Doll research *or* Buying too soon?

I agree (so long as you mean "mutilate through stupidity and then expect everyone to feel sorry/cut you good deals to make up for it" as opposed to Modify... because I see nothing wrong with people who buy dolls to modify them)...

and I think "What makes you deserving of a doll" could be a WHOLE other debate topic! LOL!

 

I sort of jumped into this as well, but not to fit in or anything... no I jumped into this hobby because these dolls makes me very happy, a rare thing these days. In only a few weeks I learned a ton about these dolls and looked around at different companies at prices and what not. I ended up deciding on my first doll only a few weeks into this. And now i'm learning even more as I wait for his arrival, slowly preparing to keep myself busy.

 

I have 4 dolls now, I have been collecting since Aug. of last year, and believe me when I tell you I did a TON of research before I ordered my first doll. I knew RIGHT off the bat that I was not going to attempt a face-up myself, while I am a make-up artist by trade I am NOT a painter, and they are VERY different things. I knew that the extra 60 dollars would be worth it to have a doll that looked like the picture I fell in love with.
The ONLY shocking part to me when my first girl got here, was the size. I knew she was going to be big, but she was even bigger then I expected. Also she didn't look like the promo shots, at all to me. Since she was a first run doll there were no owner pictures, so that was a little strange to me. However I LOVE what she is, and am thrilled I bought her.

 

Thank you, Taco. The quote that was there made me personally feel hurt since I didn't do a ton of research but that doesn't mean that I didn't have no passion into it.

 

after learning about them from a friend online I besicly became obsessed
I was on DoA everyday for as long as posible reading about anyting and everything. I was so interested in doing faceups that that was mostly what I looked up, if not anything else I would go and look at pictures all day,
I wasent planing on jumping in and buying a doll right away but then I saw my leekeworld hero on ebay for only 75$ naturally I spazed and bought him
really ony to practice faceups on at frist but the moment I saw him I completely fell for him
and thous my gang of disimbodied heads will grow

 

I'm one of those people who buys on impulse because of the nagging fear of items being sold out. I worry alot, I know, and it doesn't help that the only doll I like is a LE (I have been looking around alot and she was the only doll that had "you must have me" written all over). I have never seen a BJD in person but I have always been a doll person and I have had experience in face-ups with other kinds of dolls, and I know the basics of the what and what nots of customization.

I enjoy reading alot especially when its something that I have an interest in, however I won't read up on absolutely everything, for instance sanding cause I won't be doing any on my doll, I think it depends on what are your intentions for the doll, if you want to do face-ups then read up on face-ups. But I think that the basics and the how to take good care of your doll is a must, whether the person buying the doll reads up on that before or while waiting for its arrival.

 

I work in the animal world both on a paid employment and volunteer basis for several kinds of rescues and humane societies for many different species of animals.

I can tell you it is not an uncommon thing for people to purchase $50, $500, or $1500 things without knowing a darn thing about them. And it also isn't uncommon for them to have those things for several months, if not years, without knowing a thing about how to maintain them.
I believe it is a instant gratification thing, and while I won't get into the ecology that makes that natural for human beings, I will say that it -is- natural. Whether it makes sense or not is beside the point.

Whether you research a thing depends on personality, I think. To see something, and like it, is one thing, but to want to know how it works is something different.

As for how I did it. The first BJD related thing I saw was when a friend showed me a website on how to make one. Then he made one, and send me pictures. Then one day he sent me pictures of one he wanted to buy, and I looked, and I thought they were pretty and realistic and kind of amazing as far as dolls were concerned. Then I came to the full understanding that they were customizable. Not just hair and eyes, but FACES! That sold me. Researching, picking through them, etc was just something to do to pass the time while I saved up. Intense researching has occured in the last couple of months, as I neared my $$$ goal, and now that he's on his way (finger's crossed) I'm trying to make sure I understand everything that I think I understand completely.

But I believe this has alot to do with how I take care of my living things. The difference is monetary value vs the value I apply to life. The research I put into a $20 living creature entering my care will always be greater than that I put into an object, but a $500 object STILL warrents research.

Other people may simply have a different value system than I do, be it based on life or cash. I tend to get angry with people who don't take care of their pets, but if they dont want to learn how to take care of an object, it doesn't get my back up so much, so long as they aren't messing up MY stuff.

 

i know next to nothing when i got my boy, to me, he was a perfect modle for my art, and i hunt for the look closet to my main character, and after that, i found out that i'm in love with them, and decide to go and find more on how to care for them, who become a part of me, carefully O.o

 

I definitely agree with this, and well summed up!

 

If the dolls weren't so attractive and if buying and/or collecting them weren't so addictive, I think this wouldn't be as much of an issue.

With the attractiveness of the dolls and for doll-related paraphernalia, I think it's easy to be charmed into the world of BJDs - and other hobbies/lifestyles/major life decisions that require more than just a bit extra cash - without really realizing what the potential long-term financial ramifications truly are.

I was just reading a thread about having only one doll and it's almost a matter of fact around here that most people - even with intending to stay with one doll - don't own just one doll and so where the original price point was say 700 for just one doll and some clothes, the new price point is doubled, triped, quadrupled with each each new incoming doll or doll accessory.

If a person were budgeting accordingly and had a good handle on their wallet and could realistically afford to keep buying dolls as they like without impacting other major necessary financial matters - eg: bills that AREN'T doll related - then not really planning out doll purchases or being bitten by the 'I want that doll, too, and I want it now!' bug won't be as much of an impact.

For people whose wallets are tighter and who aren't as financially stable and/or who struggle with money management, being hit by such a bug can be a really devastating thing to their bank accounts or credit card accounts, and consequently, their overall lives.

I have personally seen people who swore up and down to get only one and could, realistically, only afford one, but then ended up falling for more dolls and ended up using rent money and bill money and other such money to buy their doll(s) and then go around angsting over how to pay rent or how to pay for a root canal.

I have also seen people who have never touched a credit card in their entire lives suddenly open credit card accounts and then get into more debt than they can handle and not realize what it means to have an APR of 29.99% and an unpaid balance of $5000 that is being paid off every month at a rate of $20.

And I'll be brutally honest here.

I don't like anyone to drown in debt. I don't like seeing people file for bankruptcy (don't laugh, it's happened and I swear that it didn't have to happen if the person had been more careful about their spending!). I don't like seeing friends lose sleep and skip eating because they suddenly realize they can't pay their bills because they overspent.

And because I don't like seeing these things happen, I very firmly believe that unless you completely understand how a credit card works and what it means to have compound interest and what it means to default on your account and how this affects your future borrowing potential, you have no business owning and using a credit card in the first place. Understanding the terms and such and actively choosing to carry balances with a solid payment plan THAT ACTUALLY PAYS OFF THE PRINCIPLE in mind is one thing. Racking up unpayable long-term debt is another and, in my mind, foolish and reckless and dangerous.

Is it worth it to lose your home? To starve? To have to resort to mooching off of friends? To suddenly have to go to the ER and not have money to make payments for the doctor's visit? To have your credit score plummet, making you ineligible for GOOD low interest loans for things like (other) credit cards, cars, and houses?

The disclaimer that should come with BJDs, but doesn't is this: Once you start, you just can't stop! </ripoff from Pringles>

So, before you start, I highly suggest that you STOP!

Look at your situation. Look at what's realistically reasonable. If you want to take the plunge and your financial situation isn't as good as it should be or could be, ask yourself if it's worth that sort of future agony of wondering how you're going to pay off bills.

And then...

Decide.

... I'll be honest.

Half of the reason I know and understand the dangers is because I DID get into debt before many years before I got started with BJDs and let me tell you, Murphy's law really enjoys biting people in the arse at the worst possible opportunity.

The minute you decide to splurge when you really shouldn't, you get hit by some sort of catastrophe that really makes you wish you had better self control. In my case, I got hit by severe illness that made it impossible for me to work and my income suddenly made an unexpected nosedive. Worrying made it all worse and if it weren't for family that helped me to stand back up, my credit would be cringe-worthy and I would have had to declare bankruptcy. And it wasn't even that much! But heck, to a college kid, even a couple of thousand is a lot.

So take it from me - you DON'T want to get yourself into that situation.

Honestly, you really don't.

 

Exactly, I don't mean modify, I mean someone who would deliberately buy a doll to break them! I think modification is just another level of the customization process.

 

I allready knew I was going to buy my first doll, and even had the money for her, but before I purchased her I at least wanted to know the basics of taking care of her. I researched wikipedia which I believe led me here ^^ I must have spent hours rummaing through this site for information lol - shortly after I bought my first doll.
One thing I realized is that, sometimes, no matter how much you research and learn, once you get that doll in your hands everything you thought you knew flies out the window! I've admittedly made some mistakes with Claire (trial and error and even one case of outright stupidity on my part -_-) but at least I knew the things that could harm her severly(oil, direct sunlight, etc)!

Whether or not people decide to do research before buying their dolls is compleatly up to them - however I think it would be in their best interest to learn more. They'd only be setting themselves up for possible future disaster or heartbreak by not knowing at least the basics.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure after all!

 

I completely agree with you here. I totally impulse-bought my first BJD (an Alice Cherry Blossom) because at that time, she was sold out EVERYWHERE and I feared that if I waited, I wouldn't get one. I knew next to nothing about BJDs, but I took the plunge anyway. It was totally worth it.

But I also agree that you don't need to know everything there is to know about BJDs in order to own one. I have no intention of customizing my current and future dolls, so I don't really feel a need to read up on that. However, if I need to do a bit of a repair on a doll's makeup, I'll read up on it.

For me, I'm more of a "I'll learn it when I need it," kind of girl, which I think is a pretty decent strategy. I learn the absolute basics of a doll, and then I start going more in depth when I need to. I learned a bit about Alice before I got her, but not a lot. When she came and I saw her leg was kicky, I decided to learn about how to fix that problem.

For new collectors, I think it is really easy to get overwhelmed, simply because the BJD hobby has SO MANY facets to it. I know the first few times I came to DoA, I could only read for about an hour or so before I got overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there about these dolls. I'm not saying that that is an excuse not to do a bit of research, but it does explain why a lot of people don't do full-on in depth research before their doll comes. There's just so much to learn!!

 

Recently saw my friend's dollfie and loved it to bits. Played around with it a little and loved how it felt/looked. I went online to do a wee bit of research - which is easily done now, and the information is organized really well... and now I'm gonna go order my dollfie soon.

I feel that one should at least do some basic research before plunking down hundreds of dollars on ONE item. With a little knowledge in hand, at least you won't be making some careless mistake that will ruin a art piece worth hundreds of dollars.

 

That's an awfully short-sighted thing to say.... I know several people who operate that way, and that's just their preferred style of collecting. They purchase everything that they think they'll like, when it comes out. Then, once everything's home, they choose which ones they love enough to keep, & which ones to sell. (In fact, such people are good to be friends with, because you get a lot of chances to buy sold-out limiteds that've barely been taken out of the box! ^^)

I myself only buy a doll for True Love, but not everybody operates that way, either.

Hate to burst your bubble, but "deserve" has nothing to do with it. Money and timing has all to do with it. These are consumer goods, not gifts from the fairies awarded to you for being such a good girl all year.

 

i have to aggree that you should do some research on doll and maintaining it. i have a freind and she is scary when it came to info. im seriouse everything i knowed, i learn it from her. but yes make sure you do reserch on doll and double cheack on it to make absolute sure. it like asking my friend if the product is non-oil for 10x just becuase i dont see the non-oil sign anywhere. lol. and thoes that own a doll and dont know how to maintain one...man go do some google search. ^_^

 

I Was talking about the people who DONT, not accusing ANYONE of not having it. That is passion, note that after thinking it over I thought of some occassions where I had not researched and things worked out for the better because I had been overwhelmed by the desire to keep a Hermit Crab... I kind of rebuttled myself. I should have bought a doll before the research too, because now I'm stuck with the too much knowledge of "TOO MANY CHOICES!" Now Ive read on modifications, etc... what am I supposed to do!
If I'd just bought the darned Narae in the first place... I wouldnt be in predicament. Instead of "She's too short for her future BF" it would be "He's too tall for her" and I'd already have Narae!

Passion is important, whether you research or not.

 

I don't think that people who are great at face-ups, photography, making clothes, modding etc deserve their BJD's than people who just want them to love them. My Madeline has a very kicky leg and because of that I can't get her to stand. I don't really know how to restring- but I certainly don't think I am less worthy of being a BJD owner just because I might not be as "hardcore" as some people.

I don't mind peoples reasoning behind having dolls, as long as they love them and care for them. I have to admit I find it a little strange that people buy dolls then just sell them on, but maybe they didn't bond with them. I also agree that you shouldn't get into debt over owning BJD's. This is an espensive hobby we partake in; the dolls cost a lot of money and so do their upkeep. I don't see much point in having them just to shut them away and not dress them up (again, my personal choice).

I did a lot of research before I bought my Viyol, but you can always learn more and more. There will always be someone more passionate, more cleverer and more dedicated that you are, but as long as you're happy then thats the main thing.

 

Well, I started with trial Dollfie Plusses and I used paint on them before I knew what the heck MSC/Testors was. XP

And I used colored pencils on a doll too. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I heard people were using sprays and pastels and artist-grade stuff I went, "Crap. Wish I did some research before I did this."

Now when I buy supplies I check the artist q+a section to see what materials I should get/use and stuff.

So far my Mr Clean magic eracer and rubbing alcohol have taken off the majority of unwanted marks, as well as wanted ones, because I didn't bother to research that either.

So now that I've done a lot of trial and error stuff, I try to read up before I do anything.

I'm still learning about the tools of the trade, lol, but I'm enjoying every minute of learning because it will help me with my projects in the future.