How Did You Know?

I had never seen a bjd or known anybody who had one unil I got Amir. But I just KNEW because I'd been interested in dolls all my life and bjds for a few years. When I saw owner pix of his sculpt, I literally cried. When I held him for the first time, I cried even more! I've had a LOT of bjds since then and while none compared to him, I'm really glad he gave me that reaction and made my intro to the hobby a very wonderful thing!

 

There's nothing wrong with being nervous, this is a new hobby and there's always the worry that you won't like it as much as you thought. I have never been to a meet or seen an actual doll in real life either, hell, I don't even have my first doll yet, but it's something I'm still willing to invest a lot of money in. And I don't invest a lot of money into much of ANYTHING, so this is a big deal for me.

You won't know if this hobby is right for you until you get your doll, unfortunately. But I hope it works out for you.

 

I don't even have a full doll yet, never been to a meet, but I did get to see some BJDs in college. I knew the hobby was for me when I saw them... They were so much more beautiful up close, and the thought alone of obtaining one made me so excited.

I too was concerned about how expensive this hobby was... but I'm also a gamer, and I've spent thousands on art suppies. But after saving the money several times and losing it to financial problems and not losing one bit f interest in this hobby, I know more than ever that this hobby is definitely for me

 

I'd never seen a doll in person, and whilst I thought of the dolls as just 'prettyshinythings!' at first when I saw my boy's company photos something clicked and I could imagine myself holding him. I think you really know it's for you when you find that one sculpt that you really want - the doll, not just the pretty hair or face-up - then you know it's the hobby for you.

 

Reading these comments makes me feel better as well. I had opprtunity to go on doll meet but I had no money for the trip back then. Maybe next time...
But I'm still getting nervous. I'm not so sure anymore...

 

I came into this hobby without seeing a resin BJD in person beforehand. However, I inched my way in slowly! I started off by buying (off topic) obitsu 1/6 dolls. It let me get a feel of how much I would enjoy sewing for my dolls, doing faceups and choosing wigs/shoes etc. I got to really think how much I'd get out of this hobby without spending very much at all!

I admit, it took me about a year of "testing" out the hobby before I committed and bought my first bit of resin, but even then I only bought a head. I wanted to SEE and FEEL what resin would be like and I wasn't disappointed. When I got my first MSD head I couldn't believe how much BETTER it was than the obitsu dolls I'd got. I actually had the doll head next to my pillow that night Then I bought a body, and the hobby continued

I think you need to know how much you will enjoy owning a doll. Do you already have an interest in other dolls? Maybe see how much you enjoy dressing them or repainting cheaper dolls etc. Then you can move on to see whether resin is for you. Perhaps buying a head of a sculpt you really admire could give you a feel of the resin. Less of a commitment and you can slowly grow into the hobby

I hope that's helpful. Feel free to PM me if you want ^_^

 

One of the things I find so fascinating about this hobby is the many wide and varied reasons that people get into it, and in turn, stay in it. :3 I had seen a few dolls from afar, which is the only way I found out that they existed after some research, though it was quite a long time after that until I finally made the plunge. Interestingly enough, I got pretty lucky, as far as things go, since my first doll was much more on the side of impulse than the care and time I take nowadays.

Basically, my best friend found The One, and I knew I really wanted one too, so she suggested we get two together from the same company. (Thus our obsession with 'saving on shipping' began, and hasn't stopped since xD) I had a few I liked from said company, and though one stood out, I wasn't entirely positive on him at the time. However, we ended up buying them, and then the wait began. And it was during that long, excruciating waiting period that I constantly would go back to the doll's page that I'd purchased and look at him, really look at him, getting to know every curve and feature, and started to get very, very excited for him, finding him even more perfect than I'd thought originally. And when he got here, he was absolutely perfect in every sense, and he still stands as my favorite doll to this day.

I do think I got rather lucky with my first doll, I wouldn't recommend doing what I did for sure... xD But consider why you want the doll you're going after, and definitely think long and hard about it. While it's not unheard of to resell and be happy and fine later, personally I'd say its better to be sure. It's difficult when you haven't held or seen one for yourself, though -- I know when I got my first boy, who's a 62cm SD, he was bigger than I had imagined, even after measuring things out myself! But it certainly didn't deter me, as now I have two 70cms along with him.

Overall, I would say that it's best to do as much research as you can, and shop around! There are so many companies and so many beautiful dolls, it's often more difficult to narrow down to the one you REALLY want than to find even just one you like. And certainly, certainly weigh all of your options financially to be sure that you're okay with how much you're spending.

Hopefully some of this was helpful to someone, and I wish everyone who's looking into their first doll the best of luck! May you all find and get your dream dollies~

 

I never saw a BJD in person before I ordered mine. ^^ ;;;;; ((Ironically after my boy came, I started to see them at cons.))

The only reason I decided to take the plunge into this hobby and dish out the money for a doll was because I first got into BJDs when I was 11/12 years old, and after that still was into them for many years. (*O _ O*) Usually, when you're younger, you tend to jump interests a lot. x'D So when I saw that my interest wasn't fading after the years and eventually the money didn't seem that costly to me anymore ((when you're little, $50 seems like a lot to you even.)), I went ahead and decided to finally get one. ^^ And I was completely winging it the whole time since I never saw one in person so . . . ^^ ;;;; All I did was spend one week doing extensive research on the dolls, and then I took a chance and finally bought one. ^^ ;;;;;

Then when my boy finally came (after a terrible story ugh some weird delays happened with the company; great experience for the newbie I was at the time x'D), since I didn't know at all what to expect, it was really awesome since everything was beyond my expectations. x'D And man am I lucky that I was able to look past company photos and instead just focus on face shape and body shape I wanted >>;;; *coughcough* Uh, before I go rambling. Point is, getting into the hobby on a gamble was worth it so . . ^^

 

I didn't. Never saw a BJD in real life before I got mine, and I didn't even know much about them (did zero research and never searched for pictures),

Walked into Denver Doll Emporium, looked at dolls, and bought one figuring I could just sell it if I didn't like it.

I definitely didn't do nearly as much thinking or considering when it came to this hobby as most other people do. When I decided I wanted a doll (actually wanted), it was only five minutes later that I bought one.

Don't be afraid to dabble in new hobbies.

 

A close friend of mine ordered a bjd and I had no idea what they were. I saw hers and wasn't hooked. I thought it was very expensive and not something I would enjoy. Then I discovered a picture online of a Midsummer's Night Dream photoshoot someone did with their dolls and I was hooked. I ordered mine the next day, and then another a month later. Now I'm obsessed.

 

It's normal, at least for me. When I first started out, I've never met or seen a real BJD in real life either. But I did do a lot of research, looking at their pictures, reading posts about them, finding a lot of information about them. This is to prepare myself, to make sure that I really want one before taking the plunge, and I think this is necessary for first time owners.

 

I feel the same way! I'm new to the hobby as well and I'm slowly (but surely!) getting the money together for one and I am nervous. But reading everyone's comments make me feel a bit better about it. And seeing I'm not the only one also makes me feel a bit better. Thanks for posting this.

 

I just really wanted one. got it, luved it!
there's no other way to know than trying ^_^

but to begin with, I already knew I liked to collect dolls so...

 

I had never seen one in person and did very little research before my purchase. (I actually thought that there were only 2 or 3 companies out there!) Worse yet, I had grown up a very anti-doll person.
For some reason I just fell in love with the pictures and, when some extra funds popped up, a just hastily made the plunge before I changed my mind. I certainly don't regret it! (Though, my bank account does, just a bit!)

 

IF you could find a doll meetup in your area it would benefit you a lot!
You could see dolls in person. Even if there isn't a huge variety it could help give you an idea of what you want. That's what I'm probably gonna do for future doll purchases. I've gone to meetups and found myself falling inlove will dolls I never considered before.

If you see a doll you really like online, I say go for it.
You must like it for a reason.
As far as knowing if the hobby is for you or not...you don't know until you try it for a while.
Some people stay hooked, others lose interest.
You're interested that's good!

It's also normal to feel nervous when buying your first doll.
Especially when you can only pick one. Makes you unsure of what you want.
Just go with what feels natural!
Get the doll you really want and can't stop looking at.

 

I've spend a lot of time just looking at dolls knowing that I would never get one until I saw one that defeinetly made me go "DO WANT!".What I'm trying to say is you don't say to yourself "Okay I'm getting into this hobby now and I'm going to like it",no,I say it just happens like other hobbies happened you just feel it and enjoy it.

 

As Lentil mentioned, I also agree that I wasn't sure even after purchasing my first doll. I have had my doubts since then for financial reasons and concern for consuming since I'm becoming a minimalist. I've even taken an 8 month break, but I keep coming back. I continue to dream and imagine.

 

I just had that feeling that "I. want. this." my first doll was like a dream come true, he was/is perfect for me. So, when I get that special feeling that it is telling that "this is what I want" I just go ahead and take the plunge!

 

Our first BJD was a total impulse purchase - my daughter and I had never seen a BJD before, but when we saw Halo up for sale at a local doll show we fell in love and had to have her. I actually had to call the doll shop the next day and ask what sort of doll she was!

Being in the BJD hobby has been such a joy. We have a large local BJD group and my daughter and I do tons of dolly things together. Hubby makes doll accessories, we all go to meets and are working at our local BJD convention in June. The hobby has brought our whole family closer together and we've made so many fantastic dolly friends! Good luck on your own BJD journey - I hope it's a wonderful one

 

A close friend of mine got a BJD - we where together at a convention and I got the chance to play with her doll. Since that moment, I'm totally in love with them and found out that this hobby is just the perfect one for me.