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

Oh, yes I have had this phase several times. Even a couple months ago I thought about it too. Often it felt like "sell everything but X" or "sell everything but X and Y" and start from scratch.

Recently (like literally less than a month ago) I began to "live" again, as I call it. I handed in my thesis paper and there's nothing more I can do except for waiting to have it reviewed and then taking an oral exam in 4 months (so I'm taking 2 months off and then 2 months of intense preparation - it should be more than enough ).

Prior to that I had a period when I just dreamt of "having a life" outside of my studies. It got really intense to the point that I spent the first two days after handing in the thesis procrastinating because I was like paralysed after months of telling myself that "it's no time for fun, just WRITE!" But after that, slowly, but firmly, I've been coming back to dollying, sewing and other things like reading and visiting my family. I haven't yet come back to drawing or dolly faceups, but it's the sew'y-crafty period for now lol Then it'll be glue'y one for making bjd wigs and scrapbooking and then the draw'y for the faceups and actual drawing and painting. I like to couple hobbies like that, it seems. So, now I sew-sew-sew like crazy and I'm using up all the dolly fabric I've gathred over the last 5+ years lol

Anyway... I thought that the dolls I have collected over the last couple years (the oldest in my crew has been with me for 5 years now, the rest about 2-3 or less) are what I want to have and there should be no change in that.

However, now that I have all the time in the world (meaning all the afternoons after work and all the weekends) to myself when I can interact with the dolls as much as I want, it turns out that the day only has 24 hours, still, and the amount of dolls I have currently (5 petite SDs) is more than enough.

Thus, recently, I've been considering whether to play with some of my dolls a little more and then resell them. Still, when I think of each of them, I could not do it. But if I needed money then I'd rather get an extra job or craft more and sell stuff rather than the dolls.

As for the car repairs - I have sold one doll a couple months ago and when I originally decided to sell it within a week of its arrival it was due to several reasons - my car had been scratched with some knife or a screwdriver (on purpose - vandalised) and despite having it insured, I still wanted to spend some money on having it profesionally repainted, so I needed money. But, besides, it turned out that giving the last chance to a non-SD size was a disaster and double joints are not something I'm into. So, I sold the doll and haven't looked back since. Perhaps you could look through your crew and see which one makes your heartbeat accelerate and which leaves you indifferent? And try to sell them gradually?

As for the car repairs in general (and sorry for going off topic for a bit), I used to have a car which devoured all my savings. The one I have now doesn't. Perhaps if you need to repair yours all the time, it's just high time to let it go? With my current car, I compromised on the brand and engine size (I went from nearly two litres diesel and 4 cilinders to 1l petrol with three cylinders - it's louder, slower and looks like a toycar, but it's in a much better condition and while I do spent some money at my mechanic's, it's incomparably less). Also, you could consider just changing your mechanic? I had a couple who saw an easy way to suck out the money of a 'naive woman' that I seemed to be, so I changed them. My current guy is awesome and really takes care of my car. Mechanics are like romantic partners - find one who's better if the current one sucks before they ruin you

Back to the dolly topic... and still a bit off, but I guess it may be useful as a reference point - now that I'm back to sewing for the dolls and just being able to enjoy them without limits, it turns out that my Barbie collection doesn't do it for me anymore. I know that if I sold them all, I could easily afford one SD sized BJD and, in fact, it would seem like a fair replacement (since now I have the artificial personal limit of 5 BJDs). It is a struggle, because I know that if I missed them, then, since they're mostly sold out and sought-after, rebuying them would seem nearly impossible. But I see how they literally collect the dust (yay Mattel's glued hairstyles) and do not make my heart skip. I see how I have some new plans for my BJDs all the time... thousands (ok, dozens) of clothes and outfits and photo sessions I want to do, OCdrawings and all... and Barbs? nah.. nothing, null. I am thinking of really keeping just 2 of them (currently I have 8) and letting the rest go. It won't bring this much money, but it will free up the space.

Everyone in this thread has given so much valuable advice, it's been fun to read and it's so relatable. I am not sure if my response is relatable, but if I were to sum it up, I'd just say:
1. put your dolls all in one place, hold every one of them for a while (so Marie Kondo-like ), perhaps play with it (change the eyes, the wig, the outfits, take a few pics) and see if it brings you joy or not.
2. consider if getting an extra job would be a better solution than selling the crew.
3. see if your urge to sell and change comes from the hobby itself, or if it's related to your personal life? (When I felt overwhelmed by my studies or was in a toxic relationship, all I wanted to do was to take one suitcase, one doll and run away from home, leaving no trace. Now I love my stuff, even though I plan some decluttering very soon )
4. reconsider your priorities. See what you want from this hobby. Maybe a complete reboot of the collection will do the thing, in the end? I have really hard rules on what I own/collect due to the lack of space and the anxiety a large collection would give me, so maybe you need to set some parameters for yourself too and stick to them?
5. Look up the owner pics of your dolls - yours and others'. See if you have used up all the ideas and you won't come up with anything new for the doll. See what had made you fall in love with the sculpt when you purchased it? See if others have customised it differently and got the best out of it? perhaps your current crew needs just some retouch and not a complete reboot?

Anyway, good luck I'm off to doing to my Barbie collection exactly what I suggested in #1 of the above list I'll see how it goes

 

I sort of already did this. I got my grail, which was Fairyland Nanuri14, and every other doll after has just not felt as special. She was extremely expensive ($400 for just her head! And I see the head going for like $600 now) but every time I need money I just can’t give her up so I send up selling every other doll. I’ve given up on getting anything else now to be honest.

 

I'm actually in the process of sorting out my collection to clear it out in it's entirety at present. Due to health and other reasons I have no time at all for my dolls anymore and I don't forsee that changing at any point in the future. It's taken me a while to recognise that I've been struggling but it's something I think I've come to terms with mostly at this point.

I'd much rather see the dolls being enjoyed rather than knowing that they're just languishing in their boxes whilst with me.

I'm looking into other doll related hobbies that I know I'll find just as enjoyable, if not more so, knowing that I can handle them with greater ease!

 

This is very, very good advice! I tend to do the same. There are hundreds of beautiful dolls out there, but I would only invest in the ones that I really love. I often look at dolls and thing they're beautiful, but just once in a while I see one that I keep going back to. Sometimes you have to wait a bit, maybe because of money, or because you're trying to make up your mind, but when you consistently keep going back to the same doll, and you haven't lost interest in it even if it's been a few months, a year or longer, it's probably a good one to go with, cause it's not an impulse buy at that point, and it will clearly be cherished.

"Oh my god am I an idiot for having this collection?" - I think this too every now and then, especially with all the uhm...judgement sometimes, but hey. If you can do it and it makes you happy, do it. There's so much stress around lately, and things that make us anxious, and finding a little bit of comfort in things that you love is important. Besides, everyone collects some weird things, even if they don't tell you.

Obviously, if you need funds for whatever reason, or for something urgent, it's sad, but necessary, but I hope everyone can keep their beloved dolls with them for as long as they want!

@beatnik 's point is valid too though. If you feel like you're not interested anymore, or the hobby isn't bringing you as much joy as before, it's probably a good idea to let go of it, and let someone else give new life to your dolls. (I hope you're doing better btw beatnik!).

 

I've done this a few times. It's usually not out of depression or need for money though, but rather for some ridiculous desire I sometimes experience to just get rid of STUFF that doesn't make me happy. A lot of my dolls I bought to be my characters, but I obviously don't like myself very much because I always come up with these elaborate worlds and stories that I can never match in real life, haha. So eventually I get fed up with everything about the doll that was never "right" about the character, which makes me unhappy, which makes me wonder why I even bother in the first place.

Part of it is mindset, I think - I started another thread about this, but I probably need to let go of needing to always perfectly "match" because it's not gonna happen unless I decide to get into doll-sculpting... and wig-making... and sewing. I could, in theory, but I think at this stage in my life, I know what I'm already good at, and I should just focus on developing those skills further. Which means I need to be okay with what I have, and not what I wish I had.

The other is I do really just have too much stuff. And there's no shame in getting rid of it. I don't really think I'm a "collector" in the strictest sense because growing my collection doesn't actually bring me joy. It was the same for everything I ever collected - plushies, figurines, posters, eventually dolls. I go crazy trying to buy a "collection" and I realize that all I really wanted was a few select pieces. I've sold everything off every time and so far do not regret any of it (In fact, I should really learn from that experience and STOP trying to go crazy buying stuff...). There are two characters I would like to have in doll-form again, whose previous iterations I sold off, but I wouldn't be buying the same mold for them, because they both very quickly outgrew their doll.

 

Totally agree! There's so many dolls that I love the look of, but they're nothing more than that. But then there's the dolls where I just keep looking at pictures, and that's how I know I need it. Before getting my first doll or even ordering, I was showing everyone pictures of what he looks like, and probably got on everyone's nerves. I've only been in that situation with two dolls so far, so I only have those two (one in hand and one on preorder). Luckily they're a matching set though, haha. Finding a little bit of happiness in a hard world is very important!

 

I have thought about this. Sometimes I don't have much time to play them. So they need to stay in my cupboard for a long time. Then I would think if it is better to sell them all.

 

This is such an interesting thread. I thought I was only going to get one or two and now I have dozens. They are spread out through different houses so they aren’t too crowded. But then I built an SD dollhouse…I just love them. I have Tonners, Smart dolls and bjds. I sew, so their wardrobes are getting huge. Each doll has a voice and tells me when he or she wants to wear. They are kept in cupboards when the house needs to be normal, but boy, are they satisfying when they are out.
I have a friend who wants to buy one for what I paid but I’m not gonna do it. I’d rather help her choose a new one.

Sartoriaj is releasing a new body, Mignonette. I plan on getting two. Oh, and my Dollshe Diana finally arrived after two years. I demanded my money back and she came in two weeks. What a miracle!

Don’t sell your dolls. You can’t get them back. They are very sophisticated happiness machines.

 

I think I'm going to be the outlier here and say no. At least not with my BJDs. I Do have other collections and hobbies though, and have had these same thoughts with those.

But I can say this, if I had to sell stuff to survive; my dolls would be the last thing I'd part with.

 

I do feel like my collection has become unwieldy. I'd like to pair it down. I don't want to sell everything but I wish I could get it down by half. The problem is that things just aren't selling like they used to, so it's either sell very nice dolls for bargain basement prices and get way less than I paid, or just keep them and try not to buy more. So I'm trying to NOT BUY MORE. Which is going so-so... But too many of them just wouldn't sell even if I wanted to! So that's a problem.

 

All...the...time!!!
I have narrowed down my favorites and feel like I just want those few. I miss the days where I had one doll and was happy. I collect several types of things and don't like having a lot of stuff, so that makes it even more of a struggle. We have also moved a lot in the last 6 years and will have to move again within the next year or two. I don't like having to pack up and stress about my expensive dolls.
I do have days where I just want to be done with everything, but I have done that before on purpose and out of necessity, and I always go back to it. I keep telling myself to keep one no matter what.

 

Nope, only some of them as I don't really know what to do about them. Still willing to keep them to myself, haha. Generally I just want to buy more dolls... all the dolls
I wonder if I go into this "wanna sell them all" phase some day.

 

I always thought that I could never sell a doll, but I've found that I get overwhelmed when I have too many (and I've got quite a lot, also off-topic ones), so periodically I sell some, and I feel lighter. I also have less time for them as I'm training to change careers. But I'll always have dolls, can't live without them! ^_^

 

I've never had the urge to get rid of my *entire* crew, no.... But I can and have occasionally looked at them all and decided to downsize pretty significantly.

In 2009/2010, I sold off about half of the dolls I had at the time. Many were white resin dolls that I eventually replaced with NS versions of the same sculpt, because I just didn't like the way CP's Beauty White aged.... Others were sculpts that I'd gotten tired of or never really connected with in the first place once I saw them "in-person". Over the years since, they've been replaced with dolls I liked better.

I probably need to go through and curate the collection again at this point. It's due for a reassessment.... But I doubt the culling will be as extensive this time. I'm too fond of too many of the little resin minions I have now. I'd miss them if I sold them off.

 

I don't have many dolls but urges to sell some of them have cropped up recently. I think it's a mixture of embarrassment and shame: reminders of moments of impulsively buying expensive things that I now rarely touch or look at. I'm held back by nostalgia (my first 2 dolls!), limitedness (I won't be able to get them again!), and the fact I've never sold a doll before (what if I mess it up?).

Though, reading @Blablette 's post makes me feel a bit better about the idea of selling if I do decide to one day.

 

@Mistress_Wish Awww, sweet of you! ^_^

 

Sometimes I think about selling them as my family doesn't really like them. They judge me quite harshly for how much I spend on them when I could put it towards something more important I suppose. I also have a hard time buying new dolls knowing they don't like them and that little voice tells that they're pointless and I shouldn't waste my time and money, no matter how much I truly love the doll. But they bring me so much joy that I keep going, i'll rotate the dolls in my collection, but I'll never sell them all

 

Absolutely relate haha I get stressed about bills (especially In the summer when our electric gets exceptionally high) and then I feel guilty about owning such expensive things that spend most of their time sitting on a shelf. I end up bringing up to my partner and he always tells me to relax and that it doesn't need to come to that and we have so many other things that could go first if it were ever that bad but still there's a lingering guilt when I think about all the things I could do with the money put into my collection haha

 

I did not expect to come into this thread and see so many heartfelt comments. It's actually quite amazing to see how everyone deals with this situation in their own way.

Personally, I think that as long as you are able to provide yourself with the necessities of life; food, water, clothing and shelter, then there should be no need to sell off the things you love. Especially if it's just to buy more of the things you love. Doesn't that seem silly? You may love this new thing, but I'm sure you would find yourself missing the old thing too. If you love something still then you should find a way to keep it and discover a new way to afford the other things you want in life. Maybe there are some other areas that you can skimp on. Maybe you don't get a coffee every morning at Starbucks. Maybe you put off buying lunch everyday and start packing your own. Maybe you don't buy that new video game that just came out or go see that oh so awesome movie that was just released (both will be released later on for cheaper or on a streaming service anyway). Little things like these all add up and can increase your savings gradually.

 

What I plan to do is put some of them Away in doll boxes, wig and clothes off, put them on the shelf as it were, and see if I miss having them around. If in a year or so I don't mind not having them int he collection, I'll know it's fine to sell at least some heads!.
My reluctance is that I do bond with dolls, they're my creations in part, and I have unusual dolls that are almost all discontinued. I think I will end up selling some heads, to use the bodies for other stuff, or some bodies to move those doll heads to just being Portrait Busts on Bust stands.