Dealing with a hobby that has been irreparably changed…

I think the rise of counterfeits is associated with the rise in popularity of the bjd hobby in general kind of proportionally. I don't ever see counterfeits "taking over," but with the rise of low cost legitimate dolls in various materials and sizes like vinyl and pvc and the blind box 1/12 tinies, it's become much more accessible. Developments in manufacturing methods have also expanded the "supplier/sculptor" base tremendously. high quality yet still consumer grade 3d printers and cheaper, more powerful computers and even tablets to 3d model on lead to the hurdle of making a doll much lower and accessible. This has lead to a lot of independent artists coming onto the scene that i feel like buyers are super spoilt for choice. So perhaps there's a higher difficulty on the 2nd hand market to "make back" your money due to buyers having so many other choices. However, i still think the 2nd hand market is still quite healthy. I think there will almost always be someone who will be interested in a particular doll for sale, but the cost may have to be lower. Nowadays, the trend of rising 2ndhand value may be stunted or even reversed.

I haven't been in the hobby as long as you have. But i feel like i don't necessarily get "enjoyment" from talking about dolls with others. Most of my enjoyment of the hobby has been from just looking at the beautiful dolls i have and creating for them (faceups, eyes, clothes, dress up, 3d printing). So the negative social aspects/drama i hear about hasn't really been a discouragement to me. I will admit though, I am speaking from a loner/introvert perspective.
i think the only tangential way i'm affected by the knowledge of counterfeits is that i just make sure I ask about and get CoAs, original receipts, or company boxes when i buy 2nd hand. I own some "rare" and maybe what some might consider "expensive" sculpts, but i've never really encountered people who throw around the words of "elitist" or "classicist" I'm not sure, but from what I hear, people into counterfeits might use words like that (?) but i don't really interact with them. If i see positive or semi-positive post/comment about counterfeits pop up in the wild, like very rarely on reddit or something, i just don't engage at all and continue to browse other things, but even then I hardly see them.

All in all, i guess this is just to say, I still enjoy dolls on my own immensely without the need of the social aspect and also don't hardly notice any "baggage" when i browse the internet other that doing my due diligence when buying/selling secondhand.

 

Curate your hobby to your own taste. Ignore what you dislike, focus on what you love. Don't let the social media boom make or break your hobby for you. There are people with opinions and taste like your own. Find and befriend them.

 

Just a heads up, the conversations with counterfeited doll themes are not allowed on DoA. Maybe read through the rules, if you're unsure -- they are banned from the forum and any mention about them might get you into trouble.

As for how they benefit anyone, is beyond me. Only ones getting benefited are entitled people who feel their needs are more important than other people. Dolls are not a necessity, if you can't afford a legit one, then why do you want it so bad to pay so much for a fake, possibly toxic copy? As long as you work hard and save you can have all the things you need. If you don't feed on dolls, they are not a necessity for anyone. More so grown adults that believe because it's their money, they get to decide what to do with it, regardless of who they harm along the way. Maybe some wouldn't see it the same, if it were treated like car-thievery, there is jail time for people selling and buying stolen cars. Dolls are not placed in the same category, sadly, but it's the same thing, someone paying someone else to commit a crime. Supporting any type of illegal activity should all be punishable, regardless of how trivial the stolen, counterfeited, or copied item appears to be. All sale of counterfeit items is illegal in the USA, it's just that most like looking the other way, it's a shame that now not even the sellers get punished for their crimes (Amazon, eBay, yeah, they don't know most sellers' stock are counterfeit galore, even when people report them, they just make them change the listing's name or description). I feel people who buy counterfeited items should also be punished, it's not like they are doing it blindly. Most people know what they're buying. It's at least extremely obvious with most kinds of counterfeited toys -- maybe not so much with these dolls, but considering how expensive they are, the least any adult interested in these can do is research why they are so expensive, and why some appear to be a steal in comparison. With technology these days, it's not that hard to do, if you're already looking at an expensive item to collect.

 

I've been around since 2009 and yes recasting is supremely disheartening. I deal like this

1. Stay off social media or curate the heck out of it. No hatereading, no Reaction Videos that are just callouts, NO confession blogs, negativity blogs, toxic groups or callout accounts. Don't do it. Other people are having Le Drama and I can live without knowing what it is. I only follow other artists who are positive/neutral in tone, sans-gossip, Legit-Only blogs by other collectors and we have fun.

2. Follow and support artists and small businesses and it will seem to you to be a landscape of creativity blossoming as technologies make sculpting and casting and marketing more accessible to more artists and creators. Even extending outside of just resin BJDs, follow artists doing things you love. Dollightful's offtopic-brand doll videos and many many many more like them are some of my fave content for bingeing because we have so much in common and I love seeing how other creators deal with different challenges of making things.

Those two rules have rekindled my love for dolls when I haven't been able go to participate in meets or conventions in years.

 

Congrats on getting a doll you really love, OP. Lorina is a super cute sculpt.

Nothing to say here for me other than second and third what others have said which is to keep to the spaces that give you peace and happiness. I don't do socials for bjd, I just come here. And I have to say that has kept my engagement and happiness pretty high when I was not on breaks from activity in the hobby. Yes, the 2nd hand market is not as lucrative as it used to be but that was never a driver for why I personally collected.

The only thing missing for me lately is in person doll meets, but those seem to be coming back to my area a bit. Having real people to talk to in real time was always a source of great joy for me in this hobby, and now I just need to set aside the proper time to attend. That's on me.

And even in the early days there was drama, which we don't need to rehash. Turn over enough rocks and seek shadows and you can find them, but I feel like if you're here on the forums to sincerely enjoy art and creativity then you can find like minds. Or you can lurk and see what other people are doing and experiencing and easily see amazing things.

 

Man, I can relate. Been in this hobby for 15 years now. Local community fell apart, moved away and didn't do anything doll related for a few years. Never sold my collection though.

I remember back then learning what a recast was and it never crossed my mind it's a thing, it was like hardly ever around. Now they are all over. It's so easy for new people or family gifting a doll to fall into the trap of them. I remember Etsy being a great place to find hand made items from people and now Etsy is full of crap too. TaoBao reselling at insane mark up or more recasts. TaoBao is a great place to buy doll stuff from so I recommend using superbuy then and reseller.

BJD popularity has exploded. It's good in some ways, but IMO I am finding I miss the hobby from back in early 2010s when it was smaller. Dream of Doll, DIM, Old Delfs and many more are gone now and I just feel miffed I guess? The trends and styles between Chinese companies, and Korean companies are more noticeable now. Not everyone is trying to be Volks (not that it's a bad thing). I can't really stand 'artist' dolls and it feels like the 'A' in ABJD has been dropped and it makes me sad. But that is just my preference. So I don't really interact with anyone or any social media because it's all changed so much.

 

Delete

 

I was lurking around the hobby-related spaces in ca 2007 and then took a long pause of thought until this year so I didn't witness how bjds moved from early social media (blogs, deviantart, later tumblr) to mainstream algorithm-driven social media (meta products). I can only guess it has had a huge impact on people's behaviour, driving it more impulsive (against each other, as well as in purchasing matters) - I don't want to be a part of it, though, so I don't really know how the hobby works on most mainstream social media platforms these days.

I'm honestly just happy to have joined doa for a nicer-paced way of sharing and enjoying bits of the hobby. It reminds me of the old internet days, but also makes me enjoy the time I spend with dolls away from being online. I've been trying to educate myself over the main dramas of the past years, but I feel like the community has kind of gotten past the thick of those so that's good? Of course there are those terrible confession blogs, but it's so indirect it's easy to ignore. All in all, there are still more enjoyable things aside from the bad bits imo

 

I try to focus on the things that make me happy in the hobby. I've noticed that when I get emotional and focused on the negative, the enjoyment is not there. It's just like with other things in life for example, the internet. There is good and bad on the internet but it comes down to how you use it and react to it. Sometimes, stepping away helps to really look at your emotions. I had to do that recently with the organization aspect of this hobby, drove me crazy and I had to step back for a moment to clear my head. Afterwards I was able to jump back in and the excitement of the task came back. I did also rant to a friend. Talking to a close friend is helpful in life, no matter the topic.

 

I saw my first BJD back in 2006 and was immediately hooked. The very first thing I did was to join DoA…and I’ve literally been on here every single day since, enjoying it with my first cup of coffee in the morning. Even way back then I realized it was an artistic and creative alternative to the depressing morning news, and it was a wonderful way to start my day with a bit of fun instead of negativity. I’ve collected steadily since then, enjoying every aspect of this hobby, without a need for any breaks along the way. So I’ve pretty much seen it all by now. And my take on it is this: recasts?…wouldn’t touch one with a 10 foot pole. Why, when I can put a legit one on layaway to fit into even the smallest of budgets. Elitism or classism?…whining excuses for those who want to promote their collecting of cheap, illegal recasts. Negativity and bickering?…drama queens and kings desperately looking for attention (I don’t have time for you, I’m too busy having fun with my dolls.) I’m all about the creativity and the art. That’s why I only enjoy my hobby socially on DoA. The doll hobby is just a rosier place here, and that suits me just fine.

 

I have been collecting since 2010 and I’ve seen the BJD community spaces move from DoA as the default & Deviantart, to Facebook groups & Instagram.

As someone who has stopped about 90% of my social media usage, I think that a huge part of how we (and especially newer people to the hobby) interact with each other has to do with the “quantity over quality” format that so many social media sites promote. While Instagram posts have a comments section, the way that Instagram shows users & prioritize (or doesn’t prioritize) notifications is arbitrary and impossible to track compared to places like Deviantart where favorites, comments, and new posts by others are shown in your notifications until deleted by the user explicitly. Plus the new addition of stories and reels make specific content that much harder to track down. Content is being commodified more and more, and the landscape of artistic enjoyment is being changed so dramatically so quickly.

While I think it is worth it to at least attempt to curate the media we see (and to be wary of not even clicking on content that you think you won’t like in fear of being branded by the algorithm) it’s still never going to feel the same. With the prevalence of algorithms, advertisements, and sponsored content being promoted over the content of people we follow, it truly feels like we have no control over what we’re seeing. I only feel like I’ve gotten away from the discourse/drama because I just flat out don’t allow myself in those spaces where it might pop up.

My best recommendation is to find local collectors and hang out with them and make your BJD enjoyment with others happen at a human pace- which is something I acknowledge is not an option for a lot of people in this hobby, for one reason or another.

Anyway, I hope you’re able to balance a way to enjoy dolls in a way that your passion doesn’t get eclipsed by all the unsavory content that seems to be inflicted upon us whether we like it or not.

 

As a new collector friends with an old collector...

Social media is a two sided coin with one side being a blessing and the other a problem. People use the anonymity to be dicks and stalk/harass people over dumb stuff, but my friend and I (since she kinda collects stuff for me because I cant afford it. Luckily we have similar tastes) found old out of production dolls that would be impossible without it.

People say block and move on, but these stalkers have literally made fake accounts to stalk. To be honest, it makes it hard to want to be a part of this hobby with such unstable people involved.

Counterfeits havent really done anything, but give crafters like my friend options for personal projects other then the overpriced scalped dolls on the 2nd hand market. I mean oh boohoo you cant force people to pay primium prices for broken and stained dolls anymore. I still tried to use my friend as a layaway for the doll I wanted. my job situation has changed and I just cant afford one now.

I could have gotten a counterfeit, but whats the point of being in a collectible hobby with a fake. The problem is people want to treat this like customizable dollfies, which are just vinyl kits like their resin statue kits, in one moment and then spew out that these are priceless works of art in the next. People dont see them as a collectible when you treat them as a deposable.

I dont think its obvious elitism, but look at what gets the most attention. I collect for me, but the like chasers are going to see some brands are more popular and call it elitism.

 

When it comes to the large social media platforms and how they effect the hobby... Honestly, what did you (general you) expect?

Every time you interact with a platform like that, you are basicly voiting for it, supporting it and help paying the owners wages.

If a platform allow drama, bullying, recasts or any other behaviour you don't approve of, you are still supporting those behaviours when using the platform. It's as simple as that. There are no excuses. Period. It's like complaining about a rat ivasion after having been feeding those rats for two decades. You've made your bed.

I agree it's sad. I agree it's tragic. I agree it's getting worse and worse, but a lot of us saw it coming from the start and are kind of fed up with people crying about it now. It's like a child who likes to break toys for a joke and then is upset when all the toys are broken.

My way of dealing with it now is the same way I've done all along. I stick to the places made out of love for the hobby. I interact with hobbyists who is in the hobby for the love of the dolls and the related crafts. And I strictly limit what I invest in.
All I can do is to not contribute to the problems to the best of my ability so that I can look at myself in the mirror without shame.

Over all, I'd say DoA is one of the last large places aroud to talk about dolls in a hobby focused way. It's probably in large part thanks to the size of the forum, that it could survive the drain of the facebook users that killed so many smaller places. It was also allready very well established and had a lagre international user base and large social media platforms spread at different rates in different places, mening that the drain here was more gradual and not as sudden as it was on some of the smaller places.
While this forum also lost a lot of prviously active users, a lot of us was in turn driven here when our usual hang outs starved to death. I am very grateful that this place is still around, but I do miss all the even more specialized places as well. DoA is great, but it has it's own style and direction and some things are just not a good fit to share here.

Today, this is very nearly the only place I have for online doll talk.