Do/Did you keep your very first doll? Or will you sell it?

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?315911-Do-Did-you-keep-your-very-first-doll

Probably can find some reasons in there. This thread reads more like a blog post with replies than a discussion. :\ For me, personally, I don't see myself selling off my first doll because there is a fascinating story behind how he ended up with me that makes me feel as though the world conspired to bring him to me. But I'll also never say never.

 

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?549880-Selling-Dolls-Why

This thread is similar as well. It doesn't refer specifically to your first doll, but as you can see in the thread, there are many reasons why someone would sell a doll and a doll being your first would not always be exempt from the reasons they gave.

As for myself, I don't think I'd ever sell what I consider my first doll because the *character* means a lot to me. Now if for some (crazy) reason I would no longer like that character, I would have no use for the doll. It would be a lot of money just sitting around and "getting me into the hobby" wouldn't stop me from selling it. Actually, one of the dolls I bought was the first doll I EVER fell in love with (technically the one that "brought me into the hobby" as I wouldn't have looked around more if it wasn't for this one) and once I received it, with one look, I knew I couldn't keep it. It was wrong for the character and if I kept that doll, I would have probably fell OUT of the hobby because I would be out the money for a doll that was wrong so I'd probably have negative feelings for it.

A thing that happens very often is that you fall in love with a company's promo pictures but when you get the doll, you realize that it doesn't actually look like it does in the pictures so can you say it's what you fell in love with? Sometimes it's not very clear even with owner photos which is what happened to the doll I sold. It looked great in all the pictures I saw it in, but when I got it, it's head was huge and it looked way more cartoon-ish in person.

 

Same here! I think I would die a little if for some reason I had to get rid of my Tulip. Love her too darn much and I worked really hard to get her!

 

Kiwisaur, I agree with the way you think. I love every doll i have and i well always love them...i mean i hand picked everything about them.

 

Note that it's the owners who have like 1 or less years of collecting under their belt that say "I would definitely NEVER sell my doll!" Seriously, tastes change. You may feel super excited and attached now but that has a strong possibility of changing. When I was a teenager I was totally in love with my tripp pants and thought they were so freaking cool and the most amazing thing ever and never wanted to take them off, and now I wouldn't be caught dead in something like that, I think they are super ugly and unfashionable. BJDs are exactly the same. They are a product and are a matter of aesthetic taste rather than function (ex: you might keep a sewing machine for 20 years because it's sturdy and reliable) When I first got into the doll hobby I loved the pure anime looking dolls the most but tastes change, now I don't even like looking at them. Even though I still have my first doll I really dislike the strong implication that if someone has sold their first doll they did something bad or wrong or crazy. It's a doll.

 

Since I don't like selling things, especially over the internet, I don't see myself selling any of my dolls ever. I research like crazy to make sure I pick the right one in the first place. Except my first doll, a Migidoll Ryu, was a total impulse buy before I joined DoA. Though I may fall out of love with him sometimes (weird looking body, not so great default faceup, floppyness/unable to stand anymore, etc.), I could still never let him go. I always end up loving him again eventually.

 

Well, I find the wording pretty offensive. And yes, my first bought doll has already left me. I got him, because I was afraid of the dimensions of the one I really wanted.

And I am absolutely happy that I took the plunge and traded his body my big boy (the head is still here, and will become another character than originally planned). And I was absolutely right with my fears. I can't hold my EID for very long, he is difficult to pose, and buying or making him clothes is a pain (there are only three companies that fit him, and an awful lot of fabric goes into every piece of clothing I make for him).

 

My first doll was a mistake to get, so I don't feel bad about selling him at all. Why? Because I didn't do the proper research, didn't get the doll I wanted, and rushed into things. I listened to friends telling me what I should get rather than what I wanted. I didn't bond, didn't love him, and there was no special meaning behind it. It was a character of mine- my favorite character ever, but I would totally have gotten him in a different shell had I done my research. I didn't. :/ He sat on a shelf for years and that was it. I was miserable with him. That's why I sold him.

I have two dolls I know 100% are permanent (one I've owned for the longest I've ever owned a doll!) I did keep my first minifee because I adored her, but she went through 3 face-ups before she became who she is. Others come and go as their shells change. I don't place sentimental value into objects, generally. Have I regretted selling a doll? Only once, and I still haven't bought her back if that says anything. ^^ There's nothing wrong with selling your first doll, and you shouldn't judge other peoples' reasons for it. But if you want to keep your first doll due to sentimental value or because you love it, definitely won't judge you and I think it's great that people can do that, I just wasn't that lucky, but it doesn't bother me.

 

I think this is put perfectly! If someone chooses to sell a doll, their belonging, I really don't think anyone has a right to an opinion about that unless it directly affects you. I have my first doll, and while I no plans on sellling her (she's been with me for two years now), she was a gift. So, only me and the gifter would get an opinion.

 

While this seems true as a general trend, there are exceptions. I've had my first doll about three years now, and while that's not long compared to many veterans out there, it's long enough for me to feel quite confident in the kind of doll owner I am; I'm just not the type that buys and sells dolls easily. I was afraid when I first got into the hobby, it seemed like there was some BJD bug that would get you, and I'd be one of those many people who only planned for a few and ended up wanting tons, or kept changing their mind!

Haha, well, my mind has certainly changed in many ways, but overall I'd say I've avoided that and my plans now resemble my initial ones fairly well. Obviously there's nothing wrong with getting a lot of dolls or changing your collections (I think that's more common than the opposite, haha). Just pointing out that there are collectors who feel this way even without being new.

I'd definitely never sell my first doll, and anyway, with all her little damage and things, her market value is significantly lower besides. Even if my aesthetic tastes change (and they have), I put a lot of stock in sentimental value for objects, and I don't think my tastes could change so much that I would ever find her ugly or irredeemable. But every collector comes to the hobby with wildly different tastes, needs, and motivations, so of course there's nothing strange about plenty of people not 'getting it right' on the first doll or changing their minds later.

ali

 

From time to time, I ask myself the same question regarding my dolls:

''If I would be getting this character today, would I buy this doll?''

If the answer is no, then it's time to change. But sometimes, there are exceptions, and my first is one of those. Even if I wouldn't buy that mold for that character, I found myself attached to the doll itself as a beautiful object that, in fact, I would love to buy and own nowadays (perhaps not at the price I payed back in time, but still). SO what I did was to locate a new mold for the character, and kept the older doll; revamped him and designed a brand new character that would fit him well, and he is still with me since 2005. And I hope he stays with me for long!

 

I splited and sold the body but I was planning to do so before I ordered one. It was Iplehouse JID and I always thought that musculer body doesn't fit that pretty boy's face.

 

Eh, I've had my first doll for five years, but that's not because of any huge emotional attachment.

On the "love" bit: plenty of people buy dolls because they like the way they look and want to put them on display, or because they want to practice painting them, or because they're looking for a model to draw/photograph/sew for. Sure, lots of people will talk about emotional connections with their dolls, but that's certainly not everyone.

On "not for anything in the world" bit: it's a beautiful sentiment, and if you're lucky it'll be true for you. But I know way too many people who have had to make hard choices about bigger things than dolls (life can be hard, after all) to ever call any possession a forever thing. Circumstances change, personalities change - very few things are life-long.

 

Yeah, Zarek is my absolute favorite. I can't imagine selling him. I think even if I got out of this hobby, I wouldn't be able to get rid of him because he just means so much to me.

 

THANK YOU!

I didn't say it affected me in any type of way

Hahaha That made me smile!

 

I had my first BJD for about five years, but I ended up selling her on ebay to fund another doll. I never 'clicked' with it as much as I thought I would, and always felt kind of residually guilty about how much it cost. I think it was just that I was young when I got it and, relatively, it was such a huge purchase for me. As an adult collector I don't have the same hangups!

 

I bought my first doll six years ago. I still have him and I don't ever plan on parting with him.

I don't/didn't have the money to buy dolls often, especially while I was still in college. I think that was part of it for me. I bought a second doll 2 years after my first and I still have both of them, but I only have the two. When I buy a doll it is because it is one I really, really want, because buying more hasn't really an option for me. I finally bought a 3rd doll this Christmas and I am waiting for him to arrive, but I have wanted this doll for 2 years.

For me its not that I think its wrong to sell your first, but its just that the circumstances around me getting my first doll (and dolls after), got me very attached to them, so I could never sell him. Though some users have pointed out that tastes change, I still love my doll just as much as I did when I bought him 6 years ago. If what I want in a doll changes, I would be more likely to save up and buy a new doll that reflects those changes, rather than sell my first.

 

I bought my DOT Camine back in 2006 and still have him. I didn't have the money right away when I got into BJD's though, so it was about 4-5 months of research before I decided on a Camine. In those months, there were a handful of dolls that I had become infatuated with at first glance and considered. But since I didn't have the money yet, I continued researching until I eventually found DOD and saw Camine. I fell in love immediately, and eventually ordered him a few months later. I think though, that if I had had the money I needed right away, I probably would have been too excited and ordered those other dolls I saw first. I don't know if it would have worked out or not, but I'm still happy with the decision I made.

 

I could never even dream of selling my first doll. I got him back in 2007 and he has been with me everywhere I've gone since then. I love him so much and his character has grown so much for me over the years. I honestly don't see myself selling any of my dolls....just getting new ones. Haha.

I only have two at the moment actually in my possession...but two more are on the way!