Expensive? Cheap?

For me, expensive is around $300. I would never in my life imagine paying over $1000 for a doll, simply because I've never had that much money in my life to spend on necessities let alone a doll. The most I would probably pay would be $700, and only if it were a fullset and one of my grails. Both of my current dolls cost me under $200, and even they were expensive for me at the time. If I had unlimited access to money I would still limit myself to dolls that really interested me rather than going crazy and buying as many as possible. Of course, my wishlist is rather long either way!

 

For me, expensive is $400+. Anything below that I can see myself easily saving money for. Mostly it's not a money limitation as it is a size limitation. I see myself owning an MSD (42-45cm) as my maximum size. That's because I don't have much space, and I don't like handling dolls that might feel "clunky". That's just my personal taste though.

 

Since I'm often on a tight budget, I gravitate towards the "cheap" or as I like to call them - affordable! My utmost limit is around $300-$400 and that's ONLY if I can budget wisely for it. I certainly do admire the more expensive dolls, but I just can't justify spending so much. Thankfully, buying secondhand makes that a bit more reasonable morally and financially.

If money poured from my rear like a fountain *chuckles at the image that conjures up* I'd definitely have TONS of dolls. I adore variety, and with the means I could indulge. Plus with extra money hanging about, I could easily afford a better storage solution and probably have more space.

Edit: Oh yes, the last question! My views on expense have certainly changed since entering the hobby, especially once one understands how all is made and such. I often have to explain to hubby why something costs as much as it does, then use comparisons that he'll understand. Since dolls are not a necessity most people think they're far too expensive. But if you look at fashion/shoes and their prices some wouldn't blink twice. For example, years ago I walked into one store and took a look at the bathing suits... My jaw nearly dropped when I saw that a bathing top was $90 just by itself! And the bottom was also $90. Needless to say, I didn't buy. To each their own as they say.

 

For me, expensive is anything over $600 USD.

I don't have a preference for dolls in a certain price range, but I do have everything from very cheap to very expensive dolls. My cheapest was around $100, and I have two LEs that have aftermarket value of $1000+ each, though I got one new for ~$900, and the other second-hand for ~$300.

On average, dolls I've bought are usually around $250-$300, including all my Volks SDs, which were second-hand (mostly via Mandarake). I like to bargain hunt in the used marketplace.

 

My first doll is Iplehouse and I got her with custom face up + outfits. Ive been wanting iplehouse for quite a while and i didnt want to buy recasts.
She.. is expensive
So I guess $800++ are the expensive ones

 

Expensive for me is around 800USD. Cheap is under 500USD.

Ridiculous is above 1000USD. I’ve been tempted by dolls in that range but so far can’t really justify the expense.

 

Expensive for me right now is anything over 500 USD, cheap is anything under 200 USD. I don't think I could ever justify spending over 1000 on a doll honestly, I like luxury items and fancy things and all that and I definitely don't mind spending money on things that make me happy but....a DOLL that expensive just seems really excessive and indulgent in a way that I just don't want to be. Maybe one day I'll find a sculpt that's worth that to me though, when I first entered the hobby (as an unemployed high school girl lol) anything over 300 seemed incredibly expensive and I never would have thought I would drop 500 on a doll but as you move up in life your perspective definitely changes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If I had cash out the wazoo, I honestly would build myself a decent sized crew. Nothing too crazy though, I feel like after a certain point I wouldn't be able to appreciate all of them if I had say...over 20. They would all be spoiled as hell though and have their own little tiny dioramas *__* !!

 

I usually spend $200-$300. That's "Cheap/Reasonable." With that being said, I like older dolls. So many of the dolls I'm looking for are around that price point now when they were originally priced higher.

Ridiculous is $1000+
Just for giggles, I like to go to a doll site and see how much it would be for a doll I like (Soom for instance). If it's edging towards $700+ I'll cry into my wallet and leave.
But honestly, I've seen dolls sell for $1,000+ new and then struggle to sell them at $500. It's hard for me to spend a lot on something that likely won't retain value.

 

It kind of depends on what you mean by "expensive" and "cheap."

The average base price of my dolls is rapidly approaching $600+ USD due to some outliers (cough5thMotifINabarroBimongcough), but anything over $400 USD makes me sweat and agonize over making the purchase, no matter how planned for months when I'm given the time to make it!

Just because I know it's going to cost that much doesn't mean that I have to like it or that it's been normalized to me--or at least, it's only been normalized to the extent that I buy it anyway!

Ridiculous is around $900-1000 USD for the base doll. I have probably accumulated close to that for even some of my less expensive dolls due to accessories, wigs, fabric, etc., however. Three zeros in a price scares me .

There's probably some psychology term for the sort of thinking fallacy which makes over $400 for a base price for a doll expensive, but $700-800 in doll, wig, accessories, supplies, fabric, storage, etc. seem more manageable.

Cheap is $200-300 USD, but for me, "cheap" is even more subjective and dependent on the base price for the part, quality, age, etc. For example, due to the mods that I would plan to do on the body to accentuate the unique characteristics of the body to best suit me, the Resinsoul Mi body is too expensive direct from the company. (The awkward phrasing to indicate that I don't necessarily think the doll is poorly sculpted, but rather, to suit my needs, it would need extensive modding.) Same is true for 5StarDoll Aiden. These dolls are relatively cheap, but due to the extensive modding and hybriding I would want to do, and the resultant decrease in worth of the market price after the modification, I won't buy them at company price, but would rather wait for a "deal" on the secondhand market. It helps that I don't really feel an urgency for either doll, and I may never buy them.

Alternatively, ~$900 USD (shipping was around $100) for a 5th Motif Venitu seemed expensive, but worth it, because I had an immediate plan for the doll as a reshell for a character and that price was significantly less than the price of the doll on the secondhand market. I didn't like pressing the buy button, but I don't regret buying the doll.

I like variation in my doll collection, so I don't know that I prefer expensive or cheap over the other. (I am more persuaded by aesthetics--although a more expensive doll requires me to like it more before buying.)

However, the dolls that I think are more aesthetically and posability-wise "perfect" tend to be cheaper dolls--Doll Legend, AkagiDoll, and really Impldoll takes the cake. I love my other expensive dolls, but it's really more the uniqueness of the sculpting (and not really Fibonacci aesthetics or posability) is what drew me to them.

For example, the Dollstown 18 body is beautiful, but not particularly realistic (divots in the calves and in my older version, the neck), sculpturally aesthetically pleasing (huge seam lines) or a particularly good poser (terrible knees). The Timeless body is similarly difficult to pose (not due to poor joint design, like the Dollstown, but rather lack of joints) and aesthetically lacking in certain areas (genital region and lower abdomen, in particular), but has an undeniable charm.

I would never be able to just plop the body into a standing pose or a realistic stance (sitting, laying, or standing) like my Impldoll Idol First Generation Body, and for the price, I am less bothered by the weirdness of the Idol FGB nipples.

 

Anything $350 + starts to look pretty expensive to me. I'm willing to save and pay for an expensive doll if I see myself having long term plans for the dolls. I'm planning for a small SD crew of only three dolls, but based on my plans, I think at least two of them will come out to over $800 in the end! And that's only counting the resin.

However, tiny dolls that push past $300 feel SO much more expensive! Even if they're cheaper in the long term due to not requiring as much clothes, I find it hard to justify spending so much on something so small. I'm always changing my tiny plans because of that financial insecurity.

 

A "reasonable" doll to me is one that appears to be one that I can afford. It transitions into an "expensive" doll when I do the currency conversion and nearly fall off my chair. I'm contemplating buying an Iplehouse FID (not even and SID or an EID) and after I added everything I wanted up it was up at nearly A$1,000. Clearly, I have a problem because I'm still considering buying it. In which case it's ramen noodles for the next three months. But I'll be so occupied making things and taking photos that I won't even notice the ramen. Much.

 

I tend to prefer more expensive dolls, unfortunately. The good news is money isn't really an issue for me, but the most I'd spend on a doll is $1,000. An "expensive" doll to me is over $400, just because I know that's a lot of money, but I still definitely buy dolls over $400. It would have to be one of my grail dolls and be a fullest, though. The most I've spent on a doll so far is $511 for DZ Wen, just the doll and face up. That doesn't include shipping or... the $400 dress I'm commissioning for her...

Anyways, right now I seem to be buying a doll or other doll things every week, but I believe that will slow down after I've made a few last purchases for now, so if I had money coming out of my rear, I would only buy dolls I really want. That's a lot of dolls, though. It would start getting ridiculous if I had several dolls that were $700-1,000 because then I'd just be wondering why I didn't buy a new car. At first, like for one week, I thought I'd never spend over $300 for a doll, including clothes. Lol. I was funny.

 

Before I started (just found out about bjds), $100 is already expensive to me. Now, I say, if I'm willing to pay for it, then I guess it's ok. But if I'm not willing to pay for it (although the doll is only priced for $400 and I already owned a $700 doll), then (for me) the doll is "expensive". I'm not sure if it makes sense but the doll generates the value and in a way determines whether (for me) the doll is too expensive or not (in terms of whether I perceive the doll as deserving of the price or not).

Wow, I'm not too sure if this is coherent.

 

It may sound strange, but I do not really care about the price if the doll is worth it to me. It has to fulfill some conditions. It has to be aesthically pleasing, and it has to function well without too much hassle (that is fiddly joints and need of extensive modding). Then it does not matter if a doll is 200 $ (which I consider affordable), or 800 $ (which is kind of my upper limit).

400 $ for a 70 cm guy is the golden middle ground for me, and the majority of my crew consists of that. I also do not mind having duplicates of the same sculpt, if it works that perfectly as the Impldoll FGB Idol body.

However, I had several dolls of what I would consider a bit more pricey, and they are overpriced IMO for how they pose (yes, looking at you, Iplehouse). I still have one doll left though for sentimental reasons. I have put up with his not great joints and will keep him.

There are still some companies which I would like to try such as a big Loongsoul guy or a muscular Dollshe man. However, in those cases real life kicks in and I am staying away from buying them (apart from the long waiting times, which I also do not like). There are simply things we need more urgently, and money is also a bit tight right now.

So it really depends if a doll is worth it to me or not. If I want to shell a character and there is a doll I want (given it is not a limited doll, because I can't do these directly from companies), then I will go for it.

 

I have possibly a weird benchmark for "cheap" versus "expensive." I've owned a horse for about 10 years and pay board monthly for her. Depending on where she's lived, the price has ranged from $180US to $530USD. Remember, that's per month. The average cost around where I live is $400, so that's my benchmark for an average price for dolls. Anything over $600 is something I'd be willing to save up for, but expensive or too pricey is anything $800 and over. Cheap, for dolls, would be anything under $300.

 

"Affordable" is anything from $100-$300. I'd consider anything under $100 dangerously cheap and possibly suspicious, but It's definitely not impossible.

I think $400 is my limit. I'm a cheapskate. Though it would definitely depend on the doll. I may go higher if I one day nut up and buy an SD (specifically DC Snowborn), but I just can't justify paying $600+ for tiny little Dust of Dolls Spun. Something in me just tells me that bigger should always cost more.

 

It's not often I'll consider anything above $600 or so, if it feels like it's worth it to me. I prefer to stay below that, because I often order an outfit with my dolls when I buy them. If I can get by with $300-$400ish, it's a good deal. Then I can toss $100 or so at accessories. If I am absolutely spellbound by a doll, and its engineering & aesthetics appeal to me, a little more is ok, as in the end, it's a hobby, to enjoy, and the amount of time I spend enjoying the doll more than equates to the money spent.

 

I've always been living on a very tiny budget. When I was still a student, I bought my first doll from money I got from small side-jobs. And now, due to illness, I'll have to be content with a monthly income way below minimum-wage. Yet, I really don't care about the 'affordability' of a doll. I buy dolls I want. If that means if I'll have to save up until my teeth fall out, I will.
Good thing is that this way of thinking has made it possible for me to buy ridiculously expensive dolls, like my SwD Lucas and Williams. Both of them I got on the second hand marketplace, because this allowed me to buy them on my own terms, and at a time where I had saved up enough money that a purchase like this wasn't going to negatively impact my life (yay for preperation!). Another good thing is how proud it has made me to achieve this; it gave me a self-confidence I lacked.

If there's anything I've learned from this hobby, it's that it is insanely rewarding to achieve something you've set your mind to, especially if you've had to bleed a little to get there. I'm not saying that any goal is worth 'suffering' for. It depends on how important it is to you. But I have learned not to scare away from something I believe in, because it looks impossible at first glance. Or even at second glance.

Who knew that a bunch of plastic could be so good for you?!

 

Dolls over 400$ are expensive for me.
But there are nuances. (It's always nuances!!!))) If this is a grail and I dream about this doll for a long time ...