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

Like so many people have already said, spending a few hundred on a doll is no different from other people spending a few hundred on designer clothes/their own hobbies/expensive art pieces/etc so I know I shouldn't be so shy about it, but I do keep it hidden from family and friends. I guess dolls aren't really "socially acceptable" enough

 

The only person I tell about the prices of the dolls are my partner, because we always share our financial situations and since dolls are generally an expensive product I let him know before I order anything. Other than that, I don't tell anyone unless they specifically ask, or I'll give them a vague answer, because generally otherwise people seem to act shocked or even angry that I'd spend money on something 'stupid' like dolls DX Haven't had good experiences telling people

 

I don't really tell anyone. I don't ask how much their stuff costs, and they don't ask about mine. We're all adults with our own money. Plus asking how much something costs is kinda rude anyways, unless they're considering purchasing one themselves which is a different story.

 

I only tell a close circle of friends how much some of the dolls I have cost, mostly because they've expressed interest in eventually getting one-- of that group, there's only one that I feel comfortable enough to talk about how much I'm actually spending. Outside of that group I don't talk much about dolls but sometimes I'll post a picture or two on my instagram, but I've never mentioned the cost nor has anyone asked me about it.

To be honest, I find it a bit awkward talking about the cost of things even if they are in the same hobby. I'll only talk about it if people ask me directly, otherwise I'll kinda dodge the question haha.

The only bit of negativity that I've encountered so far is from my parents who view my doll collecting as being rather childish... But similar to what others have already said, I pointed out that I could have other expensive (and/or more dangerous ) hobbies instead & I'm spending my own money.

 

I tell my friends the cost of my dolls and they are completely cool with it and are still supportive. I mean it is my money after all not theirs lol I don't tell the real cost to my family though because they won't understand. My sister was quite shocked when I slipped about the price of my tiny bjd though x'D

 

I'm actually kind of dealing with this as I'm communicating with my new roommate for this fall. I had to firstly ask her opinion on dolls, perhaps she might even like bjds which would have been fantastic, but she'd never heard of them and didn't understand. Though I could tell she was a little weirded out, I tried to explain how pretty and fun the hobby is. And that's when I stopped myself from saying: "...and they're also very very expensive." I mean, it's understandable since they're detailed works of art. You'd buy a painting for 500+, so what's so strange about pricey art doll. But what would she think? She already isn't very cool with the idea, but since they'll be on my side of the room she doesn't really have a say anyway. I was the nice one to even come out and ask her her opinions on them. So I kind of stopped the conversation with a "I'll let you know what bjd I decide to buy!" Deciding I'd just send her a picture and leave it at that. I doubt she'd ever look it up for prices lol.

 

Aside from family and a few close friends, I keep the cost of my dolls to myself because I had to deal with some unsavory situations before. People like to tell you what you should or shouldn't do with your money even though you're the one working for it.

 

I don't tell other people how much I spend on my food, my clothes, my car, or my electric bill. I don't tell them how much I spend on crafting supplies, music or audiobooks, my only other non-essential expenses. Why on earth would I tell anyone precisely how much my dolls cost?

 

Aaahhh, I get so nervous if anyone tries to ask me how much I spent on something. Generally I'm most comfortable telling my immediate family when I make large purchases, or even my boyfriend. Anybody else though? It just turns into an uncomfortable situation for me. I even shy away from telling my best friend. I just don't really want to share the exact amount because there's always someone that expresses shock and "I can't believe you would pay that much." Sharing just isn't for me. (':

 

Definitely a private person when it comes to discussing the cost of things. It's been my experience that when people are asking about the cost of a thing, it's less that they are genuinely interested in buying it, as it is their way of "assessing your worth." People get really funny when money is a topic. All of a sudden subconscious judgement pops out and it becomes about the other person projecting their values on you. Instead I usually try to suss out the root of their interest. If the person seems genuinely interested in toy collecting then I might give a range along with resources, history, etc. If the person is just being nosey or grabby handed then I let them know the items are one of a kind collectors pieces and that usually conveys the message.

 

My doll is still in the making, but I've already decided to just say "a lot" if they ask how much she cost. And if they ask more details, I'll just tell them the price range for bjds in general or say they cost a couple of hundreds. I have many friends who are in the anime/manga/cosplay/convention world, so I think many of them are already in the know about the price tags.
If a friend of mine, who's in the hobby or is interested in getting a doll, asks about the cost, I don't mind telling them since they won't be surprised or shocked to know. : p

 

I guess I've been in enough "random" hobbies that this doesn't really bother me. Someone wants to know how much I spent on my doll? I'll flat out tell em. I'm a big girl who budgeted and saved till I could afford something, no shame in my game. If I got it second hand I've even mentioned that it was a discounted price. Then again, if someone is seeing my dolls I'll either be taking them to a convention, a group, etc focused around dolls or they'll be in my house. I think between the limited edition video game memorabilia, my collection of Manga (well over 10K worth of books if they're all out on the shelves, some are still boxed right now), and my husband's collection of warhammer miniatures for table top gaming they should be expecting something a bit nerdy/odd if they're not into weird things.

I think part of getting rid of the stigma behind being a grown person collecting dolls, is to stop treating it like its a stigma. If I chose to collect dolls and play/work/dress/design for them as a creative outlet that is my decision. No stranger/friend/family is going to make me feel less about it. I would be afraid not to tell someone how much they were if they showed interest or wanted to touch them. I've had first editions/prints/limited items before that ended up destroyed because I didn't stress how important/expensive/rare it was or what it meant to me. I don't go out of my way, if someone's just looking at one of my dolls I don't blurt out "That was 700 dollars plus shipping!" but I have no problem letting someone know if they asked the price.

When I first stumbled into this hobby I saw someone's bjd at a convention, I loved the size/scale and thought that would be easier for me to make things for. I had previously enjoyed tinkering/creating for doll houses...but the scale was so small I found it hard to do a lot of what I wanted. She told me the doll only cost a few hundred dollars new from the shop, I thought it was a great price and couldn't wait to jump into the hobby and buy a doll. I had fallen in love with one of her sculpts (Soom Onyx) and she talked as if the doll was something I could just pick up from the store, didn't even mention it was limited. Imagine my heartbreak when I find out, not only is the doll three times what she told me, but it was (still is) a limited sculpt and at the time, saving up the 6-7 hundred dollars wasn't going to happen. While I probably still would have gotten into the hobby, it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth when I discovered the truth about pricing.

 

If someone seems interested in my dolls (I've had a few "Omg so cuuuuute where did you get it???" from guests towards my yosds) I'm pretty quick to tell them at least a rough idea of the price. People usually think they're like barbies or something and they can just pick them up on amazon. I'm also just as quick to tell them about recasts and why they should in fact be suspicious of any extremely low prices.

If someone doesn't express any interest in looking into them more though, what my dolls cost is my info and my info only.

 

Only my close friends know how much I spend on dolls. They are very understanding since they also have their own expensive hobbies, so we basically spend the same kind of money on different things. My family knows they are expensive but they probably think dolls costs about the same price as sone of my anime figures or pullips. Woops. ^^'

 

I find it super interesting that you mention taboo topics like depression and such. The amusing ting to me is that I'm open about my personality disorder and my anxiety disorder and the meds Im on, Im open about my sexuality, which can be rather taboo to a lot of people, but for some reason I can never seem to be that open with BJD prices.

 

I think thats what makes them a 'grail' doll ultrapandachan! I'll be rooting for you to find her, I know the pain. Usually the only Onyx I've seen around here are grey skinned, on other sites they're 95% chances of recasts (which I won't touch) or a few that have been modded and no longer look like the face I fell in love with.

I just want to mention, I'm not saying that anyone who approaches prices differently is wrong, or that 'my way' is the right way. Everyone has their own preferences and ways of handling things and I do respect that. Its just easier for me to be out there, in the open. I'm blunt...about pretty much everything really. I know when to put on my kid gloves but its easier just to be honest and never have to worry about it.

 

Yes i do.