Do you like the idea of "limited" dolls?

I don't feel strongly about them either way--I have a couple LEs, but I don't purposely choose LEs above standards. If given a choice, I often do prefer to buy standards, since I would rarely use all the extras that come with LE's, but certain skin tones and sculpts are sometimes only available in limited form. Are there LE's that I would like to have, but didn't have the cash for? Sure, but there are a lot of dolls that I would like to have, and I prefer not to dwell on the ones that got away--I would rather focus on all the lovely dolls that I know are within my reach.

As for whether they are fair or unfair--it's a fact of life that the vast vast majority of people do not have the cash to buy everything they would like to have. That's just the way of things, and it's not really bad--we aren't talking food or medicine here--nobody's going to die because they weren't able to snag a doll they wanted. LEs can also give companies the opportunity to create dolls/sets that they wouldn't necessarily be able to offer in large quantities do to their complexity, difficult skin tones, etc.

 

I personally am not a big fan of limiteds, only because I have many plans of customizing dolls, and I would feel terribly guilty if I wiped a limited face-up that someone else would really love to have. Which is why I took Musedoll's Thalia off my wishlist! Someone else will enjoy her just the way she is.

 

I have an LE doll on the way home. But personally, I hate the thought of them. I don't like being "forced" to buy a doll quickly or suffer the inflated price later. I know that's probably what the companies are trying to do to make quick cash...but I don't see how it's right to the consumer. I realize it's not going to change, but I do wish they would sell limited sets and then basic sets.

 

Hellsyeah, love them. Limited-edition ANYTHING rocks! Sometimes, half the fun of collecting things is the thrill of the chase, the desperate search, the battle in the auction-house or dealers-table or eBay arena. The elation of finally finding it. The despair of losing the bidding war. For some, the Getting even beats the actual Having. And for others, losing out on it only strengthens their resolve to fight another day, & redouble their efforts to get it. Gawd, the agonies you'd see some people going through for limited Yugioh cards or limited Beanie Babies.... It is not a pastime for the faint of heart.

Regarding dolls specifically-- there are plenty of non-limited dolls to collect, for those who don't like the concept of limiteds. The company isn't obligated to make every one of its items regular-stock. First off, some of them can't afford to keep every single doll in production, all the time, in all versions, in perpetuity. For that matter, the item (for example tan resins) might not even be possible for that company to make in regular-stock. Secondly, limiting the production of an item drives up its value, not to mention people's desire for it. Companies have every incentive to bake things in small batches if they want to. Third, if it's a very difficult doll to build/sculpt, and it's a small company or one-woman studio, they may not WANT to make more of that item, because they get burnt out on it after making 20. These are artists, remember; they build these dolls by hand; this isn't the Wonka factory, here. It's not Mattel.

If you want a LE, save up for it, and save hard. If you miss it the first time, stalk the Marketplaces, stalk eBay, stalk Y!J. If you can't find it right away, keep waiting and keep stalking. You might wait years, or it might fall into your lap next week. But if you aren't willing to put in the effort to find & acquire it, do not blame others who are. At the bottom line, "fair" has nothing to do with it. It's a consumer item.

 

Agree with this completely.

Yes, the companies are selling dolls - but they are doing business. Just in any business, including your neighborhood fast food chain, the companies need to come up with ways to do marketing. Selling LE items is marketing method.

Besides marketing, there is another reason why some items are usually limited: the cost to produce an item. It cost a lot to produce these novelty items. Some of the trim may not always be available. As far as manufacturing is concern, it is more economical to produce a certain quantities at one time (rather than making one or two each time when someone orders). This is also the reason why many outfits or shoes are not being restock once they are sold out even if the outfits are NOT labeled as being LE, companies often do not re-stock once the first shipment is sold out.

This is not a matter about being fair or not fair, that is just how everything operates.

Once again this is not limited to BJD and as consumers we are faced with "have to make this quick decision" every time we shop. When you go buy an outfit, if even NONE of the stores will label a Tee shirt or a Skirt as being LE, you know they will not restock them once they are sold out, so you decide on the spot whether you want to try it on and if you want to buy it.

As consumers, our job is to be well informed so when you see a doll LE or not (remember even on the marketplace, there may be plenty of Delf El going around, but not every El is the same, so you are pretty much in a do I want buy THIS El or not situation. Further more, since you know all the sellers only have one El and this particular El with this particular face up or the accessories that the seller is offering will not be found again you will be "forced" with the decision to PM the sell ASAP or not) you can make the correct and quick decision to buy or not to buy.

 

Personally I quite like the idea of having limited dolls. It puts some zest in the collecting industry. Instead of having the same things over and over again, limited dolls give others a chance to own something that is considered rare/elusive.
And I don't think limited dolls are only limited to those who have consistent funds/savings. If you are extremely into something, you'll always find a way to get what you want. May it be buying it second hand or working your blood, sweat, and tears to the max to farm money!

 

Nope, I hate it. I don't find anything fun about the "thrill of the chase" nor do I get any warm fuzzies at the idea of owning something rare. Obviously, no matter how much I dislike the practice of releasing LEs, no one is going to stop it, so it's just something I have to deal with. Oh well.

 

I think that the concept of limited dolls is nice; an interesting perk to those who enjoy that type of collecting. Like many others have said, for companies to make them it is a very smart idea. Personally though, I don't have much taste for them. Rarity, while nice, isn't really much of a necessity for me, and hunting around for a second-hand limited or making an impulse buy because it has the perfect face sculpt isn't really my 'thing'. I am naturally indecisive, slow-paced, and overly analytical, so I have to take my sweet time with things.

Besides which, I'm really not interested in special baubles like unique faceups, complete and coordinated clothes/eyes/wig sets, backstories, or large prices. Possibly because I'm more on the artsy, customizing side of things? I am more on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of what I search for; something that can be easily obtained, bare of any unnecessary 'extras' that would inflate the price. I am solely interested in a beautiful mold/sculpt and good-quality resin. I'd leave things like creating faceup, clothes, tattoos, and choosing eyes, wigs, shoes to myself, so I can get them just the way I want them. Limiteds seem more like something for people who like them just the way they already are, no?

Sooo... it's like 'to each their own'. I think that, while it's not my cup of tea, the concept of limiteds definitely adds a positive variety and spice to the BJD market that plenty of other people can appreciate.

ali

 

I don't mind the Limited Release dolls. Yeah they're really pretty and I've seen some that I wanted really bad but could not afford, but I've seen a lot more that I really don't care one way or the other about. If they don't want to spend the time and money to constantly release a unique build that only appeals to a small percentage of the market, that's fine with me. Granted, it sucks when you miss out on a doll you find appealing. (if I had a dollar for every Limited Doll I missed out on I would not be saving up for my current goal doll.) But that gives them a chance to test out a new and different model that you may like better than the other one. Besides, depending on how quickly the dolls sell, the artist may decide to make more.

 

The way the doll industry is right now, the companies almost have to release limited dolls in order to compete; they know that people will put off buying regular stock dolls in order to grab that limited.

I prefer it when companies put out limited fullsets, vs. limited sculpts (like Volks and Iplehouse... if they get enough encouragement, they will put out another release of their sculpts, or they make it available as a regular release without the special outfit-skintone-whatever) but I do understand why limited editions have become part of the abjd world.

 

I like it overall. It allows for more sculpts, for one thing, and that's a great plus in my book. I'm not sure whether the limited edition trend will keep going as it has been, though; I mean, there used to be a time when it felt like people would throw down everything for a limited they liked but now more and more I hear remarks like "I love this limited, but the next Soom Monthly/Dolpa/Luts Event/etc is coming and they might release other limiteds I like even more, so..." So maybe this strategy will not always be so fruitful to doll companies as it is now, as we hobbyists are increasingly desensitized to the omg-must-buy-NOW draw of limited editions.

I don't see how fair/unfair comes into it at all. o_0 I mean, lucky/unlucky perhaps, but it's not like the doll companies/artisans have some implicit obligation to unite every doll fancier with the bjd of their dreams.

 

Agreeing with everyone who made the 'well, life isn't fair either' comment. I love limiteds. I love the hunt for a doll that rarely pops up in the marketplace and - probably because I'm Dutch ;p - I love to try and find it for as little money as possible. For me that's the excitement I find in this hobby.
None of the dolls that I own, except for my Peroth, were bought when they were still available. Sure it sucks when I see a limited I really like and can't afford it at that time. But if I like it enough I start saving and wait for the moment I find it on ebay, Y!J or where-ever.

I'm getting a bit weary with the presumption that owning limiteds must obviously mean you have deep pockets. I don't, nor do most of my friends who own limiteds. The prejudice that you have to be rich to own a limited is almost insulting to both parties.
I can only speak for myself here, but I'm just a student with a small job next to her study. I don't go on holiday, don't buy the latest expensive tv or gameconsole, don't go to concerts or festivals etc. I only have two places my money goes to (apart from the regular bills and so on): either my savings-account, or my dollfund. And if I'm careful in the marketplace and only search for good deals, I'm able to afford the dolls I like. I'm not a millionaire.

These kind of presumptions really get to me, because it is the best way to loose hope in what you once believed in. It makes you passive.
Though I think the reason why it gets to me so is not so much the possible insult as well that it is the exact opposite of my life's motto:
"If you have an ultimate goal in you mind and you go for it, you might even get there! Perhaps you won't, perhaps you'll only end up halfway, it doesn't matter because you've still moved.
But if you give up on your goal, don't believe in it anymore because of whatever idea you have, you stay where you are. You're stranded." (all general you)

 

I'm in two minds about it, honestly.

On one hand, I don't have anything against the idea of limiteds - I don't think it's in anyway 'immoral' or 'unfair' for companies to have limited runs. I adore the creativity that comes with limiteds - I'm in love with Soom's Monthly Dolls, which I'm sure they couldn't afford to produce constantly (they only have two lines for their large MDs, which have to switch out between dolls to keep up with demand... if they kept all those different parts in production all the time, they'd be absolutely run into the ground by the demand and their own success and would probably fail as a result of it). I also love the idea of having a character who doesn't have a million clones around the world (wigs and eyes and faceup only count for so much, after all).

On the other hand, I despise 'artificial demand'. With BJDs it's less tacky, but a lot of other collectible industries are plagued by limiteds that are limited only to throw collectors into an insane frothing mad frenzy. The companies would lose nothing by producing 6,000 instead of 600, or by selling them worldwide instead of only in one store or on one website, but they do it anyway, because it 'increases interest in their products'.

I'm an OCD collector - it's built into my personality. When I found out you couldn't catch all the Pokemon in Pokemon Yellow, I got bored and stopped playing (and only started playing again when I learned about the Mew glitch, which lets you 'cheat' to get them all). When Hasbro started releasing a bunch of 'limited' My Little Ponies, and Australian stores stopped importing all the 'regular' ones (making about half the line 'limiteds' as far as I was concerned), I lost interest and sold off most of my collection. I was originally trying to collect all the Jun Planning Rozen Maiden dolls, but when they released Kirakishou as a limited (1000, sold only in one store in Japan), I just gave up. The prices for her MIB are currently less than what I paid for my Soom Cuprit!

So I can see both sides. Companies have every right to release limiteds, but I personally find 'the hunt' stressful and unpleasant, and usually find that the feelings taint whatever the item is if I ever do get it. I'd pay more to the original company if they'd just produce enough of their products to discourage scalpers. Once a company starts encouraging scalping (which I firmly believe a lot of companies do - scalpers create an illusion of increased value that a lot of companies benefit from), I just lose interest in supporting them, and so stop buying any of their products.

Soom's MDs are my preferred model for 'limited' dolls - not limited by number, but by time period. A month is plenty of time for me to work out whether I can afford another doll on layaway. If not, it's also enough time to set up a split to get the parts I can afford. Either way, it's a thousand times preferable to a batch-number limiteds, in my opinion.

 

Realistically, the reason why some doll outfits are limited is due to the limitations of fabric.

That makes any outfit limited. I really can't say how many times a specific outfit I've liked has been sold out. It's really just something about the hobby.

However, usually any limited items that come with the doll can be purchased elsewhere or comissioned.

The only thing I'm not sure if I like about limited dolls is that it limits creativity if someone can buy all the pieces at once. I don't think I'd be nearly as creative with a doll if I bought a limited.

 

I can see both sides of the limited coin. While it's great to have a doll that not many other people have, they also tend to be pricey. I totally wanted a Lati Elf from a previous stocking, however I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money. Sigh. . . I am still tortured when I see them. LOL!

 

I actually like limiteds, I think it is a very interesting strategy, company wise, but I have one thing I feel needs to be said

Every doll is different therefore in my eyes they are all limited!

Every doll out there is one of a kind, the sculpts may be the same, but the faceups, mods, styling, tattoos, everything about them makes them one of a kind.

As for company limiteds, well the only ones I ever look at quizzically are those where it is just a basic sculpt, nothing about the bare doll is limited whatsoever, and then it is just given special limited accouterments, clothing wig etc. Sure they are beautiful, but really are they limited? only for the period that the faceup stays in tact, after that theya re just a doll with limited accouterments, and honestly I would prefer to be able to simply buy those separately anyway.

What I do NOT like is when a company re-releases a limited. Even if they change what the doll comes with if the sculpt is the same as a limited sculpt I feel it is a little cheeky to tell people "there are only 68 in existence" and then re-release them and say "the doll is the same, but this is a different version, there are only 200 of this version"....um if the doll is the same well that means there are now 268 of that doll.

Now all that said....

I do hav e a personal limited frustration, companies that only make WS dolls as limiteds. I never want the stuff they come with, or the faceup, etc, I just want the doll, and waiting for them to be released is a pain in the butt. *eyes Dollmore and awaits nayuta Kenzo whiteskin

 

What miss sha said exactly.

 

I agree with this. I know I didn't say much with my own post. However, this is exactly how I feel. Limited dolls almost irritate me because I'm also a little OCD about my collections. My step-father collects stamps, I can't stand the thought of NEVER being able to complete my collection. I know that companies come out with different dolls all the time. But I have a "system" that my brain works by, I can collect as many basic dolls as I want because they will always be there. Even if I don't buy them, I still know they are there. If you throw a limited doll into that, it almost makes me anxiety driven since I know that doll won't always be there.

Yeah it's weird. I guess I just have issues. XD

 

You don't have issues, unless you and I have issues. I feel the same way.
I cant go to the soom's website/events/limited releases without having a anxiety attack.
What makes it worse is I can never afford any so I see them come and go. *chuckles* At least the anxiety goes away.

I've always had bad anxiety and paranoia throughout my life. I think it might actually be a problem. I HAVE the thought in my head that oneday the BJD market or one company goes all the way down to the abyss no more! Even though it wont happen the thought will always be there so I try my best to get all my "Basics". And then I will be able to relax in this part of my life. As the rest of it, hopeless~

 

The child in me squeals with glee and claps her hands while jumping in circles at the idea of limited dolls. For one, limiteds are almost always eye candy... so even if I can't get one, I can always sigh and moon at the photos. Secondly, the idea of owning a limited is thrilling... almost like purchasing an antique piano for your living-room centrepiece. People will ask, where did you get it? And you'll say, yes isn't she beautiful? You can't get her anymore, it's a limited/an antique...

Ah, the pride. The smugness.

The cynical old crone in me, however, gives a scornful glance at the price tag and complains loudly about commercialisation and marketing gimmicks. If you make less of a thing, it gets more expensive, it's that simple - but at the same time doesn't make sense. What is this world coming to? Blah, blah, blah... :lol