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

nope! i value it more if it's rearer, sort of like some sculpts are available on sites but there seems to be maybe 1-3 people on the forum who actually own one, then i go "" especially if it's something you wanted and you find it second hand xD

 

Considering I've sold almost every non-limited sculpt that has ever passed through my hands, I would have to say, yes, I do value it more if it's hard to get. I wouldn't buy it if it was readily available, because there's no thrill of the chase, so to speak. One of the things that drew me in the end to the hobby was the exclusivity, after all. :3 I have a feeling that I'll become even more of a collector once I gain a steady income that I can put away into a doll fund. '05 open-eyed Breakaway.... Volks SDGr body.... tan Bermann... ah.... my wishlist will explode.

 

I stay away from 'hard-to-get' dolls because I really don't want to go through a song and dance after I've already did such to acquire the money to pay. I stay away from limited editions because there's just no way I'm going to get that much in a short amount of time. And I don't want to buy second-hand because who knows who's on the other end of it? As a result to all this, I think I value limiteds less than regular sculpts, because I don't even try.

I like a doll I can take my time for; a doll that I'll know will be there when I've spend a few months saving up for it. A doll I can buy company-direct, rather than from unseen seller. I just feel safer that way, and not every limited is wonderful.

 

Another thing: If you happen to be one of those collectors who values the thrill of the chase, as much as/ more than the prize itself, then it can be more valuable to you to chase limiteds & HTF grails. The prize may not feel as valuable if you didn't have to draw a little blood to get it. For some, it's not so much the having as the getting.

 

For me, I have only jut got my first BjD and it was extreamly hard to get, more so save the money to get her x--x so for me any doll can be hard to get :3

 

I don't own any limited edition dolls, but that's not due to lack trying as much as wish dolls appeared in the marketplace when I had the money in hand. That said, I have long wanted a Unoa Lusis and those come up infrequently, in kit form, no less. Hard to get and I get to make it completely my own - this makes it alluring and it remains on my wish list. As to the question of valuing a hard to obtain doll more, I'd say no.

Perhaps I'll revise my answer to that question when I get my Lusis...hehehe.

 

No, I have both standard and Limited doll but I'm rather spoil my standard doll more.

 

I like the challenge of getting a limited doll more, so for me- yeah I value a BJD more if it's hard to get.

 

For me, I'd say yes. But I say this looking at it from a customizer's point of view, rather than a collector's.

I've never tried to get a LE or otherwise hard to obtain complete doll, so I can't relate.

However, if I'd have to part with some of my dolls my hybrid would be the very last to go. It took me forever (over 1 year actually) to complete this doll because there was absolutely no valuable info to help me and in the end it was sheer luck that I finally managed to complete it. During this year of madness I bonded deeply with this doll and I know I won't let it go as readily as others if I had to.

For some reason I doubt that I'd be this attached to an LE - even if I'd have gone completely out of my way to get in the first place. I'd have to go this way first to know for sure, though.

 

Making dolls limited makes them more valuable. While it's not essentially great for the people who miss out, it's great for business and the doll hobby in general, it adds to things of value ^^ If they were all so common, they wouldn't be that special. It would take away from the sense of achievement and joy/determination people have in this hobby.

The fact that some dolls are EXTREMELY hard to get is actually nice to me, it gives me something to look forward to :3 and it WOULD probably seem a lot more valuable to me if I had one ^^

 

Honestly, limited edition dolls are generally a turnoff for me--especially if it requires entering a raffle for a chance at a doll. That would be aggravating to me, and there's never been a sculpt that I loved enough for that. I do like underrated sculpts however, and I have one rare girl who is discontinued and modded with a ooak face up. All my dolls have a high value for me, but I'm very aware that she is one of a kind in the whole world. If there were ever an accident or theft, she is the one that could never be replaced. It's not because of anything the company did though... just because of the unpopularity of the sculpt and the customizations of a talented artist.

 

The dolls I want to have in my collection need to be those that are hard to get. If it's a doll I got from the company directly, nine times out of ten I'll sell it one day. It's the thrill of the hunt that makes him or her special to me.

... I still love IH Akando, though, even though I probably won't buy him.

EDIT

Aaah, yes. Though I have to say, the having is quite nice too.

 

Simple answer: No, it's just annoying. If I really want a limited item then I end up agonizing over whether it'll sell out before I can save enough to buy it and it's no fun.
Standard editions ftw~!

 

I think it depends on the word value, for me I have limited dolls but because they are limited, I tend not to play with them as much. Value... as far as what I assume they are worth yes. But the dolls that I hold closest to my heart. The ones that I sit with, or that are the most spoiled are regular standard issues, in fact in some cases they have a faceup I have done because It allows me to stress les about accidently damaging a face up. I own three Els.. One full sized who has a limited face up its some what one of a kind. I'm terrified to take him out. As where my littlefee who is a regular standard old el, goes to almost all the meets. I encourage people to play with him pick him up. He's actually going to the west coast on a trip with me. Hes gotten knicks and such but honestly I value him personally far more than any of my limited dolls.

 

It would depend on what the person values, I think. For some this hobby is about the thrill of the hunt; finding what's rare or unique, whether through money, luck, or one of those awesome trading stories. For others it's a way of showing off wealth, or even an unusual form of investment - buy a rare doll and keep in MIB until the day its value has risen substancially, then sell it. And then there are those who simply love a doll for the doll's sake. It's beautiful and they love it, so they don't care the means it takes to obtain one.

 

No I don't. I don't even really have any limited dolls. I used to have one but I sold him because I never really bonded well. I got caught in the "I have to buy now or I won't be able to have him" and I thought he fit the character better than he actually did. Now the closest to a limited I have are my event heads from Luts. I don't love them more or less because there are fewer of them or because they were free (well my Wintery 09 was free, I paid for the JDF event head). I love them because they are my beloved characters. I want another JDF event head for Killian's brother and it is killing me that I can't find one because they weren't very popular and no one seems to have one to sell. But I don't value them any more highly than I value my basic dolls who came to me second hand or company stock. Just because I had to work a little harder to get them. My dolls are special to me because of the work I put into them and the characters they represent for me. How rare they are has little to do with it.

 

like what andarton said, for me, it depends on how much i want it
i mean, if i REALLY REALLY wanted it, i would go to any means to acquire it, if it's hard? then i'll figure it out ~

like the whole super dollfie / dollfie dream limited issue, i wanted Illyasviel so much that i tried my best to figure out how Yahoo! Japan Auction worked and how to use bidding services etc ~

i guess it all goes down to how much you want it ~

but yes, i do agree it is frustrating at first when you realize that it's not just simply 'buyable' > _ <

* * *

As for the issue you raised about "benefitting secondary market sellers" -- i dont' think that's true ~
because i know a LOT of people in japan buy from volks just so that they can resell it at double the price on auctions after the limited releases ~

so basically they've already benefitted the doll company initially ~ (now of course if you buy it at double the price on auctions afterwards from the 3rd party sellers then the extra amount would benefit them only, but that doesnt' matter since they would have already benefitted the doll company by buying from them in the first place) ~

 

It depends on whether you're talking about "objective" or "subjective" value. Limited and rare dolls and their subsequent monetary and perceived "status" values are a reality in the BJD hobby. If I acquire a rare doll after much blood, sweat and tears, of course it would have more objective value than a doll that I bought right off a company's general catalogue -- and that will certainly affect how easily I would part with it, how much I would sell it for, etc etc. In this way, I think it's unreasonable and unrealistic to expect that a rare limited would be treated the same way as a catalogue doll.

But subjective value... well, I think that's a different category entirely. I can have greater appreciation for my rare doll vs. my "common" doll because I spent more time, money and energy -- all quantitative facts -- on the rare doll. Nevertheless, the objective value of my rare doll doesn't stop me from loving my common doll as much, if not more.

I have two dolls currently, both from the aftermarket. One is a Volks FCS that is (for a Volks FCS) quite straightforward to obtain, and she practically fell into my lap. The other is a hybrid, a hard-to-find head on a general-catalogue body -- but I spent a lot more effort acquiring the head, resin-matching the parts, and modding the body. Now I love my Volks girl Alérion dearly, just as much as (and some days, more than) my hybrid girl Syr. But if push comes to shove and I have to sell one, Alérion will go (even though I'll cry all the way to the post office) -- because I don't think I will ever be able to recreate Syr if I let go of her. In that way - yes, I value my HTF hybrid girl more than my relatively easy-to-find girl. But that objective value has no bearing on how much pleasure and enjoyment I get from each of my dollies.

 

Not exactly, I foudn it much more attractive to buy the doll I want. you shoudl do lots of study and find your dream doll. I think it is not about how hard or how expansive it is. it is how much sacrifices you can make. It is hard to get ofcourse, so after one gets it, one can love it even more. I think it is like having a dog or pet that you have to be responsibile for your doll. you have to take good care of it. Also for Volks, I&#12288;Think they are promoting the idea of haveing another "you" about sd dolls or like a "kid". If it is a really kid or another you, ofcourse it is hard to get and need to take good care of it. I think they want you to think twice aobut the dolls so you do not buy it and regreted.

 

If I am very honest with myself I need to admit that I find this question difficult to answer. I really wanted a Volks Masha once I saw some great photos of her on Flikr. Soon after wards I discovered that she was difficult to get! This snow ball of want want want started building up and I can't really separate the beauty of the mold from the difficulty involved in getting her. I think they fed off of each other into one giant obsessive WANNNNNT!

I covet that doll. When I look at Masha it is her sculp that I adore but I know too that her rareness plays into my adoration. But with that said I love LOVE my Akali and she is standard all the way baby