Do they really hold their worth? How "old" are YOUR dolls?

My oldest resin BJD is from 2005 so I think of he as being "old" because he does has slight sign of aging.

As all the reasons listed before, yes some will hold their value some lost their value as soon as I paid for it to the company LOL LOL

I have three older dolls NO damaged dolls here. Older and Damaged are NOT the same you know. They are older because they are all LE or One Off thus no newer version available when I got into the hobby. I am keeping them

I plan to keep my dolls forever - seriously

 

The number of bjds and owners had increased a lot from when they were first made, so of course it seems as if most owners are new owners, since they ARE. But there are owners of older dolls out there, and they aren't hard to find.

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?

It does seems as if BJDs are all only a few years old and anything thing older than that is OLD. I'm almost beginning to consider my first dolls old, but I know people with older dolls. Hmm... it's true that I don't seem to see the older dolls as much, but I think it's just because there were fewer of them made and this hobby moves so fast that most people are interested in the latest dolls... and owners like showing off their latest purchases. I try and keep posting and showing my older dolls, though, just for a change!

I guess "old" is relative. To me, a BJD is old if it's older than mine!

(but really-- even the oldest BJD isn't OLD.)

Do you think the dolls hold their value?

Well, the present state of the economy is hurting the market a bit... some people are concerned and trying not to spend so much.

Also, with more and more dolls being produced over time, that also dilutes the market. The high prices of most dolls were helped because of the limited numbers made--AND the limited availability of BJDs in general. Now, even if you have a rare doll, there are also many more rare dolls out there competing with it.

That said, I think my dolls have held their value. There were earlier times when I probably could have gotten much more than their purchase price, but now that's not true. But I think I could still get the purchase price... or maybe a bit less because of AGE/OLDness. Yes, I think it can affect the value a little. And really, depreciation is just natural. On the other hand... the market may change and prices could go up a bit, but probably not to the same craziness as they were around '04-'06 when I was new to BJDs.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?

No damaged dolls; some dolls that are older (over 3 years), and played with (gently). My earliest dolls are white skin... I'm sure they've yellowed a bit, but I don't think it should affect them that much. I don't notice it anyway!

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?

2004 --
CP Delf Elf El
-----Elf El Vampire Head,
CP Delf Elf Lishe,
-----Elf Lishe Vampire Head,
-----Elf Lishe Dreaming Head
2005 --
CP Delf Elf Yder and
-----Elf Yder sleeping head,
-----CP Delf Juri Head
Volks Cyndy 2
2006 --
Volks One-Off Shirou Tachibana
2007 --
Bambicrony Misty Blue Kumi Elf
Bambicrony Light Slate Grey Pepe
Tinybear/Whitley Wood Elf Bracken
Tinybear/Whitley Wood Elf Moona
Elfdoll Alice Cherry Blossom Gothic Hoody
2008 --
Pipos Bao
Soom Sard
Luts Delf Zuzu Duke Lio fullset
2009 --
Soom Euclase

I plan on keeping them as long as I can (forever!). I have never sold a doll. (I have sold a head.)

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?
Hard to say, since most BJD around probably have not passed the decade marker. It's subjective, of course.

Do you think the dolls hold their value?
Maybe not standards, but desirable limiteds, definitely.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?
My oldest doll is also, coincidentally, my most damaged - he's from late 2005, and scuffed/chipped in a few locations. Somehow the 'damages' reflect my growth in participation with this hobby, so I don't plan to fix them. He's fine the way he is.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
I won't say I'll keep a doll indefinitely, it's hard to say things like that when you think about it. :/

o. Syril, DoC Zen: 2005
o. Ilaeya, Lati Censya: 2007
o. Tae, Lati M: 2007
o. Cloud, SSDF Regen hybrid: 2009
o. Luneth, LTF Shiwoo: 2009
o. Albie, Volks F-34: 2009
o. Keiya, Volks Kaelin: 2009
o. Iniabi, LTF Chiwoo: 2009

I underwent a huge reshuffling which resulted in alot of my 2007~2008 dolls being sold, hence the insurgence of those acquired in '09.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?
i don't really know, 5/6 years maybe

Do you think the dolls hold their value?
mostly
but if its a standard doll with a default faceup and its still available on the website you will probably have to lower the price a bit or adding gifts

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?
kurumi is a little yellow on hands and feet, but its not that evident on natural light
i'll keep her

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
the dates i've bought them are on my profile
hyo shin is two years and something, i think
kurumi was originally bought from the website around 2005 i was told (i've bought her second hand)
i wanted a serendipity noel from the first day in this hobby (around 2004), now that i've found her i won't let her go easily
for hyo shin is different, i didn't plan to get her but she grows in me when i had her with me
i really like her character but i do not have special reasons to keep her, i will till i can i suppose

btw i think that my dolls would be difficult to sell XD

 

My first doll is four years old and I have a few others that are also nearing their fourth birthdays. I also have a Volks head I got off the market place that is around 6 years old, I think? Age is relative--the hobby has not been around for very long, so it makes some abjds seem old even when they technically aren't when compared to other things.

Mine are in pretty darn good shape, though I have a few with some color change--one is my first and oldest who has a very pale skin tone and the other is a three year old French resin doll. However, I do not consider normal yellowing to really be damage, as it is just how the material ages. Unless it is very severe, it is often not terribly noticeable on NS dolls--especially since color often varies from batch to batch anyway. I could probably clean up some of the yellow if I wanted to, but it doesn't bother me so I let them be (besides, I don't want to damage their faceups).

The other thing to consider about dolls holding value, is that companies tend to re-engineer bodies over time. Say company A puts out a new body with better posability, then it is very possible that company A's older bodies won't sell for quite as much. Some dolls are also just more popular than others or more common than others, and there's economic factors that can cause dolls to sit longer in the marketplace. Basically, they do hold their value pretty well, but there's never any guarantee with collectibles--you never know what's going to be popular and sought after a few years down the road.

Honestly, resale value is not something that I take into consideration, because I don't buy my dolls with plans to sell them later. I've never sold a doll, and while I don't know what the future will bring and all that, I have no intention of parting with them.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll? Well, considering that these dolls haven't been around all that long, I'd say 5-6 years old might be considered old.

Do you think the dolls hold their value? If you keep them in good condition they seem to.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it? Unless you count staining on the wig cap as damage, I do not own a damaged doll. But I have in the past, I had one with a chip in the resin above the ankle joint. She came to me that way from the company. I sold her, but it wasn't because of that, she just wasn't what I had in mind when I ordered her.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them? My oldest doll is 4 years old. I have no intentions of selling them, but you never know what the future holds. However, I can say that at this point they are the most beautiful dolls I've ever seen, I'm very happy with them, and I want to keep them a very long time ^-^

 

Well, my first doll is from mid-2004, although I recently replaced her body with a new one, and my second is from 2005. The rest I got in the past year. When I realized that I got my first one 5 years ago I had that feeling of, "Oh wow, she's so old!" In BJD years ... I guess that is pretty old. And Volks doesn't even make her anymore, but whether that means she's "rare" or "unpopular" I have no idea.

I think as with most collectors items, they have as much value as we give them. Generally they do hold their value and yeah, if you have a limited it's going to fetch around what you paid for it or maybe a bit more. That's the nature of a collector's hobby. And of course, if you damage it, it is going to be worth less. And of course, a standard with a default faceup which is still available will probably only be worth as much as you could get for it from the store.

None of my dolls are damaged as far as I know. Any yellowing they have is normal and not really noticeable. I know my Marry head is yellowed a bit just due to age (it's oldskin as well) but when I put it on the new pureskin body I barely noticed a difference. There may be some scratches INSIDE my Mark's head from prying his freakin' eyes out. Maybe in Marry too. I dunno. Stupid hot glue. I know it prevents the "Look Ma! No eyes!" thing, but wow, it is such a pain.

I have no intention of ever selling my dolls. I'd like to keep them as long as possible. Hopefully something good can come of them after I die, but I guess I'll figure that out when it gets closer. Ha. (I am a "No Baby Zone," so I don't know if I'll bequeath them to someone or what.)

 

as far as holding their value, my first two dolls I paid a lot more for them than I could resell them for (which I won't anyway). But my more recent dolls, I could probably get what I paid for. I only have one limited doll though, he may be worth a tiny bit more than what I paid. I'm not sure.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?
I think everyone has answered this question quite well already.

Do you think the dolls hold their value?
Some do. Up until recently it seemed that mostly you could sell a doll for close to what you paid, but the second hand market has totally stultified recently. I think that's a combination of the economy and maybe the "oooohhh shiny" squeeing over the sheer number of new dolls (especially the Soom monthlies) that make the older dolls less desirable.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?
I have dolls in the process of getting modified -- I don't consider that damage though.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
I guess my oldest is probably about 3 years old, although I'm not sure because I bought her second hand. For me the age of the doll has nothing to do with whether I want to keep it.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?
Anything antique I suppose, but old dolls are the things Egyptian pharoahs had with them when they died. If someone had one of them... then, hey, congrats. ^__^
Do you think the dolls hold their value? Money has never been an object for me so value is completely not from an economic standpoint for me. Government doesn't buy the dolls, therefore they have no REAL worth except what someone may be willing to pay for one. Mine had held their value the past few years simply because I give them value.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it? The oldest doll I have is coming up on three years now. He's my baby, he's my favorite, he's alot of other things to me. I plan on keeping him until he spontaneously turns into powder. Well, as far as BJD's are concerned. I have a few 300 year old dolls that are in decent condition. I'll keep them.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them? See above.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?

Uh, is this dolls in general, or dollfies? Really, I don't think any of the dollfies are "old" since dollfies are such a new market. Right now, the market is quite soft, and I do know that I purchased my Isao v.1 for much more than I did my v.2.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
Shinsei (Isao Nanjou Version 1) - released 2004, had since 2005
Azel (SchA) - released ??, had since 2006
Melange (Aika U-noss) - released pre-2004, had since 2007
Atelair (FCS MSD) - released and had since 2008
Naoto (Isao Nanjou Version 2) - released 2005, had since 2009

...so all of my guys are pretty "old," excluding Atelair since he was custom made. And I have no problem with them being old fogeys. :p I think you appreciate something the longer you have it, and the longer it's been around. I've had Shin for four years now, and he's the best.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?

For BJDs, it varies. Some say 5 years, some say more. For me, a doll that last more than 10 years can be considered old, regardless of damage or change of skintone. ^^ But like people, a doll that's well-cared for can look younger than its original age.

Do you think the dolls hold their value?

Of course not. It's sad, but it's the truth. Some can be valued higher over time, and some lower. >_> Modification and face up can alter a doll's value. It also depends on the monetary condition of the world... and the buyer's opinion about a particular doll.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?

I don't. Not yet. =_=''

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?

I only have 2 at home right now. Both from 2008, same month - April, but from 2 different companies. ^^ That make them more than 1 year old. One I'm planning to keep forever, since he's the first doll I own and I love him to bits and pieces! The other, I don't know. Maybe I will sell him in the future, but I can't say it for sure now... >.>

 

LOL~ You crack me up real good, there! That's what I feel towards my first doll, too!

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?

I consider an "old" doll to be an "aged" doll. Eventually, so they say, all our dolls will turn very yellow. However, there are many things that can be done to speed up the aging process. I would consider a french resin doll that was left out in direct sunlight for 2 months directly after it was newly made to be "older" than one of the first dolls Volks ever made that was kept in good condition. However, there are other factors too. I consider the original Volks SD10 bodies to be "old" because so many design improvements have been made since then (IMHO), such that that design is now "dated" and most people are not looking to buy it. But, again IMHO, the old SD13 bodies are still very "modern" in their pose-ability and attractiveness. So I guess a doll is "old" to me once it is near the end of its enjoyable life (extreme yellowing of the resin, I've been led to believe, also indicates some structural breakdown in the resin). Versus "dated" where a design is just out of date and unpopular (original Volks SD10 girls).

Do you think the dolls hold their value?

Yes, if not yellowed, damaged, or of a "dated" body design that people no longer want.

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?

Nope -- while I own an original Volks SD13 Megu from 2003 or so, it has not yellowed or aged. In fact, in my experience, her oldskin resin has been a lot more resistant to yellowing than the original pureskin! I have an Anais II, which I think is pureskin but not uv-cut, and she's probably the most yellowed of all my dolls, but even then, she's just barely yellowed.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?

My oldest doll is from 2003, and I never plan to sell her, because she was my first doll (and she's still lovely!). I also couldn't see myself parting with my Bermann. However, all the rest of my dolls might come and go as my tastes in dolls change over the years It has nothing to do with THEIR age, but with my tastes changing as I age!

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?
Eh, over 5 years old? idk :/

Do you think the dolls hold their value?
Depends on the doll really. A Sard or a Bermann, for example, will always hold his value because of how popular and rare he is. For the easily accessible dolls like Els, no I do not believe they hold their value. How can they when one can continue to buy and mint one from the company for the same price?

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?
N/A.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
My oldest is 2 years old, the next over 1 1/5 years, then 1 year, then my most recent one is 2 months
I will always keep my first doll and hopefully my other dolls unless a financial situation arises where I must sell them or I feel they don't fit in anymore.

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll? I don't know, generally if it is pre 2003 I think it is old

Do you think the dolls hold their value? some do, some go up, some go down, it depends on the popularity of the sculpt, how common it is, whether it is still available, and how it is presented (faceup etc) Some have surprised me and gone up when I did not expect them to

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it? My oldest is from 2005, so not that old, I do have one damaged one (chipped elf ear) but he is staying around

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
hmm one from 05, about 6 from 06, 3-4 from 07 and a couple from 08 and 09, and a whole heap I got secondhand so I am not 100% certain of their ages. My crew is pretty much staying around. My partner always says "the doll stops here!" meaning once I get my hands on it it never leaves

 

What do you consider to be an "old" doll?
A mouse is old at 2,but at 2 a human is only a toddler. Some things also age at a different rate.

I wouldn't consider them antique or ancient but maybe "old for an ABJD" ABJD unfortunately do age faster than antiques because of resins sensitivity to UV and staining.
But compared to other dolls I have, some of which are about 100 years old, they are really not old.

Do you think the dolls hold their value?
No, not really, they yellow, they stain or the manufacturer comes out with a new better jointing system or improved resin, drops prices, or another manufacturer comes out with a more popular doll and thats it prices drop (look at pocket fairies, they were hot stuff at first, now not an easy doll to resell, but I still love mine).

Do you own an aged or damaged doll? If so, what do you plan to do with it?
A lot of mine were previously loved, I don't know the age, I know Ken's head is older and yellowed, Shinisiyas head is older too and has damaged ear holes. No plans right now, I still like them.

How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
I think my "oldest" abjd is about 4, not sure though.
I don't choose to sell a doll over the age, the ones I keep longer are the ones I like the most, usually its newer ones I choose to sell first because I'm not as attached.

 

What do you consider an old doll?
Since I just started to collect BJD's within the last year I'd have to say I don't have a reference point, however I first started collecting dolls in general when I was eight. My oldest non bjd doll was made in the 30's so I guess she's my oldest.
Do you think the dolls hold their value?
My non bjd's are worth the same or a little more as when I bought them but my new bjd's I have no clue. I own two now with two on the way but I buy them because there is something about them I love and they make me happy. That is priceless.
Do you own an aged or damaged doll?
My bjd's are so new and I am the first owner for all of them, so I do not. However, my first doll I got when I was eight was much loved, and she shows some signs of wear but I've taken very good care of her just like all my other dolls and I would never sell her in any condition.
How old are your dolls and how long do you plan to keep them?
All my bjd's were born in the last year so we are all newbies. Originally my first one-an elfdoll tiny, was not what I expected and I thought I would sell her pretty quickly. However in time, I grew to love her just like all the others. I have never bought a doll with the intention to sell and could care less if they retain their value or not or so I plan to keep them "forever".

 

I generally find that if you do not have a super-limited or rare, they do NOT hold their worth. The reason i say this is because the companies fluctuate their prices often. Prime example. WHen i first bought Mykal and Matthew, they were nearly 600 dollars each on Luts. Now, they are like not even 500. Most aren't going to pay that price, when they can get the brand new one for the same price, plus shipping. I dunno, that's just what i find between me and my BJD-collecting friends.