Expensive? Cheap?

Perspective changes. My first was about $200 and that seemed ridiculous at the time. Now I would consider $300 a great price for a full doll. This thread has caused me to realize my most expensive guy was $700-750 USD before shipping ... that makes me self-conscious. I definitely never thought I would spend that much, but a hybrid whose parts were bought months apart it was somewhat out of sight, out of mind. ... quick, change the subject before I convert that to Canadian dollars!

My other dolls (all 60-72cm range) were $350-$450 apiece and while that is not money I could drop on a whim, it definitely feels justifiable in the name of craftsmanship and so forth. I have never regretted spending more on a doll to get what I really truly want, but I have regretted the opposite.

If funds were no object, I still wouldn't gorge myself on the dolls themselves. Roomful of naked strangers? No thanks. I would buy high quality clothes, shoes, props etc and have things custom made to save my personal time investment so I could really enjoy photographing the dolls I already have.

 

I don't wanna think about how much I've spent on the hobby already, I love 68-70 cm realistic guysss so it's just pretty damn hard to get anything below $400 (even secondhand). sobs. The most I've spent is for a full Venitu about $800+ and omg it hurttt, I guess anything about 800 would be considered very expensive for me. >< But I'm pretty picky so that helps. I think.

If I HAD the money to get everything I probably wouldnt spam dolls, due to space and I don't want my home to look like a Hoarders episode. But I will buy LOTS of the best alpaca wigs ^_^.

 

When it comes to what is cheap or expensive to me, part of it depends on the size of the doll. Like, I'd find paying $600+ on a tiny to be expensive considering the size.

But in general for me, Cheap is $300 and under
Average is $400-$700
Expensive is $800+

The only price I can say is out of the question for me, even for a dream doll, are those that hit over $1,700

 

I would say $400+ is where it starts getting a tad "expensive" for me, but it's nothing I can't do without some saving. I don't think I'd ever spend over $600 on a doll, however! Luckily I am into MSDs, which tend to be within a somewhat reasonable price range for me.

Anything under $200 I'd consider cheap! In fact, one of my dolls, a 27cm Mystic Kids, was under $200! I love her to bits though, and I don't find anything "cheap" about her quality!

 

I think anything $400 or under is something I would consider affordable. An inexpensive doll is not always a "cheap" doll, and paying more doesn't necessarily mean you'll get higher quality. This applies to most things in life, though.

$400-$800 is what I would consider average for a base doll, all sizes. I spent a little bit under $600 for my first doll, and although she hasn't arrived yet, I've seen the doll in person thanks to another owner. It's a fair price in my opinion. There's a lot of work that goes into these things, you know! With that in mind, I think I would be okay spending even up to $1000 on just a doll if the quality is worth it. I think that's what it comes down to at the end of the day- not necessarily how much you're spending but what you're spending the money on.

 

For me, under $300 is cheap, $400-$500 is midrange, and $800 and up is a level that I'd rather not go. This limit has gone from from when I started and was trying to keep all my dolls under $300. Then $400. Then $500. I still balk a bit above that. Even if money poured from my rear like a fountain, I would not get a large amount of dolls. I set my limit because of space and wanting to give all of my dolls a decent amount of attention, not because of price. If I like something and I think it is worth the price, I get it, one way or another.

 

$1000 is too expensive for me. It's doable but I'd balk at paying that much and easily be able to talk myself out of it lol. Most expensive for me was...umm...about $550? My two dolls I have now were $150 and $162. I can pay more now for dolls than I could when I first dipped my toes into the BJD world but I'm still leery of paying too much.

 

I buy 1/4 size or smaller, I do what is called affordable... $100- $300. I haven't seen much below $150. But sometimes I can catch a good sale! I see a lot dolls in my price range that I like. I think unaffordable would be above $350. I'd have to really like the doll a lot, or think it a good value to buy anything over $350. Expensive is anything over $600. I am not ashamed to admit, out my price range.

 

For me, a teenager that is in search for a job. I find anything over $300 expensive. My cap for buying a doll probably would have to be $800, only for an SD or a full set doll. I really don't think I could ever spend over $1000 dollars on a resin child, unless if I was ABSOLUTELY in love with the sculpt, I would start a savings for it. The way I look at it, I think I will buy as many dolls I can store! That should be all..

 

I'd say for a full set.. cheap would be anything under $300. A good middle would be 500-600. Too expensive would be over $700. It depends where you are from though, like if your from the states it's much cheaper to buy a doll, the same with Europe because their currency is much higher. Buying one coming from Canada really sucks.. because your practically paying double. I bought my Fairyland Eva for around $600-670 give or take.. and with taxes, shipping, customs etc. it came out to $1000..

 

Being a university student I have quite limited funds, so I'd consider a painted doll around 300€ a very good deal. Anything above 500€ is crazily expensive for me at the moment, but it probably won't be when I'll have a proper job in a few years. It also depends a lot on the size, the company and how much a want a doll, like I'd literally kill for my grail under 400€

 

I'd say $300 and up alone is expensive for me.. around $200 or less is fairly cheap.. but I probably wouldn't budge for anything over $300. Personally I think that dolls priced higher than that depending on size are pretty ridiculous. But if it's worth the pay then go for it. Cheaper doesn't always mean better, but neither does expensive, so whatever works for you and your budget I guess.

 

To me a reasonable amount to pay for a doll is like $300-500~ Cheap would be like $100-200 and expensive would be anything about 500 I don't really have a preferred expensive/cheap I'll pay however much it is for the doll I want, but I probably wouldn't spend over $700 unless it was a doll I absolutely neeeded. If I had unlimited money, you better believe I'd be buying dolls left and right, no matter the cost, and if I decided later to sell any it'd be at a steep discount to make someone's day. (not to cheapen the artists work of course but just to be nice)

 

Oo let's see. I think all my current and future dolls are expensive, but I would pay for it. "Cheap" is dependant on the size for me. For example, $200 for a 15cm doll is borderline expensive, but $400 for a bigger doll is cheap.

Any full set 70cm doll above $1k is steep, (looking at you Soom Seth) but I'd consider it if it's a limited grail. Max limit for a limited grail would probably be $1.2k - $1.5k.

 

What is an "expensive" doll to you?
I feel the average for a large doll is somewhere around $700, new, and not much less second-hand. Expensive for me... they ALL are expensive! I'm kind of a cheap-skate at heart, but I'm reconciled to the prices of bjds, so I'll pay quite a lot... but it all seems expensive!

When does it start getting ridiculous for you?
Several thousand dollars and up. I just can't see myself ever paying that much... but who knows?

Do you prefer expensive or cheap dolls overall?
I don't really see much of a difference... if I'm spending hundreds of dollars, it's not cheap! I have got second-hand dolls for much less than retail price, but they still aren't CHEAP (to me, anyway). I buy dolls based on what I want to buy, not the price. The price will keep me from buying some dolls, but otherwise, it's just the doll itself that I want, not the price. I'm sure people might think I prefer more expensive dolls since I have a lot of limited full-sets bought directly from the company--but that's just because I wanted the doll. If they came at a cheaper price, that would be fantastic, but they didn't...!

What is the most you'd pay for a doll?
I'm not sure. Under the amount stated above--several thousand, for sure. I think I've stayed under a thousand for the dolls themselves (not counting fullset outfits, etc.). I don't get too obsessive about dolls if they are priced super-high. But I'll make an effort if they are under that, if I really can't live without the doll.

If money poured from your rear like a fountain, would you buy hundreds of dolls or still limit yourself to a set number?
I've been buying bjds since 2004 and have accumulated WAY too many by now... I've always wanted a limit, but it keeps getting pushed up when I see a new doll. So... I have limits but they don't work and I'd prefer to have a limit because no one needs the number of dolls I own--but I seriously am just a doll hoarder!

How has your views on expensive versus cheap dolls changed since you first entered the hobby?
It's been the same since I've started with bjds. BEFORE bjds I thought that all bjds were insanely priced!!! Now, I pay the insane amounts almost routinely... It's kind of crazy. But there were no such things as cheap bjds when I started... and even though I have, as I said, bought dolls that were much less than average retail price... I still think they are expensive and that hasn't changed. (I don't really understand how anything that is hundreds of dollars can be cheap! Less expensive, more expensive, but still expensive!)

 

$500 is where things feel expensive for me. I'll make exceptions, especially if things are looking good financially, but I also want to keep in mind in how much I'll have to spend after I bring the doll home. Wigs, eyes, clothes, materials to improve posing, maybe even face up: it all adds to the total cost of the doll.
But a cheap doll for me is often $250 and under, depending on its company! I'm especially partial to damaged and broken dolls on the secondhand, dolls I can work on...the most I'd pay is $800, though. Too much and I just won't want to handle the doll.
This has stayed constant since I started.

Give me unlimited money, though, and I'd bring home some dolls I've always wanted, some dolls that caught my eye...but not much more than that! I don't want to be overwhelmed; I want to make sure I take the time to bond with each doll and put my all into them!

 

For me it's around $800+ !

But I differentiate 'high price' with 'expensive' (it's just my way of defining things.)
I would say that 600 USD dolls are high priced but they come with the quality and satisfaction.
If I ever call anything expensive the word would contain 'unsatisfactory' and 'not-worth-it' kinda idea in it.
for example, I may call a doll that I bought for 300 USD as expensive because I was disappointed and didn't like the doll at all or something like that.

 

I would consider anything under $300 cheap and anything over $800 expensive. Certain sculpts may cost more than others, so I am sure the price isn't too influential on my decision to purchase a doll. What matters the most is whether I like it or not. If it's expensive, I can always budget accordingly and save up for it.

 

For me, speaking in generalities, under $300 is affordable, $300-600 is in the "expensive, but doable" range, $600-850 makes me worry, $850-999 probably isn't going to happen, and $1000+ gets a "No, thank you." Of course, generalities are dangerous. If I feel I am getting my money's worth, and if it is a doll I absolutely want or need for my collection, I'm willing to save up and splurge...a little.

If I never had to worry about money OR space, I'd probably buy 3-6 dolls a year. Where I'd really go nuts would be the eyes, wigs, clothes, furniture, displays, and so on that I'd have delivered to my house by the truckload each month.

 

I'm a cheapskate with most things so I think anything $300 and under is affordable. Maybe up it to $400 if I'm doing really good saving money, which normally I don't. Anything over $400 would be mid-range. It's harder for me, but with something like taxes I'd probably be okay. $700+ is expensive. $1,000+ is no way.