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

If someone wants that doll and is willing to pay for it, then despite its material defects then I would say its worth it to that person.

I would hesitate to say a doll's material worth is several thousand dollars tho, usually the price is based on popularity and/or the artist.

I also NEVER buy a doll, any doll, based on if it will decrease or increase in value. I only buy dolls I want, and have certainly overpaid for dollies I really wanted, knowing I'd never recoup that cost.

 

I couldn´t.
There are people willing to pay those amounts and that is why they cost so much. I'm not recreminating anyone. Some years ago I wouldn't spent much less than that.
But really, if a doll is too expensive to me, I don't look to it twice.

 

an item is worth as much as someone is willing to pay? i mean - i don't care if you paid $600 for an Iplehousedoll, if the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow you're not getting a cent from me for it. on the other hand, if i win the lottery, maybe i want to "pass some karma" along and give you $1600 instead of 600 - when you're "lottery rich", if you aren't investing or saving it all then why not share what you voluntarily feel like sharing with another person. some people are generous, others not so much.

also, the whole fact of "artificial scarcity" plays up a lot in the doll world. if you've never read about how diamonds are actually some of the commonest lumps of rock on earth, look it up. some companies treat their doll releases like the diamond industry controls diamonds.

 

To me, the answer to this question is simple. No. There are no dolls that I would consider as being worth paying thousands of dollars for. I love my dolls and I love this hobby, but I cannot imagine paying $1,000 or more for a single doll, no matter how awesome it was.

Some people will pay anything for items they really want, and I don't fault them for that. People can do what they like with their own money, and if they want to buy a single doll that cost thousands of dollars, that is their choice entirely. Personally, I'm quite certain I never could bring myself to do that. I can think of so many other things I could use $1,000 for, if I had the money all in one place at the same time.

 

-Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view? Possibly... but not any that I really want right now.

-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 once saw a doll and considered her value to be $12,000, (I saw similar ones on eBay for $17,000) but... to be realistic, there is no way I could spend on ONE doll like that. Even if I did have that amount of money... now I'd rather get all the BJD's on my wish list.

 

no, none of them is really worthy of such prices, if you ask me, they shouldn't cost more than $200 lol....but when you want it, you want it and if you can ,you get it, as simple as that

 

Dude, I don't think airplane tickets should cost what THEY cost, either-- if you ask me, they shouldn't cost more than $200-- but nobody DID ask me. You can pay twice as much as any LE doll, thousands of dollars, just to fly from San Francisco to New York, and that's done with in 6 hours. It's an industry that contains so many costs that it fluctuates like a stockmarket, and I do not set the industry prices. And there are also intangibles and invisibles; First Class costs exorbitantly more than cattle class, desirable flight dates/times cost exorbitantly more than undesirable ones, and prices can spike if there happens to be, say, a labor-union strike among the food-service companies who supply the airline. Same with dolls: Beyond the cost of materials, you're paying many unseen people for their time and labor, and you're paying an industry standard price range that goes up or down depending on what you level of service you want, and if there's bad weather then you get month-long delays you can't control, and if there's a shortage of anything then they pass that cost on to you, etc.

Life has a way of charging you for a lot of things you can't see that you're even paying for, but if you want that item, then you pay for it.

 

THIS! Thank you, Jenny. I particularly love the airline analogy. It's so amusing when people, who have a limited experience in the hobby and very little understanding of the industry - no, art form! - as complex as custom resin doll production, express their righteous indignation and price-police. There have been dozens of very detailed explanations of the costs of an average BJD, and yet there is always someone who thinks a Williams should go for $200.

It is particularly distasteful to me, because this is the exact attitude that leads to justification of recasts.

 

I kinda wish they were a little cheaper so more people could be involved. And my limit for a doll including a fullset would be $800. Short and sweet answer.

 

Personally, I think it's ridiculous the amount that most toys, that you can't just buy at Toys R' Us, are going for, now a days. If you are into BJDs, Japanese Figures, or Vinyl/Urban toys, you are spending a great deal of money for items that will not pay for themselves in the future. I completely agree that these are temporary items who's worth depreciates with time and use. Yet, i see people who don't even have the money to spend on themselves, splurging on these items to make themselves happy. Myself included in that statement. Are they worth the price? Not really. Do we find reasons to justify the cost? Of course we do. It's not reality, though. It's just people trying to make themselves feel better by spending money. Isn't that was America is all about, though?

 

I think "worth" is a very personal judgement - if they're not worth it to you, fair enough (although then I'd wonder why you're involved in the hobby) - but I don't think you can generalize about reality from there.

That's not specific to dolls either. To use a different example: to someone who runs outside, a $10/month gym membership isn't worth it, while to someone who feels that $10 gym is a good value might consider a $150/month gym with classes a poor value, while the person taking those classes might think that a specialty gym that costs $250/month isn't worth it. And so on. Each person has their own reality based on their lifestyle, desires, and finances.

If it's something you enjoy and something you can afford then the question of worth should only be about your enjoyment - financial appreciation/depreciation isn't necessarily a relevant part of the equation (it can be, of course, but there's certainly no reason it needs to be).

 

Hmmm...seems some of the fullsets are around $1000 right now. So I guess I would have to say yes, I've paid $1000 for a bjd fullset. Several thousands though? I don't think I could. Around a certain amount I get to the point where I'm afraid to play with a doll for fear of breaking it. so for me $1000 is probably my limit.

 

Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
This is an extremely subjective question. Good quality, rarity coupled by the time and effort spent into making a doll, I will say yes. But as to how much is considered too much, I will put my own limit at $5000. No matter how much I luv a doll or how rare it is, I do not see myself spending past $5000. Alot of dolls are worth past a thousand dollars to me, but $5000? Nah, not me.

-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?
Though most of my dolls are limited fullsets, alot of them were purchased on the second hand markets like YJ and DoA. I do not treat them any different nor am I afraid to play with them. Initially, I do worry quite abit if they may lose their value overtime and I will constantly keep a lookout for the prices on YJ etc. But as time goes by, it matters lesser and lesser. As long as I luv the sculpts, it doesnt matter anymore.

 

Is any doll worth that amount from your point of view?
Probably.. it is subjective based on the "want factor" .

-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?
If i bought a doll just for the value over time , I would get them NRFB and keep them that way. But if i bought one for the pure enjoyment of it.. I wouldnt worry about the value as compared to the joy and hours of fun it brings me.

 

I could never justify spending that much on a doll but I thinkthat is mainly because I get a doll and that is just a jumping off point to recreate as a new character.

 

No. Limited or rare or not, just...no. BJDs are fragile, they age, they break, they ARE beautiful and utterly worth the money we spend on them. I don't feel that it's an elitist answer to say that no BJD should be worth over $1000, used, or new, or what have you. I rather spend that money on moving to my new house.