Do higher prices entice you?

Pfft. Nope. High prices scare me away. It took me FOREVER to convince myself it's okay to buy my dream doll for over $300 . . . but that is the ONLY doll I plan on getting over $300.

 

BJDs are ALL expensive as HECK. So, in this case, a higher price is actually the biggest turn off to me. I think the "BJD industry" is a unique "shopping experience" where the usual rules, such as cheaper means worse quality, do not apply so often.

 

Can't say they entice me at all, all of my dolls are on the 'cheaper' end of the hobby and yet I love them. It is all about face molds.. I can't say I haven't seen dolls that are at the most expensive and not fallen in love with them as well. I just can't afford to spend that much at this time, I know this is the wrong hobby to be 'cheap' on but cost of living outweighs dolls - as it should.

That said, the three I have are great quality and I couldn't be happier with them. Great quality and they suit my needs for the characters they are shells for. I'd go for the expensive sort if I was attracted to them though, just haven't found one I just needed to have.

 

I have seen the forums to colleagues who complained that they came with some wrist problems and were not always "cheap houses" so to speak. I do not think that a high price determined by the quality of the figure itself, it is important to give attention and take care to satisfy customers (because if you've spent some money and you get something wrong and I'll change it does not matter )
Within that there are houses with beautiful dolls that are priced too high (for example, I love Souldoll bodies) and other more expensive (as Fairyland) that not only have a fantastic sculpture but provide very good quality. Unfortunately for me (unless I win the lottery) I have little money to spend so I have to watch that has a good relationship between quality and price.

 

Just because something is more expensive doesn't automatically mean it's of better quality. And vice versa. In truth if a doll is too expensive it becomes a bit of a turn-off as I have a certain comfort level for doll purchases. In collecting, as in life, I'm a veteran bargain hunter. I want nice things but at good prices though I will spend more if it's the only way to get something I love.

As far as inexpensive dolls that are of high quality, Impldoll has proven to be a very good choice. While I don't like all of their sculpts, I often tend to pick up one the ones I do when I badly need a dolly fix but have limited funds available. Their resin is quite nice & the way they hold a pose is remarkable. I have dolls that cost 3 times as much that aren't as posable.

And being "safe" by spending more money hasn't proven to be true for me in either dolls or life in general. I must really love something first then look at the price tag.

 

I use to think that higher prices did mean higher quality for some companies. As an example, VOLKS. However recently, I went with another very popular company with people in general and their prices were relatively high as well, almost comparable to VOLKS in price. (VOLKS tends to be priced higher due to faceup and outfit included for SD size.) Well, I was sadly mistaken and highly disappointed. This gave me a huge lesson in not only does price not dictate quality but also the popularity of the company doesn't always dictate good quality.

 

I'm one of those people who likes expensive things. Like, Coach purses. While I can be perfectly happy with a purse from Walmart (as long as it's big enough to hold my STUFF!), I was ecstatic to get my first Coach for Christmas this year. It makes me all giggly inside.

Likewise, I can be perfectly happy with dolls from just about any company if they fit the character. I do one day hope to own a Volks doll, though, just because they're a 'high standard' for me. Ironically, though, I don't LIKE most Volks dolls- except for my dream doll, Suigintou, who costs in the thousands. XD;;;;;

GENERALLY, price doesn't affect the love I have for a doll. It's just a background thing. Sometimes price is a turnoff, esp. if the doll type has become overwhelmingly popular like the Soom monthlies. Too much is too much, and then it isn't special anymore.

 

People don't buy expensive dolls because they're expensive and they think it's fun to spend as much money as possible. If a company has poor quality, badly sculpted dolls and charges a lot for them, people aren't going to buy those dolls. On the other hand, people will still buy a poor quality badly sculpted doll if it's cheap enough.

 

Price is not a factor for me to choose. When I'm browsing the web looking for new sculpts my deciding factor is how much I like them. If I don't have enought money, I'll save a bit, or ask for a present and cross my fingers

What I do consider is the reputation of said house. As an example, I've been told Custom House has had some customers waiting for the last eight months. With that in mind, is more than probable that I skip that house when looking for BJD, if only to not endure the waiting time.

 

For the average BJD owner, I doubt the price factors in until the end. I suppose for the minority of billionaire BJD owners, I guess it would entice them.

I mean, it's not as if they're strapped for cash, right?

(My personal opinion is that somehow I have expensive choices anyway, that the dolls or items I happen to like happens to be expensive. I learn to keep them in my Favourites under "Pretty things I can't afford" XD )

 

I don't focus on the price very heavily. When I like something, I will wait and pay the stated price. If I see a very expensive doll that I really, truly like--I will expend the time and effort required to meet that cost. However, I don't actively seek out only expensive things. I've found that quality does not automatically correlate to price. What I really want are things I like the look of that are not going to fall apart or cause damage to my doll. If those things cost less, that means I can own them sooner. If they cost more, that is also fine with me.

 

Not necessary. Higher prices doesn't always mean good quality and cheaper prices doesn't always reflect a poorer quality.

 

As I've only bought from fairly reputable companies I can't say price would play a part in who I chose to buy from.

If, say it was a brand new company, and they were selling dolls at a substantially cheaper price than another company, while offering the same peripherals with the purchase, I might be a bit leery and wait and see what other people think of the doll first, but my first assumptions wouldn't actually be that the doll is inferior. Rather I would assume the new company is trying to undercut the more established companies, and has no real idea what it will cost to make the dolls.
I've seen a number of new companies rise and fall, simply because they were unable to keep up with the demand for the dolls, at the price they were trying to sell them at.

Alternately, there are websites out there that offer much cheaper dolls, and they can afford to do so by having really bland websites. Not paying for professional photographers or web designers and such.
There are too many factors at play to really say that price reflects quality.

 

Definitely NOT. there have been times when i have payed top dollar for shoes, or a wig, or an outfit etc and been incredibly appalled by the quality of the product that i returned it for a refund.
to me, cheaper is better.
I've done ALOT of business with foreign countries and american based ones, and i must say, the stuff i've ordered from Chinese companies (which are usually the cheapest) have had the best quality! not to mention they seem to surpass most other price ranges in customer service. For example i ordered some materials for a project, the paint from america and some pre-dyed feathers from china. i had problems with both transactions, the feathers had weird V shaped bald spots (like they were melted by an iron or something) and the paint was just a horrid array of problems, the colors were wrong and the glow quality was far below impressive. I payed top price for the paint and shipping, and payed barely anything for the 10 feathers and had free shipping.
It took the full length of ebays dispute time (and 2 weeks prior) to get a few very lazy messages from the seller for paint, and eventually had to have ebay refund me via escalating the dispute.
where as the seller of the feather apologized immediately and refunded me within 24 hours and promised to be tighter with quality control.
Out of the 2 sellers, i will never buy from the seller of the paint EVER again, but have bought twice again from the seller of the feathers.

I've had several transactions aside from those where the one with the lower price, had the better quality AND customer service. both of which are important to me.
I've actually started avoiding the expensive "high end" sales for this very reason. Price does not reflect quality, and i have learned that through many trial and error purchases.
Other cheap things i've purchased have been sequins, makeup, fabric, doll clothes, doll furniture, wigs and hair (there's alot more on that list but this post is long enough ^^") on the cheap end and always been very happy with quality.

 

in reply to your subject title, on the contrary lower prices tend to entice me lol. like someone else pointed out cost of living outweighs dolls so I do have a need and responsibility to balance my doll spending with the rest of my expenses.

Price doesn't necessarily and automatically translate into quality, although it is common to have the mentality that it does. it could be that you're paying for the brand name. quality-wise, i feel that it really varies from company to company and it's really up to you to judge since people have different expectations. so a doll might be deemed to 'low quality' to someone who has a critic eye while someone who is more easy-going might see the same doll as of an 'acceptable' quality.

For me the best would be a price range that is around the standard price, that's when i'll feel "safe" (but of course, i'll also look at the company's track record as well and not just the price). if the price is waaaay below average, i'll start to worry about the quality, whether they're gonna compromise on something, etc. if it is tooooo expensive, i'll also start to worry about the quality, not in a bad way though, but i'll have higher expectations for it and i'd worry if it will match up to my expectations. so even though it might be the brand name or some other aspect that is commanding such a "premium" price, i'd still naturally want my doll to be of above average, near perfect (at least to me) quality.

 

It's been debated that higher prices for certain things will make the quality better in the non-bjd world. So do you think that theory applies to the BJD shopping experience?
I don't think that price necessarily means that the product is better or do I think that because another company has cheaper products that they are more poorly made.

Do you feel more 'safe' to buy something that is more expensive due to hoping it will be 'higher quality'?
NO! Although quality is definitely something to look I don't think one should feel that it is safe to buy a more expensive product with only hopes of it being "higher quality".

 

I like to research all the pricings, but it's the product itself that catches my eye. I look at the price later

If you want something and its going to cost alot anyway, you might as well spend abit more to get exactly what you want.

 

Price is an issue for me in that I won't spend over $1000 on a doll because that is simply unaffordable to me, especially when you take into account that you will ultimately end up spending more than that on wigs, eyes, clothes, or any other accessories for the doll. That's just too far out of my price range. But other than that, I don't take price into account as long as I have enough money to buy a doll I like when I want to!

 

Quality entices me. Proper proportions and grace of sculpting entice me. Spending more money does not really entice me, but I buy what I like.

Price does not mean Better Doll, it just means more expensive. There are very few Volks sculpts that I find worth a second glance but they're quite expensive. *shrug*