Doll research *or* Buying too soon?

I'm very new to the hobby, having been pulled in by a friend. I'm researching quite a bit on dolls, and am thinking of eventually getting my first real one when I am in a position to afford one. At the moment I have an artist cast from a friend of an anthro doll that is now offtopic here, which is what got me interested in the first place. At the moment I'm reading lots of threads, learning about the different companies, etc. I'm a huge anthrofan, but even some of the human ones interest me. I'm making my own doll for myself in the meantime, based on the fox-wife legends from Japanese literature.

I can't imagine spending that much money on a doll and not doing my research, but I guess there are a lot of impulsive people out there!

 

Here are my two cents:

I think that one should at least know some basic things about BJD before actually making the purchase, so that they have an idea of what they are getting into. These are NOT your mother's Barbies after all.

I think that once the purchase is made and you are preparing for the doll's arrival is a good time to begin looking to face-up materials, what would be good for cleaning, etc. Talking to other owners you know is my preferred way of getting info.

 

My two cents:

I definitely think that you should do at least a little research before you buy. It'll save you a lot of trouble in the long run if you already know what you should do and what you shouldn't - that way, you have a lesser chance of making some big mistakes. I think the whole hobby is much more enjoyable when you have a basic knowledge and are confident that you're ready to buy. I'd feel a little scared if I bought a $500 item and had no idea what was safe for it and what wasn't! But I did my research, and that gave me peace of mind. There's really no excuse not to do at least a little research anyway: if you discovered the doll hobby on the internet, then you have the whole internet at your service to look for info.

 

I waited about 3 years before I even got my doll, I would never sharpie or paint him or anything like that, I don't even know if I could ever give him piercings now that I have him.

 

I did at least 6-7 months of research on how to take care of them and make sure I really wanted one, and I had all the supplies at home and ready for taking care of my doll before he got home

 

This is why am glad I joined DoA when I did.

When I started to think of getting a BJD, initially I just went through pictures of them. Then I went "OMG YOU CAN CHANGE THEIR WIGS?"

Friend: "DUDE, YOU CAN CHANGE ANYTHING!!"

Then I learned it wasn't just about having a big toy to play around with. I learned about restringing,sanding, painting. I didn't really master it, since I think it's harder to do so without a doll with you.

Somehow I managed to end up here, and it was the best decision I made because all my answers were received here. Even as I wait for my first, I can prepare myself and hopefully just learn through you all and when he arrives.

I think it DOES help to do some research, even just things like "how to prevent yellowing" or how to not break the doll. This is an expensive hobby and it's hard to spend so much not knowing what you're getting yourself into. HOWEVER that's my opinion. If some just learn along the way, good for them.

 

Yes! Except as a non BJD person you wouldn't think that the doll would yellow and it's best to prevent it, so it's like a Catch-22 there. Sorta

Tbh, I got my E-an before I knew the intricacies of BJDs - I had read BJD WTF? and that was about it, but I guess from that I knew about the basics. When she arrived, it was the first time I had seen a BJD, and the first thought was definitely "Oh. My. God, she's huge." then MASSIVE GRIN.

 

I am a research nut - I read all the details, the small print, etc. It's my nature.

 

I'm a person who researches EVERYTHING before she buys something over $50 (thanks for that, Mom & Dad) so I basically knew all of those things before I purchased my doll. I went into the details of how to face-ups/maintenance as I waited for him to arrive. I think you should at least know some basics about these dolls before you take the plunge (even though my boy is an MSD and cost much less than SDs, it was still a plunge) so that you can really have a feel for what you're getting into. See how people normally treat them, how they're made up from their head to their toes, find the best clothes (maybe for the best price). I think the research makes it even more fun! :P

 

research makes u feel more confident on what u are doing.
If u learn enough about a topic, u'll loose the fear about it; for example, when i started researching about BJDs, one of the most scary things was sanding and restringing. I don't have my doll yet, but after reading a LOT about those things, i can now say i'm not afraid to do it myself when the time comes.

I'm a research nut too, just like you, PeppermintPocky

 

I just bought my first doll, after taking the time to research into what it takes to take care of one. (Actually, one of the very first things I did was join DoA.) Over that time I've really surprised myself with the amount of information I've processed, and I'm still learning!

It's very hard for me to imagine someone not doing some sort of research into this hobby, since it's just so expensive. And it's just like Ellesmera said, researching something enough takes the fear out of it. When I started out I was terrified at the thought of a restringing, and now I know that as long as I take it slow I could totally do it no problem. I think that, with a hobby like this, there needs to be a certain amount of research involved unless you are the type of person who does will with diving right in.

 

that's the main reason i joined this forum is so i didn't go and buy a doll blindly after doing some reasearch

 

I knew too much about resins & different types of them much before bjd , so I'm not the average norm ... polyurethane resin is a well known material in many technical professions anyway , I had to know how to restring them only ... so me of course I know If I wish to paint on what is "can do" & "not do" ..
I believe anyone orders something through net has to read the terms (in this case ,with or without wig , choose a face up or not etc) and this as for any order through net ... But I don't think that anyone who buys a bjd thinks of it like a hobby
p.e. my hobby is my guitar, bjd is my collection ... I might paint on them but even If I paint on them it still will be my collection & I don't believe playing is a hobby (at least that's my belief)
I have friends who placed orders but don't wish to paint on their dolls, they ordered them with face up ,they know they are fragile & heliophobic (no sun light) & about how to restring them but they don't know nothing about how or what to use for drawing/painting on them because they don't want to draw/paint on them ... I agree it's wise to know "how to do" before do anything but some people just like the sculpt & got a doll to display why the hell they should know how to paint on it if they don't wish to ? ...
And if a person buys a doll knowing the basic (fragile/no sun) & for some reason it gets dirty can always ask the company what to do , they give many info If you ask..
For me the only things someone has to know are those written into company's (from where orders) site ( p.e. size/what he-she buys/terms of purchase/fragile/no sunlight), as for every internet purchase of course all the other knowledge may come after & maybe never if wants just a doll with this sculpt to display ...
(& yes I find anyone has the right to buy a bjd only because likes the sculpt even if doesn't know what the letters bjd mean)

 

I think the benefit of researching is knowing what your doll is worth, especially
on the secondary market, and hopefully never end up being/feeling slightly
ripped off. I thought I had learned enough about a particular doll, enough
that made me really really want this harder to get/find doll, only to
jump at my purchase and end up spending $300 more than retail.
Waiting might have saved me money.
Other than that this said doll was my first time sanding & stringing
so I learned many things because of it

 

I researched basically for about a year, although I had other online friends who have had BJDs for years. So I read a lot, and asked questions, but eventually I think you do have to jump in to really experience it. I did read about different companies, different resins, care, and that kind of stuff. I also knew that I probably would be sticking to smaller dolls, at least to start off with. That may change, but I'm okay with it for now, it's what works for me.

I'll admit that I've never been into doing a lot of customization on my other dolls, and I know I'm not an artist so I didn't see the point in buying paints/sealant/etc for faceups. I will, however, research who offers those kinds of services, what their work is like, and all that before asking someone to do it. I can know as much as possible about it, but I still know my own limits!

 

I've been researching for about a month now, and I'm honestly glad I have. I didn't know anything about resin yellowing or it getting dyed from wigs/clothes, and I'm glad I did research like that before buying one instead of finding out when it happened.

There are things I'm going to do much differently when I get my doll than I would have if I hadn't done my homework.

 

I'm more of a learn-as-you-go person but for BJDs, that is DEFINITELY not how I will operate xD. I've been reading about dolls for quite a while now and will probably purchase a doll in a month or two, once I finish selling everything I don't need .

 

the first contact with a bjd was a 4sister megu yo-sd size, it was love at first sight, but only after research, months of research (err.... years), I've bought my first BJD.
I think that BJDs are not really cheap and you have to know what are you buying, this isn't a "fashion object" or a doll like barbie, they need more attention, more cures than a normal doll. Also you have to know the factory, the resin quality and posability.
I'm a student without allowance and I have to work during summer break or holidays like xmas, easter to earn my money, I consider BJD an hobby and an investment so information it's important!
I always search different photos and infos, often the factory photos are retouched with photoshop, I'm a graphic so I see that, and for me it's really important to see how the resin color is to natural light or different style for a single mold.

 

I've grown up in a very asian pop culture environment (seeing as i am korean -- and the majority of my friends happen to be asian) so we all knew about the existence of bjds, but not much about them.. when i first really inspected one irl i wasn't very interested in owning one but i was fascinated by their beauty and recently, a few months, because i had some money saved up at the time (a VERY rare occurrence) and nothing that i particularly wanted (even rarer >___>;, i started researching extensively. I even went into things i knew for sure that i wouldn't ever need (like how to dye resin to tan skin and aesthetic kneecap mods ). For me, knowledge is power

i waded through as many doll company sites as possible, read feedback for every one of those and tried to do as much resin matching research as possible. However it was still only 3 and a half weeks later that i made my purchase - is that too soon? although i did choose the sculpt i wanted a week before that

I think there should be a readibly accessible list of things to research before buying a doll - there were a few vague ones on about.com, etc but nothing really specific. Has anyone seen one of these?


*siigh* i really should cut back on my incessant chatter..

 

Having first been interested in ABJDs sometime back in 2004 or so, I think it's safe to say I've done a fair bit of research on these dolls and their upkeep.

I've owned dolls that are nothing like these resin casts, but have taken what I know about BJDs and their upkeep, combined it with my knowledge from collecting Pullips, and collectively, despite still being in the dark in some ways, I feel that I'm quite well-prepared for my first doll to come home.

I know about staining, discolourations, damage, and so forth, and while there's still a lot to learn, and I'm naturally a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants learner, I'd never do something with/to a doll without asking a question first, unless I knew the concrete, written-in-stone, 1000% right answer before doing so.

And even then, I'd probably still ask to make sure I wasn't going to destroy something I'd been waiting almost five years to get...