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

I think this is a very good point. If you think you will end up selling your starter doll its important to bear in mind that some of the cheapest dolls don't hold value and can be hard to sell.

 

I think you should get a doll that you really love, even if its not a cheap one. If you buy a cheap doll that you aren't in love with and have no bond with, you may end up selling it and decide that this hobby isn't for you. I ended up getting my first doll from a friend that I fell in love with, and she was cheaper and from a smaller company. I didn't care that she wasn't from a big company, just that I was happy with her. My second doll is actually from the same company. I think it doesn't matter what company a doll comes from just that the doll that makes you happy and that you can enjoy playing with.

 

My first doll was on the cheap side, just in case I didn't want to invest in the hobby. So I guess you could call her a test doll. But I love her a lot and I'm glad I got her.

 

I have some heads for practicing face-up which made by myself. But I won't buy a doll which I don't like...

 

I guess you could say I bought a bjd or traded rather to get one. I liked him, but eventually sold him to get my new boy David & now many more and a new one from a DOA board member. Woo Hoo.
I hadn't planned on selling him but he was more doll like instead of realistic looking so off he went!

 

I def tested with 1/4 before jumping into 1/3, but there are some damn cute Yo-Sd out there too! I always suggest people who are unsure what they want to check out Resin Soul because they're affordable, highly customizable, and a mid sized 1/4 who can get you introduced into different resin colour (and double jointed bodies if you want) without breaking the piggy bank!

 

i bought a floating head with the intention of using it for practice and to see whether i liked the idea of dolls or not....i got it in the mail and then like two days later ordered a complete doll so.... i kinda did?
i just think when i saw the doll head and how beautiful it was, i was immediately hooked on the idea of having full dolls of my own, so it was a no-brainer :'- )

 

Nah. I did loads of research before purchasing anything and I finally decided on a minifee. I didn't want anything big like an SD or small like YOSD, I knew from the start I wanted a medium sized doll. I researched all the different companies out there and I just loved the look of minifees the best. I also knew I would LOVE customizing her, that's the part of this hobby that I love the most and the biggest reason I wanted one. So yeah, I bought the doll I researched the crap out of and have no regrets Except for the sculpt, I switched out Chloe for Celine, but that's all.

 

My first love was an SD sized doll and although I tried really hard to save up for her, after 6-7 months I only had just over $100 and she was going to cost $700+. One day, a company called Everpurple posted a new posts with these adorable Turkish Angora kitten dolls and I caved. I wanted a BJD so bad, so I ended up resetting my savings for my SD dream doll and buying the Everpurple doll instead! So I guess that was sort of like a test doll? I don't regret the purchase at all, especially since they produced so few of them! She's pretty unique now.

 

I didn't intentionally purchase a test doll but I sort of ended up with one technically. I ordered my first doll, a Ringdoll Illya on an RGMbody-02 with an extra event head, Norman, which I purchased an RGMbody-03 for. They were pretty expensive but I loved both the sculpts so it is so worth it. Originally, I wanted the illya on a smaller body, and didnt feel like shelling the cash out so I bought a mirodoll 66cm boy body, but then I decided the body was too short for my taste when put with my other doll, which was to be a brother to him, so I just ... bought the second ringdoll body. Anyway, long story short, because I'm impulsive I ended up, with... three Mirodoll bodies, the two ringdolls, 2 little rebel heads, and a simply divine head. ...
ANYWAY
The Mirodoll 66cm body came first. And I am so pleased with the sculpting. It's really a lot better than I thought it was going to be, BUT because it's cheaper, I wasnt afraid to "mess it up" I have a distinct painting style that I use in my fine art that I wanted to translate onto the resin dolls. It's a whole lot of trial and error and painting and wiping and I'm not sure I would have been so adventurous with my ringdolls.
So, I really do feel like everyone should get the doll they love when entering the hobby, but as I'm someone who is also just rally entering the hobby, I know that I did pick a body that I loved and was cheaper, and I didn't get him just for a starter doll, but the cost of him really did enable me to be a bit fearless when blushing and painting

 

My first was an MSD, and at the time she was perfect for me. I ended up getting SDs later, but I found them too big... I did think I would like them after having MSDs, but they really where so much more difficult for me to handle... I also found the more mature look wasn't something I could enjoy. I guess I like to see them as innocent kids, and that's hard to do when they look more grown up then I do! xD In a way all of my first dolls where experiments. At the time I enjoyed them, but now I'm finding even the MSDs too big, and I want some small 27cm ones. None of them where planned as test dolls though, and they were not treated that way either, just ended up not working for me anymore after 9-10 years.

I've obviously found the right size now. I'm really excited to work toward making them clothing, they look like little children, so perfect for quick references for my children's illustrations, and they will fit perfectly on my bookshelf! So while I never planned to have test dolls, my first collection sort of became that, as I'm a lot more into the idea of having dolls now that I've made up my mind to get smaller ones!

 

Typically with a lot of my other hobbies, I always test the waters. Just to make sure I will be committed to the hobby in the long run or find out it's not for me before spending the big bucks. However, with BJD I can't quite explain it but I would buy the doll I love right off the hop regardless of price rather than buy cheaper ones. Because I know I will never get rid of my first one because I know I will love it. But that's just me.

 

My first doll was a second hand yosd that I bought for 100 dollars. The second was a bobobie lotus. Both where test dolls that I got, and didn't like that much, so I sold them.. then it would be another year before I bought a new doll. I think it's both a good and a bad thing to buy a test doll.. good, because you get to see a Bjd wand what resin is like to work with etc. but bad because I for instance was "put off" pretty bad and thought the hobby wasn't for me since none of the dolls fell to my liking. Thankfully I have found what I like today

 

No test doll for me! I did do a lot of research about the companies and looked at lots of dolls before making my choice, but then I just jumped right in and I am really glad I did!

 

I've just bought my first doll recently, and I suppose it was kind of a test doll? She's absolutely beautiful and I by no means don't like her, but she's a heck of a lot cheaper than some of the other dolls I wanted...I decided to get her not only because I wanted her, but because she was well within my reasonable price range! I didn't want to go all out for my first doll, in case I found that I wasn't as interested as I thought, but she's most certainly not as cheap as I could have gone!

 

No test dolls for me eiher, though I knew I liked the body first, then settled on a head a little later on. As soon as I saved up enough money, I got a Ringdoll right away. Of all the body sculpts, I really admired their body 3 since many of the doll bodies I knew seemed a bit too thin and androgynous or buff for the character I had in mind. I knew that was what my heart was set on getting. The head sculpt came a little later, after much deliberation.

I didn't regret the choice one bit. I have to admit, it took a while for me to get used to the size, but fast forward a year later, I'm glad I put my funds towards what I really wanted. I'm no good at selling stuff anyway, so if I did get a doll I ended up disliking, I wouldn't know how to get the money back.

 

I actually ordered a Hujoo Phoebe from JunkySpot first, which isn't a resin doll but ABS plastic. I love my mouse girl, and I felt confident with her more affordable price to branch into the real deal. I followed up with DollZone Big Dipper, which was a huge jump in price, but well worth it!

 

Hmm I wouldn't say a test doll since I've been collecting dolls my whole like so I kind of knew what I was getting myself in to. It was more a matter of what I could afford at the time.

 

I bought an Obitsu for super cheap just to get the feel of things. Best idea imo

 

I tried to get a trial doll, and I hated her. Someone just gave me an amazing deal on her, so i went for it. I hated her joints, I hated her sculpt, I hated her size... so I just assumed I hated BJD's. I have long admired them in photos but figured the dolls just weren't for me. After she sat in a box for a few years, I don't even remember how long I had her, I listed her for sale in a monster high doll group on facebook (I wasn't in any BJD groups yet) Someone asked why I was selling such a lovely doll for a low price. I just told them I got a great deal and I didn't like her, and Ideally, I wanted an SD Human boy.. Not as MSD Green fantasy girl..
They sent me pics of a boy they had for sale, and even tho I swore off BJD's after my green girl, I fell for him. and now i have well over 20 BJD's. Still have my first boy to!