Doll research *or* Buying too soon?

I won't lie. I bought my first doll before I really knew anything about the hobby. I've always been the type to jump blindly into a situation and work my way through it. Luckily I don't actually have my first doll yet (still gotta pay some proxy service and shipping fees) so I've been looking into basic care.

 

I did both, I spent ages (hours and hours) looking for dolls and then did all the youtube tutorials searchingfor face ups etc and then went mad and bought one after the other.

However I have not yet bought any really expensive dolls so I am cool with the handling etc, I am clumsy so the thought 600$ crashing to the table or floor is too much for me.

All my dolls were under 200$. I want to paint on them and do my own face ups so I needed to know what I was doing and not have to worry that I was ruining too much money if I slipped with a file opening eyes...

I am abit obsessive by nature so I knew I had to be sure that this was a hobby for me first, then it was a go...

 

For my first doll that I've bought, I went ahead and got the usual faceup. Since I myself am new to the hobby, I wanted to be able to use the doll,a nd don't feel that comfortable doing my own faceups as of yet. I'm also looking for alternative clothes & another wig and shoes also.

One thing I am concerned about is when she does arrive, how to take her with me so she doesn't' get yellow, and all. I have looked for several bags to carry her in, which is what I will probably end up doing- she's not like the American Girls and My Twinn dolls we have that can just be plumped down on the seat, and away we go...

 

Dolls reflect their owners a whole lot! I think research is important in an investment sense, but at the end of the day, like you said, to each their own

 

I did a lot of research before I started the doll search. Still don't have a doll yet. But I don't know everything either. So I guess I still have some things to learn. :]

 

Personally I think researching and learning is very very important before buying a bjd. I think with that, you learn how to properly care for them and appreciate them. My first bjd will be coming around the end of the year and I did a lot of research prior to ordering including how to care for it, what to avoid, what's the difference between double-jointed and single-jointed, what's resin, what goes into making bjds, etc. Also, one of the reasons why I did research is because well, bjds are quite expensive and it would be very awful if something happened to it and it could've been easily preventable if you've done some research on it.

 

I've spent almost two YEARS just studying these gorgeous dolls, and I just started saving. On top of that, I'm STILL researching XD XD And I totally agree with you. If you're going to invest that much money in something, then yeah DUH you should know how to take care of it!!

 

I personally have wanted to get a doll since 2007, and just was never able to. Now that I have a better paying job and not so much going on in my life I have layawayed 2, bought one, and am waiting for one in the mail right now. I think I may have jumped the wagon so quickly because I have been waiting for so long to actually get one, I really don't have an artistic side when it comes to painting and such so I really don't know much about that side but I think I have a good knowledge on how to handle and care for them properly. I know Magic Erasers are a good thing!!!

 

Though I have been prowling a while, learning as much as I can, I don't learn as much without personal experience. I'm a hands-on type person so I'm going to be learning lots of things about this hobby through Levi (except for the more harmful "operations"). So I'm a mix of both. :3

 

I spent months researching before I decided I was ready to buy a doll and started saving money... And, although this theoric knowledge is important, there are some things you'll have to learn by yourself, through trial and error
I think the main problem is that BJDs are such an expensive hobby... so I guess people are always afraid of destroying something they put so much money on.....

 

I haven't got any dolls yet, but I sort of feel like I do; I'm pretty close. Go mail, go! Give me my money! D:

I haven't done any super-intense research personally; I have friends who have had dolls for a while, so I've got the basic idea already and I trust them to help me along.

 

I have yet to buy my first BJD, as I'm still researching. I've heard snippets about them on and off, but I only really started getting serious about buying one recently. Hence, the reason why I joined DoA to begin with!! With a doll this fragile and expensive, I need to know what I can and can't do with it, and the ups and downs of owning a BJD!

 

I bought Nayo (and consequently Lye since he came with him) with little to no research (and before knowing about DOA), but I have a friend irl that had recently gotten a doll (after researching for a while) so I had someone that I could directly go to for information.
For people just getting into the hobby I suggest looking around and doing research before buying anything because even though some people are happy even when they jump in without researching (like myself), not all will be.

 

perhaps I am OCD but I researched a lot before I got my first doll. I was introduced to bjd's 4 years ago. After years of lurking communities, I came across my first "horrible customization" on the internet. I was horrified at what this person did to their dolls. I worried night and day that I would ruin mine, so I quickly immersed myself in tutorials and videos. I was so terribly obsessed with "doing it right". But luckily I'm not as uptight as I was before. I recently started purchasing dolls and my friends followed suit, sadly they do not have enough experience as me but I will be there to guide them.

 

I'm both ways, really.

I was introduced to them back in March, decided that I was going to get one in May... and I still haven't gotten one picked out yet... Well, okay, lemme rephrase. I have a head on the way to play with face ups, and I have a Hujoo a friend gave me (but she "technically" doesn't count :3 ). But not a full size yet, my brain can't wrap around the idea of not having a 1/3. :P

But I still don't have one yet. I'm super picky and cars keep blowing up >_< Plus I'm not normally the kind to spend this amount of money on anything, I'm a $20 pants kinda girl ;D

But on the other hand the artsy side of my brain is panting like a maniac wanting to get one so I can use it for all my nefarious artsy schemes! Curse you brain! >_<

 

Since there is so much to learn and know about, I could never just "buy on impulse." I need to know every last detail of most everything I get into, so dolls are no different. There is a lot that I am sure I will learn along the way, but for now, it is imperative for me to learn "the basics."

 

I am the kind of person who prefers to know everything before dipping toes into the water. Since that's the case, you can bet I've been doing tons and tons of reading (both here and elsewhere) in anticipation of ordering my first doll. I admit, I'm scared to death of doing something inadvertently stupid with her. There's no denying that even the cheapest of these dolls represent a sizable investment.

Nevertheless, I also feel that there's a point at which one has to jump in, so to speak, in order to really facilitate learning. Faceups are one example of this -- a certain amount of research will get you good information on what products to use and which ones not to use, techniques that are generally found to work, etc. However, even with all this basic information, I would sit down with a head and a basket of the appropriate tools and produce a face that is completely amateurish. It takes time and practice to develop a skill.

So, while I feel that one would hope that most newcomers to the hobby would take the time to educate themselves somewhat on the basic dos and don'ts, I also think that the purchasing process in general lends itself to patience. I obsessed over BJDs for about two months before ordering one, and most likely will continue to obsess for the next month or more while waiting for my order to be filled. This is definitly a hobby that lends itself more than most to moving slowly and taking time to learn things before you actually get your hands on your first doll. I mean, you have to do /something/ while waiting for your order to be crafted/painted/shipped!

 

I have been collecting dolls for awhile and I strayed away from resin BJDs until I saw a Bobobie Elfkin the other day. I had heard resin is somewhat hard to keep up with and that really turned me off. I was bored on flickr and came across a ton of Elfkin pictures and had to have one. So I did a *little* bit, mostly where to buy one, research. Since I have about a 10 week wait for my little girl to come in, I'm now researching how to properly care for her. I don't plan on customizing her in anyway, but if that day comes, I won't touch her until I've done the research and have selected the proper tools. I have never been one to *not* research the stuff I'm getting into. Just a little bit of searching can answer a ton of questions and lead you in the right direction. Since I already had been collecting dolls and knew of BJDs, I didn't really feel that I was just jumping with zero knowledge.

 

I am somewhat in the situation the thread's author mentions... I don't own a BJD yet, but I've done so much online research for about a year that I know enough to own one. Just in my opinion. I've been at one meet at a convention, and most of the girls there said they knew nothing about them when they first got them... and I was slightly shocked.

I'm even more shocked to hear people even attempt to ask if sharpie is a good material on a 600 dollar item. (I know some people who have sharpie-d their own eyebrows on their faces, but seriously. O_oUU)

Though learning along the way can be helpful to some, I personally believe you should get a little background on what you are getting into.