How do I justify the price of the doll to myself?

Sometimes I'll divide an item's cost by my hourly wages and then ask myself if I think the item will bring me at least that many hours of joy (if it would, it'll probably continue to bring joy for much longer and thus be a worthy investment). "Investments" don't have to be purely financial in nature; happiness is something worth investing in, too. If you truly think you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of something, it's worth considering.

I was a custom framer until I had to transfer to a job closer to home, and if I had a client that was waffling between a frame they really loved but was expensive vs a more economical frame, I'd point this out: "This will be on your wall for years, likely decades. Will you spend those years loving this frame, or will you spend years wishing you'd chosen the other frame?" This logic can apply to dolls as well. It may be on your shelf for years or even decades (unless you decide to part with it sooner than that; at least BJDs tend to be stable in pricing). Would you regret not having the doll more than you would regret the possibility that you might change your mind and have to sell the doll or more than the possibility that you'd have to cut costs elsewhere while wrangling funds for the doll?

But I'm not saying that more expensive is always "more better." It's very possible to absolutely cherish a comparatively inexpensive doll as well.

So when choosing a doll, don't just look at the price. Examine the merits of the dolls you're choosing between and use that to help decide if you love one doll $xxx more than the other choices. Sometimes the fondness you feel toward one absolutely is worth the difference in price; sometimes it's not. It's okay to decide, "I like this item at this price but not at that price." And it's also okay to decide, "I like this item regardless of its price; it'll just take more effort to make it happen." And hell, sometimes you might realize the particular quality you love is available from multiple dolls and then you have more options to contend with. XD

 

I'll ecco most of what @z-kun said!
How I justify the price to myslef is essentially the same "divide by hours of entertainment". Of course, this will look a little bit different from doll to doll, some dolls spark more creativity so I end up spending more time making things for them and doing things with them than others and I still love those others just as much, but I find it to be a good way to put the cost of a doll into perspective.

But as others have touched upon, if the cost is just too high for what you are comfortable spending at the moment, there is no shame in looking at other dolls that may tick the same boxes.
And unless it's a limited doll, the option to simply save up for longer is also available.
If the qestion is "do I want a new doll every year, or do I want one I truly love every other year" I think, at least over time, the answer is an easy one. But if it's you first, I understand if you don't want to wait that long to get started in the hobby.

Best of luck to you, @nanaislife regardless of what decision you make.

 

Replying to myself here with an update: That $675 body? It. Is. Perfect! That doll now has 5 alternate heads as well, and I probably have close to $1500 in just his resin, a lot more including all of his stuff (he is spoiled). And I have zero regrets. He's one of my favorites and has stuck around longer than the majority of my crew. If I for some reason had to cut down my large crew to just a couple of dolls, he'd make the cut. Adore him, and it was totally justified. yet....I also have bought dolls since then in the $150-400 range that I totally regretted and wished I hadn't. So I'm still standing firm on the whole "depends on how perfect it is." A thousand dollars is worth it for a perfect doll. One hundred is too much for one you don't fully enjoy.

 

It has definitely become easier for me to spend the money the longer I've been in the hobby. This is because I know the hobby brings me so much enjoyment, it is worth it. I suppose a part of it is that it feels normal to me now as well. I found that the same thing happened with my other expensive hobby (Lego. I started off thinking I could never spend more than £200 on a Lego set and, well, that was a slippery slope )

Another thing I've noticed is that if I spend a lot of money on a doll, I might feel guilty about it and even be scared to touch it for a while afterwards in case I damage it and the money is wasted! But the longer I have the doll the less I feel this, because I'm more distanced from the purchase. The same is true of other things in life that I spent a lot of money on. My mum recently pointed out that when I bought my sofa I was so careful with it, but now it is a worn-in thing that I still love dearly, but I'm not afraid to use it because the money I spent on it was so long ago, I just don't think about it anymore.

My favourite doll was also my most expensive doll. At the time I was very nervous about spending that much money, but knowing the amount of joy she has brought me, she was well worth it. If I had to buy her again, I wouldn't hesitate. I would probably spend double, triple the amount if I had to.

I have also had dolls that I didn't feel that way about, and ended up losing money on. But it's just part of the hobby for me now - I don't dwell on it too much.

Of course as I've grown up I've become more sensible with money. There was a time when I was spending money on dolls that I really needed to be spending on important life things. Nowadays I have a savings fund for dolls and I won't make a doll purchase unless I have enough money saved up, and everything important has already been paid for. I have learned patience! This takes a lot of the guilt and stress away.

I only buy 1-2 dolls a year, usually just 1. It's a big special treat that I give myself, that I can work towards and look forward to. It is part of what makes life enjoyable for me!

 

It's about diminishing returns.

Going from 0 to 1 doll is worth more than going from 10 to 11 dolls compared with everything else I have going on in life.

It's a case of finding the right balance

 

I've never spent that much on a doll, but I mostly agree with everyone else here. Life is hard right now, not only economically, and it's very important to know your budget and consider your options. If you are able to spend that amount and still feel that you have all your necessities covered (and a little bit more just in case), you should go for it. I started going the cheaper route at the beginning of my doll journey and I've always regretted it.

 

You only get one go on this merry-go-round called life; no measure of denying yourself comforts that help make this life tolerable are equal to the joy of having something you really want.

If you want it, then go for it.

 

I've been in the hobby since 2008. When I started this slippery slope of collecting, I was sure I'd never have more than 2 dolls because of the cost of them and my financial state at the time. I also felt that $300US was the most I could pay for a doll then because money was very tight at the time. I'm currently sitting at 81 dolls (how the heck did that happen?) and my price threshold has certainly crept upwards (despite the hideous exchange rate for the Canadian dollar).

All that being said, there is a doll I'd really, really like to have but he's a LOT of money. So much so that I've taken to calling him Mortgage Boy. His price (before shipping and after exchange) is more than 2 months of rent for me. Add in shipping and potential Customs fees and he's very close to 3 months worth of rent. Technically I do have the cash on hand to buy him but the miser/responsible adult in me won't let me do it. I'd utterly love to have him in my collection but he is (currently) over the line of what I'm willing to shell out for a doll. I think if I were to cave to the desires of my heart I'd end up feeling uncomfortable about having spent that kind of money on a doll.

I've been fortunate in that a lot of the dolls I'm drawn to are lower down on the price point. Weird/unusual is my jam and frequently that means what speaks to me is less in price than whatever is currently popular. I still need to justify the purchase to myself but now it's less the cost of the doll but that I'm purchasing yet another doll when I already have (insert number of dolls here). There's a doll I've seen recently I'd like to buy because he hits all of my weird buttons hard but I'm currently at 81 full dolls and I don't know who he is as a character/where he fits in (which is one of my Doll Rules). I'm also unsure of his price as the person selling him hasn't listed one (they say to DM them). I've also purchased a doll in December 2023 (he was $160!) so I shouldn't buy another now. But.....

 

If I know I really want it then I’ll go for it with no hesitation. Sometimes there are dolls that are a kind of fleeting “ahhhh” and then there are dolls that are firmly in the “big want” category. Then sometimes there are dolls… looking at you Impldoll… that are non limited and were a “one day” because I thought I had oodles of time to get them but then suddenly have found them to be discontinued…

 

There are three important questions you need to ask yourself before buying a doll. The first is, will buying this doll use money I need to spend on bills? If yes, don't buy the doll.

The second is, will buying this doll eat into my savings to the point that if I have an unexpected expense, I won't be able to pay my bills? Furnaces break, cars break, employers go out of business, and if any one of these things could put you in danger of being unable to pay bills if they happen, don't buy the doll.

The third is, is there something I would rather spend the money the doll would cost on? If yes, don't buy the doll.

At the end of the day, this is a hobby that brings us joy, but it shouldn't take precedence over having a home, and if something else would bring you more joy, that's fine too.

 

.