Do you ever just... want to sell them all?

I have. I think when the going gets tough anyone looks at their expensive hobby items and sees a quick solution.

We are saving for a deposit on our first house, and as I cant work I'm constantly feeling like I'm not helping with the endeavour. Naturally I look to all my items I could sell for money, dolls being the obvious 1. I couldn't let them all go though, which some days makes me feel very selfish.

I don't think I've ever felt overwhelmed , but I've had my low points and thought 'why do I even bother' and 'I don't deserve nice things.'

I have been selling some of my dollls, and the ones that are still up for sale might be because my asking price is too high as deep down I don't want to let them go xD

Don't feel guilty. We all get dark thoughts when stressed, especially when its because of money (ah the world we live in!).

 

I have thought about selling my whole MSD collection, despite how much I love them. In the beginning I thought I would never consider that, but because I want to make SD my main collection focus and stop collecting MSD, somehow, I sometimes feel that maybe I shouldn't keep the MSD anymore. But I love them and they would be so hard to get ever again.

No matter what you do, it's a respectable choice in the end. We love BJD, but we can live without the luxury if we have to. It's just sadder to do so, and it shouldn't be something you'll regret. Best wishes!

 

Hah, yeah, I definitely can relate. Every time I get stressed about money, my brain instantly starts feeding me a list of my expensive hobby items that I can sell-- I also collect some anime merch in addition to BJDs, and the price tags on those items can get pretty big too. Sell my dolls, sell my merch, my game consoles, my figures.... If I get too stressed about money I have to stop myself from mentally drafting sales posts for things I own, since it's more upsetting than helpful.

I don't think your dolls are a waste of money if they still make you happy! If you aren't actively buying things for them, they aren't draining resources that you could better spend elsewhere. And they're expensive items, sure, but it's not like they're money piñatas that you just aren't busting open. Selling is a lot of hard work in and of itself. (At least it always is for me! Don't ask me about how many things are kicking around in my closet still because selling them seems so much like a chore!)

In the wise words of Marie Kondo, if something you own still sparks joy, then you don't have to get rid of it if you aren't ready to. Maybe take some time and 'hang out' with your guys and see if you still connect with them like you have in the past. Only you can know if you're ready to move on or not. Another thing Marie Kondo suggests is thanking the things you pass on, which I think is lovely. Thank you for the time you spent with me! You made me happy while we were together, and now I'm sending you off to make someone else happy! Saying this goodbye has helped me part with things I was emotionally attached to but were otherwise useless.

If you do decide selling is the path for you, then best wishes on that journey!! I hope you have more luck at it than I do, haha!

 

oh my goodness this is the sweetest thing I've ever seen about getting rid of things xD I'm a hoarder as I get way more attached than I should to things. I think this will really help me in future, so thankyou

 

Yes, been there. Then regret it and go back to buy again. Ridiculous I know. At this point, I resolve not to sell any of my collection.

I do have to say it is satisfying to sell dolls to people that interact and enjoy them, rather than have them remain boxed and untouched.

 

Totally! Stress triggers it for me, as well as depression. Suddenly they stop being fun and start being clutter.

 

Yep. There was a point when I felt overwhelmed by the amount of resin I had accumulated & decided the answer was to concentrate on SDs as that is the size I enjoy the most. Sold my MSDs to clear space, which was a relief for a bit. And then discovered a head I couldn't resist that I wanted to turn into a child. And then she got a brother...and a sister...and the Macchonna family tossed the "no MSD" declaration out the window for me ranging from 28 to 60cm & being great inspiration to my creativity. ;}

That's the thing for me. Those times of feeling overwhelmed with how much resin takes up space around me. Sometimes I imagine pulling out their stored boxes & packing everyone away for a bit, to reset my head & my space. But then the clouds pass & the dolls once again cheer me as they are like art installations as well as interactive creative play for me.

The challenge with selling is finding someone else who values them as much (or more) than you do. To be fair, I've tended to watch for used doll "great deals" when buying some & bartered for others. So while there is an original purchase value on new dolls & rare limited dolls, it doesn't mean the market is easy to recoup what you've spent. :/

 

I dont have any dolls yet but i feel this about my pin collection. It's so much money just sitting there. I *do* like them and they *do* make me happy but i feel guilty about having bought expensive things to look at when now i need money for student loans

 

I dread the day I'll want to cull my collection and limit it to this or that. As it stands, I have 6 themed crews of mixed sizes, 3 of which are 1/6 and smaller, so they only take up a shelf, really. But the bigger dolls at 1/4 and 1/3 scale worry me on space monopoly.

So far I've opted to limit myself to the closet space I currently have. If they can't fit there for storage, I'll have to either stop adding or pick a crew and weed out the least played with someday

For now, I'm enjoying the hobby and letting them be my joy alongside other hobbies. Let the the dread of letting-go be a future me problem XD

 

I do. But my husband is a comic book collector, and he constantly blocks my attempts to sell things.

Growing up, I was told if I wanted new things, I had to sell my old ones. Video games usually, so I never kept a game for long. I had all of the Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright games at one point, all gone now and hard to replace. I had a doll once before and sold it to a friend - a friend who never gave me the money and forced me to go to her parents for it. Ten years ago, I sold my entire manga collection for a pittance. I regret all of these things.

Now my husband is making me keep and collect things again. He won't let me sell any of our video games. I started buying manga again and I have an amazing collection. He got me to order my first doll and encourages me to get more if I want them (and if we have the funds). If I suggest selling anything, he asks me if I really want to or if I just think we need money.

To be honest, all of that has really done wonders for my sense of security. I'm constantly reminded that the nice things I have are proof that I've managed to climb up from a very dark place, and that if I need money, my husband and I will find a way that doesn't involve losing the things we worked for.

That being said, I'm an artist, so usually the first thing I go to is offering commissions and going around to my best patrons. And I know if I were in a different position, the dolls and games would probably be going first.

 

It’s a difficult world out there, and joy is so hard to come by, so do not kid yourself that the things that bring you joy are not of great value in this world of ours. Hardships come and they go, it’s just part of life and we all go through them. So consider carefully whether or not selling off your collection (or even just one piece of it) will be a benefit to you in the long run…or will it be a regret you must learn to live with. Over the years I’ve sold dolls to refine my collection…no regrets there. And I once sold my entire small collection early on in order to reboot it…still, no regrets. And I once sold a doll whose character had completely fizzled out…so no regrets there. I also sold a doll who had outgrown her shell, with the timing being necessary to purchase a grail…of course, no regrets. Only once did I sell a doll to raise much needed funds because I felt I had to (to aid a family member, not for myself) and to this day I regret it and miss that doll. I did what I felt I had to at the time, and I know it was a loving and caring gesture on my part, but it still stings and I only wish I could have reasoned out a better solution rather than just that quick fix. Lesson learned!

 

For me, this exactly!

Fortunately I don't have financial motivation to sell my dolls, but when I'm feeling down, it's a tempting impulse. Then I recall that selling isn't easy nowadays. Selling would take a lot of time and trouble; just look at the DoA Marketplace and how long most dolls have been FS and bumped and bumped and bumped. Social media ditto. Most of my dolls are older and not desirable, and I probably couldn't even give them away -- and that would be another source of anxiety. Thankfully the feeling passes, and also recently I've reached a point where I don't feel the need or interest to buy more dolls.

 

Yes, I feel the same! I would really like to sell 90% of my collection and just have a few dolls that mean the most to me, but selling is a very slow process right now. It took me six months to sell one doll and I ended up taking a sizable loss. I put away most of my collection and am definitely not adding anymore dolls unless they are mind blowingly spectacular (one came up already). It also helps I enjoy other off topic dolls that don’t take up much space and are somewhat reasonable cost wise. I make most of everything for them and I enjoy every minute.

 

Same as others are saying, selling dolls isn't exactly easy. And there's usually a big loss in value on resale, at least in my experience. It wouldn't be worth it to me to sell my collection for what I would get for them.

 

I've gone through this cycle multiple times and ended up selling a few dolls I deeply regret because I'll never be able to get them again. At this point whenever the urge comes to sell it all I just hide them in a closet and wait for it to pass
Selling some dolls that are easily replaceable (anything that isn't LE, for example), or dolls you'd like to reshell but haven't found a new sculpt for are also possibilities!

 

You're welcome!! It's a lovely sentiment, isn't it? I also struggle with hoarding things and placing a lot of attachment into objects, so it's really helped me as well.

 

Yep, both from "I need the money" and "oh my god am I an idiot for having this collection?". I don't have enough BJDs to constitute a real collection yet (one in hand and one on preorder, neither of which I have any temptation to get rid of now) but I have this feeling with my anime figures and manga sometimes. I actually sell my not cherished anime figures/manga if I want something new and need the money, though I've gotten to the point where none of the figures I have are ones I want to get rid of. But at the same time, sometimes it feels so weird to love these pieces of plastic so much, when it feels like I could put money towards something better (savings, donation, buying something actually useful...). But I don't think I will sell my collection off, at least for now, even though I'm sitting on some seriously valuable figures from popular franchises that could fetch a pretty penny.

For now, the way I'm curbing that temptation to sell is only buying what I love, which cuts down on impulse purchases, money spent, and collection size. For me, with both dolls and figures, that's only getting characters I like- not just a temporary fad that I decide I like and then lose interest in after three seconds (or when I break up with the guy who introduced me to it ). I know a lot of the purpose of BJDs is making your own character and customization, but for me, I don't get that same connection towards ocs and instead lean towards canon characters. There's just a few characters that I'd really love to have BJDs of (only maybe 2 of which are reasonable to expect), so that helps me not spend an insane amount of money on this hobby. I may make exceptions to make one oc for a specific purpose, but as a kid to two canon characters instead of as its own independent character. When I have what I love, even if I sometimes get the temptation to sell for the quick money, I don't go through with it. In that theme, there's just a few figures that I know when push comes to shove will never leave my collection, unless my tastes drastically change or I have a major emergency that I need money right at that moment for (and no, a new doll or figure does not constitute an emergency, me!).

 

I have no gotten my doll yet but I know I would feel like this if I had a huge collection which is why I am sticking to 2-3 dolls. Idk if i could ever see myself selling them. When I was young playing with dolls i put so much investment into my dolls and giving them away was so painful because it was like a child being taken away. I do have a moderate amount of lolita dresses and tbh, I rarely leave the house any more and they kind of just sit there and I always wonder how I would feel if they all vanished one day.