Doll research *or* Buying too soon?

I am totally the same way.

 

i've recently become interested in these dolls for several reasons, mainly being i would love to try my hand at making the clothes and doing the faceups and also the delight of finding a new hobby.

i don't quite have the money to buy anything yet, but even if i did, i wouldn't do it immediately. i'm a bit of a clumsy person by nature, and i also tend to jump into things head-first and get lost, but with this being a bit of an investment, i know i need to do a bit of research first, not to mention pricing and weighing the pros and cons of every single little thing.

maybe others have purchased these things on impulse, but i myself want to use this as a part of an artistic hobby; between the clothing making, doing the faceups, and even photography, these beautiful dolls hold high potential for me. i think thorough research is a must for something like these dolls, especially if you are someone like me who will have to most likely save up for months just to be able to afford one >_<

for me, i guess i'm kinda unlucky not knowing anyone personally in any way who knows about these kinds of things, but i have internet resources and people to help me that way.

 

same here, I bought my soony and shiwoo then went o meets, chatted with customizers and really got to know how to look after them. I then went on a 5 day ABJD con and really learnt heaps about maintenance, photos, posing, heaps, so Im better now, but I dont think how one person sees fit to own a BJD, should be the way that other have to....?
but in the same part, I think people should at least know what a face-up is, thats just being silly.

 

well, I admit, I will be buying my first doll soon, and I only know a few basic facts and figures to get me by. But I also have elitist bjd owning friends who can show me what I need to do and not do as well and I expect their help. So maybe that's why I didn't do a lot of research because I knew I had actual elititst people nearby to depend on.

that's my two cents at least..

 

i think reseaching first is always good before buying an expensive thing :S

 

I am somewhat compulsive, however, my boy, an LE Aida from Latidoll's red line, was a $1000 commitment. Originally, the dolls I wanted were in the $600-$700 range, but my boy stuck out the most. To put it simply, my Jeep cost me $1300. I was about to buy a person shaped piece of resin for $300 less than my car... I was damned sure I knew how to do everything. I fell for BJDs in March, saw all the websites, found all my potentials and began stowing money away from my meek paycheck every two weeks. I was hooked on the LE Aida for the looks, and when I decided I had to have him, I read up on the downsides of the Lati red line, as well as the positives so I would know. After I was 100% certain, I joined up here and continued my research and looked at owner photos. I learned how to sued and hot glue sued so I could fix his knees, I learned about changing eyes, restringing, painting faceups, manicures, sanding, making outfits, how the dolls stand to weather and abuse, what they can and shouldn't wear, how to prevent yellowing, how to clean, where not to touch, etc. When I gained access to the marketplace, I waited for an LE Aida to go up for sale, since they'd long been sold out, and when I found one, I made the offer and brought him home. When he arrived, I had everything from a spare set of clothes to toys to magic erasers and his color of nail polish. Dolls are a big commitment, and I know that if I hadn't learned what to do and what to expect, I would have been disappointed with the Lati body. Knowing what I do about them has really made my a lot more positive about his little flaws than I initially would have been if I charged in recklessly.

 

+1

I just couldn't put a ton of money into something without fully knowing what I am paying for exactly

 

My best friend and I have done a lot of research so far, and while I still consider myself far from up-to-par with all the terms and know-how, I have enough information that I feel like I know what I'm looking at. Honestly, though, despite my art background, I'm not sure if I'd trust myself to alter or do my own face-up just yet. Fortunately I have a few friends who have been into the hobby long enough that they know a ton more than I do, so I have local resources to run to for help when the time comes that I have my own doll.

 

I find that the research never ends. Because even when you think you know it all, there's always something new that will come along and throw you off the first time you hear of it. I don't think I know everything about BJDs, but I have done some research. I know a lot of the terms, and although I may not know how to do some things, that doesn't mean that I haven't wanted to learn. I think beginners to the hobby really need to go out and get some hands on experience with the dolls, because seeing one on your computer screen is completely different from actually holding one. It's an entirely different experience. And with that knowledge, how they are in person, it's easier to decide if you really want one. Say you bought a 60+ cm doll online without realizing how large it would be. You figure, it's just a pretty doll and you want it. Then when it makes it home, you decide it's too large for you, because you hadn't read through the descriptions and the measurements. Or if it came without the clothes, wig, eyes, etc in the pictures. I think newcomers to the hobby need to be careful and read through everything they can about the dolls just so they know what they are getting into!!

 

I'm new to this whole concept also. And I agree with what you are saying.

I, personally, am WAY too paranoid to buy anything as expensive and vulnerable as a ABJD with out a good amount of research behind me. I don't own one of my own yet, but by the time I can afford one I will have researched a ton and know for sure that i want one (I might even wait longer). I think that when anyone does something without any idea of what they are getting themselves into they are not using great judgment. Though, I do think that there are things you can only learn by actually doing something.

So far it's only been a couple months since I became serious about the idea of ordering a doll and started researching, but, I've known about them for about half a year.

 

I looked at so many dolls. I always went ehh their okay or that one is pretty but I didn't say "oh I have to have that doll". When I did make my first purchase it was DIM Benetia I really liked her promo pic's and I was in search of a vampire mold. My biggest concern was, what if she doesn't look like that in person. I have since seen her is person and she is just adorable. I also looked at all the owner pictures. But sometimes if a doll is a Limited release you can't wait or you lose out. My newest doll I purchased at Dollectable was kind of a whim, I saw him, circled like 5 times then bought him. I love everything about him, but I checked out he companies website and there is another version of him I probably would have purchased if I would have seen him first. Same mold different face up. So I could always have a new faceup except his current one is really beautiful as well, just different. I also saw another mold that I really like (half vampire/half werewolf) and if I would have not jumped on my guy at the show I would have purchased another doll. But if I didn't see him at the show I might not have found the company and site. Now I have more wants on my doll list. Oh, Well.

 

I seem to be in the wild n wacky, didn't really do research gang. I knew I wanted one, I just needed to figure out how to buy one! However, because I initially looked at Volks FCS for my first doll, I absorbed a fair amount of information about BJDs - basically because you're choosing all the components yourself so you get an idea as to what goes into the making of the doll.

I did do a bit of research before a faceup, mainly just to check what media was suitable.

I think I actually do more research now in terms of mold idiosyncrasies, resin match, size, etc. To be quite honest, I think you get more out of DOA research wise when you have more experience. It's a great resource, but you kind of need to know what you're looking for first. I am usually quite sympathethic to the new people asking 'obvious' questions for this reason.

 

I did research for about a year or so and am now buying my first doll. I always look at the fine print and I already know that most dolls don't come with the outfits shown along with the same eyes or wig.
So I set myself up to learn everything I can (and I've only held 2 BJDs in person ^^; and barely saw a handful in person ) about dolls before even venturing out to buy one
To each their own but I'm one of those people who try really really hard to not buy on impulse and really question if that's what I really want ^^;

 

I think that it is essential to know what you are doing. If you cannot properly take care of your doll, that's hundreds of dollars out the window! People say to take life easy, but with this you need to know what you are doing and why. Most of all, it is important to love your doll and treat it with respect- not just saying 'ooh, he/she is sooo pretty! *buys afterx amount of days*'

it's basically adopting your BJD in my opinion.

 

I'm sure I haven't done enough research yet... but from the day I first started to fall in love with BJDs I searched the web for hours and soaked in every information like a sponge. Information overdose! Luckily I had some weeks of vacation and REALLY spent all hours researching... After I was sure to know the basics I have decided which one would be my first and placed my order. Maybe it was quite too fast, but I hope I won't regret it.

 

One word: Kudos.

I didn't do a whole heap of research for my first BJD. But then, she was truly an impulse buy. I'd wanted a BJD for a while, but suddenly saw Gwen on eBay and thought, it's now or never. I picked now. Since then I've figured out pretty much how to achieve what I want without damaging her, and I'm happy with how it turned out. I'd never unleash a sharpie on a doll anyway, so I was never about to scribble on a quick face up and I took my time to get to know her and pose her the way I want. I learnt about my doll on the job, so to speak, because no matter how hard I looked, there was next to nothing on the web about Soulkids and their pros and cons.

 

I'm not up to date with this whole thread, but I just wanted to add that sometimes when new dolls first show up (a limited for example), pictures of the body are not even posted yet. For someone like me, who cares a great deal about how the body looks, it's a big dilemma. If I buy the doll now, I risk owning a body sculpt I don't care for, but if I wait for the company to release photos or owner pictures, the doll could be sold out by the time I decide... It makes impulse buys hard for me when this happens (which might be a good thing).

Though, I've noticed that this "problem" is happening less and less now. Just a while ago, it was common that a company would not post body pictures at all, and the only way to tell what the doll looked like was from owner photos. Now, I see so many companies post body sculpt pictures as soon as the doll comes up. Yay, more impulse buys!

 

I did as much research as possible X) it was like before I got my pets. (Two fuzzy-wuzz gerbils and, before that, a fluffy hamster... all long gone ;__ I always had a not-quite-justifiable dislike of people who knew nothing about pet care and got pocket pets ("simple" ones like hamsters, gerbils and mice, as if they don't have as much right to a comfortable life as a dog or cat) and then "learned as they went" through that pet, because the poor rodent would have to pay for every mistake they made as they learned, and most thorough learning involves mistakes. But with dolls I think it's totally acceptable to use your first doll to learn as you go ^-^ it's because dolls are kinda harder to kill/hurt than pets (just don't sharpie all over them.) I did research first because that's just the way I prefer.

 

I research my dolls as much as I can before I think about purchasing them. Instead of going solitarily on company stock photos, I make good use of the dollie databases here. I would NEVER buy a doll without seeing owner pics first!

 

I guess didn't really research much about my first doll.
I just looked at what he could fit into, what other owners' doll with the same mould and what people commented about BlueFairy Tf's.
I just like to learn as I go along