Did you purchase a "test" doll before fully committing to an aspect of the hobby?

Sacrificing a doll you want for a doll that's affordable is common if you live with more than one person. Family and partners can be cautious with money. That's why my first was a test purchase. I ended up not bonding and selling him later, but he was enough to confirm I enjoyed the hobby.

 

I stuck to only looking at affordable dolls when I was new to the hobby. I have really bonded with Snow because I looked over a lot of dolls and decided he was for me.I have been lucky in having a partner that understands the hobby so he is more than willing for me to have a layaway for a doll I love.I have definitely sacrificed more expensive dolls though! Sometimes it hurts but then I see how people customize affordable dolls and realize I can make anything my own with a lot of effort.

 

I was gifted a Doll Family-A practice head which was intended for just that purpose but when he arrived I fell in love and he has a proper character and body on the way now xD

 

Yes. My first YoSD boy several years ago was test into the hobby itself - My MSD I bought several years later, but I really don't like him at all... but proved I still like them (and in bigger size). Now I am buying my first SD sized doll, and he is on the cheaper end to see if I like the size before buying my grail doll. I don't want to shell out $600+ on a doll that while looks perfect... to find out the size is too big for me. I did a lot of research this time and am satisfied with my plans. In some ways I wish I had saved up for my grail to start, but since I'm shelling two characters I figure best to start with the cheaper of them and wait until I'm sure before diving in full force with my dream doll.

 

In hindsight, I think it’s best to know why it is you want a BJD in the first place, and what you intend to do with them. If someone’s going to spend so much, it may as well be for something they like! The secondhand market is there if the size doesn’t work, and you can put that into a size that suits you more.

But if they want to customize, or something to that effect, a cheaper doll is probably better to work on. When I decided I wanted to get into customizing, I didn’t even buy a BJD— I got an OT doll from Target and went to town! The methods and materials are pretty much the same. So I got my actual BJDs with more confidence for it. :3

 

I thought about purchasing a less expensive doll as my first, but then decided to go all in and get the one I truly wanted. I knew if I didn't follow my heart, I would pretty much undoubtedly end up not bonding with the doll. That would have caused me anxiety and led to more doll purchases, so more money spent in the end.

For testing out face up materials and methods, I did get an off-topic doll.

 

So far i got all my dolls 2nd hand! My 1st doll was at a good price and i wasnt sure how she would turn out! But some day i might buy a brand new doll if i can wait, lol

 

Yes and no. My first doll was Thranduil, with Modoll face up. When I bought Loki from them too, the sent me a free head that I used for face up practice (.i actually ended up liking him, and gave him a body). I also practiced on Teo, who was custom made by Namonaki, because of the casting batches I got ten heads. So I could play around a bit more knowing I had plenty of spares!

 

No, my first one was a Resinsoul, but because I fell for him, not because he was relatively cheap. There were a dozen more expensive 'prettier' dolls in stock at the time, but he spoke to me...
He still ended up being a 'test doll' of course, but what I'm trying to say is that he wasn't bought as a 'substitute' for something more expensive I liked better...

The biggest mistake I ever made was buying a full set doll. I love him to bits, but I can't *do* anything with him, because that means I would have to break up the full set, and I can never do as good a job as the artists at Soom. So from a hobby point of view, he's a mistake.

 

I guess I'm fortunate that most of the dolls I want are on the cheaper side (I think there are only like two dolls I want that are more than 250 base price) and while my family would flip out at me spending my money on dolls, my boyfriend is very supportive of my hobby and even told me today he thought it was cute, so no need for a test dolly here!

 

I knew I wanted a bjd, and over time as I toyed with the idea, I became more confident with the prospect of restringing.

But, my first doll was a hybrid (fairyland feeple65 juri 2012 event head on a mirodoll body), and I figured I'd get her since she was very cheap - $120 - and so I could test out the 1/3 size.
My second doll was a msd and it became clear to me very quickly that msd's are all around easier/better suited to me. If I get an SD, it'd probably be something like a Souldoll Vito, that is short SD in size (50cm) but more of a tall MSD proportionally. I'm not totally against the idea of a standard SD in the future, but I don't think it's quite in the realm of likelihood anytime soon.

So... a mix of yes and no, I suppose?

 

Because the dolls I wanted were so expensive (FL) and I wasn't sure if I would be into them, I went with a cheaper option for my first doll.

 

Nope, went full on SD Doll Chateau $600 doll for my first one and I super don't regret it, she's gorgeous I was fairly certain I wouldn't be disappointed and I was right. I want so many more dolls now lmao.

Mostly because they're just so dang expensive, so for my first doll I wanted to make sure it was one I wanted forever. I don't buy dolls just as "test runs". I only buy if I really, really, really want. Basically every doll I have/want was a grail x'DD

 

To answer the question, kind of?

My first doll was an Abio Angel San(?), and an Elfdoll Lydia. They were a gift from my parents as my Mother bought both of them from a friend of hers who was leaving the hobby.

They almost kept me from entering the hobby fully because I was so unhappy with them to start with.
AA San felt plastic to me (which spraying MSC on him might have helped this.) But his resin wasn't pleasant to the touch for me.
Elfdoll Lydia was the opposite, gorgeous resin, high end feeling but her sculpt felt "off" to me. I never really bonded with her and she felt a little too Barbie. I didn't know anything about hybridization, so I didn't KNOW you could switch bodies and heads.

However, I kept buying dolls and I eventually sold those two. I'm glad that I did since I found several sculpts that I adore and will be with me forever.

 

Sort of. I went with an OT bjd as it was far, far cheaper than resin. However all it did was whet my appetite for the hobby haha. Within a year I had a resin doll. I did go with a cheaper brand though, as I was a teenager too young to work and it was still my very first real bjd. I did genuinely fall for him as he was perfect for a beloved OC of mine and I never for a moment regretted picking him up. Though I do intent to pick up a relatively cheap practice head to practice mods on. I hope to get my hands on a dremel and want to play around with some subtractive mod ideas.

 

Nope I just went straight into it after looking up about them for a few years haha I got my first BJD like 7 months ago

 

I have a friend with an extensive doll collection. She allows me to "visit" with her dolls. I have found dolls that I wanted by "window shopping" her collection. I haven't been wrong so far. I have loved every doll I purchased.

 

In a way yes. I bought a tiny first to see if I even liked BJDs, but it definitely wasn't super cheap. I bought a tan pukifee Ante. I didn't sacrifice what I wanted, but it was a test doll of sorts.

 

I suppose I did buy a test doll, yes! And in my case, the test convinced me *not* to get any deeper into the hobby, haha.
I really love my doll, but I know that investing in more dolls or more expensive dolls wouldn't make me happier.

 

Nope. Just jump in the middle after two years of research.... My first was an Iplehouse EID Victor on super hero body. He was a test doll in many ways: first wig, first face up. Bonding issues...