Discovering the Price...

I haven't had that response from anyone yet, but most of my friends have dolls and I come from a family who likes to collect things. As long as I don't get myself into financial trouble, or buy dolls instead of paying my bills no one's going to say anything about it.

I would tell your friend that your money is yours to spend--if you're taking care of everything yourself, your friend has no room to complain to you. Rather than spending it on lots of little stuff, you'd rather put it all into one really nice thing. Also let her know how much enjoyment having these dolls gives you. Afterall, it's important to pay the bills, groceries, etc., but you also need to spend some of your hard earned money on yourself too.

 

one of my friends dislikes BJDs...very strongly >_>; and the first thing she complains about every time is the price..and every time she does i nod and agree with her. o.o

I enjoy my doll. I know why they are expensive and i accept it 100%...but that doesnt mean i enjoy it.

so..when she tells me the dolls are stupid because they're so expensive..i MORE OR LESS agree with her and it settles i dont think they're stupid...but i DO agree that they ARE expensive out the ass..and it sucks...but its worth it to me..and its not to her..therefore i have no complaints..the end result makes ME happy..it makes HER sick XD so meh..its aaaaallllmost a win-win situation...almost...

....almost...kinda...

 

Simply put, we buy dolls because it's what makes us happy. It's no different than collecting cars, purses, shoes, what have you. It's the hobby we chose.

 

I agree with ValiumCandy! Its just the same as any other hobby ^_^.

Its seems like your new to BJDs, and this site, so welcome!
Are you thinking of purchasing one?

 

I believe that when it comes to ABJD you get what you pay for...

 

But then, whats the difference between this and any other doll?

 

The pose-ability, the craft, the art. The fact that they are completely customizable and many other things. Not every doll can do or be what a BJD is.

 

The difference is that these dolls are fully customisable. You can change everything about them and make them exactly what you want them to be.
There's also the fact that they can be used as models for drawing, photography and clothing designing, as well as to just sit around looking pretty. These are pieces of art,really, and a lot of work goes into making and customising them, which is not possible with most other kind of doll.

 

A lot of the cost comes from the labor and materials used. The resin that these dolls are made of is highly temperamental and the way the are produced does not lead to mass production and can have faulty castings that when discarded raise production costs because quality is a major part of the appeal of these dolls and faulty pieces are not sent out to buyers.

As well, most of these dolls are created by individual artists or groups of artists so it's more like buying a high quality print of a painting versus buying a cheap poster. The artist creates their master sculpt and then produces a certain number of dolls after that. Each sculpt is unique in how the artist creates it.

 

I usually deal with my non-collecting friends by gauging what their reaction would be first. If they tend to be closed-minded, I would generally not say anything.. however if I'd think that they wouldn't mind or would find it fascinating, then I'd certainly share a discussion.

 

Simple logic sometimes does the trick. Yes, they cost a lot to buy, but if you had to sell them to survive the zombie apocalypse, they also usually sell for close to their original value. You can't say the same about human clothing, or cable tv, or videogames.

Also, I have a special tack when dealing with smokers.... I estimate how much money they smoke every year. I'm not a lecturer when it comes to smoking, but it does cost a lot., and if they're on my case I will politely educate them. If I buy a $500 doll and they smoke $500 which is worse? I just think for most people it's ignorance of the hobby, once you talk with them about it, they look at it differently from my experience.

 

Sometimes friends don't understand why you would do anything. They're either looking out for you best interest or they really just don't 'get it'.

I can afford to spend money on dolls. I don't drink or smoke and I only ever go to the shopping to buy groceries.

Smoking and drinking? that I don't understand. At least my doll hobby isn't killing me.. lol

.::::.

 

My none collecting friends have become collecting friends XD
I dont think spending on bjds is wrong at all.
im 18 this year and have 2 dolls.
i have a part time job soo i can spend money on this hobby or clothes.
also my none bjd collecting friends are obsessed with anime and spent allot on that soo they cant complain XD

 

Most hobbies aren't "cheap." Photography, mountain biking, vinyl record collecting, etc. Addictions aren't cheap either, i.e. nicotine. But because it's "just a doll" seems to be enough of an excuse for people to unload on you.

 

i totally agree with this. it's so true.

it's okay for people spend hundreds of pounds a year on cigarettes, but i can get branded a spoiled brat for spending my own hard-earned cash on something for me to enjoy.

well i'm sorry, but cigarettes and alcohol just don't last long enough or give me the same 'high' as recieving a doll in the mail does

 

I didn't think the prices were that bad, until I found out they were in USD.
Now my dolls are costing $100-$300 more than I expected, haha. I should have realized it in the first place!

 

I have seen it several time here so many people who are having problems with friends saying nasty things about their dolls and the cost of them.
In a way I just don't get it. I mean why be friends with someone who'll judge you and put you down?

Family is different I suppose as you don't get to choose them. But I have to say I believe that Dr Phil is right when he says: You teach people how to treat you.

If anyone I knew started being judgemental and telling me it was wrong or stupid to spend that much on a doll I'd probably say something like: Since when are you so perfect that you have the right to judge me?

Or if it's someone who doesn't know me that well: Wow I'm really impressed! You must be the most clever person in the world since you are able to know what's right or wrong for someone you don't even know that well. I have never met anyone that clever before. I actually think you're the only one in the world.

I so agree with this. I only count someone as a friend if they are able to respect me for the person I am - and I'll do the same for them. Like some of the people in the first part of this thread I'm not healthy and I have a limited amount of energy. I don't want to waiste any of it on people who are disrespectful towards me.

To everyone who's ill and having problems making people understand you should read The Spoon Theory. And so should everyone who knows someone who's ill.

Dustbunnie

 

I've been lucky thus far and most everyone has embraced my new hobby and if they haven't they sort of shrug it off and say "Well that's just Jen for you." But I guess it's because I've always been the type to save my money like a crazy person for things I really really want. This is no different. My first doll was a Weylin boy so he wasn't that expensive relatively. But I still saved for three months for him! I paid off credit card debt and all of my bills then put everything else aside for him. Now I'm saving up again for my second doll. But so far I haven't run into anyone accusing me of being spoiled but I also only keep people who know me very well close by. I've lived on my own since I was 18 and have paid my own bills and worked very very hard to get myself through college. So I think I deserve something that makes me happy and if anyone disagrees then that's their problem. Some people put thousands and thousands of dollars into their cars, some people play video games which end up costing them just as much as my doll in the long run, what's the difference? Everyone has something they put tons of money into mine just happens to be BJDs.

 

I completely agree with what you said about friends. If they can't respect me for who I am and what I do, they aren't really a friend

I also wanted to thank you for the spoon theory link. I suffer with bad joint problems in my ankle. I have to really consider what actions I can and can not do somedays and it can be hard to explain. People don't understand why a visually young and healthy 21 year old girl refuses to stand up on the bus and says she physically can't do it. Sometimes people say about just going somewhere quick, but I can't walk there because of the strain on my ankle, I can't walk very far.

I think I will try and fit the spoon theory to my problems and maybe it can help me to get others to see too.