Constantly changing my mind!

Oh that is so me. I'm a Switch boy sorta girl but I'd also like a Loong Soul boy - especially as they have an event on at the moment and you get a bit of a discount. I had decided on Chang Qing (so cute) but then saw Big Dipper Alkaid and several other boys I really liked and am now wobbling and that's even before deciding which colour to get. I may or may not decide before the end of the event!

 

Some of us are more about letting dolls flow in and out than about collecting, and that's perfectly fine! I'm the type of person who tends to get extremely bored with the same old thing, in many aspects of my life, and dolls are no exception. I tend to buy, sell and trade frequently. I've been in the hobby for 14 years, I still have my first doll, but none of the others have been with me for more than two and a half years. I'd say on average, a doll tends to stay with me for around a year before they move on. I have some favorites that stick around for several years, and others who move out within a few months. My plans change frequently, but I don't like too much clutter, so I limit myself to preferably 13, but absolutely no more than 19 dolls at a time so I'm not overwhelmed. That often means I sell a doll to get a new one.

This does sometimes mean I have dolls moving on and off my wish list too. I currently have one full doll and two bodies on my "must have" list, with four other dolls on the "maybe" list. Of the full doll and two bodies, I'm only certain of the full doll, and I'm back and forth on the other two bodies. I think I know which two I want, but then I think maybe a different one would be better. Some days, I think I "definitely" want those other four, some days I think I don't really need them at all, other times, I'm really up in the air about them. And only one of those dolls is a specific sculpt they need to be, the other three I'm unsure on--two of them are narrowed down between a couple of sculpts I can't decide between, and the last one needs something so specific, I'm still searching for the right one. So on her, I go back and forth between "do I really want to spend $800 on the one sculpt that I've found that will work? Or do I want to keep looking for something equally good but cheaper?"

I've just come to the conclusion that my crew will never be "finished", it will be constantly evolving for as long as I'm in the hobby. It's just the nature of it for me.

 

I feel like this happens to me when: I have multiple characters that I want to shell, I can't find "the one," or if I was already planning to buy a sculpt that I had decided on but then news of a new release (from the same or a different company) is dropped. I haven't experienced the last one, but I can think of a couple cases where it could happen. For example, I really want a Ringdoll and another SOOM doll one day; if either company happens to release a new doll or re-release a doll I want, then I miiiight be tempted to purchase it rather than the doll I was originally planning to buy next That kind of decision gets harder if said new doll is limited Other than that, I don't have problems with flip flopping or sticking with the final choice I've made because I make sure that I really want it!

 

Oof, yeah xD For me, it's more of an issue where I'll think I've got the base for the character I want to make settled, and then I'll see a different doll from a different company that could also work and get distracted and think maybe that one would be better! And then I can't decide. With limited order windows for some dolls/ companies, it really tests me deciding if it's actually the right base to use, or just me getting distracted by something new. It's why I prefer getting dolls that don't have a limited window, so I can have longer time to decide if they actually fit the character I want to make or not. It means i might miss out on shorter term orders (looking at you, Soom) but hopefully will mean I'm happy with my choice in the long run and more likely to finish the project.

 

Yes, I'm very indecisive just in general but especially on expensive stuff like my dolls. There are so many I like and want, I have to think about it for a while before I take the leap. But once I decide, the wait for them to be made doesn't usually bother me or make me change my mind (except 1 awful experience with dollshe). I have a harder time with dolls that just have a limited ordering period, like if it available for a couple months then who knows when they will open orders again? A couple months from now? Years? Never maybe without warning?(fairyland ugh)

 

Same here! I'm so glad I'm not the only one. Apart from being terribly indecisive in general, I'm suffering from a constant lack of space. So deciding what to order next can be a pain.
I'd prefer buying in the aftermarket as well, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to find most of the dolls.

 

I can tell you about my experience:. I've been in the hobby over 9 years now and I've had over 50 dolls, never more than 12 at one time. I used to flip dolls like crazy. It was due to all kinds of reasons: anxiety, moving out, personal life issues (break up, anticipated breakups, etc). Also, simply getting bored or changing my conception.

But each time I was selling a doll I was learning something. During this time I gathered a lot of experience and self-knowledge. I've learned what I want and don't want.

So, nowadays I have 5 dolls, all of the same size,all manageable (not too big, not too small) and almost all of them matched visually, like they really were a family. They just feel like a team. One of them has been with me for 5 years, the others over 3, over 2, almost 2 and the newest a few months. I sometimes would sell a doll within a week, so it's a lot. So, my dollying/collection has sublimated and it simply needed trial & error. Funnily, as soon as I embraced that i'm a revolving door, I ceased to be one.

As long as the hobby brings you pleasure and doesn't ruin you financially, etc, you're doing right Revolving door or not

 

It's relieving to read that people in this hobby for a long time also mix up their dolls.

I feel so self conscious about it sometimes. I'm a buyer of many but keeper of few! I like spontaneous purchases too so I gravitate toward second hand a lot. On the plus side, second hand is typically less expensive so it's not so bad. With every doll I figure I get closer to what I really want, which is a single doll I can spoil a lot.

 

@CutieKitty All of what you said! Having physical access to a doll before purchase would be great but since that's usually not possible, it's the revolving door of ownership that informs future choices. I admire your number of five - I'm whittling my number down to twelve.

 

I'm similarly indecisive when it comes to purchasing anything really. I've really been trying to cut down on overconsumption in all areas of my life, and trying to curb impulse purchases has been a big part of that. I'm looking for a second BJD at the moment and I'm trying to avoid looking at anything with a limited purchase window - FOMO is a big part of any collection hobby and I know that for me, it's better to miss out on something I /might/ want than the anxiety of having something later that didnt make me as happy as I thought it would because I felt pressured into buying it NOW.

So I'm just trying to take my time picking out a doll without feeling like I need to get it before its gone. There's so many cool sculpts out there that I don't think any one doll really justifies me needing it immediately.

This is why I think having a set of rules for yourself can really help picking out a doll you won't regret as well. I don't mind waiting for preorders, but I think if it worries you that much that you won't want it anymore when it arrives, sticking to in-stock dolls can be a good idea

 

@Gashlycrumb Sorry...... I'm laughing that any of us can get these dolls immediately (but I know what you mean in reality) as most seem to take 6 months to reach us.

 

oh, two years ago it was 12 and it just made me feel so anxious! I'd love to have 6 or 7 (or, frankly, even more), but a day only has 24 hours, so I wouldn't have enough time to cater to all their clothing/customisation needs. Plus, since I want downsize heavily over the next couple eyars (with non-dolly items, not dolls) I had to limit that colection. but trust me, so much eyecandy on the Marketplace doesn't make it any easier xD

 

Oooh I know the feeling! I know there’s certain things I love and look for in a doll but there’s just so many options out there it’s hard to choose just one!

 

I'm pretty indecisive in general so I've been especially indecisive with dolls I've noticed! I constantly waffled back and forth trying to buy my first doll (which company, which sculpt, which colour, faceup or no faceup, etc) but luckily I was able to make a choice in the end!

I remember before I fully jumped into the hobby, I would fall in love with a sculpt only for me to fall out of love with it a few years later, so maybe my carefulness is a good thing though lol Although I was also quite young when I first started looking at BJDs, so maybe my tastes just changed rapidly as I grew up.

Taking your time seems like a good thing to do in this hobby at least though, there will always be dolls and dolls you like will come your way in time~

 

It’s so nice to know there are other collectors like me! I have nearly sold off my original collection, (started in 2020) started a new one, and have sold some of those as well! I like so many different things, and my mind changes frequently, so I end up selling one doll to afford another that currently has my interest.

it really works for me to keep budgets in check as well as to not have a hoarding situation going on. I enjoy changing clothes and such, and when there’s too many dolls to manage I quickly get overwhelmed!

 

I feel this I really can’t decide what I want my collection to be like. For me it’s really important that my dolls all fit together but at some days I feel like having an fantasy collection on a other day I feel inspired to collect more realistic looking dolls based on movie characters and so on. I really want to order a new doll but really can’t decide so I mostly make spontaneously orders too instead of preordering

 

The same sort of thing happened to me when finally purchasing my first doll. I had basically been saving since I first discovered the hobby years ago but knew I wasn't going to get a doll for a while. From the moment I said "okay, I'm buying one" to actually purchasing one, it took about 2 years. I switched sizes, companies, genders; pretty much everything because I just couldn't make up my mind. I think I fell into that trap of having a character already in mind when looking at sculpts so nothing ever felt right.

And then one day I just decided to say "hell with it" and actually buy one. I was sick of mooning over pretty dolls online. And while it felt sudden and spontaneous, I know there was a bit more thought, research, and planning behind my purchase. He's not the sculpt or from the company I thought I'd initially purchase from but he's mine and I love him.

 

A little, if I keep going back to look at the doll over and over it goes on my wish list. When it comes time to buy the doll though? I bounce around looking at my wish list trying to decide which one I should get. If a doll on my wish list is on sale, I am going to get that one, but if there is no sale, and they are relatively the same price, I might debate with myself for about a week trying to decide on the doll.

Or I might have been saving specifically for one doll on my wish list, but then something happens, and I end up getting a different doll from my list. Oh, and a big thing for me is in stock with face-up, or pre-order blank?? I like doing my own face-ups even though I am not great at it, and a doll with a face-up is going to cost more... but if it is in stock??? lol

 

I'm the same way, and have been since day one. I try not to stress out about it, but I do find it funny when I go back and see my posts in discussion threads for dolls I never ended up buying... OOPS