Do you ever stop and think "WTH am I doing?!"

Hmm. I don't really called buying doll is a future investment. It's bluntly only for my passion and eye candies.

However, you may call it investment if your doll is one of limited which not standard dolls or standard doll with custom modification with your creativity.

In the end, this dolls going to sit on cabinets / inside the bags as I am getting doll.

I was hoping to get a walk-in doll room and slowly grow interest on my daughter / whoever i close to take care my babies..

 

I feel I must reiterate: These dolls are technically not an investment. At least NOT in the monetary sense. That is a lie we all seem to tell ourselves to justify spending so much on a glorified toy. I used to tell it to myself all the time, back before I knew any better.

A monetary investment is generally defined as something you pour your money into with the expectation of gaining a larger profit in return. Unless you are:

A) one of those people who regularly buy up vast quantities of limited dolls, then turn around and sell them for twice their original amount on the secondhand market (ie: Volks and Soom limiteds)

OR

B) Someone who sews, customizes, paints, or otherwise applies and sells artistic and practical skills toward the dolls in order to make a profit

then chances are you are going to end up LOSING money on your doll if it comes to having to sell one for emergency funds. Assuming you can even sell it. I've seen dolls languishing on the MP for months and years, not selling. I myself have bought and sold many dolls over the years and some of those I sold have taken the better part of a year (or longer, and one or two not at all) before somebody showed interest. And I have never sold one for the same amount I bought it for, because people who buy secondhand are looking for a bargain. They will not pay the same amount for an obviously used doll that they would for a brand new one. Unless it's a beautifully modified doll that is completely unique, or a sold-out doll they really want, or they're simply new to the hobby and don't know any better.

So, those of you who are saying you can turn around and sell off a doll just like that should you suddenly find yourself in need of funds, I'd seriously reconsider that strategy. It isn't a sound guarantee and you might find yourself sorely disappointed (and in possible financial trouble) should you find your doll isn't selling as fast as you thought it would.

 

Very true! Only exception is when its a truly limited, super-expensive doll (like some Volks are), but even then its sometimes difficult to find a buyer, as they are pricey.

However, if we think about them as investments in ourselves (non-financial), that they are. We work hard/suffer/ etc etc, want and deserve a treat time from time (XD this is me protecting my excuses for spending so much money, but may be we don't need excuses! Some people get $20'000 purses, and some love dolls)

 

I like your point of view!

 

I have a lot of those moments, even after just having one doll. Something along the lines of "Holy crap, those clothes cost JUST as much as something I would buy for ME to wear", or "why am I wasting my money on something I can be using on something useful?" However, I don't regret buying my doll at all and am very happy that I did.
On the other hand, my best friend and I are currently saving money for a trip to Disneyland next year. I am very excited about the trip, but since I have only a part-time job at the moment, this will require careful saving. And yet...I'm already drawn to DikaDoll's Sleepy Elf Yolanda...she is beautiful and I want her so badly
But that means not just spending the money on her, but also the clothes and wig, etc. I don't think I could just own her blank and nude and not buy anything else soon after.
My friend is reminding me to spend my money wisely, but I would love to have her in the future!

 

Well lately I've been asking myself - what the heck am I doing mainly because I have run out of the space I planned to use for my dolls. I wanted 6 or fewer dolls but that limit definately flew out the window. Now I have to consider formal shelving and the of figuring out the where and what of it.

So yes, I do stop and think wth, but this hobby doesn't impact anything else I'm doing or the ability to save, and every time I look at them or put them in a "lifelike pose" it gives me the greatest joy - so no guilt here.

 

I've been thinking about that before buying the doll because it was not my money i will be spending but my boyfriend's.
I told him its expensive but he knows that if I'm not going to have the doll, i would just be talking about how great and
nice and pretty and amazing (and all that stuff) those dolls are. I'm really thinking WTH, why cant i stop and get it over with.
I know it is expensive for a doll. But he told me what makes me happy makes him happy. So I bought the doll and when the doll
came we opened it together. I think it is better to have it than regret not getting it.

 

Hmm, yes all the time. But not really for the same reasons...
Money has never been a huge issue as I grew up in a household where when you wanted something you worked for it and saved up until you could get it.
My WTH moments are more like What if I get this new doll and it gets lost in shipping! Or my house burns down when I'm out! Or I get into an accident!...
I have light anxiety issues so I usually just have a million negative What ifs in my head before any serious decision
But oh well, then I remember how much joy they bring me and calm down enough to push the buy button XD

 

Recently I wondered why I love these expensive dolls. I ask myself sometimes: what are you thinking! But I cannot help myself loving them. I never going to sell them, they are my babies. It is my money, I work for it. And sometimes i do not care what people say about it. I should spent my money on different things. But WTH it is a hobby.

 

Actually I don't feel guilty about spending money on dolls and this time the reason isn't because I have very few of them! Not only do I spend more on my kimono hobby, I actually made the jump into the BJD hobby because I wanted to quit virtual dress up sites like TinierMe and GaiaOnline. I have thought, "WTH am I doing?!" after spending money on those sites because not only do I not get anything physical when purchasing something, sites like those could disappear without any warning, taking all the virtual clothes you paid for (to borrow). This way, I actually own the things I buy.

 

Yes, but I don't think it's because Im wasting money or something. I came from an abusive family, who made me feel very guilty for buying anything even small, so I feel that guilt now, I very rarely buy anything for myself, and when I do, it's completely awful for me until it arrives and then a little bit after, so anything I do get, has to be thought about, and saved for, and generally not bought about 99% of the time.

For example, I have had the money to get a Kid Delf Coco for a couple months now, at least the amount to set a layaway, but I can't, because I feel so awful for even thinking about buying something that only I would enjoy.

So yeah, I get upset at spending anything on me anyway, and the amount dolls are, it makes me worse.

 

I do experience some guilt about the amount I've spent on BJDs from time to time. My parents were immigrants, and when I was a kid there was a strong attitude of "Why would you buy that? You don't NEED that." in our house. Things have changed a lot since then - everyone is making more money, most of the kids have gotten jobs and moved into places of their own, we all have savings, etc. Even if I can afford the hobby, I still occasionally ask myself where I get off spending so much money on dolls of all things. But I really enjoy my collection, and it's given me an outlet to be more creative. As far as pricey hobbies go, I could have done worse!

 

'What am I doing?!', yes, it has happened, especially when I caught the BJD fever and could not resist buying. I've never been particularly worried though, as I self regulate myself pretty fast. I don't regret buying them and won't regret buying any future BJD: they make me smile and I learn lots from them.

 

Well, I only feel guilty when I spend big amount of money and then "omg what I just did" Do I really need it? Yes I do, the hobby just makes me happy and happiness has no price

 

That's exactly it, I'm willing to bet most of us here don't really smoke much, or drink much, so what we do save, we can spend on dolls.

 

Every once in a while, when I want to focus on my other interests, I'll realize I kinda can't because I spent all my money on dolls, so I have none to spend on anything else... And I think, they're just dolls, I mean, wouldn't I be happier if I could do all these other things? But I look at my dolls, and I love them so much that all those thoughts are washed away. They make me so happy, and that justifies everything. (I am more likely to attempt to MAKE almost everything FOR my dolls, such as clothes, wigs, furniture, etc, because I do often feel that those things can be a bit expensive even for this hobby... But hey, I LOVE making stuff, so it's kinda great!)

 

Frequently guilty. But, always a but, it inspires me and pushes me in certain ways, and I'll move onto other things if I must. And it's a damn hobby, come on.

 

As for me, whenever I spend something on my kiddo, I would be damn proud of myself as it's like a self-achievement, or reward for myself after a tiring month of work. But then, as I wait for the items to arrive, I'll be damn guilty and be like, okay this is your last piece of outfit, I'm gonna buy something for myself next. Then I'd be like too stingy to spend on a nice new pair of outfit for myself and the circle starts all over again. XD

 

YES!
I get that feeling every now and then (it's awful) both about the money that I've already spent on Nadeko and her clothes when it would probably be better to buy myself something like a proper business suit or get my laptop tuned up, but also about not buying her even more clothes
Nadeko makes me happy though, and spoiling her with more and more stuff (ie. cute clothes) also makes me happy. And although I don't work (and never have, all the money that I spend comes from what I've saved up over the years), I don't have any bills or living expenses to pay and I don't party, eat out, drink, smoke, do drugs, buy designer clothes/purses or really have any other expensive hobbies so spending $100 on an outfit for Nadeko once a year isn't really that bad, there are much worse things I could be doing. I may as well enjoy something like this hobby as much as I can while I have this kind of time and freedom to do with my money what I please without any severe consequences. At least that's what I tell myself, sometimes it works at making that feeling go away but if it doesn't, seeing Nadeko looking cute in her new outfit usually does.

 

About 3 times a week on average. Not related to dolls in any way though.

I do worry about how it'll affect my life from time to time. First there's the stigma of the cost (not that that's anyone's business but my own, but as if that'll stop anyone.), the dolls themselves -plenty of people are doll phobic after all- and the fact that most guys wouldn't have dolls in the first place. So yeah.

But when it comes to money and dolls...I have a strange relationship with money. I love having it, love buying stuff I want with it, but hate spending money at the same time.

So I know when I manage to pry my card out of my hand and purchase something I won't regret it. Especially when it comes to expensive stuff like a new doll. If I ever worry about the money I spend on them...well, I'll just go make some more money. I'm busting my butt in school so I don't have to worry about these kinds of things. I don't regret it and I don't want to start regretting it. I don't want to look at something that makes me happy and say "was this really worth it?" The moment I start doing things like that, I feel like I'll lose a little part of what makes life worth living. So I make sure that I can answer yes before I make the decision to buy it. Sometimes that means putting it off, which goodness knows I've done several times this year alone and may do so again. But that's life.