From your point of view, is any BJD worth thousands of dollars?

People have different values. Some people value their dolls intrinsically~the doll in itself is what I value. While others value dolls instrumentally such as the level of pleasure that the doll would bring. That's where you have to figure out what you really value in the doll. There's even a debate in philosophy whether an object has intrinsic value or instrumental value. The person him or herself has to be the one to come up with a good reason in justifying their view.

 

In USD, it would be a few hundred dollars. But converting that amount to perhaps MYR, it became at least more than a thousand dollars. So yeah, I would have to say. Yeah, sure. Lawl.

 

This is a very subjective issue. If you're wealthy, a thousand dollars or more isn't going to make a dent in your personal finances. But for someone working to survive (like me), no doll, however special, would be worth paying a thousand dollars for. Even a couple of hundred would be hard for me to justify in my current financial situation.

 

I've had to justify spending 400 on a doll to folks who know how much resin, silicone and the time to carve and cast a doll is, so imagining spending 1000 makes me blanche. Although I want a porcelain doll that's almost 2 grand. To me, materials plays some part in price. Resin is a relatively new material and doesn't have the permanance of porcelain (which, if unbroken, will last until the end of the world). So, if they found some way of formulating a resin that would stand the test of time, i think more people could find a way to buy very high end dolls.

 

I think there are some that are WORTH it, but none that I would ever SPEND that money on.

 

A couple I want are worth it to me, cause that's how much they are.

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view? For me it depends on the doll. Also, because I am in NZ, the exchange rate means that I am generally going to pay around $1000NZD for an SD doll, as the USD price generally doubles, or just less than. So for me, I have had to learn to deal with the fact that a doll is a real investment on my part, but if I really like one then yes, they are worth it in my mind. This especially applies for me to my dream doll DOD DOT E-an, who I would probably move heaven and earth to get if I could.

-If you have ever bought a limited doll from a second hand market for a minimum of a few thousand dollars, what are the pros and cons of this? And do you worry that it may lose value due to popularity (or lack of) or from typical wear over time? What makes that doll worth it to you? I haven't bought a second hand limited doll, but for me I would never buy a doll thinking about the re-sell value. I would only ever buy a doll because I wanted it, not because I could wait a year and make money on it.

-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you? If I won lotto tomorrow, I would most probably put a large portion of it into a 'Dolly account' so that I could have it sitting there for when I found a doll I really wanted. I wouldn't think about the re-sell value, it isn't important to me. Yes, it may be good for if/when I leave the hobby to have something that is worth something, but it doesn't matter much to me. I like having dolls around me, I like the way they feel and how they can be human enough to talk to when you really need it (yes, I am insane. Seriously.) If I really feel a connection with a doll when I see their photo, then I want to have them. Yes, I see a lot of dolls I like and would like to have, but there are only a few that I actually say "I really need to have him/her". I would only ever spend $1000s on one of those dolls.
For me, the hobby is something I enjoy, and really feel a passion for. I am a little bit weird about buying clothes for them though - I can fully understand spending $1000s on a really beautiful doll that I want, but I can't understand spending more than $30 on a set of clothes. Although I guess that comes down to the whole feeling of "don't be lazy, you can sew perfectly well and could easily make that"

 

So here are some questions:
-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?

Things are only worth what you are willing to pay for them. Not long ago Anu auctioned off her Bermann #2 and I believe it rang up to nearly $6000 on ebay. That's a lot of money. Was it worth it? I'm sure it was.

I have two very expensive second owner dolls and together they would match that $6K. I sat and really thought about it before purchasing such a thing .. I mean, come ON it's a freaking DOLL!!!! Do I think it was worth it? Yes. I could easily sell them and get my money back if it came to that but frankly, I'd sell my car first!


-If you have ever bought a limited doll from a second hand market for a minimum of a few thousand dollars, what are the pros and cons of this? And do you worry that it may lose value due to popularity (or lack of) or from typical wear over time? What makes that doll worth it to you?

See first answer. The con of course is spending all that money! omfg! what was I thinking??!?!? Yes the Pro for this was the joy I have. I came in to this hobby very late. The last Dollshe auction was just wrapping up. There would be no more Bermanns. And while I was saving up for a Bernard *snap* suddenly no more Dollshes. (yes I know there are "new edition" and no, I don't like them) For me it's not the privilege of owning a Haute Hound or a Bermann as really, they are resin dolls. For me it's that I like them; they speak to me and I enjoy listening.
-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you?

-To those who would not pay this amount, even if you did have the money: Let's just pretend that your dream dolly is a limited going for a few thousand, why wouldn't you be willing to pay this amount?

In a way I can relate and understand not wanting to pay that amount. I certainly did not want to do it. But I think the temptation, the beauty of the dolls made me try to put aside enough to do this. And really, that is how I got my first doll, saving diligently for six month. Would I do that again? Spending that much for those high priced dolls? Well, I said "no" after the Haute Hound. I made a liar out of myself. So I guess if one came along that really called to me, I'd start saving like a madwoman.

 

Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
Yes, because of rarity, demand, and artistic value.

-If you have ever bought a limited doll from a second hand market for a minimum of a few thousand dollars, what are the pros and cons of this? And do you worry that it may lose value due to popularity (or lack of) or from typical wear over time? What makes that doll worth it to you?
Yes I have. I bought it because it was my dream mold, and I bought her to play with her. I do not plan to sale her, so I plan to use the product I purchased. It is worth so much because of the personal impact of the mold, the aesthetics of her face were just perfect for me.

 

Do I think a doll could be worth thousands of dollars? Certainly - with a high degree of rarity, condition, and unique qualities (be them the face-up, interchangeable parts, etc), a piece of art as beautiful as a BJD could really get up there in price.

Would I ever pay thousands of dollars for a doll? Not a chance.

 

I don't think that I would... I can understand a limited doll being expensive, yes, but I wouldn't buy one. To me, although a doll might be 'perfect' for the character I have in mind, there is always going to be a second mold out there that will be almost as good and half as expensive.

For example... I fell in love with the Cherry mold from Asleep E. I want to buy the head to replace a broken one on my AoD boy... but after some research, I found a similar version from Luts (which is also named Cherry!) that is not as expensive (at least the head by itself isn't) but is just as perfect. Although the Luts version is an elf, and the Asleep E is not. (Easily taken care of... *pulls out the sander!*)

My point is that while some molds might be perfect, I don't think that perfection is worth thousands of dollars. Especially when something just as beautiful can be bought for less.

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
No, at this point in time I wouldn't spend that amount of money on a doll. They might be "worth" it in terms of the usual selling price, but it wouldn't be worth it to me. I'm still finding it hard to justify spending $460 on a Minifee (price includes shipping). Still I know that this is the price from the company and that they pose very well. I just usually don't spend this kind of money on a single item. In fact, I don't think I ever have!

-If you have ever bought a limited doll from a second hand market for a minimum of a few thousand dollars, what are the pros and cons of this? And do you worry that it may lose value due to popularity (or lack of) or from typical wear over time? What makes that doll worth it to you?
Not applicable to me. I'm new to the world of BJ Dolls and I have not yet ordered my first.

-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you?
I don't know if I would.. It's hard for me to justify spending so much on a "toy" / luxury item. Maybe if I won the lottery or something. Even then the doll would have to be limited and I would have to really love it.

-To those who would not pay this amount, even if you did have the money: Let's just pretend that your dream dolly is a limited going for a few thousand, why wouldn't you be willing to pay this amount?
Because in a way, I would feel it was a "waste" of good money. Not that the doll isn't necessarily "worth" that amount on the open market, but because to me I can't fathom spending so much on a doll.

 

At the moment, no. Maybe when I'm older and I have a job and regular income, I'll change my opinion. But not when I'm relying on donations and pocket money

 

Of course. But I think at that point you are seeing the doll as an art object, not as a plaything.
In order for me to pay that kind of money for a doll, it would have to be rare, precious and appealing to me. Resale value would have very little to do with it.
I have not paid more than around a thousand dollars, but if I had the ability and the doll was something I wanted, I would. For instance I remember the blue Kaye Wiggs doll that went for around three thousand. I would have bid on it if my funds allowed.
I think that some dolls are truly amazing artist's creations, and some are lesser. It's like comparing a painting by one of those guys that do the "sofa sized art" that you see advertised on TV and an Edward Hopper. Clearly one is worth more than the other.

 

I think the prices charged for some dolls are completely ridiculous especially when the effort put into the doll is no more than for a regular doll. The only circumstance where I think it makes sense is when the doll is much more complicated, detailed, or work intensive to produce.
The best example of this I can think of are Marina Bychkova's Enchanted Dolls because the stringing mechanism and porcelain casting and coloring is so much more time consuming and difficult than the average resin doll. Her dolls are quite expensive, but it takes her 2-3 weeks nonstop painstaking work to produce one. So it seems reasonable that they are expensive.

 

Well as I see it, your hobby is your passion and passion is without free meals! I mean I understand where your coming from; dollies aren't exactly "Superman" when you buy them and you have to take special care of the etc. Resin can get stained, fingers can break off, skin can yellow and a lot of money can be put into a face up that won't last forever. However, what is the difference between that and lets say, airplane models? You can't play with all airplane models. You build them and that's that. It might not be as much as a dolly, but the more models you buy and the money you spend on supplies like paint and glue and whatnot does rack up fairly quickly. And then when you're done with your model...then what?
And while I have a new found passion for dolls, I still have a practicality side; considering what my job opportunities are and what I want to be in life, would it really kill me if I don't have this doll? I mean I do want one or two, but nothing crazy that could potentially bankrupt me and put me out in the streets. Because then, I'll live in a box with a pretty doll.

 

Don't remember if I replied to the thread in the past, but (as I recall) previously my answer was that no, I don't believe any doll is worth that much.

But I'd like to revise my statement ^^;;

I think that there ARE dolls out there made with the such exclusivity and detail/uniqueness/etc. that a doll CAN be worth that much. Even though the secondary market can change the value of a doll, I don't think it can change the value that much if it's a rare doll. I.e, even if a one-off isn't a popular design, it's not like the resale value will just drop $500 or whatnot to suit the secondary market. So I definitely don't think popularity is an extreme factor in the cost, and a doll could always cost thousands of dollars just depending on the rarity/uniqueness of the doll because there are always at least people out there who would like even the least popular ones. However, it doesn't mean I'd be willing to pay that much. I'm already queasy buying bjds even at really good deals, so a doll worth over a thousand dollars is definitely out of the question.

(Yikes, sorry for the random rambling!)

 

I also think it is possible, but i would have to look at it and go, wow that is perfect for me.

 

I would never spend more than $500 on a doll. I just couldn't justify it. I am a university student and spending thousands of dollars on dolls instead of my tuition would kill me.

With that being said, I honestly don't think that they're worth thousands of dollars. Take the Volks Rozen Maiden dolls, for example. They sold through lottery for $1000 each (I'm not sure if the lottery still happens), but because they're so rare, people sell them for $4000 on eBay or through other sites. The worst part is that people buy them. I point out that it would be easy enough to make your own doll for about $1000 instead of $4000 (and it would look pretty damn good).

The resin yellows and if you're handling the dolls, a few bumps and bruises are bound to happen. For something that visibly deteriorates within the time span of a few years, spending that much money on a doll just isn't worth it. Now, if you were to spend more money because a special type of resin was used that was resistant to yellowing/changing colour and then wanted to keep the doll more as a collector's item (i.e. stored carefully and not handled), I could see that. A lot of people enjoy handling their dolls, though. I'm not going to spend more money on something that is basically a toy if it's not necessary.

 

i would never spend thousands on one doll no matter how rare or awesome it is. it's just not worth it. there is a chance that it will break or somthing will go wrong and resin yellows, so eventually it's not going to look like it did when it was new. the most expensive one i will buy is around $600. no more. plus i'm poor and have a crap@$$ job. but even if i was rich i would never spend a lot of money on a doll