Do you value a BJD more if it is hard to get?

I will buy a doll I like if I can find it. I usually don't get limited dolls because I miss them when they go on sale. I am looking for a catsy, I should have gotten one when there was alot of them around, thats a must have for me. Also an F_16 volks, I'd love one painted with girls features.

 

Using Volks as the example of a company who - perhaps - has a problematic collectability factor attached to their molds because of marketing policies is really unfair. There are many Limited Edition dolls being created and sold by many different companies in more than a handful of differing approaches to those sales. For the sake of informative and even-handed discussion, Volks should not be singled out in this thread.

Being a fan of DollShe, I can attest that the current difficulty in bringing home a Bermann directly from tensiya.com is beyond frustrating - however, owning an SA Bermann, I can also state unequivocably that the desire I have to own his DO brother is completely because of the mold and not the limited factor or the difficulty of acquiring one.

 

Most of my dolls are "just" standard, non-limited dolls, but I don't think I could love them more if they were the only ones of their kind.

I used to have a few limited or hard to get dolls on my wishlist, like an MSD F-06 girl or an Unoa L-Bi, but by now, I find that there are so many regular, easier and cheaper to get sculpts that I like every bit as well that I think I'll stick to them.

Also, with the standard dolls, I'm less hesitant to customize them, which is a plus to me.

 

Na, I'd love them all the same.

 

Well, I have both a regular, standard boy, and a limited edition boy, and I love them both equally. The fact that Daejin is a limited doll doesn't really affect how much I like him.
I tend to stay away from limited dolls, just because I don't want to be totally disappointed.. though since I haven't paid for either of my dolls, I'm pretty sure my dad would rather I stay away from limiteds as well. XD;;;

 

Like many people who have posted in this thread, I have regular edition dolls that I value as much or more than my limited edition dolls. For me, it's all about whether a particular sculpt is right for me and my characters.

I did get Yukinojo mostly because he was limited and a brand new body, but I wasn't totally in love with hiis face... and he turned out to be entirely wrong for me. He didn't suit either of the characters I wanted him to be. So within two days of his arrival home, I had made arrangements to sell him... and got the boy who was perfectly right for me, an SD13 Tony. Yes, I "swapped" one limited for another, but the difference was falling in love at first sight with his pictures online. I fell in love with one and not with the other. The funny thing was, I had Yukinojo in hand, and wasn't nearly as excited about him as I was about the Tony I was still hoping to get!! LOL!

So I learned my lesson the hard way.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I don't think limitedness is a big factor for me. It's nice if the doll I want is a standard and can be bought any time, but if it's a limited and I really want it, I'll just do my research and save up until I can get one. Something hard to get can give a greater sense of satisfaction at the point of buying it, but it doesn't mean I'll necessarily enjoy the limited doll any more than the standard one, once both of them are home with me.

I guess some people get turned off if something is hard to find or buy. Others would view limitedness as a positive challenge or attraction factor, and go after a doll specifically for that reason. Finally, some people look at the doll and disregard whether it is limited or not/hard to find or not in deciding if they want to buy it. I would be the last type.

I must agree with galatia9 on this. It's all about whether a sculpt is right for me and the character I have in mind. If it is, then limitedness or standardness is no barrier either way!

I have to say that singling out Volks here could be misleading for newer people in this hobby. For instance, Custom House limiteds are usually more expensive and more "limited" than Volks limiteds. Same with the Tensiya Bermanns, as Zagzageal pointed out (the frenzy over those was amazing!) Furthermore, like most companies, Volks also sells some lovely standard dolls, which just don't get as much coverage in the Western world (although there are plenty of them in the Japanese collector community), so calling this the "Volks style" might cause people to misunderstand that Volks ONLY sell limited dolls for some reason.

I went to look for this member and read what I think is the relevant post. I think what she said actually supports the opposite of what you concluded? She likes her Leeke better than her You-SDs, despite their relative limitednesses (is that a word??), which suggests that she likes the doll for its face rather than whether it is limited or not.

 

If i love the doll...like in a my heart beats everytime i see it and i have to have it, kind of way...then it doesnt matter if its rare or expensive or whatever...I unfortunatly have limits...like i'm not going to spend 1000+ on a sist...despite wanting one.

 

I have had both limited edition expensive sought after dolls, and I personally could not see what the big hoopla was all about. I rarely played or dressed them or even took pictures to post here on the forum. In the end I sold them only because life emergency situations came unexpectedly and had to be dealt with. The dolls I have now only 2 are limited edition and I am never parting with them again. However all my BJD's are limited to me that is.

 

Hum... interesting question. While there is something to said for the thrill of the chase, I don't buy dolls based on that fact. I only buy what I love, limited or easily available. I find it enough of a challenge to purchase a regular doll directly from a company, have all the money up front & wait, wait, wait.

When I do get a limited or hard to get doll, it doesn't make it anymore special in my eyes. What engages me is the sculpt itself & some common ones that I bought on impulse & then thought that I shouldn't have, can become favored dolls here as their faces just grow on me.

Most of my dolls are fairly common ones that just speak to me. There are some limiteds that I'd like to have but there are so many other fabulous faces out there that I simply don't stress about it. I just enjoy the unattainable ones thru other people's pictures & cherish all the dolls I do have.

 

That's so true, especially about the CH limiteds. And just think of the excitement about the re-release of the Luts elves! On the other hand, Volks is the company that makes the biggest deal out of how limited their dolls our, via Dollpas, lotteries, tea parties, etc. While the others are often more limited, the (rather clever) way Volks handles their limiteds does put them in the public eye more often. I, too, had the impression that Volks made primarily limited dolls when I entered this hobby; it's an easy impression to get with they way they do their marketing.

 

It certainly hasn't. I like to think it's a combination of many factors...looks, quality, as well as marketing strategy. I think their strategy developed in response to the Japanese market, which adores limited things (they haven't really been directly involved in the US market for very long).

I'd have to admit that this is true! I suppose the reason is primarily that they've only recently targeted the US market specifically (unlike other large BJD companies which probably get most or much of their business from the West), and also the remarkable resale value which obscures the original price (it definitely hurts to pay $600 for a You-SD when they cost, I think, $300-400 direct from Volks?). I think they've been trying to fix this a bit by opening the Volks USA store, but it doesn't work that well, especially when limiteds are involved.
I can't really think of a way to solve this, except to make all limiteds standard dolls (but then the earlier buyers might feel hard done by ^^, or to have "pre-orders" of limiteds as they did for some dolls in the past (in Japan), to help fill demand.

 

If I were holding my standard, Shuui-faceupp'd MNF Chiwoo in one arm and my Breakaway in the other, and happened to trip and drop them both down the stairs - I'd sooner check the MNF. October may be a zomfg Breakaway, but Mittwoch is so sweet and lovely that I'd be more concerned over him than the other, though undoubtedly it would appear I love Toby 'more'. ^^; It's just how I personally feel about their true worth.

 

Simply no, it doesn't make a difference to me since I customize them to my liking regardless.

Sera~

 

I do think that there are people in this hobby who put more stock in the difficulty of obtaining a doll and or in its status as a Limited release than they put into models on their own merit... But I'm not one of them.

I've picked my crew based on how much I liked the sculpt, and how well they suited certain characters that I wanted to embody... Beyond that, I couldn't care less if they're as rare as hen's teeth or as common as an El. How rare a doll is, how long it took me to get it, or what hoops I had to jump through don't affect my affection for them after they're here... Like Xi, my favorite doll is a standard, easy-to-get Shiwoo.

I adore every one of these little resin minions of mine, not just the ones who came with numbered certificates. ^_^

 

x3 I get that question sooo much. I honestly do not know but it's visually appealing to me. x3

And thank you - although I don't drive that's a sweet sentiment! :'D So cold heeeere~