Do you keep the cost of your BJD's from your non BJD friends?

This is going to sound bad, but I don't really have "friends" to tell anything to, so I'm more worried about relatives or strangers
either way I won't bring it up because I for sure know someone will slip up and say something negative about my purchasing choices, and then try to shrug it off as a joke. So really only my parents know and they're fine with it and possibly one other close person who really doesn't care but she listens anyways because I'm not the only one she knows who buys dolls.

 

"Do you keep the cost of your BJD's from your non BJD friends?"
No. I love the truth. Too expensive for a hobby? Sorry.

 

Not at all! If they ask, I'm going to be honest. And if they think it's too expensive I tell them all the things that I would never spend as much money on as they do.

 

Well I just say it COULD have been a Prada bag, but nuh.

Maybe it could be considered fine art.

 

Honestly, I think telling people how much dolls cost (if it comes up naturally) is a pretty effective way to - well, not gain respect, but get them to take your hobby seriously. It also helps me keep a sense of perspective, and remember that what's cheap for the doll world doesn't quite gel with my real-life student finances.
My roommate (a non-doll person who watches faceup vids, bless her) and I were telling my other close friend about doll collecting. I told him that my tiny DC Ada was $200 USD as an example, and he was absolutely gobsmacked. Now I feel a little less inclined to indulge my Minifee wants, because of the face he'd make at their price, and I know he'll be very careful with my Ada when I bring her out!

 

One of my biggest pet peeves of all time is right after I tell someone I've bought something I enjoy or think is cool, instantly one of the first questions is about the price. I find this so annoying! Not just about bjd but about anything! For one: this is unnecessary information for the person because I know they're not interested in buying one for themself. For two: it always results in some astounded dramatic response of "That much?" or something similar. For three: It's just opening my decisions up for judgement and debate on if it was a wise purchase or not and further judging my interests.

When I make an expensive purchase, you better believe I've thought long and hard about the investment and I've decided that the happiness I'll receive from the item is worth the cost. People prying and judging the amount of money I spend on things makes me upset and makes me feel stupid for something I decided to buy on my own that has nothing to do with them and that I shouldn't have to be ashamed for. This especially goes for bjd since they are usually seen by people outside the hobby as something silly, frivolous, and childish. I love this hobby and since it's something I enjoy and it makes me happy, I'm willing to pay the price for it and I don't feel like it's a bad decision. Other people spend hundreds of dollars on their hobbies but suddenly when it's my purchase and it's on one item (that I don't even have very many of) it's suddenly a huge point of concern and judgment.

So no, I usually refuse to answer if someone asks how much I spent on a bjd because it's annoying, usually one of the first questions asked about the doll, and it's none of their business.

 

My friends that aren’t in the hobby generally know that the dolls are a little on the expensive side and not really playthings— it’s convenient for me, and if the matter is pressed I’ll be frank about it. I’m lucky that most, if not all of my friends have an expensive hobby: gundam assembly kits, LARP, cosplay, cars, horses (the most expensive by far!), video games, and so on! It’s easy to respect others’ hobbies if you have one that blasts holes through your wallet as well!

Unfortunately people outside of my circle get a little squirrelly when they hear the cost, so I keep mum about it unless I know or get a feeling that they have an expensive thing they enjoy, or if it aligns with what I do! It’s people without hobbies or passions that lash out at those who do, I think. :O

 

Most of my friends are absolute geeks and nerds, so they do know what a BJD is when they see one. No hiding the price tag from anyone for me...!
(And my mom can’t know. Ever.)

But I’ve seen a lot of lovely trhreada around where people ponder about disclosing their hobby and I think that there’s no need to explain anything to anyone if they don’t get it. This is a hobby as any other - some people collect shoes or do sports, some collect dolls!

 

No, I don’t tell them even though they ask me because they might tease me about it. Its not that I don’t trust them it’s just they’ll not gonna understand me. I only tell people who have interests in bjds only.

 

I have found that most, if not all, people have an expensive hobby, though they may not always consider it one. Buying lots of fancy shoes you only wear once a year? That's an expensive hobby. Getting a classic or hotrod car to tinker with, fix up, or modify? Expensive hobby. Gardening? That can get darn expensive. Going out to the bar every weekend? You might not think it's your hobby, buddy, but that's your expensive hobby. And so on. Everyone has something, and oftentimes, if you can find what their expensive hobby is, you can get them to respect yours a little more by comparing the two.

 

I have no filter. If I'm comfortable enough with a person or just hyper/excited to tell them I even have them then I very likely will also kick out the price tag of the base doll too. Then, depending on their reaction, I'll compound it by telling how much the add-ons (clothes/wigs/eyes/option parts/etc.) cost. I mean, if I can get a local convert then that would be pretty cool.

 

I'm pretty self conscious about my doll collecting so most people in my social circle don't know how expensive BJDs are, or that I even like them at all. The only people who know exact prices are my oldest brother, my partner, and one of my friends, because they're overall pretty supportive of my doll hobby and don't judge me for it. I know some people liken it to collecting expensive designer brands, and I used to use that comparison, but I had a friend counter that point with "but at least shoes/purses/wallets/etc do something." which kind of shut me down, so now I'm overall a little hesitant to talk to people about how much a doll might cost.

 

I understand what you say, actually.
But to be honest, dolls do something, too. They are decorative, and for me, they provide endless happiness. With dolls, I can live my creative mind and enjoy crafting, decorating and photography to the fullest.
I wouldn’t say that they don’t do anything at all.
It’s just about having the courage to let each other live and tolerate the hobbies and passions of others just as much as you would like to be tolerated yourself.

 

Of course! They're beautiful to look at, and there's a billion ways to customize them, and in owning a doll you can pick up and learn a bunch of useful skills like sewing. I love dolls and I see a lot of worth and beauty in them, so of course I think they're worth every penny. But most people I know don't understand that kind of thing, and irl I'm a pretty awkward/passive person so I tend to let comments like that slide. I figure that's fine, though, because I generally prefer to keep most of my hobbies pretty private, or share them with people who I know will understand.

 

I'm lucky that most of my friends have really expensive hobbies. Comic book collecting and legos can be just as expensive so we tend to commiserate over prices a lot. It's actually kinda fun to see what the same amount of money buys in a different hobby.

 

I suppose it comes down to judgement of the situation. If I know the person well enough I'm happy to be honest and trust that they won't judge, and if they do then that's on them not me.
If it's someone I don't know or trust enough to be decent about it, or I'm just not in the mood for having them pry, I just smile and say "a lot". If they start insisting on how much, it makes them look and feel foolish because it starts to click that it's none of their business and I've never had anyone push it past too many repeated asks after that.

 

I always just keep it transparent to my mom, although she's always THE ONE to spill the beans to our relatives or friends, not me. And of course the expected reaction is always there. To my mom, it's sort of my "achievement" that I was able to buy something as expensive as this lmao (i'm a student and dollar isn't our currency). I don't disclose any information about my doll to anyone because I don't think they'd be interested enough, unless when asked.

 

The only people I really talk about the hobby a bunch with are my sister and my SO. I tried to talk to my mom about it, I thought she'd enjoy it actually! But when she said the doll I ordered looked like a Barbie... and then continued to judge the doll's appearance for the price? I was done. Made me so... frustrated, but I did hide it and ignore it. I'd probably do the same with my friends if they said something like that. Maybe to some people, my first BJD does look like a Barbie, but in my eyes, she does not...

I'm a bit more concerned about sharing it with my friends, especially the prices. If they ask, I'll tell them... buuut until they do, there's no reason for them to know I dropped $300 on a "Barbie". Hopefully, this post is okay, I'm very new to this site.

 

Mostly only when it comes to my parents or if I dont want people to think that im showing off money or anything even though its dumb, people are like that sometimes >_> Though I always keep the prices in the 200 - 300$ range since I do mostly buy second hand or MSD dolls since I prefer the smaller size so its not toooo far off :'>

 

I don’t think I would have a problem telling anyone the cost of BJDs, but most people who have seen pictures of my dolls actually vaguely recognize what they are and know the hobby has a reputation for being pricy. For that reason, the only out-of-the-loop-people I’ve been asked by are two friends and my parents. One of the friends was completely shocked but said it made sense to her because the dolls are so pretty, and the other friend understood because we both share a different expensive collecting hobby and she is really supportive of how happy dolls make me, despite hating my dolls’ childlike faces! I’m sure my extended family like my uncles would think the prices are crazy but they both have their own collections of different things, so I would compare it to that.

My parents ironically only know the price of my most expensive doll, I think because she’s so huge she’s the only one that caught their eye (80cm Lusion) but there wasn’t really an argument to be made against me owning her because I was in a good place financially and had been waiting literally 6 years to be able to purchase one. In a way, I think they were much more appalled that I had spent this many years pining over her than the fact I eventually saved the money. Of course they think it’s absolutely ridiculous and that my dolls are creepy, but I’m not bothered by it because I’m still so happy that I own them all!