Company Loyalty

Oh, I would say there is brand loyalty for sure in the doll hobby. You had it with Volks - I knew someone in my local community who only collected Volks sculpts. These days that brand loyalty is seen more often in Fairyland(my opinion.). You'll notice that most people who purchase from Fairyland will more often than not stick with Fairyland. Not that this is a bad thing; I think everyone has a preference, and they're doing no harm by favoring one company over the other, lol. I myself have purchased a lot of LittleRebel sculpts. I'm more of a variety person in the end, though, I enjoy exploring different aesthetics.

 

Right now all of my dolls are from different companies, and I love the diversity of my crew...but there are definitely proportion differences (even though four of the five are MSD) that might bug many people if they were trying to build a coherent group that matched in a believable, realistic matter. I can see where that would drive some to only buy from one or a few companies with similar aesthetics and proportions to make sure there was cohesion among all of their dolls. I'm sure it's also nice if most of one's dolls can easily share clothing with each other!

 

I prefer diversity in dolls, but excellent service and quality makes me more likely to be a repeat customer, and poor quality or service will make me swear off a company for a long time.

I'm more loyal with clothing. I'm pretty picky about quality and details, so companies who meet that criteria get my business. When I need new doll clothes, TTYA, Nine9 Style and Tree Design are always the first places I look.

 

I wouldn't call it brand loyalty with me so much as just really liking dolls by certain companies - I have two DikaDolls and two IslandDolls, but that's because of what the dolls looked like more than anything. Heck, my favourite doll of mine is a Spiritdoll and I've never bought anything else from them!

That being said though, I know a lot of people can be die-hard for one company's aesthetic. A friend of mine loves Soom, for example (though he does have and plans for other companies...)

 

I think "brand loyalty" is definitely a thing - some people really are just fiercely loyal to one particular company. But it's also not necessarily a loyalty thing but a matter of aesthetics; many companies have very particular traits to their sculpts that people love and that just draws them to more dolls by the same. I have no particular loyalty to any company, but dang do I love Soom sculpts in particular.

 

I wouldn’t call it brand loyalty, exactly, because I have dolls from a few different companies. But there are definitely a handful of companies/artists that I keep an eye on - I keep up with their new offerings, the sales periods, etc., even if I’m not planning to buy anything from them soon.

 

I have lots of different dolls and am not interested in collecting from only one artist or company. I am very partial to a couple artist's work and would say I feel something in the way of loyalty to them. Like I always want to see their new work and promote their preorders and I hope they do well.

 

I'm definitely the type of person who's "loyalty" when it comes to dolls is tied to aesthetics over basically anything else. Out of the 12 dolls (including heads) I currently own/have on order, half of them happen to be from the same company (Fairyland) and even if/when I get all the dolls on my definitive wishlist, that ratio still would be the same.

Originally when I joined the hobby I expected that most of my dolls would all be from different companies as I really enjoy variety in aesthetics, at least in theory. After being in the hobby for quite a few years i've learned that because I mostly stick to shelling my own preexisting characters as dolls, I prefer for them to be aesthetically fairly similar as they all are part of the same world/story and most the same species/race (excluding my few SD sized dolls). So really "brand loyalty" for me mostly just boils down to enjoying a particular aesthetic for my characters as dolls and sticking as closely to it as possible as canonically that would make the most sense. I'm never opposed to buying from new companies and i'm always keeping an eye out for new releases from practically all doll companies, but its just that i'm fairly picky when it comes to my dolls being accurate to their characters, mesh well, and be proportional to each other in doll form, so that makes the scope of doll companies I could seriously consider buying from somewhat limited.
The same is true for me with clothing and other doll products. If a company makes things which suits my character's aesthetics then chances are i'll buy from them multiple times. For example, many of my dolls have Oscardoll jeweled eyes because canonically they are from the same species where most individuals have sparkly gem-like eyes. I'm not against buying jeweled eyes elsewhere, but since its kind of a niche thing not many other companies make them.

Whether or not i've had a pleasant experience with a company is mostly irrelevant to whether or not i'd purchase from them again. I'm pretty forgiving in most cases, especially with artisans. Even if I had a not-so-great experience with a company, so long as they acknowledge a mistake and make a honest attempt to fix it I'm usually more than willing to order from them again if ever in the future they offer another sculpt/item I believe would suit my character/doll.

 

You want to see brand loyalty, try saying anything negative (even if deserved) about Volks LOL
I myself have certain companies that have personally treated me well (Dollmore, Iplehouse, Souldoll, to name 3) so I reciprocate. Then there are companies that make dolls, shoes, wigs, whatever, that I love (Freedom Teller, Monique Gold, Dollzone, Iplehouse etc). Two different criteria. Notice Iplehouse is on both lists LOL

 

I buy from any company whose sculpts I like. That said, I prefer companies that respond and are helpful, as well as affordable, but I'll go with any company if I like the doll. That said, there are a couple whose service is questionable. I wouldn't rule out ordering from them again, but I would think twice.

 

I wouldn’t call it brand loyalty. I have dolls from a few different companies.

I started out with an Iplehouse YOSD size doll. I just loved the size and style of the dolls. I still have her. But she's just sitting around these days. Because I can do more with the MSD size.

My second doll was MSD (Iplehouse) size. But as much as I loved this doll, she never really grew on me. So she found a new home.

So I bought a Minifee from Fairyland. I still have this doll and I love to dress her up. Because Fariyland bodies are perfect for playing around with dresses, hair,... and I can find so many cute things for my Minifee online.

Then I bought my first Souldoll. And I found my self falling in love with this doll. So now I have 3 MSD and one YOSD size from this company. So I would consider me more of a big fan. Since I have Minifee for dress up. These girls have fixed outfits and story.

I also have a tiny Dollzone and an MSD Bimong doll. I love this dolls. But I don't think I will buy more of this company.

But there are definitely a handful of companies/artists that I keep an eye on. And want to try out in the future.

 

For dolls, there are two particular companies I really like and frequently check upon as their aesthetics cater my design preferences. Despite having companies I like, I do check out what other companies have to offer, although I'm not usually inclined to purchase from them. However, that may change! I don't think it's company loyalty, but rather finding sculpts that fit my aesthetic.

As for clothes and accessories, I buy from various sources.

 

Up till now, all my dolls are from different companies. There are some companies I will most propably buy again from, some I allready plan to buy get another doll from and two I will most propably not buy from again, though I love the dolls I have, my priorities changed over time.
I actually like it, that the dolls have not the exact same body, since I feel this looks natural. But I guess it's kind of a taste thing.
Someone I know has three Minifee Cloes (with different styles and faceup) and an Unoa Girl. Everytime I look at those four girls, it seems to me like the Unoa really doesn't fit Minifee, but if you see just one of the Minifees with her it's perfectly fine. I guess this might keep some people, who started brand loyal keep from bringing in more diversity.

 

There is absolutely no way I could limit myself to only owning dolls from a single company.
My taste in looks is much too vast for that to work.

 

If all goes well, I'll have four dolls from seven companies. So yeah, I don't have brand loyalty. I have companies I like to watch, but I try not to buy dolls more than once from the same place. I like having my crew be diverse, and I also really like hybrids so my characters' faces and body types match. I try to keep them within the same general aesthetic (no super stylized and super realistic side by side), but I don't mind some difference, it's why I got them. I haven't done much in the way of clothes shopping yet, but I imagine it will be the same, though I won't be a strict about not buying from the same place more than once.

 

I like iplehouse but do like diversity. I tend to like the 1/6 or 1/4 size. I am enjoying reading what everyone has to say and will look up these companies and see the dolls. Or perhaps people can post pics here so we can look at what you are saying. I find seeing the doll I person can make a big difference in whether I like her or not. I wish I could find someone close to syracuse, ny to get together with.

 

If it's pictures you want, I have three of mine in the same shot.



In order, this is an Island Doll Sparkle, a Migidoll Ell, and a La Legende de Temps Red Dove. They are all from different places, but still fit in with each other, I think. My other doll is completely different, but I didn't get her to match (she is a DHS Aldou).

 

As for company loyalty? No, not so much. I’ve had great service from all the companies I’ve purchased from, but I don’t favorite any specific company because of loyalty. I do prefer DZ and DC, but that is aesthetic based, and have many event dolls from them.