Doll research *or* Buying too soon?

There actually has been at least one book like this that was sold not long ago by various doll dealers and had a couple threads on DoA about it. It's called "The BJD Orbyrarium". Some of the info in it about doll companies was already out of date by the time it came out, but there are sections in it with basic how-to on faceups, restringing, ear piercing, body blushing with an airbrush, and other things like that in the book. Unfortunately, the book is already out of print but you could probably scare up a copy in the secondary market.

The only drawback of this book is that it was quite expensive. It might be nice if someone could bring out a cheaper guide with fewer pictures of the beautiful dolls - as I'm sure every photograph and the rights to picture the doll run up the cost of the finished book - and more just basic how-to.

You can find a lot of the same information on the 'net as tutorials but you have to be comfortable with a search engine on DoA or the web in general. I personally have not had trouble finding information on here but I realize that some people have trouble using search engines as I run into this for every hobby I'm in and every board I'm on.

 

I have this book. While it does have a lot of useful information, there were several drawbacks to it, one of which was it wasn't available on Amazon or in a local chain bookstore. The only place to get it was through various doll dealers, so...unless a person knew something about dolls already, one couldn't find the book.

It would be nice, as you said, to perhaps have something with fewer of the "ooh, pretty dolls!" pictures and more basic information. Online resources are great to a point, but some folks don't have easy access to the internet and a resource more generally accessible like an in-print book can be helpful.

 

oh! Adding to my last post which was pages ago, I think some decent research and knowledge needs to be known. ^_^

But some things ya gotta learn through your doll, ya know?

 

I'm planning to buy my first doll within the next month. And I've been researching since the end of last year.

BJDs are an expensive hobby, and I'd rather have some idea of what I'm doing, so that when I get my doll I know how to handle it, how to look after it, and what sort of materials are safe to use on it. (:

I think that it's always good to be informed, especially when it comes to expensive things. xD

But I've always been a little paranoid when it comes to spending large sums of money.

 

I did very little research before I bought my first doll. But I didn't go and TEST anything on my doll either. He staid safe with me at all times. It wasn't until I joined DoA and started going to doll meets did I start learning more about dolls. Like how to clean them. That sun is bad for the resin. just simple basic stuff like that. Yes, knowing this stuff is impotent but if a person wants a doll I don't think there really is a 'right time' to buy one. But I also think that if someone is going to buy a doll they shouldn't be like. "Hmm...I wonder if this will work?" And test things on their doll before finding out if it's safe or not.

 

When I spend more than $200 on something I want to know as much as I can. Big purchases = in-depth research. I am so grateful for all of the threads here that offer so much information. It is extremely helpful to have it all in one spot. And the best part is people to discuss things with.

 

I agree with you completely. I am very new to the world of BJDs but my best friend has so many children and I have watched how she takes care of them and treats each of them uniquely. I feel it is okay to be new to this as long as you don't believe you know everything. The most important thing for me is to learn as much as I can about these dolls so I can provide good care to my own.

 

Honestly, when I bought my first one, not much thought went into it beyond "OMG, these dolls are BEAUTIFUL!"

My friend had them, introduced me to them, and I fell in love and wanted one as fast as I could possibly get one... and I just went with the company she recommended as a "starter doll" company.

Once I got the doll though, I panicked... I didn't want to touch it because I was petrified of doing something that would ruin it... so I started a frantic, mass research expedition... and what did I learn?

Well... a lot on doll care... but more than that... that the company I got my first dolls from wasn't at all my favorite and that I wanted to sell the ones I had to get some dolls from other companies.

 

Not only do I notice this in terms of how to treat dolls - two of my friends who recently got into dolls have been buying dolls left and right, and them selling them almost immediately because they see something better. I'm talking 3-5 dolls a month.
I do a great deal of research before buying dolls and make sure I truly love them before buying @_@ It takes weeks, months of experimentation after I have a doll that I originally loved, to discover that it did not fit after all.

Edit: callum91, my friends aren't dicks, dolls are items to buy and sell as an owner pleases.

 

juumou, your friends sound like total di**s >: (
They don't deserve dolls if theyre buying then selling straight after

I did a lot of research before buying my two. I had seen them and read upon dolls over a year ago.
It was only since about Jan i got into them, then ordered my 2 girls in March. Yes I could have researched more, but one was a limited and one was to go out of stock for good soon enough. I was going to end up with them both at one point, so why wait?

 

Hello, I'm new here. I just this week recieved my first ABJD, a Linn, by Souldoll. I love her. I am also into fashion dolls, so I 'researched' ABJDs almost involuntarily by reading Haute Doll magazine since it started publishing and they had a lot of articles on ABJD. I wasn't sold on them right away, it wasn't until I saw, in person, a BJD by the American company-that- must- not- be-named here that I realized how beautiful they are. I live in the Midwest USA in a very rural area so that was the only personal experience I was going to get, doll dealers are very scarce on the ground in this part of the country.
For my hobbies, I'm a very tactile person so just research, however complete, would never have convinced me to spend that kind of money but I'm now glad I did.

 

Lol, I do this XD. I don't see that there's anything wrong with it. For a lot of people (especially people who live in an area with few to no other doll owners like me) there's no way to physically see/examine/develop a preference/know how you will feel about the doll before you are able to purchase it. It can be a lot different in person than on the company website. It's like buying clothing online - you can pick your size and favorite style but you don't know how it will look on your body until it arrives. There's no reason to keep a doll that you're not completely satisfied with.

That being said... on the topic of research. Um, I just feel to each his/her own :]. I can see how people would be tempted to just buy straight away without researching - there's soooo much jumbled information out there it can be pretty difficult to get down all at once. I didn't understand half the things people said on DoA for the longest time ^^;. But personally, I researched BJDs for about 6 months and had known about them for a few years before purchasing. I don't make large purchase (or even small ones) lightly. I like to know what's on the bottom of the pool before I jump in.

 

Honestly, beside reading the pages on VOLKS that was the extent to my research.
A lot of my friends in Japan when they got into collecting dolls they just saw one and they liked it then they bought it. Worked out for them. As it worked out for me too.

I think it depends on what kind of person you are. If you're going to throw down money for something like that you might as well be well-informed, I can understand that. But some people don't see money as a factor for collecting these dolls.

 

I waited to do the research and now Doll fair is raising their prices. Yeah I'm bitching about it, but I have a right after all the effort I put into it.

Now, in my case too I did ALL the research FIRST. I think it IS better that way, but considering when I got my first hermit crab it was on a whim he was too cute not to buy and I came home and obsessively researched the subject TO DEATH. That worked out well. Its sad when people dont have the passion enough to research to death, then why buy it anyways?
but note that had I done the research on Hermies first I wouldnt have bought the wrong cage, etc. I would have had it all ready to begin with. Nonetheless, it worked out well because I use it for cleaning out the main cage. Still, I would have saved 150$, I didnt realize at the time how much it cost.

 

Because it's the choice of the person if they want to buy an item or not. So I must be sad in your eyes since I didn't do a ton of research on dolls. Maybe if I did do that I might not have ended up buying a doll in the first place since everyone makes it seem that if I don't do research I am not worthy of getting a doll.

That's the overall feel I get from almost every post in this thread.

 

I don't think getting a doll is all about the research as long as you know what not to do basically and use common sense. Getting a doll is a choice and what precedes that choice is personal preference.

 

I think everyone is different and the reasons behind the purchase are different as is the research or lack of done before ordering your first doll.

 

I guess I'm a "learning as I go along" kind of person. Right, so I was aware that, unless I orderd a face-up and sanding, Luken would arrive unpainted and unsanded. Ok, so it's not really necessary to spend money on sanding but as he's my first doll, I thought I'd just order a "finished" doll where all I have to do is put the wig on his head and get him some clothes.

What I also was aware of before I ordered Luken:

- that the dolls are strung and that it might be necessary to adjust the stringing
- that the face-ups can be removed and redone
- that you can exchange eyes and wigs (some people I showed pics of Luken were pretty surprised to find out about that)
- that you might have to do some sueding so your doll holds poses better
- that it sure doesn't hurt to handle those BJDs with care but that they're no porcelain dolls, either

What I'm gonna learn as I go along is the HOW. How do I restring my boy? How do I do a face-up or body-blushing? That kind of thing. And I'd never EVER start such a thing without reading up on it, first, or try to find an experienced BJD-owner in my area who can give me advice or maybe even help me. Not only because that doll was pretty darn expensive. I love Luken and wouldn't want to ruin him.

Edit: I think what did help was that before I bought Luken, I had my three small guys to "practice" on. I remember getting Celaran. *lol* There I'm sitting, with that roughly Barbie-sized bloke in my hand, going like "Ohmygosh, I gotta paint his face!" Then I just went and did it. I'm glad I bought two heads - one to practice on - but my second attempt turned out quite ok. Same with the other two. They're actually WTG-boyfriends, so I had some previous experience with exchanging eyes and stuff.

 

I don't get why this is offensive? Ok, I think it's pretty insane considering how expensive dolls are, but I don't see why someone doesn't deserve to have a doll because of that. It's not as if they're buying them just to mutilate them, which in my eyes would mean they didn't deserve to have a doll.

I did worry when I was waiting for my first doll what I would do if I didn't bond with her and if I hadn't I probably would have sold her on too, it's a lot of money to spend on something that might get shoved at the back of a cupboard if you find you don't like them, particularly as there are so many people out there willing to give a dolly a good home.

Buying 3-5 dolls a month and then selling them on does seem excessive, but someone else benefits from buying these dolls off them, so where is the harm as long as the dolls are stored very carefully from owner to owner?

 

Whoa, hold on now. How do you know somebody doesn't have passion? That's a bit of an assumption--not everyone goes about things the same way. Maybe they were so taken by the doll's beauty that they wanted to buy right away--isn't that also a passionate response?