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

Rule? Stick with the realism and brand. I'm sorry I am guilty with buying because od the brand but of course I have to make sure that I really really like the sculpt it screams realism .

Only 2 MSD and 1 Yosd and the reat has to be SD.

Only buy again if I receive all my purchases I had to stick on that rule.

 

I guess my 'rule' would be a way to fit them into one of the two stories that all of my dolls inhabit (preferably both). I have, so far, only broken that twice. Once, when my friend and I were trying to make a doll based on a specific video game character. The second time was literally yesterday when a limited anime-based character doll came out and I bought him immediately as it's my favorite show and I can never find any merch for it.

 

Although I LOVE how tan skinned dolls look, I bought my first one last year and she had so many marks, and what looked like cracks in her thigh area. As the perfectionist I am, I promised myself that I would only adopt lighter skinned dolls from now on I definitely would adopt a tan doll with very little-to-no marks, but I haven't encountered such a doll yet. Wish there were doll conventions in/near NYC

 

Definitely! I only allow myself to consider or buy:

-1/4 scale mature dolls with double joints, realistic faces and body proportions, and 11.5-14cm heads

-1/12 scale tinies for my dollhouse (I’m a bit more flexible with realism for those, I have two on the way with oversized heads)

There are lots of dolls I like outside those perimeters but for some reason it’s very important to me to have groups of dolls that ‘go’ together, and I like expensive artist dolls and I’m not rich, so I’m trying to limit myself to just these aesthetics.

 

Every head must have its own body. I don't like switching heads around. So if I buy because i like the face, I always get a body to go with it. Beyond that I'm open to most anything. Though admittingly I don't like male dolls that are too beefcakey and I prefer the 65-70+ range in size. That isn't strict because if a doll I like is smaller or a bit muscled, ill suck it up and buy lol.

 

I used to have a rule about how many dolls I would own but that didn't last too long. I do try to limit how many males and females I buy. I want to try and keep them around the same number if possible.

I'm just trying to limit myself in terms of buying in general so next time I buy a doll, I would like it to come from a company I don't already own or the resin is a different color or the doll itself is available for a limited time. I have a wishlist of dolls I'd like but have to convince myself why I shouldn't buy it or which ones are okay to buy if I do find it.

But I find it interesting how some people prefer to only own one size or one item (doll or body part) from a different company. It allows for so many variations between doll owners

 

I used to have a lot of rules, but I break my own rules, so now I suppose my rule is no rules lol

Rules I have had in the past:
No duplicate sculpts
Only X amount of dolls, then it is one in one out
No more than X of the same skin tone
They all have to fit the same clothes/shoes/wigs
Don't spend more than X on a single doll
Don't spend more than X in a month/year etc

I am sure there are a few I am forgetting. I find that having rules makes me enjoy things less, and also that when I impose a rule I almost immediately break it as if I have another part of myself that is like oh you say no duplicate sculpts...lets buy 5!

 

I do have a couple rules for dolls I buy, the most important one is that I MUST have a plan for a doll before I buy it. No matter how pretty I find a sculpt, if it doesn't inspire some sort of character or design in me, I'm not letting myself buy it.
Another, softer rule is that I give preference to companies that I don't already have in my collection, I already have an iplehouse boy and so I don't want to get another one unless the characters are meant to look similar. There is a small exception for fairyline and other fantasy/anthro sculpts but that's why it's a soft rule.
Someone also mentioned no body sharing and I didn't even think of that because it's such a hard rule here. I don't like to have floating heads in general but as long as I have a long term plan with what I'm going to do with them, I'm alright with it.
I should have a rule that no new projects until I finish up old ones buuuuut I have so many projects floating around ranging from making new clothes and wigs to carving out details and redyeing dolls (and I really love having long term projects)

 

1. No sharing bodies. Floating heads are floating heads until they get a body.
   
2. Try to have some clothes, wigs, and eyes prepared before purchasing a doll.
   
3. No fantasy dolls and no non-fantasy style dolls in fantasy skintones.
   
4. Try to buy second hand if I just like a sculpt and not in love with the sculpt so there won't be as many impulse buys.

 

My rule is really what catches my eye enough that I'm willing to spend to have it. Some dolls are beautiful, and I can recognize their cuteness without thinking they fit "my" aesthetic. I'm also still in an apartment so I imagine once my space opens up, and as I grow into bigger finances, I'll be more open to what I end up including.

 

I love this rule! I may have to borrow it.

I know I had rules set for myself when I first joined the hobby, but I haven’t the slightest clue what they were anymore. I guess my current rules would be:

- Ideally, I wouldn’t be buying any new resin until one or more of my current dolls is completed. That said, I do have two WTB threads open to complete existing partial dolls, and if Fairyland does open orders for pukipukis again I will almost certainly get at least one- who knows when that might happen again.

- I can’t go into any kind of debt for dolls. If I put any purchases on my credit card, I have to pay it off that week.

- I can only focus on finishing 1-2 dolls at a time. It’s really easy for me to get distracted, especially when I’m trying to resist impulse purchases, so limiting my attention to one or two dolls at a time means I won’t end up with a bunch of superfluous stuff that fit my ideas for the doll several concepts ago. It also means I’m far more likely to make actual progress on them, instead of doing a little bit for each of them and not getting anywhere.

 

I have the fairly standard rules of "no impulse buys" and "if I have to put it on layaway, I can't afford it." But aside from that, I do have some...not "rules" exactly. More like...criteria?? To make sure my collection doesn't get away from me.

1) Facial sculpt aesthetic must sit in the Volks/Soom/etc realm of realism vs stylization. This makes sure everyone's head sculpts look like they could feasibly be from the same universe. Also, it's a very common level of stylization, so I have a lot of choices for companies. Because I'm most attached to my Volks SD10, his face sculpt is usually the one I mentally compare other possibles too.

2) Dolls must all be reasonably in scale with each other. I am super picky about this, and it doesn't help that my sense of scale is...Not quite the same as most of the community's.

3) Different bodies where possible. This isn't a hard and fast rule, especially with child sculpts, due to the scale issue mentioned above. But I would prefer to consider hybrids before exact body repeats.

4) No head sculpt duplicates, unless they belong to either the same character (a fancy makeup version and a "no makeup" version, for example) or twins.

5) No strong facial expressions. They're too limiting in the long run, no matter how pretty they might be. (The exception to this is if the head has a "neutral" version and then variants with expressions e.g. Fairyland's recent event dolls. But even then, the strong expression must be an add-on, not the main head. Dreaming or sleeping heads are included in this rule.)

6) Similar to above, no super strong "art doll" bodies or aesthetics, especially if poseability is an issue. Horror dolls are a huge weakness for me. Those creepy ones with the exposed spines or siamese twin bodies? Oh yeah, I love those. But in the end, they're much more art pieces for display than dolls to play with, IME. I have trouble envisioning them with more than one outfit or look. And since I have come to highly value versatility in my collection, I must resist. (It helps that I've never found any that would fit in with the Volks aesthetic I have going on, but you never know...)

7) See the blank sculpt before you decide on the doll. This one isn't always a hard rule, but more like an extremely strong suggestion. I am really, really bad about falling in love with faceups rather than sculpts, and that never works out well.

 

For right now my BIG rule is to only purchase dolls in special days like my b-day, and not going over $200-$250, or Christmas and stuff. Clothing items and accessories are the exception just make sure they aren't too expensive. I also will never have any male dolls. I might get more masculine, androgynous dolls but never a male doll. The bodies just aren't anything I personally like. I dont have any preferences with female dolls, I want a variety of tones, sizes, and figures. I only splurge on artist dolls because I want to support these people that spend so much time and effort to make these beautiful pieces of art.
I have limited money so I try not to go overboard.

 

And almost immediately, I break this rule and break it hard by ordering three heads in Granado's anniversary event.

 

I have a few rules for myself.

1) Only one doll on pre-order at a time.
2) All dolls need at least 1 wig and 1 outfit before I order a new doll.
3) Only buy dolls I really love. If the doll doesn't leave my mind after a week or so, on the wish list it goes!
4) Nothing very realistic, but also nothing super cartoony. The doll needs to be somewhere in the middle.
5) If I can't afford the doll I want right now, save up. Most dolls I like aren't limited, so I can always order it later.

 

I remember trying the rule thing too...and I failed so miserably. XD

Here are the rules I failed to uphold:
-don't buy new resin if you already have a doll on order;
-don't buy from the same brand
-only get doll with the same style (I think my dolls still go fairly well together, though my guy's head is noticeably smaller than my girl's. Meh, they're both gorgeous, so it's fine. )
-don't get over your monthly "frivolous stuff budget"
-don't impulse buy


And the only rule I managed to uphold, which is fine since it's the most important one :

-don't get bankrupt.

 

Omg yes....for most sculpts (and if I can afford it) I get one NS and one tan. I honestly have fomo and when I broke my own rule I kicked myself. I didn’t get choco roze heln but have her in peche....looking at owners pics I love Choco so much better. From now on I’ll follow my own rule more closely to avoid regret lol

 

My one and only rule is "only buy what you LOVE and continue to LOVE [for an extended period of time] before purchasing"

Basically, there's that feeling of liking/appreciating a sculpt, the feeling that a doll is beautiful, then the feeling of absolute and utter adoration where you are head over heels for the sculpt in every owner pic regardless of styling/etc.

This helps me a lot to stay centered, and obviously money isn't unlimited, so it keeps me in check.

 

I have a few rules for myself, but I also know I'm full of garbage and will break any of these under the right circumstances, so it's more of a "suggested guideline" rather than a strictly followed protocol.

1. No layaways. I don't care how badly I want a doll, if I can't buy it outright at this moment, it doesn't happen. While one or two at once might not be a bad thing, this keeps me from overextending my funds by doing a ton of small layaways (plus it limits my impulse spending).
2. If you can buy secondhand in good condition, do that rather than preorder. I like supporting the community as much as possible and I'm very impatient by nature, so buying secondhand is almost always my preference over preordering.
3. No FOMO ordering. Limiteds come and go and people often end up selling them secondhand pretty soon after their preorders start arriving, so there's really no reason to impulsively preorder a doll. If I still like it once they start hitting the secondhand market, then I can pick it up. (Exceptions are rereleases of limiteds that I love but missed out on either due to timing or because their price exploded on the secondhand market.)
4. Try to stay within the same size categories. I originally wanted to only do MSDs, but realized they weren't for me, and now I try to stick pretty closely to only SD13/17 and Yo-SD sizing. I like my dolls to be able to share clothes/accessories, which is easier if I don't have 8 different sizes of wardrobes to fund/fill out.
5. Spark joy! This is my criteria for which dolls stay in my collection rather than which ones I buy, but sometimes I just don't gel as well as I'd hoped with a doll once it comes home. I've reached the point where they no longer sit around for months/years waiting for wigs/eyes/clothes/a faceup, they just get moved on if they don't inspire me like I thought they would.

 

1) I have to see pictures of the sculpt from all angles before buying. With the first doll I bought, I didn’t see side-view pictures before ordering. When I received her, I ended up being very disappointed at how pointy and strange the nose looked from the side. So I’ve made sure I don’t make that mistake twice!

2) Like many others here, one head to one body.

3) No repeat sculpts... for now! There’s one sculpt I’d make an exception for, because she looks super cute in both NS and TS.

4) My dolls need to look cohesive together, since they’re displayed together in a case. They’re in different sizes, but they’re proportional, and their outfits/color schemes all look nice together.

5) Only spend what’s in my fun money account. I won’t ever dip into house-saving funds or or savings accounts, because dolls are a want, not a need.

6) I’ll only buy a doll if I LOVE it. Like, I have to be interested in a sculpt for literal months before I’ll hit that purchase button. Some I’ve had my eye on for years before buying!

Edit: forgot a couple!

7) Nothing bigger than an MSD. I really love smaller dolls and their adorable features. SDs are lovely, but they often look more mature and elegant in style, which isn’t what I’m going for.

8) No fantasy dolls or weird resin colors (like gray, purple, etc). I’m a boring person who likes her boring human dolls, lol!