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

Yeah people often treat it as a waste, so I don't bother to tell anyone

 

The bjds are a hobby like any other hobby. I spend for them, other people spend on other objects or projects. If someone asks me how much I spend, I say it ^_^

 

I don't share hobby costs with friends or family. None of their business.

 

It depends. If someone asks, I do tell them. I also don't mind explaining the price rate, If someone asks politley. To be honest, I get why someone would get upset about the prices in the Dolly hobby - It can get absurd, as in any hobby. My mom knows I collect, but I don't share prices with her, because she spends very little on anything and finds absurd the little she knows I bought.

 

well if non bjd friends, i just tell them the cost. for my family well i will reduce the price of it so that they didnt end up lecture me lol

 

I generally don't share the hobby with many other rl people and when asked about what I spend birthday/Christmas money on I generally sum them under art supplies. The doll hobby is a very private hobby irl for me so I don't tell most people willingly that being said I do have two friends who know about it and they know all the costs, as I spend a few months ranting to them if I should get one before I took the plunge and got one (or two...)

But as others said! This is a hobby just like any other, I have friends who spend thousands on their motorcycle or car hobbies so there no reason to feel bad or shun the doll hobby just because its a more niche hobby In the end its your money and you can spend it as you please

 

Truth be told, Its kinda sad on my part since no one even knows I collect dolls and I kinda have a separate profile for them since there has been a time when people comment weird (slightly offensive) stuff when I post doll stuff on social media so to prevent doll spams from being seen by the wrong people, quick fix-- new profile also I do not think my colleagues appreciate the fact that I am already at this age and I'm still collecting dolls and probably just take it as a sign of a questionable mental health (yeah, I hate it too) status.

In terms of the price and all that stuff, If anyone ever makes an invasive blunder of opening my foam lined, dark, doll closet,(UV protected right? ) I don't really tell them how much they cost because I would get an even weirder look

 

Over the years I've learned that unless someone asks with genuine interest and can actually hold a conversation with me about that interest beyond "omg... That's ridiculous and way too much for a perv accessory", to not give actual dollar amounts. The only person who really needs to know is my husband who does the majority of our finances because math hates me. And of course my bestie who's also on this forum cause we always encourage each other with our dolls and purchases. Other than them, only a couple of family members know how much some of them cost because they were interested in getting into the hobby. They've since decided that it's too expensive. And that is totally cool. They don't throw my hobby under the bus or pester me about the cost and why don't I spend my money on grown up things.

The thing is, it's really no one else's business what I spend on my dolls so it's not something I just volunteer. I had someone i know a long time ago ask me about one in particular and I made the mistake of telling her. She acted like I took the money for the doll out if her purse. It was ridiculous, uncalled for and it left me feeling very disrespected. I could tell you just how many Gucci bags and Tom Ford lipsticks she had just sitting in a case in her house on display. She didn't actually use them. And even though I didn't understand it, I just didn't ask about it beyond letting her tell me what she wanted to about it. I didn't really say much to her beyond, "it's my hobby." I look at that experience as a lesson in choosing my words carefully. Now if someone asks, I answer either enough, or I don't remember. Unless they are genuinely interested.

 

Sometimes I avoid the topic but I don’t try to minimize the cost, I guess? It is what it is

It really depends heavily on the context for me to even speak about prices because I don’t usually talk dolls with non-doll people at all unless they bring up the subject, and I don’t ever like to discuss the prices of my things in general, it’s not something my family did so that really sticks with me.

If there is no real ‘need to know’, I just prefer to focus on the creative and artistic side of the hobby if non-doll-people are curious and to not discuss the financial aspects of the hobby at all except in a practical way, usually here or with RL doll pals...but I also don’t want someone to misunderstand the cost (high or low) of the hobby if they might actually be interested so I will tell some people if they ask, and avoid the topic with others if I think they are just being nosey parkers!

“Some are more expensive, others are less but pricing really only matters to other doll people when buying or selling.”
Or something suitably vague like that.

A couple of my friends have seen antique dolls, really expensive one-off artist dolls, costing 5k+ and mistakenly overestimated the cost of the general bjd hobby as we practice it so it was a tiny bit amusing in that moment that their eyes widened in pure horror when they saw a disassembled doll in our studio so I mentioned the price difference. Another was interested but was aghast at the higher cost of larger dolls from more expensive companies. After talking about dolls in general (and some real talk about doll hobby prices and activities) she now happily collects Pullips dressed in Lolita fashions, is learning to sew and has a few resin mini pet dolls.
Wow that was long. It’s been raining hard here for three days straight and I think I’m a bit stir crazy just after midnight.

 

All of the people close to me know about how expensive the hobby is although I usually don't bring the price up unless asked directly. I'm not sure if they are actually aware of exactly how much any of my dolls are, but I think they at least have an idea as to the price range. My mom thinks they're too expensive, but my grandmother thinks that they are wonderful and valuable collector's pieces. My husband also thinks they're expensive but supports me anyway. I think he just sees that they make me happy. I have two friends that attended BJDC with me last year. They're not in the hobby but wanted to go with me because they were interested in seeing the tiny things at the market. There are definitely other people I wouldn't share prices with, but these are often the same people I wouldn't go out of my way to spend time with either.

 

Honestly I haven't had many people ask about the cost of dolls - it rarely comes up.

That said, for a couple of years I had my dolls displayed an entry corridor (we lived in a loft at the time and that corridor was the only dark space - and was the perfect size for bookshelves), so everyone who came in saw them. I found it useful to mention that cost of the dolls as a means of keeping people from letting their kids touch them while they were visiting. But since the dolls have been in non-obvious places everywhere else I've lived, that was a very time-specific thing.

 

Yes. I've been raised humble, and to believe that silence is golden when it comes to how much money you have or spend. Always been better off than most of my peers, but my family always taught me not to parade around my "status" like some kind of trophy. I don't like the cost of this hobby, and I don't feel warm and fuzzy about the thought of being able to afford it. In fact, I sometimes resent myself for being so irresponsible with all the money. I don't need other people preaching at me as well. So if someone asks, I like to say it was a gift, or bought second hand.

I also don't like being asked. People ask me how much my dog cost all the time, and I'm like, why would you want to know? I have my spending ability and you have yours, but it shouldn't be relevant to each other, nor does it make a person very attractive to run around screaming about how much they get to blow on funsies. Donald Trump comes to mind. It's not pretty on a smaller scale, either.
I also don't want to be looked at as that decadent one who buys $500 dolls. Lastly, I don't want people who have less, to feel like they are less. And that feeling is easily created when you walk into a room full of people who can tell you have more than them. I'm not gonna put numbers on it to boot.

Like CloakedSchemer, I only disclose when it's relevant.

 

I don't even tell my best friend about my doll's cost because it's not like she needs to know, and a good thing is she never bothers me with any question regarding my hobbies. People around me in real life don't know of BJDs

 

I tend to judge it out carefully who I choose to tell. Some people tend to become critical if they find out. Especially since I am on disability and have money given to me.

 

Pssssh, I try to keep the costs of my dolls away from my husband, much less my friends!!!! Luckily I do the finances in the house, but when I told him how much my twigling layaway was, he was none too pleased....but we have come to an agreement that he can get more of the things he would like to get when we have the available funds. What he doesn't have to know about is my second hand market purchases! This girl is a sucker for a good dollie deal! Lol

 

I'm single and living with 3 housemates, but none of them know how much I spend. In fact, only one of my housemates even knows I collect dolls. My dolls stay in my room, and my roomies rarely come into my room.
Even if they knew about my dolls, I would never tell them what I spend. That's my personal business.

I have several friends who do know about my dolls, and only one knows what I spend, but she also collects BJDs. None of my other friends have asked what my dolls cost. It's the same as asking what anything costs. It would be rude to ask.

I used to collect Barbies, and my brother knew I'd sold my Barbies years ago. He came over to visit one day and saw my BJDs. He shook his head and said "Collecting big Barbies now, huh." And didn't ask anything about them. If I'd told him how much I'd paid for them he would have known I was insane. lol

 

For me, I don’t openly say out the price, but I do mention it is on pretty expensive end of hobbies to people I’m close to just so they would be a little bit more careful around my toys when they walk into my room. It’s my way of saying I value these and I am willing to pay price for it, so I want my families to be a little bit more careful and know that I’ll be extra annoyed and occasionally shitty when they drop my doll’s shoes or take off their wig. Some of my family member(especially younger cousins haven’t established that boundary between people) and easiest way of letting them know my doll’s worth is their price.

 

My doll has not arrives yet. But I will tell if they ask me.
Excluding my mother and father because they think bjd's price is not worth to buy.

 

I like to sorta brag about how much they are, makes me feel rich

Honestly, though, I tend to get a "it's your money, do what you want with it" reaction from most people. My dad always takes it as an excuse/inspiration to spend more money on his model train hobby... I'm a bad influence...