Do you think limited dolls should be rereleased/restocked by their companies?

I think that if a company is to restock a limited mold, it should once again be as a limited, and should only be restocked maybe once a year.

 

Again, I don't think you can buy an heirloom. It just happens, that's pretty much the only way I can see it. I rarely have moments where I can't see the other side all that clearly, but this is one of them XD

As for the limited release topic, again if they're released as a limited again, it doesn't bother me. I am not a collector, so I can't see how it would bother me, if a limited doll was released again in limited quantities.

Their future market value has no meaning to me, because I never intend to sell them when I buy them. Should my dolls become heirlooms, it more than likely won't be because I bought them and that they're worth something. It'd probably be because they're something that meant a lot to me.

So, if I've got one of the only 50 Akando dolls out there, and 50 more of the same set come out for the same price, it doesn't bother me. I don't feel cheated, he still cost the same for anyone else that bought him.

Now if he came out with another 50 and I liked the second set more, I think I'd be a little about it, but that's kind of it. But usually they do change the face or at least whatever makes them limited somewhat to keep the original buyers happy, so it's not too much to worry about.

 

I think the Volks should restock SD16 Ruby because I want her

 

Well, I suppose if they re-release them then they're not really limited and that defeats the purpose and then they loose value. So as much as I'd love to get my hands on some limiteds that I've seen rolling about the internet, I'm going to have to say that no, I don't think they should be released. Ever. For any reason at all. XD

 

I really would love to know how people feel about Sard's status as a limited, since the only real difference in the head sculpt from a standard doll offered by Soom is the ears.... One could cobble together a passable (if not perfect) Sard from a lucky leg acquisition, a regular supergem Dia boy, and a bit of creative ear-epoxying. Does this alter the status of Sard's 'limitedness' in your eyes, since he is not actually a completely unique sculpt?

 

Then it would not be limited.
It would be an annual standard.
There is a difference.

 

Sard's head sculpt and leg sculpts are unique, its not the same head as the other SG males. And none of the other SG males have his hooved parts.

 

Its not an official heirloom until past on for multiple generations.
But an item much loved or of particular value that an individual would like to keep within the family as long as possible can be marked as an intended heirloom.

It has nothing to do with whether or not you bought it or its inherent value. Any item intended to be passed on within the family in a specific manner can be considered an heirloom. Even certain traditions can create Heirlooms. My family has a particular one involving giving a descendant salt, for example.

And it would be rather rude and ignorant to assume that just because you'd be fine with it, that its not a big deal. ABJD are collectibles. And as such, there ARE actual collectors who collect them. And while the true nature of a limited or one off or their values may mean nothing to you, it certainly means something to many of them.

And again, if they repeat the release, its no longer limited as they've broken the guarantee given on the first release. Thats not how limiteds work.

 

*cough* LUTS, please restock ethan again and I'll forgive you for all the crappy service and trouble you made me go through *cough*

But I guess they shouldn't be restocked by their companies, because it's like saying one thing and doing another, and defeats the purpose of being a limited doll. :3

 

Actually, in the bjd hobby what you consider to be mere accessories, are often what makes an LE set LE. It is very common for sculpts to be released again in other limited batches with different clothes, wigs, eyes, sometimes even skin tone. Earlier you compared the bjd hobby to other collector hobbies. While they do have things in common (like basic supply and demand principles), there are also going to be differences in the specifics. For bjds, it is unusual for a sculpt to be released one time ever--it happens, but usually there are a number of different LE versions of a doll.

Soom could decided to never release these sculpts again, but I think it more likely that they would be released in the future for limited times in different versions. This isn't right or wrong, it's just the way bjd companies tend to operate. Unless they state very specifically that this sculpt is never going to be released again, I wouldn't expect it to be one time only. Despite all this, a lot of LE bjds keep their value quite well--especially if they were popular to began with (if you can only get a doll once a year, say, over a very short order period it's still going to be considered tough to get and demand will outstrip supply). Like it or not, it's often the way the doll is done up (LEs are often sold as full sets) that sets it apart from other versions and gives it it's LE status. So if a company says doll (which includes the fullset) is only available between X and Y dates, they aren't lying as it's highly highly doubtful that they would release the exact same set again.

 

Not quite. In some cases, sure. But not in general.

With Soom, it is the sculpts. Thats why they stated they are not going to be making Beryl Standards.

Look at Dream of Doll.

Each of their sculpts has a sculpt specific outfit. The only way to get that outfit is by buying the sculpt. That does not make the doll LE. The sculpt is standard, the outfit was merely made with that sculpt in mind in order to accentuate the potential of the sculpt.

However...

Dream of Dolls Limited Editions are NOT based on the outfits. The outfit still plays the same role. But the SCULPT, the doll itself, it the limited edition.

Soom's monthly dolls are the same way. The doll is the limited, the accessories, while SOME of the accessories are considered limited (though not all), are still just that: accessories. And are being used to accentuate the potential of the doll.

So if a company released a limited edition sculpt, and then re-release the sculpt later, even with a new outfit... They've broken the limited guarantee on the doll. If it were the outfit only in question, or the face up, it wouldn't be offered as available as a limited with both of those being merely options in most cases. And the outfit could simply be released solo on its own.

 

If Soom stated that, then I wouldn't assume they would be rereleased--and note that I never said that no companies ever limit the actual sculpt--just that it was more common to release different versions. The sculpt may have a standard version, or have been rereleased, but the sculpt+faceup+wig+outfit is going to be LE, if offered in limited numbers--it's the set

I have an AR Present Jade ver 01. They made two LE versions and also a standard version of the sculpt. However my Jade is still LE since he is in a skin tone that standard dolls do not come in and he came with a faceup and outfit specific to that version. So while the standard is obviously not LE, the Present Jades versions 01 and 02 are considered LEs. Those specific versions will not be released again. They also had had an LE tan version as well. That's what I've been trying to get at--not Soom's specific plans (I never had plans to buy any of the Zodiac dolls, so I'm not up on all of that), but that a doll can be LE even if that sculpt is released more than once. That is how many, not all, but many LE's work, so it shouldn't be a shock to see a sculpt rereleased in a different version--it's not lying or being deceptive, it's just the common practice unless they specifically tell you otherwise. Please correct me if I've misunderstood you, but you seem to be considering only the sculpt to be what makes an LE an LE, and that's not always the case--it's often the set as a whole--LE versions of a doll (besides, even if it is occasionally rereleased, a sculpt that is not offered in unlimited quantities is still a limited).

 

If you look at Volks SD16 Amelia and SDC Kurt, both are limited editions because a) you cannot get a basic 'Amelia' or 'Kurt' doll, b) they have limited edition face-ups, c) their clothing is not available seperately. While the dolls themselves are certainly limited, it is their faceups and accessories that are also a big part of the LE status.

Would I want Volks to re-issue SDC Kurt? Mine arrives tomorrow, and I wouldn't care how many brothers he has. It would probably be bad business sense on Volks' part too, since Amelia sold out pretty quickly, but her companion, Kurt is still dragging his feet nearly two years after going on sale

It wouldn't be unfair to re-release SOOM Sard next year with new kit, particularly as a lot of the people who bought him seemed to buy the blank doll, with no interest in his LE clothes or blushing. SOOM know that Beryl and Sard were a big hit this year and in an unstable economic climate they would be very foolish to ignore the loud positive noises their customers have been making about Beryl and Sard.

 

I think it would be nice if they stocked limited bodies and heads. I think what they should keep limited are the fullsets because that's special but for bodies and heads and molds they should stock them.

 

Also... Even with Soom its not always the sculpt itself. Their limited Sabik cyborg is just a Sabik with modded hands... And you can buy Vega as a Boy during FFD (he's just not a merman). I really wouldn't be surprised if they released the Zodiac headmolds standard (just without the fabulous hooves, crab arms, faery ears...)

 

... and Vega wasn't even a man, at first release... it was originally a female...

You can change almost anything on a doll, and it changes its edition. But you'd really be hard-pressed to claim that Boy-Vega and Girl-Vega LEs aren't distinct from one another. ^^ Same sculpt, different universes.

Well, the first part's still wrong... but the second part, yes! Now you're getting it, exactly. I still get approached by people who want to buy Shiro v.1's leather jacket, which is 5 years old, because you couldn't get it with Shiro v.2. (Shiro v.2 came with a school uniform.) And if I ever find Shiro v.1's necklace, I will probably drop stupid money to get it, because then my v.1 fullset will finally be complete.

However, even if I had the missing fullset-piece, my Shiro v.1 wouldn't be truly completely v1 because his faceup is long-gone; I would have to go out & drop insane money on an untouched Shiro v1 to get that classic faceup. The faceup actually matters and has value.

The difference between these v1's and v2's of these dolls was all about their faceups and outfits. But the fullsets are each still considered Limited Editions each.

Hmm. It sounds like, at the crux of it, you just don't believe that a Basic version and a Limited version of the same sculpt can exist at the same time? Have I got that right? If so, then it would appear that there's just two schools of thought on that issue.

The sculpt being released twice doesn't make it Standard-- because you still can't just order it at any time. For that matter, you can have an LE of a standard sculpt, with the aforementioned clothes, faceup, etc. Wait, maybe I should have just referred you to Taco's post again for closer reading, since it was summarized so much clearer already:

 

i think that if they were re-released .they would loose value and also they would not be considered limited anymore.

 

Iplehouse said there were only 50 released to the world but a few days ago put out 20 more Akando-Pierrot dolls.

Based on what I got out of what rage and I disagreed on earlier, technically Akando becomes standard now, right? (This is me trying to understand that pov, not argue, since now we apparently have a recent example of the discussed event.)

However, I do have a slight bone to pick about something that was said in response to the post of mine quoted above. Just as what you said applies to me, so does it apply to you. It does not mean that I absolutely must think of BJDs as collectibles just because you see them that way. I'm in no way a collector, I "just like to buy the pretty dolls to make them look like my characters." To put it in basic terms, and there are lots of others as well that do have the same school of thought on the dolls themselves and why they purchase them.

There are plenty of others throughout the pages that say they'd love for others to get the chance to buy the sculpts that they have. Not all of us bought them for collector's value. Some of us bought them because we liked them and happened to be in the position that we were able to buy them when they came out.

Standard edition can co exist with limited edition. Example being DOD and their Tanned Ducan, while they still have regular Ducan for sale. He's limited regular Ducan's not. I don't think that's any kind of issue. As taco said it happens regularly in the bjd world. o.o

With the MDs from Soom, I wouldn't mind if Sard and Beryl made a reappearance in different versions next year. I don't see a problem with that at all. It's like buying a christmas ornament every year with the year date on it. (I.E. 2003,2004, 2005, etc.) Each ornament is a limited edition dated from that year that would be different the next year. See where I'm coming from?

As for what Taco said about "what we see as merely accessories" I wholeheartedly agree. Not all limited editions are sculpt based only.

I still fail to see a problem with a human Beryl being released, no hooves, no elf ears, and no limited clothes, and she only comes as a naked Super Gem girl in either normal or white skin. JennyNemesis is right there really just might be two schools of thought on that aspect.

 

In the case of Volks, YES they should re-release limiteds... since almost every single one of their dolls is limited or hard to get (via fcs).
Or, at least, add the head to the FCS so people at least have a little glimmer of hope.
Or create an online FCS!

I feel the same way for any company that releases more limiteds/really-hard-to-gets (as in, you either have to pay someone a commission to get it for you, or travel, unless you're lucky enough to live by a store) than standards.

 

Why did you single out Volks? Isn't this hobby about having unique dolls? I dont understand why Volks is the only one which should re-relese limiteds.
Besides, limiteds are limited! Part of the fun of the hobby is to rush and get them while they are available.

~Gus