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

Yes, I bought an AOD Chi back in the day, even though I had much higher priced dolls on my wishlist at the time. The sticker price was a shock for me at the time, and I couldn't fathom spending more than a hundred or so on a doll. In the end, I didn't keep the Chi, but he was a good starter doll and absolutely solidified my want to be part of the hobby.

 

Nope, went straight in and bought second hand from another country thousands of miles away, also was a hybrid and bought from same seller another head.

In the end the second head migrated to the body and sold the head originally on the body.

 

My first BJD wasn't a test sculpt, but she was a ResinSoul Mei, so not very expensive either. I bought her because I liked the versatility of her face sculpt and because she could share clothes with my Ellowynes. I don't think I could have bought a bjd outright without working up to bigger and more expensive dolls in my fashion doll collection first though. The price and potential customization options would have killed me. Now I think spending 200 dollars is cheap and will have an outfit put together before the doll arrives.

 

Yes, I purchased lots of off topic dolls while I mulled over the idea of purchasing a bjd. I wanted to see if, in general, doll stuff would keep my attention. I was one of those girls that literally never wanted to stop playing with dolls to begin with, but shaming from friends and family made me. Then as an adult I was like, hey, I make my own decisions now--I don't care what anyone else thinks, if I like dolls, that's ok. I'm not hurting anyone! And then I found the bjd community, which was full of other perfectly normal adults that also enjoyed dolls! Anyway, anytime I see a cute doll in a thrift store I pick it up. I enjoy dressing them up, posing, taking pictures, having little storylines in my head. I also love cleaning up and fixing the hair of damaged dolls. But I don't intend to let my real bjd get damaged. I'm going to have to hide them from the cats. They recently ruined a mint condition disney doll I found for 69 cents

 

I'm not sure if it really counts, or if it's just me being impatient, but I did buy a little 1/6 in-stock Bobobie...while I waited for the much more expensive dolls I had already ordered, h-ha. But I'm really glad I did because I had legit never even handled a real BJD before, so it helped me get used to that. Plus it was fun doing my first face-ups without worrying about ruining a really expensive doll. So, I guess I knew I was already into the hobby, but I still wanted a "test" doll of sorts!

 

I dove right into the hobby with Luts KDF bought directly from the company.

I knew secondhand would be cheaper, but I was way too scared to do it. I had read a lot about the risks of being sold a recast, getting a damaged doll, etc. Since I was so new to the hobby, I had no idea how to tell apart a real from a fake, or whether or not someone was a reliable seller. So it seemed safer to order directly from a large reputable company. And I was very happy with my purchase!

 

I bought a doll, but it wasn’t a test doll. Now looking back she was not nearly as “expensive” as quite a few others i own now. But that wasn’t intentional. So I didn’t buy a test doll technically I guess thinking it over, that approach may be a good way to start and ensure you like or love it. But I LOVED the doll I got - she was the main reason I got into the hobby. So if you are head over heels - then a more expensive doll will be just fine as well maybe!?

 

I did! I managed to find a limited line being sold through a dealer for $60 where you got a mystery doll out of a few selected styles. The maker usually sells through taobao but I believe this was their first time releasing a doll through bigger dealers like new clover singing.

But after a month of waiting I realised that this was something I really wanted to do and so I’m now two months down the line waiting for my ‘test’ and about half a month waiting for my first proper doll. They’ll now both be loved equally I’m sure but after the excitement I was still feeling after waiting for my ‘test’ I knew this was a hobby I wanted to commit to.

 

Kind of, my first doll was a relatively inexpensive mature tiny doll, one of several reasons that I chose her was because it was a lower-commitment way of testing how I felt about resin dolls, compared to a very large and expensive doll

I thought I would get her and then continue to collecting 1/3 scale which was my initial interest, but it turns out I really really love mature tiny bjds! I have several now and still no big one, though I'm sure it will happen eventually

 

I didn’t intend to, but in the end it kind of turned out that way. I bought a 1/12 Lil’ Fairy that was (and still is) my favourite doll, and for the longest time was the only one I needed. After I got back into the hobby earlier this year, I branched out to 1/6 Azone dolls then a 1/3 Azone doll, and now I have a Dollfie Dream with plans to get two more. They just keep multiplying

 

I never bought a test doll. Just dove right in and purchased the sculpt I truly wanted, a Luts Kid Delf Bory I always believe in purchasing the dolls that you truly love, rather than settling for the alternative just because of price. No regrets at all and I still have my Bory in my collection.