Do you think doll cons are a bad idea?

If you're leaving your dolls around, they can be stolen-- people have had dolls stolen from their own home, from restaurants, from cars, from locked rooms, from meets...

Just watch your dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But beyond that, it's out of your hands. If people want to take stuff, they will. And there are a lot of potential thieves around everywhere. Sadly, that's just life.

So cons-- if you don't want to go, that's fine, but cons have never been a hot-spot for doll thieves.

 

Anything could be stolen anywhere, so you'll just have to keep just as keen an eye on your dolls as on your wallet, camera and other belongings. Don't leave your doll out of sight, or see if there is a 'doll sitting' (they attach a number to your doll and give you a ticket with the same number and watch your doll for you).

To dismiss the idea of a doll convention solely on the possibility of pick-pockets... Conventions are so much fun! ^^ Don't get too stressed out about it, stealing dolls is a little harder than slipping someone's wallet into your pocket. You could always attach a chain to your doll.

 

I see photos from doll fairs/events/conventions in Japan and they look like so much fun, I really wish I could go to them. I don't even need to bring my own doll, I'd just love to look at the displays and shops and buy things for my dolls

 

I would love to go to a dolly con! I think they are a great idea. Personally I wouldn't trust anyone with my dolly. I would just bring one so I could have it the whole time in CLOSE sight. Even not at a dolly con, if I was to bring my doll out and about I would have the same kind of eye on her.

 

A dolly con does sound like fine but just as everyone has been saying, you need to keep a good eye out on your belongings and take the proper precautions. Other than that I would go regardless of the chance, as slim as it is, that my doll could be stolen.

 

That's what carrier bags are for Use common sense, never leave your doll unattended, keep your doll tucked away in a bag for easy transport (and things like the bathroom), and there is no reason why a doll convention should be a dangerous place for your doll.

People bring their dolls to conventions all of the time-both BJD cons and anime cons, (which I've found as much more hazardous than I think a doll con could ever be). Very few of them ever get stolen.

 

I have been to 20+ doll conventions and have never had this problem. Yes, thieves are everywhere but most collectors that pay to attend events, love dolls and respect other collectors.
I am, however, very careful with all my possessions whenever I travel....just treat your dolls as the very valuable commodity that they are and you will be fine. Carry a bag just for your doll/s so that the restroom issue is never an issue.

I love conventions!! I do not feel as crazy for collecting when I am with like minded people.

 

I bought an awesome tricorn hat at a con, left it at a table with 5 friends. SOMEONE STOLE MY HAT. Never did catch them.

Things will get stolen. If you're that worried about it, maybe owning nice things isn't for you. Unless you can manage the stress of the possibility of something happning.

 

I think its totally awsome on going to cons in general and even better with focus on dollies! I would love it if a doll con existed in sweden.

But things get stolen all the time (two month ago my moped was stolen), and coldhearted poeple who want easy earnd money will never go away. I have some thoughs now and then on getting insurens on my dolls, I now I never will be able to replace them 100%, but I would atleast not be emptyhanded.

 

I love doll cons. Well, more specifically, I loved the one I've been to, Dolliverse in the Netherlands. I can't really see people stealing anything -- we're all doll lovers, we all paid to be there, we all know how much everyone loves their dolls. At Dolliverse, I've left my dolls sitting around in various spots in the general vicinity of either my friend or myself, and nobody even touched them without my permission. Maybe the Dutch doll community is just particularly awesome or maybe I was lucky, but no, theft wouldn't be my primary concern among people who share the same hobby.

 

Anything can get stolen anytime, anywhere. I once had my purse stolen from my dad's truck, in broad daylight, parked directly in front of a hardware store and across the street from a church. My Grandmother's purse was stolen from her truck in her driveway. Someone stole my towel and shoes from my locker at the gym when I was in law school. Stealing happens. It's a fact of life.

As for doll conventions and shows, they are a lot of fun. The trick is not to bring more dolls with you than you can reasonably manage on your own. I wouldn't normally bring more than two. Also, if I have to go to the bathroom, my dolls come with. I would never leave them out of my sight, even if it was with my friend. I treat them exactly as I would my camera, my wallet, and my phone; keep them on my person (or at least at arm's reach and/or in sight) at all times.

If you're really paranoid about theft, perhaps going to a con isn't a good idea for you...it might be too stressful and if you're so stressed out, would you really have a good time? In my opinion, however, I wouldn't say cons and shows are a bad idea just based on the possibility of theft. If that were the case, pretty much every public event would be a bad idea, going out to the supermarket or the mall would be a bad idea, and...leaving the house would be a bad idea lol.

 

Seconding the 'doll cons are fun!'. Of course things can get stolen, but a burglar could get into your house and empty your doll cabinet too.

When I attended LDoll last year I was amazed with how many dolls were kept there. Dozens of doll companies all showcasing their work (meaning at least 6 dolls at every booth) and then hundreds of people all walking around with THEIR collection. Just imagine how much money was stored there... And yet, nothing was stolen. Everyone was polite and almost scared to touch all the pretties out there, let alone walk away with one. I literally had to tell folks to pick up one of my dolls when they were interested, because they were too afraid to do so by themselves.

It really depends on the crowd, but conventions are a lot of fun!

 

I've frequently taken my dolls to anime cons with me. Don't be afraid!
The best way to do it is to take a carry bag with you. That way your doll will never be away from you. If you need to make a restroom break or something like it, you can put your doll in its bag and hang the bag on a purse hook in the bathroom stall. ^^ Even works with my EID!

 

I've never been to a doll con, but I generally take my dolls with me to the anime cons I attend. When I'm out on the floor with them, I don't let them out of my site (and frequently have them tucked in a carrier as I'm heading to a meet, though I'll sometimes have one out with me in the Artist's Alley as I look for clothes and the like for them). I do have a trusted friend who attends cons with me who I'd trust with the dolls if I absolutely had to put them down for a moment, but it hasn't really been a problem.

Another thing is that I do not carry my dolls all day. I'm in costume, I'm posing for photos, I'm attending panels, I'm shopping, I'm doing all kinds of things that take away attention from the doll, or would require me to put the doll aside, and during those times I leave the doll in the hotel room. I know some people can be paranoid about that, too, so here's a hotel room tip: put your Do Not Disturb sign out! The housekeepers won't come in if you have that sign out (you can leave the TV on too if you're extra-paranoid, but we generally just go with the sign), though they may slip a note under the door explaining why your room wasn't serviced. I've never really worried about the other people in the room, either, since everyone generally has their own expensive items (laptops, gaming systems) that they don't want messed with, and we all leave each other's stuff alone.

And once upon a time, when I ran an Artist's Alley table, I sold some doll clothes at it and actually had them sitting on the table, and none were ever stolen (though I did have to put a big "DO NOT TOUCH!" sign in front of them).

 

I think if you're really worried, no one would blame you for leaving your dolls at home I know when I go to my first doll con (someday haha) I'd be weighing up what I would do and whether bringing a doll along that day would be a safe idea - like vicemage said, sometimes it's just not viable to be carrying a doll around all day.

If I ran into someone who left their doll in their locked hotel room or at home, I'd probably tell them they were being smart - cause they have hands free to buy and carry lots of doll stuff

 

If I brought my doll to a doll con, she would be with me the entire time.

 

You can leave a note when you check in at the hotel desk that you do not need your room serviced. That lets the maids off the hook for not going into your room and reinforces the "No Service Please" tag on the door. We do this all the time.