Do you plan one doll at a time or do you go all in?

I think many people have wishlists like that (you can even add one to your profile), and I think I've seen a few people simply pick one doll out of many and save the rest for later. Personally, I never have more than three dolls on my wishlist at a time, it seems, and I do a lot of hybrids so I buy in pieces. So it usually goes by what I can afford, or if it appears on the Marketplace, or if that is just what I want next and I feel I can save up the money.

My first doll purchase was two doll heads, just to say. They are probably the only two I really sought out (well, maybe just the first, really. I saw the second while looking for something else, and they ended up bumping that something else off of my wishlist). All the others I've just stumbled across.

 

For me it was a little of both I guess. I had always been interested in collecting but I never really found a doll I liked. I was a bit overwhelmed at the thought of putting together my own doll so I waited until I found a doll/full set I really liked. But the it was just kind of a slippery slope after and I immediately found another doll I wanted and I just jumped right in.

 

For my first doll I wanted to find the "perfect" doll. I wanted something I was love regardless if the hobby didn't turn out to be for me.
After I got him home though the lengthy wishlist started to form. I know a lot of people have long a wishlist so it's not really all that unusual.
I usually will have at least 5 on the list at any time (at the moment I have 13 lol).
How I decide who to buy next on the list and how often I buy a doll usually depends on outside factors though like events/discontinuation etc - and if not I go with whoever I want the most or have wanted the longest.
I do like dolls to be on the wishlist 6 months at least before I commit to buying them though as my tastes shift a lot and dolls come and go from the list all the time.
But for a Doll to be added to the wishlist they just have to click with me really - I've had dolls click instantly and some that I saw a few times before I wanted them and some (like my DIM Larina) that I didn't want the sculpt until a specific doll caught my eye.

 

I keep a wish list and usually go with a doll that is on it.

Sometimes, I will get an idea of wanting something particular. I will go in search for a doll to fit what I am looing for.

I also have a want list, that is a little more mobile, dolls and doll stuff come and go on and off of it all the time. If a doll stays on the want list for awhile, it moves to the wish list.

 

I have a list of dolls I want, and when the opportunity comes (if I have the money at the time) I will get one off the list. There have been one or two unplanned additions to the list so far this year, but I think my plans are still on track so far. xD

 

When I first started the hobby, I went looking for the perfect doll as I only wanted one. Well, that developed into a whole lot more, lol. I used to have a wishlist, but these days I’m trying to stop collecting as I have enough. It’s the new unusual releases that I’m interested in. I do have quite a long ‘bjds I regret not buying list’ though.

 

My first rapidly became a small group even before i'd pressed "buy". I knew I wouldn't stop at one because I seldom do, I wanted a gang, a cohesive little group and the idea came to me to shell a D&D party, which meant at least 6 dolls right from the get go.
And then it was a case of buying which one appealed to me most at the time/I had the money for.

When that snowballed I decided I had to keep a strict wishlist. Yes I add to it, but my rule for now is that while I can add anything that takes my fancy to the wishlist, ONLY the dolls I have a plan for can jump to the top of that list and go into the "buy next" category.

Of course company events also play into my priorities but I do try to stick to the list otherwise i'll drown in dolls. And I don't really have that much money.

I've decided i'm pretty much done with the D&D dolls now. I have a full party and some extras to flesh out the world a bit but i'm fairly satisfied there. One or two might wander in but ultimately I think i'm good there.

So now i'm building a circus troupe.

As I said, I like to have groups or "worlds". Cohesive collections of characters even if they aren't that fleshed out beyond appearance and role.

I spend quite a lot of time searching, window shopping, going back to dolls on my wishlist and seeing if they still inspire me. Sometimes I change my mind, other times I decide it's not going to quite work or that right now I can't think of anything to do with that particular sculpt so it'll sit at the bottom of the wishlist.

I LIKE to have a rule of "finish one doll before you buy the next" as well but while that's great in principle, in action it seldom works that way.
I still have a couple of dolls I need to get off my butt and finish but I find sewing really difficult and they have awkward shaped bodies so i've been putting it off.
which isn't good. It stresses me a bit because I then feel guilty for not finishing them off before I buy another doll you know?
And i have a real problem with the wait time because I start jonesing for some instant gratification, another doll fix and that means I then impulse buy something secondhand or in stock <_< it's a bad habit.

 

I used to plan, but now I'm going to go by a wish list and go with what I like most at the time I'm able to get a doll. Once I have it picked out I try to plan what she/he will look like. That sort of thing.

 

I find dolls that I like all the time but it is rare that I fall in love with a doll simply from seeing it online. I really like seeing a doll more in person then I like seeing it online. It is really hard for me to design a character or a doll until I see it in person with a few exceptions. So typically if I like a doll from a company I will like many dolls from that company. Sometimes if a company is having a sale I will get many dolls from them at once and when they arrive decided which ones if not all of them that I like. Then I will start working on the dolls. Typically I will still only work on customizing one doll at a time but slowly I will get through the list and when I am finished I will often repeat the cycle. Meanwhile I will still occasionally be picking up a second hand doll or two here and there that are already customized. This way I can see other sculpts or see if I like dolls from another company I have never ordered from before. I like having dolls that come in randomly at different times so that the waiting does not feel like it is taking so long. Some dolls I get to be projects other dolls I get just for the purposes of being beautiful and finished and fun to play with.

 

I plan several at a time, but usually only have one on the way/in the works at a time.

When I'm planning dolls, they're going to be shells of my OCs, so they need to look a certain way, have the right wig and eyes, have appropriate clothes for the character, and I usually start planning out all of the characters in their story at about the same time. All of this could takes months of planning, or I might get lucky and find it all within a week or so. It takes me a long time to save up enough money for a doll and all the accessories, so it's really rare for me to have more than one ordered at a time, unless one is ordered and taking a long time to arrive and I'm able to go ahead and order the next. I kind of like spacing them out a little anyway, it gives me time to really complete one and bond before starting the next, I don't get overwhelmed as much.

One big exception might be if I have several dolls listed for sale/trade and get various interesting trade offers for each, then I might have several incoming dolls all at once! If they're sculpts I never planned to own, then I'm definitely working on figuring out names, characters, styles, etc all at once.

 

I definitely started off one doll at a time for my first doll, but I'm currently planning two different dolls- I was gifted a doll head and now I have a whole backstory for that doll that I want to bring to life, but I also want a doll who will be the older brother of my first doll, and was planning that before I got the gift head. And then there is definitely another doll I've kinda wishlisted for myself in the future, I just have no plans to buy them before I buy the other too.

 

I don't have wish list I just look at dolls as they come out by companies I like and if something speaks to me I ponder weather I can do it financially as well as be willing to do all the work behind creating a character from start to finish.
I find it usually that a lot end up not being as I hoped and so a new home is found. I am trying to be smarter and more and more I am passing over due to past experience with that company, or even that particular body, face or whatever.
If I had been smarter I would have taken my time to figure out first what I want in a doll and then searched out for that particular doll. I also should have just stuck with one size or at least a no taller then or no smaller then. I have been in hobby for 13 years, started before I turned 50 and my health and budget has changed over time. So I am hoping I can at least in the new year ahead, get my numbers down and have a group or two I can enjoy for many years.

 

For me, I thought of my theme, then did a ton of research by company and decided what I could afford to start. Somehow, I jumped at the chance to own a couple that were impulse because of their aesthetic. I don't have a wish list per se, but other ideas pop in my head and I look to fill those requirements. I have some dolls in the back of my mind that interest me. I change my mind frequently, so it is better if I figure out what I want to do with a doll and where it fits overall, before diving in. I want to enjoy what I have and not just go after the hunt...as I have done with other fandoms/hobbies. It's more important to me to love the dolls and dress them, photograph them, put them in dioramas, than to buy something new just to have another doll even if I like it. For example, I love the beautiful mermaids and fairies. I would enjoy having them for sure, but for now they don't really fit in the group. Good luck on your doll!

 

That's a good question, as I have been thinking of my process of buying dolls a lot lately. I am already a part of two other (expensive) doll collecting hobbies, so this time around, I wanted to learn from my mistakes. When you're excited about a new doll hobby it can be easy to get swept off your feet and buy Every. Single. Cute. Doll...but this time around I try to be smart Lol So far, I had my sights set on my first doll and grail, LUTS Kid Delf Muhwa. I then acquired the MYOU 1/4 Delia as an impulse while I waited for Muhwa. (Mistake #1) So now, I am making a list of dolls that I fancy. I revert back to the list often when I realize that "Hmm, maybe I don't like this doll as much as I thought I would". In that way, I add to the list and cut it down often. From the must-have dolls is when I choose one to actually start saving for or put on layaway. Right now, the next dollie I would really like to add to my collection is a LUTS Kid Delf Filo (because I really want a boy doll), A LUTS Kid Delf Lio (because I LOVE cat girls) or LUTS Honey Zuzu Delf Corni (because I really think I'd enjoy the yoSD size...and again..cat girls!)

 

I jumped in headfirst.

I ordered my first floating head, found a body for him second-hand, had a floating body for a while, ordered a second head, ordered a third head, and then the first head finally arrived and I had my first full doll! Shortly after that, I ordered another body and a full doll at the same time, and so it's been for the past four years. I am, finally, slowing down now that most of my important characters are shelled.

 

I don't tend to search.

If I see a doll I like enough to buy, and I can get the money together for it, I buy it.

I search for the right body if I see a head I want to buy, or search for a specific sculpt if I have seen pictures of it and want one, but I don't just go searching to find a doll or dolls to buy.

Even with my first BJD, I didn't so much search as look through doll company sites to see what was out there and spotted ones I liked then searched to see if they were avialble when I saw ones I liked enough to spend out on. The only search was to see if there was a second-hand one available on E-bay (I wanted to see the specific faceup of the doll I was buying, not a generic company picture. Also, I didn't like the idea of ordering from a company in a country where English wasn't the first language - just in case there were problems with my order and I had difficulties making myself understood whe I tried to get the matter sorted).

Teddy

 

I’m also new to this hobby and will most likely be getting my first doll this year. I’m someone who really plans out my purchases, especially ones that are quite an investment and because I want my love for it to last. I’ve been interested in the hobby for a few years, but only started to get more into it the past several months. I took note of others’ dolls I admired such as the sculpt and clothing to come up with what I would want. I usually pick the doll and accessories based on the character I have in mind, so I might add something to my wishlist if everything fits together, but not just because I like it. However, if I consistently like something and can’t forget it or find another option, then I’ll add it to my wishlist as well, but this is pretty rare.

 

Were these hybrid dolls you put together with head/body, or where the head and body from the same company? Collecting BJDs would go a lot faster for me if I could purchase one part and then the other because...funds! However, I don't trust myself to be able to match up proportions properly from online photos, or even harder, resin matches. I don't know if all MSD heads work adequately on all MSD bodies..I have no idea.