Consolation Prizes

I would do that when I first joined the hobby. I had no real focus then, haven't had a proper "taste" yet. I bought I few dolls just for the sake of buying dolls.

Once I realized that's the case, I worked hard to get out of that habit, and I would say it's paying off now as it was kind of a waste of money considering I was never able to bond with these random buys.

 

I do this too as well. But I usually have a list of dolls I’d like to buy as a back up anyway. If I’m in the urge to buy then I’m definitely gonna get a doll. So when the one I was going to get isn’t available/ is too expensive, I just choose the next one on the list, and it’s usually on sale, so it doesn’t hurt too much.

Plus I’m a cute/pretty doll collector type and not really a character shelling type, so owning another adorable doll is never a problem for me lol.

 

I for sure did that when I first was getting into the hobby. I really really wanted a crobidoll yeon ho when I first discovered BJD's but he was way out of my price range and it wasn't possible. Instead I ended up getting a leekeworld Kyle and hybriding him with a cheaper body. I have never really bonded with him even to this day and many many revamps of his character. I still have him because he now has sentimental value.

I purchased my Myou Loretta because I couldn't afford or access a Honey Delf Lolly, but I SUPER loved the Loretta on her own so I don't feel like I settled for less.

It taught me I need to love the sculpt/doll on its own FIRST and not just settle for it because I want a doll.

 

I am often tempted to do that. So far, I have not given in. But....there is a tiny doll that I want. I can't seem to find her. I have been looking online for other sculpts by the manufacturer. I think I am going to hold off until I get the doll that I want. The temptation is still there though.

 

I don't do that so much anymore, but I used to do it a lot, especially if the second doll was really cheap. I went through a whole lot of it my second and third year in the hobby. I'd fall for a doll over $500, decide I could never save up enough for it, then piece together poor hybrids because I could have a whole doll for around $200 that way. And then I wouldn't like it and would end up selling it for less than I paid. It was a vicious cycle.

Now, it's a lot harder for me to come up with doll money, and buying new dolls usually means I have to sell a doll or other stuff to have the money, so I take more time thinking over purchases before diving right in. I did recently mess up and buy a doll because I had enough for him, but none of the ones on my wishlist and it was instant regret the minute I opened the box. So I'm being extra cautious now and reminding myself that I need to have a character written at least a couple of months in advance or I really shouldn't buy because it would be a big mistake.

 

I used to have a tendency to buy cheaper stuff (like e.g. a cheaper doll or a doll head or so) I didn't really want all THAT much instead of the more expensive stuff I REALLY wanted. Stopped that once I finally got it in my head that, if I stopped buying those multiple cheaper items, I could actually afford the more expensive ones.

 

Unfortunately what happens to me (and what I'm struggling with right now ) is I find a body/head that I love! For a great price! And I'm super happy! But then I have a headless body/bodyless head sitting around, and I get overeager to complete them... So I "settle" for a head that isn't my usual style, or might not fit.

Honestly it has generally worked and I find a way to love the final doll even if it's not perfect... but I've ended up with a lot of dolls that are Perfect Head/Meh Body or Perfect Body/Meh Head. Part of me wishes I could consolidate my collection into only amazing bodies and amazing heads, but I've already grown too attached to them as is...

 

I don’t buy less expensive dolls I don’t want, but I do mark certain dolls as “unattainable” long before they are because “I could never afford a Twigling” or “iple is beautiful but I couldn’t afford that” or “that winged DC sculpt is not a doll I could ever afford” when I’m spending the same amounts on other things on my wish list (just probably multiple dolls rather than just one). I now own three iples, a twigling doll and 2 hybrids, and the winged DC. I guess I got over it.

I also catch myself buying dolls as consolation for other things in my life. Like the heads I bought in the dead of night last night because I was upset for a justifiable reason and I had the money. I try to be more careful about that.

 

I've never really bought "consolation" dolls... But I *have* put off buying one that I had planned on getting because I was randomly browsing and came across another doll that, while utterly and completely UNPLANNED, caught my eye and figuratively demanded to be part of the crew.

Once in awhile somebody just barrels in and jumps the queue, in other words. XD

 

I call mine "dolly rebound." Sometimes I find a doll I really want either in stock at a dealer or on the secondhand market, but then when I make myself sleep on the idea of the purchase, it sells before I go back and ask after it. And then I'll sulk around and find something else that can give me the instant gratification, and end up buying without sleeping on it out of fear of losing another one. I've not sold any of the dolls I've acquired this way, actually. I love them all. I think sometimes I need to just go with my gut

 

A lot of what's been said on this thread speaks to my experiences. I found that I couldn't grasp the concept of ever being able to afford a doll pricier than the mid 200s (and really, when you're skint you train yourself not to think of spending like that) but I got used to browsing the "Dolls for under 300" list and learned to like just about all the companies represented. I even went so far as to compare pricier sculpts I loved to the affordable sculpts to see if I found enough similarities to be worth purchasing. Often, I can and then I can consider if I want to purchase the cheaper but "good enough" doll vs saving for the "perfect but I'd be super broke" doll. Now that I'm in a much better position financially, my doll criteria has shifted more towards saving and purchasing the "perfect" dolls. I do have some affordable impulse purchases and for those dolls I try to make them work in multiple ways, so they can be more than one character, or have more than one aesthetic, and thus it's like getting "two for one".

 

I once caught wind of a rare doll up for auction. My brain went "must get" but I had college student money. I screen capped the doll and kept the file on my computer for years. Never bought her, but looking scratched the itch.