'.

It's became even more difficult recently, as I am a minimalist (on my way to it, but I generally have few things and I'm happy about it). So I want to make sure that my collection is 'the best of the best'. I need to go though a lot of dolls, try them out, etc, in order to see it So often, I get a new (usually 2nd hand) doll, repaint, redress, photograph and genuinely admire and still decide that despite the immense cuteness, the doll has to go. I then always make sure I find them a good home, I send them with some extras, like people would send their deceased relatives into afterlife in coffins filled with food and grooming accessories xD Really, though, I try to 'respect' the dolls and their future doll owners anyway.

I am still in search for the 'perfect' collection. I doubt I'll ever be there, as even when I have all my dolls 'done', I'll then still discover something new, like a new style requiring a new doll for it to wear or find some cute doll on the MP, etc.

 

@CloakedSchemer oh, yes, totally With my things - I'd try to fit mine into an even smaller car lol But the dolly stuff! They're like spearate people with their own things, only in a different scale. My dolls have about twice as many shoes as I do. With clothes - in proportion to themselves - also more. I also have lots of fabrics and sewing supplies, but about this I am happy (though I've been trying with little success to minimalise into just *one* box of fabrics). Anyway, being that revolving door owner that I am helps me, in fact, to somehow manage being a minimalist and yet getting to play with more dolls

 

I'm the opposite of a revolving door collector. Does that make me a wall?

There's no principle behind this policy. I find the idea of selling my dolls online to be more than my easily overwhelmed brain can handle. I'm also not familiar enough with the people in my local community to try selling in person. The one time I pared down my collection, I gifted a doll to a friend.

I do enjoy the majority of my girls. If I were to screw up my courage and sell, only one would be on the market. While there's a second I haven't bonded much with, I co-own her and refuse to sell her without the other's OK.

 

I realized recently that I go through a lot of heads. IDK I just fall in love with sculpts and old characters. I have visions about my characters. Than I either love them and promise to keep them forever or sell there parts :/ unfortunately. I only just recently started re shelling my girl Rhea. It's been painful but so worth it.

 

I don’t sell my dolls. I love them all so much. But I would definitely sell them if i don’t feel connected to them anymore.

 

I'm the opposite, I tend to "hoard" dolls that I don't really like just because I'm too lazy to try to sell them.

 

id like to consider myself a permanent collector. definitely the opposite of a revolving door lol. a vault??
but theres a few betrayals of that lol. i know now that i love msds (easy for me to handle and not too expensive to shop for but not completely baby faced), but some ten years ago i acquired a sd that i had a hard time bonding with overall. partly for the aforementioned reasons, actually. i still love him and he holds lots of sentimental value, but i'm contemplating selling him if i can (probably for a pittance since he's aged and common but better where he'd be loved right?). we'll see once he gets a new faceup, his current one is very 2009 and is likely part of the problem.
the other anomaly is a pukifee, which i got as a castoff from someone who tried to get into the hobby but failed. i never bonded with her at all; made her a cute dress and got her better eyes but my efforts were in vain. she was more of a rescue from a dark closet than anything lol so i dont feel like it was a loss. just not my type of doll. i was going to sell her but actually ended up gifting her as someone's first doll, and now she's in a loving home! even made her some tiny books and a backpack for the move.

now, i'm much more strict with myself. frankly i can't be buying dolls very often, and i don't have a budget that allows for impulse buys. the only sudden purchase in fact was a head from DiM, since they closed for good.... which means now i have to find a body but all in due time. the other two are my msds actively in use--my very first doll and my most recent full purchase, both permanent parts of my collection. i'm very picky about what i like and what face proportions i'm into, and liking or even loving a doll isnt enough to convince me to get it. even among those on my to-get list, some of them will be cut before i ever get to purchasing them. i used to have a hard limit of dolls i could own in fact, but .... i'm getting more lax every day

all in all, i'd say my taste creates a fairly cohesive collection of dolls who can all interact. i have a million ocs but i don't bother 'shelling' any of them and let the dolls be their own things. i'd like to keep a tame collection (six? ten? ) of almost all msds. beyond that is probably more than i could really appreciate and have time for.
of course, clothes and shoes, well .... i've taken up sewing to make up for my dolls who don't fit into the torrent of minifee-sized clothes, so who knows how big that collection will get but thats okay! id rather have a few spoiled dolls with their own distinct styles than a whole lot of them who all have to share.

sorry for the wall of text. in short, i totally get why someone might be a revolving door, but i think i prefer being a well-stocked bank vault

 

I like that - a wall, after all, is a good place to put shelves that hold a doll collection.

Teddy

 

I’ve certainly sold my share of dolls over the past 13 years, but only in the process of refining my collection. In the beginning I tried all the sizes...then I refined those down to only SDs...then I realized their size was overwhelming the displays I’d put them in, so I downsized to MSDs. Then I purchased my DZ Anson as my “ultimate art doll” and her character became so big that it encompassed all the others and made them all redundant...so I sold the rest and started over from scratch developing new OCs to go along with her. From that point on, it’s been a labor of love to find just the right doll to develop each special character I’ve come up with. Naturally this required a certain amount of trial and occasional error to get perfect, but now my collection is very stable and exactly where I want it to be...and no one is going anywhere! While this was always my goal, I certainly don’t see anything wrong with having a “revolving door” policy if it leads you to finding joy in your hobby. In fact, I love it since 90% of my beloved forever dolls were adopted second-hand from right here in the DoA marketplace!

 

I did quite a bit of buying and selling in the past, maybe not enough to call myself a revolving door owner, but a lot more than I do now. I know what I like a lot better now so most of the dolls I buy tend to make it into my permanent crew. Which is soooo nice and makes me so much happier!

I think maybe the reason people get annoyed with revolving door owners is because, if you're following someone, sometimes you can get quite attached to particular dolls they own, and feel sad when the owner sells it. And if someone is doing this all the time it can be hard to keep up with all the dolls going in and out.

I totally think everyone should do whatever they want with their dolls, but I personally prefer to follow people who aim to have permanent collections, because it means I can feel a long term connection to their dolls and look forward to seeing what the owner does with them over time. But this is just my personal preference. It's not a criticism of revolving door owners (someone could just as easily say that it's boring to follow people who keep the same dolls in their collection). Whatever works best for you and brings you joy!

 

I am definitely a revolving door owner/buyer/seller. I have been in hobby for 12 years and sold easily over 500 dolls in those years. Which means I have bought just a little over 50o as have around 16 here and more on way. I am so well known for this in my 2 forum local groups, I am surprised people don't look at my list of dolls and ask when a certain one will be up for sale.

I have had record holders, one boy lasted 8 years before sold to a friend, two of my current record holders are a PKF Zoe at about 8 years and my Bishonen House Steve at around 5 I believe. I am hopeful a few will be here for a long time, but as I get older I sometimes wonder if I can ever stop buying and selling esp since I have had maybe 4 dolls I broke even on and maybe 3 I actually sold for more. I usually loose a lot of money which I don't mind if it goes to a good home.

 

I may have not been in the hobby long enough to know how I am about this, and honestly I usually like to think I should eventually limit the dolls I own. Regardless I have been noticing that I connect more with him both when I sew for them or when I photograph them. The only dolls I didn't have a problem at all connecting with were my Tender Creation dolls, and I think it is because they are my grail dolls (meaning, flawless to my eyes). I have tried selling one of my other dolls, but with some grief, and ended up deciding to keep him, because I name them after special people and they all have their meaning, which makes it hard for me to part with them. Maybe if my collection expands considerably and I have the instinct to put dolls in boxes, I will take it as a sign that I should part with them for either money or a different doll =)

 

I think this is very interesting! I never though about it but it's true! I hate to see owners parting with their dolls because mine to me are almost "family" (of course I use this term very lightly), and I think this is mostly because how hard it is to get them, being money, waiting for preorders, dealing with customs, customizing them and so on... I can understand it better when it's a doll someone has had around for a while and hasn't dedicated time to, as making or getting clothes, painting them and taking pictures. But when it's a doll that has gained a soul and personality almost, it is harder. It's why I'm making a point to dedicate some time to the one doll in my collection that I feel it's out of place, because I know that once I play with him more I will love him =)

 

I don't do this on dolls, but I buy/sell doll accessories (wigs, clothing, eyeballs, etc.) quite frequently.
The reason is I need to find the perfect match for my doll.

I wish there'll be more retail shops around so that I can try stuff there instead of purchasing from the unknown Internet lol.