Doll research *or* Buying too soon?

I personally love the research that goes into buying a doll, although I did have one impulse buy that fortunately turned out well

My first doll purchase was about maybe, 2 years after I first ever heard of BJD's... and I think when I finally decided to buy one, I researched them for a month or two before hitting the "Pay Now" button

I found BJD's more scary before I had actually seen one, and the first thing I did was pull him apart and restring him, just so I could conquer that fear

I do think they can be quite daunting, but I think it is a shame to let fear get in the way of fully enjoying your dolls....

 

I'm ALL about researching before making such a big purchase. Even months before I actually got a doll, I looked around and read about bjds just out of interest. Of course I glanced over such things as doing face-ups on your own, cost vs. quality, etc., and soon enough my interest for a particular mold got me to own Larue, my Dolkot Kiss. It's a mold I liked for a long time, and I still do. So with that I went to see what was the cheapest way to be able to get EVERYTHING for him (yes, clothes, shoes, hair, etc...I'm not going to buy just a naked doll, no thanks).

I also take my time with buying, because I'm one to take interest and then lose it fast. With dolls, that's a bit risky. I don't know how many times I've changed what molds I wanted for my original characters, and I'm still in a fix with this. (I have manly characters, but there's like...no manly molds that fit my characters....V_V; wut...). But until I know EXACTLY what I'm going to get, I'm not going to make quick decisions, because that's a lot of money I'm handling when it comes to this hobby.

 

I have searched for my first doll about two years. I did found these dolls in 2006, but really got interested 2007. First I thought I would want to have Dream of Doll's Homme Kirill, then I thought about Dollzone's Yume. Now I have really decided what I want, and it is Fairyland's MNF Marcia. I have saved for her now for a year, and now I'll soon order her. I'm so happy!

 

As a teacher I have discovered that everyone learns in different ways. Some people could study for hours from a book on dolls and know everything about them while another person would walk away knowing nothing. I am a very visual person and I know that if I read something that I will understand the consept, but not necessarily the practice. Once you put something in my hand and tell me to go for it, I will probably learn better through trial and error.

 

I've known about BJDs for years, but have never been too interested. I've had thoughts of 'Hey! These things are cute!' and 'Awhh! Lookie hiiim~' but until recently, when I /really/ started to look into sewing as a hobby, I never really thought about them.

Now, I'm 16 years old and have a £5 an hour job at a local store. For every day I work, I get in the region of £30. Pretty damn good, especially when I forget to spend xD. I was lucky enough to fall in love with Angel of Dream's doll Wang Zi, which is not only beautiful and well crafted (from what I've read), it's also one of the most cheapest.

And so, with about £100 in my pocket and £60 on loan, I'm ordering him on thursday. I've done intense reasearch over three or so days, sewn a hat which turned out well and am so excited about him arriving.

What is /really/ concerning me, however, is my personality. I go through 'phases'. But they're so intense, I don't realize they're a phase, and sometimes they're not. I'm a huge anime/manga fan, have been for years and /still/ want to be a manga-ka when I grow up. But I started coding a Ren-Ai game, and with /hours/ of work into it, it's rotting. Well, that's not completely true, I do code every so often, but...

What severly heartens me about this though, is that as long as the dolls remain in good condition, they retain their value. I could sell my Wang Zi doll in a year, throw in custom clothing, eyes, wigs and other things until my original cost is met.

So, I do agree that people should look before they leap, but you can jump back from this.



... Unless you murder the poor doll with acetone xD

 

i happened to see Alice Cherry Blossom Efldoll and had to have her i did not know about ball joint dolls at all then i started trying to find clothes for her and then the world of BJD opened to me i have now ordered Lucy from Not doll Lab and Bei from bobobie so i think i have lost my mind and i spend hours on line looking for clothes for the dolls i don't have yet. So once i have them there is no telling how crazy i willl get but i will keep you posted.

 

i'm for researches before buying as well!
quite an expensive hobby, shouldn't get into this if u don't really know what u're doin! and not only because of that, dollies need your attention and if u just buy one because u like it at the moment, and what if get bored with it in no time?
i don't have one yet, but i spend lots of time searching all possible info about them, and about how to do things with and for them, i want to be well prepared when my boy comes home
i'm so impatient about this moment, but i know i often have some "phases" too, so that's good for me to wait and see if i'm so anxious to get one when i have money for that xD
i'm saving right now!
also, i know choosing a doll will take me long time, i know how i would like him to look like, and i'm very exacting about that, i want THE doll, not one that just gets my attention for a while because i just liked the picture or so

 

I found out that BJD existed by obsessing over Pullips on Flickr, about 2 years ago. I used to spend whole nights browsing and then looking at the clock to see that it was actually morning now. At the time, I thought they were really pretty but still too barbie-ish for me, so when i was introduced to BJD, I thought they were perfect.

At first, I worried more about the visual side, i bookmarked all the BJD companys and only dreamt of owning one because of their prices. I also bookmarked all the molds i liked.

But now, as i have done the research on how to "own and maintain" your doll, not just look at it, the dream is looking rather close to reality because i feel like i gathered enough info to dive in the hobby.

I am still a bit anxious because there are things you can't really learn, and that you can only feel. But i think it is part of the "game". You can't touch resin trough your computer screen, you can't handle different size of dolls all at the same time nor compare each of them to one another.

Of course i am well aware of the DO NOTS, and if i ever wondered about something i would surely come running here to ask it.

 

I knew about BJDs 3-4 years before I actually purchased one. I knew the basics like what a face up is and such, but the actual doing a face ups i recently figured out how to do that kind of stuff. I still dont know how to restring one, and one of my babies really needs it since one of the strings in his torso poped X_x

 

I'm much too anal to not do a bunch of research about it. Buyers must loathe me, because I ask every question known to man before buying it. I totally agree with the original post that the appeal of the doll could rush many people into just buying it. Though, the month that it takes to arrive you should spend preparing yourself for the doll. It isn't all that much work and reading one wiki-page isn't all that hard. Plus, reading about it just pumps your excitement more. I'd definitely research before buying.

 

hn. I agree that people should have semblance of how to care for a doll before they commit to the idea of buying. Then again I read instruction manuals and the full contract before committing to anything. Apparently that's strange...

 

i'm the type of person who stalks and reads enough to get a general/slightly in depth idea of what i'm going into and then gets drawn in by the pretty pictures >_____>;;
i think that at the very least, before buying anything, they should get their questions answered and at least know the basics of how to care for their doll, since it is quite a pricey item. for example, what to do and what not to do are important, and if they can, how faceups and customizations are done in general, everyone who buys their first doll should know that much before clicking the 'pay now' button. if they know less, thank god we have patient people here on the forum who will answer their questions, but it shouldn't be like all they know is that these dolls are worth alot of money. that's just ridiculous.

 

Whenever I make a big purchase I always look into my options, and dolls are no different.

I had seen a lot of Lati's before I bought my first, and made sure I knew exactly what I was getting. I must say I've not done anything complicated like seal or do a new face up on my doll, but I have restrung and I think although these dolls are fun, they are investments. Not solely, but its nice to know that if anything were ever to happen, you could get the money back you spent on your doll. Melting their face off with sealer kinda ruins that, (and your aesthetic enjoyment of the doll )

 

Given the dolls take a long time to make their journey (and possibly be finished) between order and arrival, you can spend that time researching and gathering supplies (That's me now, actually). On the other hand, my doll should arrive next week and I still don't have a sealant that is safe for vinyl. Some of this stuff is just HARD!

 

Still researching my first. I only started seriously looking at purchasing a BJD for the last month, and I've spent a lot of time on this site. Since it's such a large investment, I am a little concerned about making the "right" choice for me. Over the years of collecting dolls and other creative hobbies (sewing, scrapbooking, knitting, etc.), I realize that I always need something creative rolling around in my head to keep me happy. Unfortunately, I tend to get so involved that I tend "burn the candle at both ends" and then get tired of the hobby after about 3-5 years. I'm afraid BJDs might become that, as well. Guess I'll see how much I really want to get started by how long it takes me to save.

 

I agree some research should be done on a purchase of something like this. I'm still going through all the research myself before I get my first doll!

I'm doing the same sort of research I do for when I start building desktop computers. I compare parts and try to figure out exactly what I want it to do (or in this case, how I want it to look) and then some basic maintenance to make sure I can care for everything by the time it's assembled. Most of what I learn is once its in my hands so I can interact with it and put it together and investigate it myself.

Of course I don't really look into things like how to mod a case or overclock the machine until I've had it for months and handled it and decided whether I really want to do this myself. I feel the same way about learning how to do face-ups on my future BJD. I don't need to learn it until it becomes a desire to learn. I'll let my first be done by someone who already knows what they're doing

 

I had never heard of bjds until I went to the Kelham Dolls and Dollshouse fair last February to buy dollshouse stuff, saw the stall with the dolls on, really loved the look of them (and I have never been a doll person) took a card from the stallholder then went home and looked them up on the internet. Spent ages looking, then bought myself an AOD on ebay as she was a really reasonable price. Now have 3 dolls and hoping for a couple more, actually it is much harder to decide what I want now as I have realised there are so many different companies that I had never heard of when I started and still some I don't know. I am one of those people who has to do loads of research first, got myself paints, MSC (really hard to get in Uk), brushes, pastels - the whole lot and have done one face-up so far, though with what I spent of all the stuff it would have been cheaper to pay someone else to do it but not so much fun.

 

I stumbled upon on deviantart at some point and then I did research on them. The only brand I knew about was dollfie, but I started looking up all the different brands and joined DoA to learn exactly what went into caring for one of them. Doing face-ups was one thing I was really worried about, so I went on youtube and looked up tutorials and looked up all the different materials that were safe to use on them. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing and what I was getting myself into if I was going to get some bjd's. i was really drawn to how realistic some of these bjd's looked compared to the too toy-ish dolls like blythe.
When it comes to something expensive like this, I feel like it's important to know what you're getting into. Wouldn't want to ruin a head that could cost a few hundred to replace.

 

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I was introduced to the dolls this past weekend at Ohayocon, and although I really want to order one I'm doing some research and saving money first. But every few topics I read, I open a new tab and stare at the pictures of Juli on AoD's website. Having to wait to save up the money is giving me the opportunity to learn beforehand.

Angelkitty

 

I prefer research. Usually for first time, bjd starters know not much of bjd or what about. I had lot of that in Japan, my friend and I were pretty much newbs >3
Anyway, Its best to do research on doll wanted. Or just research because I bet my acrylic eyes that you might find something better! XD

Its usually the case anyway...see..want...get. Its like diving into a oceon full of sharks. Wouldnt kill you to look first right before you dive?! Might save something.