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

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view? If it is a rare and sought after doll, then yes. Then again, you're talking to someone who used to collect pokemon cards, and those got pretty pricey and were worth it to me.

-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you? I'm answering this as a former avid collector of Pokemon cards...I can understand why something such as a doll can cost so much. But personally, the doll should only have such a high price if it is rare, well made/maintained(if second-hand), and there is a demand for 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? N/A

 

i would be ready to pay 1000$ for a super awesome limited doll (soom for exemple)
but when i see doll worth almost 4000$ i'm like: whuuuut?? are you f**king kidding me???

no matter how cool it is, i would NEVER pay that much for a doll. its just not worth it. i'd be to scared to do anything with it. it would ''live'' in a box, full of pillows. i would freaking get an insurance on it!! and it would NEVER come out of the house. how boring! then, is it WORTH spending so much? no. not for me.
i'd rather just enjoy it on pictures.

even if they are art, at this price i think its stealing. and i feel the same about any piece of art!

 

Thank you for making the distinction! I think most other people here are totally missing the point. :> But that is the crux of the issue. Recognizing something's real, actual value has no bearing on whether or not you'd personally shell out for it.

 

A doll is a physical art piece. Now, all physical art pieces are going to deteriorate/fade/become damaged through time. It happens. A doll, however, loses its original glamour only after a few years, perhaps longer if they're really well cared for.

I honestly don't believe that any doll is actually worth thousands of dollars, piece of art or not.

 

Easy? Not true, sorry. Aside from the fact that it took me over two years to make a doll that had at least somewhat the same quality as the dolls you could buy (and I haven't even had the chance to test his jointing system), the material cost of mold making alone is over $1200.

With the money I spend on making my own doll I could've bought a second Volks Sweet Dream Lucas. If you want to save cash: BUY a doll, don't make one.

 

With all honesty, I think thousands for ANY doll is preposterous! However, this is 3D art we're talking about here. I know that I'd never pay that amount- even if I was super rich!

As far as a marketed & limited doll, I've never purchased one of them yet, but it sounds nice.

Now, as far as me NOT being willing to pay this amount, even if I favored the doll, & it was limited, is because I view the earth & see how many struggle. I'm in a tight situation now, so if I knew others were, I'd rather spend thousands on helping them. However, I may spend hunrdreds, but never thousands! :p

 

I think that if someone loves something and has the money then its worth what they want to pay for it. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

 

I should have clarified; by make, I meant to assemble your own doll by buying pre-made parts. Plenty of stores sell Rozen Maiden clothes and wigs and it wouldn't be too hard to find a doll that looked similar. In fact, it can easily be done for about $500. The only reason why people I've spoken to have purchased the dolls (On E-Bay or another website for the increased price of around $4000) is because they're "official". All that really means is that Volks got a nice stamp of approval to make an "official" doll. :P

 

If you love the doll, can afford the doll and think you can't live without her or him, fine. I have antique dolls in my collection that i have had for several years that were made before ww1 and they look great. I have them in the same case as my BJD resin dolls. Antique dolls are very expensive. The rare ones in good condition are. How rare the doll is and how hard it is to acquire makes the price go up. I'm sure whoever bought that doll for $4ooo thought they had to have it and love the doll. Doll love is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

I love BJD's and i would definitely buy a 600-800 dollar doll. However, I still know that is too much... then again in a world where money dictates everything =__=;

anyway, i dont think even super limited ones should be 1000... i mean its about quality. not quantity. mostly. However like with OOAK's like I think theyre priceless... but still, i dont think overcharging is good.

Dolls should be marketed in a way that its not ridiculously overpriced and are good quality.

 

My collection is on the more expensive side but I am a firm beleiver in quality over quantity. I have never had nor do I want more that 10 dolls at any one time and the most I have ever had is 9 at any one time (including tinies). I have paid much more that $1000 dollars for a doll and never ever regretted it. I understand that many people cannot afford such luxuries or would prefer to have many cheaper dolls than one expensive doll but I am just not that kind of collector.

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?

I suppose it would depend on the doll and package. I'm sure that someday I'll see one that I think would be worth that much, based on craftsmanship and package.

-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?

No, and I would prefer not to, considering I'd rather buy a limeted doll nude, just the doll, rather than the full package. I feel that prices are far over inflated for limeteds second hand, and it annoys me how many people appear to buy them just to sell them and/or their parts for profit. To get some of the dolls I want I know I will have to, IF I CAN find them second hand, or have to build them from parts collected myself, but now that I am part of the hobby, my eye is sharp for limeted editions, especially the Soom MD's, that suit my taste.

-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you?

Details, craftsmanship, originality. If a doll was just a readily available one with a LE outfit and faceup, and maybe some mods, I wouldn't think it worth much more than the average doll. When you look at the dolls like Soom's monthlies, that's what I consider a doll that could potentially be worth that much. Generally those dolls are very original in design, have a full package available, and are limited in run or sale period. When I see a doll like say, Monzo, I gape. The details, the originality... such painstakenly handcrafted details (reproduced, sure, but they were handcrafted for the production model!). A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it, and as an artist myself, I can recognize and appreciate that. Add to that the fact that the materials used for these dolls tend to be top notch, that they are collectables that will undoubtedly rise in value over time if they are well cared for, AND that they are wonderful sentimentally valuable items, and you get something worth an amazing amount.

 

This reminded me of 'The Mona Lisa Curse', a channel four documentary on the commoditisation of art in the mid to late 20th century. I thought it was worth mentioning because the focus for much of that which is called art is placed on it's price tag. The more expensive it is the better it must be. This is the philosophy that has shaped the works of Damien Hurst, Andy Warhol ect. who produce the simplest art for the largest price tag. While this is not necessarily the case with doll companies, I feel that sometimes, aspects of the community focus entirely too much on monetary value. It seems that gone are the days where we value what items are worth in abstract nouns such as beauty, joy, desire.

I will never pay millions of dollars for art, and I doubt I will ever pay that much for a doll, it simply isn't worth it. I have been in the situation recently when I saw my dream doll and had to make the difficult decision of did I buy it now, or would I let it go because it was limited. Had it been any more expensive I probably would have decided that that wasn't the doll for me. Luckily hundreds and thousands are two very different things, even if they do taste good on ice-cream together.

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?

I believe as with any thing in life whether it be a doll or a house it is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.


-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 personally would not buy a second hand doll for that price. I may be tempted to buy a new one for that cost. I would not expect to buy to get the money back. Its like buying an expensive car, you buy it because you want it and as it leaves the forecourt it has generally lost thousands of pounds.


-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you?

I would pay for uniqueness but not for the resale value


-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?

If it was my dream doll I would buy it.

 

I'd like to add my personal view to the discussion.

Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
It all depends whether I'm interested in aprticualr doll or not. I might say, that some dolls do not seem so much appealing to me, therefore I wouldn't really spend a penny on them. But then again - the thing is worth whatever money you're ready to pay for it. As long as YOU yourself consider it a reasonable price. It's impossible for me to judge the doll's price objectively - it's all about what I like and WANT. Of course, I would be happy my dream-Volks dolls would cost less, but then again - I'm aware I haven't chosen the cheapest company on the market. I know that some brands and their ideas have particular prices. If I couldn't gert over it, why bother at all? That's part of the game.

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?
Few of my dolls have a status of limited and value over a $1000 minimum. I do admit, those have been crazy purchases and I do have to confess I hope that, as the years pass by and a need appears, I'd be able to gain profit after selling. This actually is my Good Excuse for buying expensive dolls. I keep telling myself that 'one day' I won't loose on them. I may get a 100% refund or even earn some $. I consider dolls expensive collectibles. And most collectors believe, their collections have certain value. It's not about planning a sale, it's about personal... dunno, comfort? That would be the word for me, I guess. I'm in 100% cases fully aware of what I'm paying for. I chose Volks over many other bjd companies because I know, that what they're offering will be top-of-the-top. I'm not saying other companies lack quality or skills, this is only my personal view on the case and since I have had constact with other dolls I have made my choice. And I'm happy for it, even though I've made a decision to pay more at the same time.

 

I agree with everything you said!

 

I think it's just because you haven't seen a doll that you like so much. You would be ready to pay this much if you found one which is to-die-for. You say you would pay a $1000 for a SOOM, but some people wouldn't claiming THIS is already too much for them and they would be scared to do a thing with that doll.

I think that as long as you're capable to pay such price and LIKE what you see, you definitely would pay that or any price.

Take the example - I totally detest some Volks molds (even though I'm a dedicated Volks customer) and they even seem to cost a fortune (limited one-offs etc). Although I adore Volks all the way with all their marketing, I wouldn't pay even $300 for some molds because I think they're just UGLY. Then again, I got myself Luna, even though Volks does have cheaper molds. Why? Because I wanted her and I agreed she IS worth the price.

 

I was going to say that their expensive because of art but since i noticed the note I will exclude this. ^^; I answered this based on my current situation and may subject to change. I'm currently a college student w/ no part time work so I only get my money from my parents and birthday/Christmas gifts. Though, as Sahoma said, $4k is not a go for me.

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
It depends on the rationality but I think a bjd, even an LE, costing worth more than 100,000php excluding shipping fee is ridiculously expensive and not a wise buy. There are sellers that do not mark the price down for obviously valid reasons. So I still have the horrible customs' very very high fee to add on top of the price of the bjd and shipping. I try to be cheap and calculate what can I squeeze into my tiny budget since i'm the type that will go almost all out if I have the money and Shinku is waving at me. Ending up w/ lots of debt is not good.

-To those who would pay this amount but haven't/can't: What makes a doll worth this amount to you?
I reason out w/ myself first why would I spend that much money on a doll. Where would I get that much money? Then I ask and try to reason out w/ my parents & family why I would buy such an expensive doll. Then I think why again until I come to a conclusion. There are so many dolls that I want but I can't or would not buy every single one of them. I do not buy to resell them but for my own "happiness".

-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 it exceeded $2k >.> Even if it was Shinku, if I have to pay a really high amount, I would just bite my envy and enjoy other people's pictures.

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?

For me, no. But any doll is just worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I wouldn't be able to spend this amount but yeh, there are people who can.

-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?

I have to work for that amount of money for a month, fulltime. And ofc I still have some saving up to do and pay rent and bills. Priorities in life. I would probably sob a lot about it, but yeh, plenty of fish in the sea.
Though, maybe, when I won the lottery ... but I would still have a bad feeling about it. So much money for (tbh) "just" a doll!

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
Nope.

-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?
I already have my dream dolls (working on one still, actually), but let's say I didn't...I just can't pay that money for a doll. I won't pay more than $600 for one, anyway. I'd rather save up that money and use it in the future when I need it.