Do you have 'rules' for what or how you collect?

No impulse buying! I do my best to follow this one rule so that I don't end up with dolls I regret. However, there have been a few impulse purchases. In my defense, it was love at first sight, I had the fund, and there was no question about them coming home.

I don't have rules about size, style or anything else. If I love a doll I'll bring them home.

 

My main rule I set myself was no dolls with the same body - I absolutely will not break this, and bodies being too similar can be a deal breaker for me like if a company has a version 1 and a version 2 but they are mostly the same with a few tweaks/ improvements, I'll count that as the same body. I prefer not to hybrid.
I also only get dolls with a company face-up when available - I have one blank doll and I'm kind of scared he'll be blank forever lol.
Other than that they must be human (no elves etc) and with realistic skin, eye and hair colours - and they must fit in with my other dolls.
Oh and I try to keep the number of boys much higher than the girls - I originally was going to go all boys but a couple of girls snuck in at some point haha
Current rules are MSDs only (although I did break this rule with my 2 YoSDs oops) and no floating heads - although I will probably allow myself to change these as I go.

 

I only have two...

First, dolls that are meant to be posed and photographed together (members of the same "cast") absolutely MUST match each other in terms of scale and sculptural style. They don't have to be from the same company, or the same line... And the members of one cast don't have to match the members of any other unrelated group in the collection... But they do have to look like they belong with the other members of their own group.

For a long time, that one was my only rule.
But then certain aspects of the hobby changed around us, and it became necessary to add a second rule and to be adamant and vocal about it.

I won't have recasts in my crew. Period. My collection includes all original, legitimate sculpts and while I'm not going to join in any witch hunts, I'm also not going to pretend like I approve of fakes. They're a problem, rather recast-advocates are willing to admit that or not.

I also have a... Let's call it a "real estate guideline".

I'm a neat freak, and I won't let the gang take over my house. So, the guideline is that the collection can never expand beyond the boundaries of their display cabinets. There's been some room for compromise there, though, which is why I call it more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. I've rearranged my upstairs spare room and have space to add another cabinet now if I need to.

 

I don't have too many rules! My main is that I like variety in aesthetics, ish? But I'd prefer modernish styles. So one doll has a retro but still modernized style, one is business casual, one is edgier, and the other is softer colors. My new rule is that, when I can afford another doll, it HAS to be a girl. Right now poor Marlo is outnumbered 3 to 1 lol.

 

I tend to stick to one size with some exceptions ( Pukipuki and dearmine bean ) My main are yosd size of different company, i like a variety but i do have few favorite company that i have few dolls. I tried msd and sd size bt i sold them cos i cant size just not right for me. So now i am just going to get yosd size, no msd or sd.

 

My biggest rule is that all my dolls should be the same scale. I have mainly mature tinies, and won't get any dolls that look bobble or pin headed by comparison to the others So the rules for my collection are:

• Head size between 3-4" and 4-5" with 6mm or 8mm eyes
• Avoid too similar facial sculpts
• No impulse buying. At least overnight, preferably a week
• I will make most of their clothes and props
• No recasts. I don't support art theft

Other than that, I get what I like. I might have MSDs at some point, but for now I'll stick with tinies.

 

Oh yes definitely no recasts, I guess you could call that my other main rule. Although I consider it to be more an ethical decision I chose to make.

 

I only collect male dolls and they have to be over 67cm tall. My first three dolls are all in the 70cm+ range and I just like tall dolls in general. I also agree with you on the resin color and body. Just like people, I want my dolls to have different body types/shapes and colors.

 

I don’t really have many rules but I’m pretty new to the bjd world. I definitely need to slow down and not impulse buy there have been a few I bought second hand and sold later anyway. I do like a variety of dolls so it’s hard to narrow down for me. Which I NEED to do because having too many sizes of dolls is so expensive!

 

Hmm, i've only just begun collecting, but the rule I had while searching for my first doll was; no human, nothing over 500$, at least 60cm tall...

I guess these will stand for a little while, i'm more interested in fantasy dolls, but i'm sure eventually i'll fall in love with a human too, it's bound to happen. For the price point...well, in order to get what I really want, my price point will eventually have to rise, but that's all in due time. Height...could change. I mostly wanted a larger size so sewing clothes will be easier, but as my skill grows i'm sure I can then allow myself to get smaller dolls too. I"m not too worried about aesthetics or them fitting together in a 'story'. I fully believe that dolls of all sizes can fit together in a 'world', especially if they're different species~

 

My one and only rule; my main original characters only. The two exceptions being Leon and Dante [off-topic doll sculpts], who were planned from my early days in the hobby and aren't my original characters.

I've had a few impulse-buys through the years that have panned out into nothing more than a blank floating head or two... or five. Therefore, I now only look for sculpts that can fit with the original characters who are pivotal to my stories' plots. The main protagonist and either the love interest or the main antagonist. That way, I steadily build up a 'gallery' of them as I write and have their images in a physical form. I've got a few... 'charismatic' characters, who I would love to shell into dolls. Including a member of the bygone Khitan people of Asia. Visually, he has a style reminiscent of the Mongols and other nomadic races. I'm hoping to turn my next doll [an Iplehouse FID Bichun] into him, actually. That'll be interesting.

But, yes, I try not to limit myself too much with rule after rule for my collecting. I should, maybe, consider buying the dolls once the story is done, as a mark of accomplishment, rather than part way through. One doll when the story is completed, the other when it's published [just online or 'officially'].

 

My only real rule is: 1 doll a year. Partly becuase of money, but also because I want enough time to get to know the new doll, make things for t and fit it into the main storyline of my other dolls.

I do try to get all dolls from different complanies, but that is not a strict rule and I have made exceptions.

So far I have tried to keep all dolls in about the same scale so that they all go together, but that's not a strict rule either. I am getting close to finish a mature tiny I've been working on and allthough it probably wont be on topic, I can absolutely see myself hunting for friends for her from othe makers in the future. So I may have just started a separate group from my larger dolls.

 

I had to create a rule for myself recently when I did my last batch of pre-orders: The dolls have to have long-term creative possibilities (which usually involves a sculpt that is both unique but not SO sculpted that there is really only one look you can achieve with it). I especially like sculpts that I can envision being dressed in both cute casual clothes as well as more fantasy-themed attire. I'm also pretty set on MSD size or smaller. The tall ones I simply do not have room for even if they're gorgeous!

Unfortunately this means I turned down the chance to get a DC Snowborn head while they were still available :' ( The sculpt was beautiful and I dreamed of getting one for over a year, but I just couldn't think of a look I'd want on him other than the company face-up/look, and I wasn't sure I could accomodate him on a smaller body...which means financially it made more sense for me to just keep looking at those pictures forever

 

I don't have actual rules, but habits/patterns I naturally tend to repeat.

1: I usually don't buy a doll unless I'm shelling a character. To buy a doll just because the sculpt is beautiful or unusual isn't enough -- I would be bored quickly and lost motivation for crafting for the doll.

2: Unless it's 100% love, don't buy. This is my general rule for buying anything. Even things I need. The result is, I take a lot of time to find the right item, but replace it only when necessary. Why one should get rid of something one is entirely happy with? This doesn't save money immediately, but it makes huge difference in a long run.

3: Don't hoard floating heads. Well...I'm losing that battle more and more. Like just now...there is really really lovely, unusual head sculpt I have absolutely no plans for. Buying it will put my doll plans in disorder. I'm not even collecting girls anyway...Thus I already spent 1 month debating whether I should buy it or not. It's love at first sight, BUT...

4: Having one and the same body multiple times isn't a problem for me. Right on the contrary. As long as the body suits the character and I like the sculpt, joint system and so on I will buy as many as needed.

5: I don't hurry. I save up or take a long layaway even if I would be able to pay at once. No need to financially ruin myself or to stretch my budget too much.

6: I don't sell dolls -- what if I'll change my mind in future for some reason and wouldn't be able to get the same sculpt again? Or for a reasonable price? Maybe, I'll make some exceptions in future in this ca. But now, there is no need.

 

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I have some Rules that a lot of others have.

1. No money? No doll. Period. No exception. No putting dolls on the credit card either as that is money I haven't earned yet. Layaway is also a no-go.
This has meant that I've missed out on dolls when they were released but I've been fortunate (and determined) to find them later 2nd hand. It may take literal years but generally it's not an impossible quest (I got both my grails after 7 years of searching).

2. No dolls come home that are not already a character (all my dolls are characters from the novels I write).
I've broken this rule 2 times and both times the character gave me fits trying to figure out who they were. It worked out in the end and they are solid characters now but I didn't like feeling like I'd made a mistake in the purchase and stressed myself out a bit over whether or not I should sell the doll (I've never sold a doll).

3. No unpaired dolls in-house (child dolls are the obvious exception here) so be prepared to add another doll (or two in the case of a thruple) when purchasing a new doll.
I've tried to have single dolls in-house. Writer Brain won't let it happen. There's been a few times where I've gotten Unexpected Doll and needed to come up with a character for them. I won a doll in a charity raffle I entered on a whim, which led to 2 more doll purchases (they're a thruple). A custom colour doll I ordered was produced in the wrong shade of green and the company (Impl) told me I could keep the "wrong" doll and they'd remake the doll for me in the correct green. I could've tried to sell him but Writer Brain was having none of that. He's part of another thruple (ironically the 3rd is currently on his way home to me now).

And not really a rule but just a... thing, no girls. I have female characters but none of them have ever sparked the need to get as a doll.

 

Human dolls only, in human skin tones! The only exception is bjd pets. I like looking at elves and fantasy dolls, I just don't want to own them.

I just like the idea of owning tiny humans.

 

I agree on not wanting duplicates for sure. I wouldn't say this is a hard rule, but I don't have a lot of extra money so I try to keep dolls under $250. I've been lucky that my tastes are pretty simple haha!

 

I do actually have a few rules for myself-- I never specifically set them out as a list of rules for myself, but I am a pretty methodical doll collector and they're a way of collecting I definitely would not like deviating from, so I guess they can be fairly described as my rules!

-I really, really try to avoid repetition. So for me, no duplicates of the same sculpt, ever. Not even if they're painted differently. I also prefer every doll to be on a unique body with no repeats. I even try not to exactly repeat hair and eye color combinations amongst my dolls. And I try to give each doll their own unique style/fashion sense.

-No impulse buying, both because it's not financially possible for me, but also because I absolutely have to have a super clear idea of exactly who I want the doll to be and what their character design/look will be before I buy. All my doll purchases tend to be planned years in advance; I stick to the wishlist system.

-My dolls all have to look coherent together; they all have to be the same scale (1/3 for me) and they have to have a reasonably consistent level of realism. I'm ok with having fantasy elements like elf ears in my group, but they all have to look like they could exist in the same world.

-Once I get a doll the way I want it so it looks like the character I planned for it, it stays that way-- I don't change my dolls' designs, give them completely different wigs or new eyes, get them repainted a totally different way, or etcetera. I love making new clothes for each doll to expand their individual wardrobes, and I change their outfits fairly often, but as to their basic character design...I don't change that ever.

-I also don't generally sell dolls. Aside from the head of the second doll I ever bought, I still have the exact same dolls I have had since I started. (I'm not big on change!)

-I try to collect really slowly, and I always aim to finish the dolls I have before I add. My collection can't grow beyond the space I have to display dolls in my art room so it's nearing its max capacity as of now. Once I finish getting bodies for the couple of just-heads I have, I'll really only have room for one or two more...

 

I don't really have rules for my collection and anything that could be a rule already has an exception. I started out shelling only my OC's from my own novel series, but then I got a free doll here, and a good deal on a doll there, so I can't say that's a rule anymore. I also have no rules about size, gender, resin color, etc. As long as the OC's match what I imagine they should look like and the non-OC's are cute, I'm happy! The original characters need to be reasonably proportionate to the other characters in the same story, but the non-OC's can be any size, so not even that is a rule!

One rule that I do have is that if I'm considering selling a doll, I only list it when I know I'll have no regrets when it sells, and that rule has worked out well for me so far.