"But I want them all!" - aka How do YOU choose?

So.. affordability is definitely one.... I can definitely understand that.

 

I spend lots of time looking through the many different doll sites, and even more time looking at owner's pictures.

Size and price are big factors too (Being in a small house with two destructive dogs, tinies are much safer here than SD's, lol.)

After lots and lots of looking, I've managed to get an idea of what companies I find the most aesthetically pleasing. And then comes the fun part of deciding on the sculpt.

I've only recently found a way to pick a sculpt that works for me- and I'm sure it's kind of weird . I actually sit down and doodle the different faces until I can find the character I have in mind. I have a much easier time getting an idea of the character of the doll with sketches rather than just trying to picture it in my head...and from there, I just decide which character I want to bring to life!

 

I am always very careful look at the expression on doll’s face.
This is one of the main manifestations of the individuality of each BJD.
The same face may look differently at different angles, and I take this into account...
Currently, there are several dolls with faces which I especially like. But there is one nearest to me.
The eyes of this doll may vary, but the expression on her face always remains puzzling contradiction.
As if the doll is trying to say: "Leave me alone!" And at the same time, she admits that in reality she was tired of being alone.
And this contradiction is so familiar to me…
Perhaps that’s why I chose this doll ...

 

Mine's a combo of factors
1) The process of elimination. I find the few i really think i love out of all that I've taken a liking to in my search.
2) Which I can afford/how much I love them so that narrows it down to about.. 2 or 3?
3) Haunting the databases to see what others have done, and see the canditates in many wigs, eyes and face-ups.Then I decide on the one to save for

Then I SAAAVE!

 

I look around on websites and find one I love :P If I can't choose, I look at peoples flickr pictures and
make my decision. It also depends on the price, I won't buy anything super expensive.

 

1. Definitely Yeah
and then i usually try to get as much information and photos as i can about my new special one. : )
2. The cuter the doll the more i must have her ^///^
3. I do have a list of "dolls" i want x )
4. No, not really :/
5. I´m usually looking if and how i can change the doll myself
(but just about are there more than one eye and hair color that would fit? , etc.)

 

Mostly, the dolls I choose are for pre-existing characters. Though there are times where I just fall in love with a doll and have to have it! Then, I just put him/her on my wishlist and save up for him/her! ^^ But the head-over-heels-in-love dolls aren't too common, and make up a very small percentage of my wishlist (though tend to be up at the top).

 

The first doll I bought was Noa (Souldoll/soulkid Katie A)

Do you just cruise through sites then stop when you find one you just fall head over heels for?
Yes but not only. I cruise through sites and selected some dolls I loved. After I went on some forum and read comments on the dolls and on the compagnies, and I saw owner's pictures.
It was very difficults because pics from owners on the forum was amazing and I was not sure to made the right choice. but I had to made a choice... !

Do you look for something in particular?
No, just for my first BJD. I just wanted to not made mistake and to be happy with her at the end.

Do you have a list and go through it?
Not really because I wasn't aware about BJD world

Is there a process of elimination you have?
Yes, but very simple : what she look like, price, the company feedback and the size (I wanted 40/45 cm bjd)
Any other ways/lines of reasoning you have?
price, company reputation, quality

 

I'm usually looking for something particular,
since I got a little too attached to my OCs
and want them in dolly form.
I just search through dolly sites till I fall in love
with the one that fits best.
The mold has to give me a feel of 'Whoa, he's perfect! '
They get priority over the other dolls I like, that will not be based on pre-existing chara's.

I make a list of those dolls that get my attention
and every once in a while I go through those again,
eliminate a few, which makes my wish list a lot shorter.

 

i get ''moods'' when i feel more for a certain doll, next month its the other one... so i get the one im in the mood for when i have enough money
usually i make a character for the dolls i want to buy so there's no : but those 2 are equaly gorgeous D:
all the doll i choose its because i really love the mold so i choose because of the character

 

First of all, i like to find a doll that..POPS. Something special. That i know i'll be happy with..then bam! get to work on going for it.

 

Generally I look for good proportions in the face and body. Some things are total turnoffs, like a Cyrano nose, or a pug-like concavity to the profile, or a "corner" in the 3/4 view. There are a bunch of body turnoffs too, like the neck is waaay too long, or the musculature is too exaggerated for the age bracket, or strangely shaped joints. Not feeling the single jointed torsos either.

If the aesthetics requirements are met, then I consider price point and budget. I don't have any one favorite company though I admire many of the big guys like Iplehouse, Soom, and Luts. I am partial to companies who don't try to hide their sculpts behind wigs, costumes, and snazzy photography. Little irritates me more than ten shots of the same downcast pose with an emo shag wig obscuring 3/4's of the face and a full costume hiding the whole body. Makes me suspicious of the quality, more so if it's hard to find any honest pics of the sculpts.

 

I have an absurdly tough time choosing dolls. When I was looking for Euphemia, for instance, I wanted an SD-sized doll, and my price point was $500, because I'm well-known for jumping into a hobby, spending a ton of money on it, and falling out of love with it really quickly. But after a lot of searching, I had to be realistic, so I dropped my budget to a more manageable $300 and dropped the SD-sized requirement.

At that point, I noticed that throughout my searching, I'd kept wandering across Iplehouse, particularly their JID Tatiana, and since she fit my specifications both for budget and character to a tee, I ordered her before I could change my mind, since I knew I would left with money to burn. xD;;; She's gorgeous~. ;-;! (Looking back, that was probably my smartest move rather than listing the pros and cons and whatnots, because when it comes down to it my impulse buys are always the ones I never regret!)

 

my factor for choosing a doll

1. Doll face, I like the doll that look like me XD
2. Price !!, for i will collect my money for buy it.
3. Total image for doll like a quality, waiting time
4. finally it's an important one... my emotion!

^^!

 

I end up stumbling across a mold I like, be it official pictures or owner pictures, and keep going without said doll for as long as I can until I just can't resist anymore and cave in. It gives me time to see if I really want it or if it's just a passing fancy.

Size also plays a part, as I prefer SD but if an MSD catches my eye it wont stop me from adding it to my "to buy" list. But if I wanted two dolls, one SD and one MSD, I'd want the SD first.

The price is also a pretty big factor. There are tons of dolls I want and COULD get, but can't justify spending so much money on. [For me personally, at least. Others can spend however much they want on their dolls, or any other hobby really.]

 

So far I find that I have to really fall headfirst before I even think about making a purchase. I look at just about every 'new doll' and 'new doll company' thread that's posted, and 99% of the time my reaction is "nice, but nothing special". But when I see a doll and can't stop thinking about it months later--and if the price is anywhere near reasonable in terms of my budget--I start doing research. i search the forum here and see what others' dolls of the same mold are like, what they think of them, how the company is to deal with. Then, if still no red flags, i start saving money. At least, that's how it's worked up to now (I am a beginner!). =)

I don't have characters for them to fit into ahead of time. Part of the falling-in-love process for me is looking at them and thinking, what could s/he be? how would s/he interact with the ones I have already? and building a character around how they look and the personality they seem to radiate. If there's no resonance there, I doubt I'd buy the doll.

Size isn't really an issue, though I'd hesitate to buy something as big as a Mecha Angel (they're just too darn heavy!). Expression of the face and eyes is crucial. If I don't like the face, there's no chance I'll want it. If I'm hesitating, I'll look for as many non-company photos as I can find, and that usually tips the balance for me. (Example: I love mermaids, but I wasn't even briefly tempted by Soom's Cass, because I just don't like her face. No offense meant to anyone who does like her, but she doesn't work for me.)

I do have a wishlist, but it's made up of ones I've already fallen for and can't afford yet. =)

Interesting posts here!

 

I kinda decided on the one I want by chance. I just saw her and thought "There's my doll. That's it." and have been wanting her ever since.

I also want one of those gigantic IH boys, cause they look good in suits. Nifty!

 

I just look and look until i see one that makes me say "ooooh, I want you! " and then spends days trying to think of a way to even possibly start saving

 

Some I fall in love with in the news thread too. However, I set my own limit to two human dolls, so I have to be picky. My husband has 11 dolls, so there is not much room left and I have his to play with anyway.

Anyhoo, I focus on one thing first and go from there. I am reshelling my Meijia because I don't like her default body. While I know I could replace with another body, I fell in love with the MNF body while looking at bodies, and then decided to get a Dark Elf Soo cause I love them - after looking at lots of owner pics of course of several different dolls.

I originally chose Meijia cause I fell in love with her on a News thread.
I chose my DZ Hid because I am picky about noses and his was lovely and the eyes have so much personality. I also first saw him in his news thread.

I really should stop looking at news threads cause I want Nightmare and Angelheim Luka too.....

I have no interest in SD and not much in Tinies, so that helps eliminate a lot. I only know because I first owned an SD and bought an anthro tiny and a human tiny and none of the three were much fun for me.

That said, since MSDs are cheaper anyway, I will not spend more than $400 total on a doll, even if I love it - so no Unoa for me.

 

I only have one criterion: Do I love the doll so much I can't stop thinking about him/her?

Price is not that important: I'll have to save up anyway, so if it's expensive I'll just have to save a little longer.