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

I think if they sell the doll as a limited it should remain that way - otherwise it is a dis-service to the original buyers who may have waited if the doll wasn't limited. If it is represented as a "limited fullset" - then releasing the doll with different fullset items or even as a basic would be reasonable.

 

Currently the views about this are almost evenly split between the poll's suggested opinions. Apparently our community does not clearly understand "LIMITED" to mean one thing or another. The use of the word limited for this art form is not being held to the same definition as seen in some other hobbies or collectibles.

Numbered editions seem a good solution or choice for people who have an eye toward the investment possibilities. I haven't been collecting bjd long enough to learn all about how this has been done with doll sculptors and manufacturers. It seems from this poll that no one is exactly sure. I am a 2-dimensional artist and it would be very disreputable for me to make numbered copies of my art and not stand by the promise and keep track of what I've produced. There can be only one of each numbered piece, and there can not be more than 200 ever made, if for example, my numbers end with 200 on the right side of the slash symbol [1/200]. This is commonly referred to a LIMITED EDITION. In that case there is a clear promise that only 200 of this exact creation will EVER be made. I do not see anything "unfair" about doing that. It is still allowing the creators/companies to "make what they want".

...However, any slight change will create the opportunity for more to be made... and that doesn't have an exact predictable effect on the numbered/limited ones future value. It is probably generally felt it might lessen the future value. But it could draw more attention to the older ones and increase their value. I don't see anything wrong with enjoying a hobby partly for the potential of increasing values in the future.

More exactly-the-same as the numbered-ones, even without numbers,
would still be dishonest to the earlier buyers. Numbered editions are all about making something special
because of the PROMISED number that will ever be made is *small* ~ or at least a *set number*.

I guess since they don't use numbers, doll companies don't agree to these promises, when they call a doll limited. They leave the option open to themselves for the unspoken "THIS TIME...we will stop making this doll by a certain date"...and that may be all they intend to promise. But the question will still remain, will they ever make it again? This is their prerogative, and as far as I can see, that is perfectly fair to leave the question hanging, as motivation while deciding which doll to buy. It is all part of the marketplace for where the dollie-dollars will go.

There is a great marketing power, when buyers believe this will be their only chance to have a certain possession {unless they can catch one of the few made, at some future time, on the secondary market}. I don't think it is honest to use that power or prestige, or pressure, however you want to name it,,,if it isn't accurate.

 

I do own limited dolls and although I don't think fullsets should be re-released I do think the basic doll sculpt (and all the different skin options) should be restocked frequently, purely because seeing what each owner makes of that sculpt is one of the joys of this hobby. We can customise the dolls in so many different ways it just seems a tragic waste of a wonderful sculpt to limit it to small number. The thought that there are only a few bronze skin Sards out there is heartbreaking!

 

My original thought is that there should be no such thing as a limited doll. Perhaps a seasonal doll (so the mold isn't available year round or with the same full set features each release) but never a limited doll.

As for a re-release of limited dolls: I do support that idea. There are many people who cannot buy a mold when it is released whom really want the doll but for external reasons can't get it at that time. Releasing it with the same price as the first round is fair. It gives collectors a second chance of getting the doll they wanted at a just price and skip the hassle of the very often over priced second hand market. If a LE doll collector is going to make twice or triple the profit selling the doll later: I would prefer to pay the company who is the one who designed the doll and not another collector like me. It just irks me when some people buy a LE doll only to make huge profit (of someone else's work) later.

But again, the idea I support most is the first one mentioned in my post: no to LE and yes to seasonal dollies.

 

No company controls the aftermarket value or prices of a product, especially a collectible. If a consumer chooses to spend x amount on a doll (in this case) to own it, that is his/her personal decision. Whether you do it for your own enjoyment or so-called invest value or for 'bragging rights', it is your reason.

But no one can blame companies for trying to earn a living in this poor economy. Unless they have broken a cardinal rule and issued additional exact copies of a numbered release (say produced 100 more of an LE of 10), then I cannot see a problem.

If I understand it right, Volks (maybe other companies as well) do not give out the numbers of their releases...just that they are limited. Sometimes, people at a certain event get the first chance to purchase, right? Then they may have another event in a different city or online that has the doll with a different set of clothes or faceup. Is that doll a different edition from the previous one? I would consider it a different edition.

I collect DDs. There are now like 4 or 5 versions of Saber. She is one of the more popular DDs, AFAIK. I don't have one myself (yet). I wasn't that crazy about the mold, so it just wasn't a big deal for me. Plus, she had a huge secondary market price. People chose to pay it, so she had that price. It was a decision collectors made. Volks did not make another penny on the dolls after that original sale.

Now they release 2 new Sabers (the 4/5 versions I think...trying to keep up) with no limit. I know some original owners were upset. But do the new version make their dolls any less special? These have different clothing and accessories, slightly different body. Not an exact reproduction of the original line. Many people who wanted Saber before can get a Saber now. But that doesn't make the other Sabers less special. The ones who paid 2-3k for one chose to do so.

I guess in all this, the bottom line is that as collectors we make choices with our wallets and collecting is a gamble. Someone once told me that collectables are your worst choice as an
investment if you are looking for return on your money. Dolls are are there to be loved. Buy what you like not what you can get for it...that was the advice I got and appreciated.

Anyway, if I company if deceptive and issues more dolls than they say are in an edition...I think that is wrong. But is something is simply limited, there isn't a lot to say. Especially if the re-release is different.

Just my opinion. I know everyone has one and each one is important.

 

Perhaps, but it depends. Maybe a limited doll being sold a year or more later, or a limited sale of for a period of time once a year for holidays and such.

But it does give someone a special feeling that they own something that could only have been bought once. I just think it depends.

 

This. uvu
I think companies don't sell limited dolls so that the buyer can sell them later for higher prices, but so that they can make profit from them themselves. So I find it pretty natural if they see one limited doll being more popular, that they'd want to rerelease it.

Yet, my opinion is that a doll should not be rereleased. Maybe as a limited again with different face-up/outfit or even maybe a basic version (like Bluefairy/MinoruWorld/Peak'sWoods/etc do). But the exact same one, no. There's just something a little special about owning something that only few other people in the world own also uvu;;;; That's just my opinion though >3<

 

I have to agree with what some others have already said- it's not fair to call something a limited edition if it's not limited. This happens not only with dolls, but with different versions of DVDs and video games, as well as other items- most of which are not re-released. I don't personally own any LEs, but if I did, I would be pissed if I had shelled out a bunch of money, and then the company turned around and re-released it.

 

i don't want the limited doll to be released or produced again . or why we call them the "limitied"

 

I feel that re-releasing a limited doll takes away from the monetary value, and the feeling that you have something rare and special.

I also don't mind people buying them just to re-sell, as it helps those who missed the date, even if they have to pay more.

 

Unless the doll is made a 'standard' and is available all year round, it is a limited edition because the number and availability is still limited.

This is an interesting perspective. Surely the creator of the doll should be the ones earning money off the sculpt, rather than people buying specifically to re-sell at higher prices after the ordering period has closed? For dolls that are limited by number and not by ordering period, this doesn't mean that the number of dolls available has increased, it actually means that fewer people have the dolls at all. If the dolls are LE100 and fifty collectors buy two each, there are still only 100 dolls in the edition and if the fifty collectors choose to sell one of their LE100 dolls at an inflated price that means they're making money off someone else's skills and someone else's desperation.

 

Wouldn't the creator in this scenario have already achieved their monetary goals they set forth if they had sold all their dolls at the price that they originally specified? I don't see the problem with that. I would think they'd really pleased to have sold all their dolls and if they want to charge more in the future now they know they certainly can!

I don't really see it that way at all and I've never felt desperate or like I was taking money from the original artist when I have purchased a doll off the secondary market. It's simple supply and demand economics and while I wish it weren't so and there were plenty of dolls to go around so everyone could have everything they want, it's the nature of all collectables.

I will say I've never seen such competitive collecting in any other hobby which is why I have no issue with companies reissuing limited dolls. The joy of dolls is really in the sharing and creative for me and everyone deserves to have the dolls they love.

 

I don't have any limited dolls and as long as they are clearly marked as limited I'm fine.
Souldoll had this wonderful doll called Paolo and I didn't think he was limited but now you can't get him from their site anymore. Maybe I just didn't read it well enough but I feel like I really missed out on that doll.

 

Its a really tricky question, on one hand I respect the idea of a limited doll being just that, get one fast or your don't get it. But on the other hand, my self being of little income and having little ability to capitalize on a glorious sculpt would love if once every few years, say 5 or so; certain sculpts would come around for a 2nd edition. Specifically stamping 2nd ed. in the inside of their heads or somewhere, there by not diminishing the rarity of the original's but allowing others a second chance at owning a truly wonderful doll.

 

Why would they restock them? Isn't that what limited means? If they restock them, they are not limited, which devalues them.

 

Well if the doll/mold is classified as Limited... Perhaps they could do future limited runs of the molds themselves and not so much the fullsets. I guess things likes Soom's choice system for their monthly dolls or the MyChoice from Luts (though it would be nice if Luts did a limited run of that and not just as a "gift" for spending a lot of money during an event -_-).

Sporadic limited re-releases couldn't hurt too badly, I don't think.

 

Limiting the availability is a way to set a higher value on things, just simple economics. For a moment I am setting aside any emotional/imaginative value we feel for our dolls. We are talking about what a company promises when they market their dolls. What do we mean by the word "limited" no matter our viewpoint about it. I think it would be best if there were some agreed upon definitions that are held to internationally. Or at least, that it would be clearly understood what each company means in their marketing promises. That would make things "fairer" between the companies and their competition with each other.

I understand that everyone feels different things about this, and we are talking about a few different kinds of things. I don't want anyone to feel I am criticizing their negative feelings about buyers who hope to see their dolls increase in value and consider this when picking out the doll they want to buy now. But I don't share the critical feelings towards those people. I WOULD, however, see it as a negative thing for someone to buy up dolls that are issued in a limited number -- with plans to prevent others from being able to buy them. And then to turn around and make everyone pay more than the company charged. That would deserve the negative connotation of scalping. I have seen limited-number dolls being released with the notation one, or maybe "two per customer please". That shows an awareness, and wish to discourage or prevent such a practice, as it should be!

I see it that once I purchase a doll I own the "rights" to whatever may happen to the doll's future value. The company made their piece of the profit on initial sales with an added punch if they describe the doll as limited. That doll may win out over other dolls available at the same time who are not described this way.

As for secondary markets. People who treasure their dolls by caring for them,
improving them ~ or NOT, depending on their skills...haaa...in most cases it seems NOT may be best . -- housing them if you will, and later offer them for sale are not gaining anything un-deserved if another person wants to buy the doll for a higher price than the first purchase price. There are a lot of other things to consider, but this isn't a spot for writing a thesis. I tend to run long and get complicated when I start writing. I do believe this possibility of future increased values, including from having a limited edition doll, is very helpful for the selling of the doll in the first place. I would think that having a strong secondary market value is helpful to an artist and the company. But it is complex, and not entirely predictable. That is where the "skill" may be for people who enjoy their dolls from the added dimension of predicting the future love [and monetary value] for the dolls of their choosing.

 

Second you thoughts, dear. There must be some kind of balance between those who wants to own something special and companies/buyer who suffers from high priced dolls on marketplace. If you want, I don' know, white Sard with hooves and limited make up so you should search at marketplace. If you want basic Williams it would be totally normal to buy it on Volks's site. That's my point. There must be a choice! The perfect limited doll in my opinion is the Black Ducan. He's the one, he's totally limited but you can buy your own Ducan at any time. You even can make him tan using your cooking (sorry, guys!) skills and modify his ears but it wouldn't be the same Black Ducan.

 

Honestly, if iplehouse made Isar readily available after I shelled out to get her during the limited time she was offered... I'd be miffed as hell. I wouldn't object to them rereleasing some of their limiteds on a very limited basis (like they rereleased Claude for december, but not his outfit), but I like that Isar is limited and special and not going to be available again. XD I just like exclusive stuff!!!

 

From the perspective of a person buying a limited doll, I'd be irritated if a company does not specify whether or not they'll reproduce a "limited" mold. If it's a doll I'd really like to have, but my finances are low, I'd rather wait for a second production run. If the company says it's a limited mold, then I'd try to manage things, maybe sell off other dolls, to afford the limited one in time. Then if I find out in the future that they are selling the mold again, I would think I'd have the right to be angry. I also have no problem with increased value of limited dolls in the secondhand market, as that's what happens in EVERY hobby. The seller has every right to set their own price. They took the risk of buying the doll, whether or not it would sell, and they don't gain anything if the price is too high for anyone to buy it.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the constant threat of "limited" dolls. I'd rather there be no limited molds (limited fullsets are another story). But if there are, the companies need to stick to their word. I've missed out on limited dolls that were sold before I entered the hobby, but there are new molds being released all the time, many of which are replacing the ones I originally wanted. And if I really want one bad enough, I'd be willing to pay more.