How do you deal with... time limited preoders?

It's one of those things; if you let it pass, you might, just might find the doll later on the market. I try to find a doll that basically matches the blank head of the limited doll, and keep photos so that I can attempt a face up to make the doll as close as possible to that dream doll. That's from the aesthetics pov, though. If you are a limited edition collector, you would naturally have a different pov. I basically just sigh a lot and think, someday, maybe. Iplehouse especially.

 

I make a list idea of what I really like and don't start looking if I know I can't afford it. I usually try to also make a character first and decide what traits I need him to have in a sculpt. Say "ok, he needs to be a Dollstown or Luts". Then when the money comes, see what's available or what you'd like to order.

 

If I don't have the money, I don't get the doll. Even if it's the most beautiful, perfect, wonderful doll ever, too bad for me. I don't have a credit card, and I don't have anyone to lend me money for luxury items--I don't even have anyone to lend me money for necessities most of the time! I might try to sell some of my other stuff in time, but that's always risky.

If it's a case of one on the secondhand market for a good price that I don't want to miss out on, and if I need less than $100 at the time, and if we have some extra money in savings, sometimes my husband agrees that I can go on and get it, and pay the money back to our savings later. But if the spare money just simply isn't there at the time or the doll is really really expensive, then I just have to pass and hope to find it another time on the secondhand market.

I guess the best way to deal with this is to set money aside for future limited dolls when you do have it, but I find that most of the time, the dolls I tend to want the most are either standard edition, or I do find them later on the market, lucky me!

 

I bought one I couldn't afford once, from a friend. Put her under the bed in her box and didn't touch her until the card I put her on was paid off. It was painful, because I had no idea how long it was going to take. The debt gnawed at me. That pretty much took care of me buying one I can't afford. Now I just enjoy looking at others, and remind myself that I wouldn't get rid of any that I have now to have the new one. I really can't deal well with owing money, and I can't have every doll I like.

 

This is my method too. I'm good with our surplus budget and keeping it balanced between hobbies, travel, entertainment etc. If it was a question of only getting the doll by spending money I really can't afford to, I wouldn't get the doll, hard as it is to pass up. I did spend on one that I had not planned to when they announced she'd be discontinued and the company closed but I diverted money from the 'fun money' fund and it was no fun for a couple of months. I still look at her and think, "NO FUN", and I'm not sure she was really worth it.

Many WILL come around again if you watch and wait. My full set U-Noss came to me years and years after she was discontinued.

 

This is me right here; this is how I got both of my grails, who were in one case long discontinued and in another case released well before I got into the hobby. Found 'em secondhand. If I want something bad enough I find a way to get it, but I don't sweat limited releases or anything like that because I know that if I can't afford it right that second it will eventually come available in some other way. I am also ridiculously patient when it comes to dolls. I waited ten years for the stars of availability of doll, availability of funds, and price I was willing to pay to line up for me to purchase my grail doll. I'm not saying everyone has to wait that long, but patience does eventually pay some pretty handsome dividends.

 

I think all doll lovers have this issue unless you are independently wealthy and have unlimited space to put your dolls. But for me, I admire them for as long as possible then, if the notion nags, I start saving. Then I actively seek out on "wants to buy/wants to trade" or I ask people about the doll. I have had really good luck with this but it takes a lot of time (sometimes years) and patience.

 

I'm blessed by the fact I have amazing friends who help me buy limited edition dolls, when they're able to.
I've never asked any of them to buy me dolls, only my poor boyfriend.
But if friends and boyfriend can't help? Then no doll for me. I just scour the internet for second hand versions at a later stage

 

I'm an adult who lives on a budget which includes things like rent, bills, student loans, kid's school stuff, and fun money. The fun money isn't just for dolls, but also for things like museums, movies, and gaming. It's shared between my husband and I. Once that fun money is gone for the paycheck, it's gone until the next one. Honestly, we rarely use all of it up, and the leftovers go into our savings since we are also saving up for a house.

As far as dolls go there are some I simply won't be able to buy right away, and I'm okay with saving up for one if I believe it's really special. If it's a limited doll then I can always find it second hand later down the road. If it's so limited that it is never sold even second hand, then oh well, there isn't anything I can do about that. With dolls in general I do look for sales, events, and layaway to help bring down the costs. I also sew and crochet my own clothing. That way I don't have to buy a doll plus their clothing. It really doesn't bother me that their may be some dolls I like that I will never be able to own. I'm pretty use to that since there are a lot of wants I can't afford and that has been happening since I moved out on my own.

 

I have three step process for time sensitive limited dolls or surprise sales.

Step One: Do I really need/want it?
I always try to talk myself out of a limited doll first. I'll ask questions of myself like "Does this doll fit with my collection?", "What will the cost of ownership be?" and "Would I be able to get a non-limited edition some time in the future?" If I can't do that I go to step two.

Step Two: Run the numbers.
Try to find a similar doll on the second hand market. How much is it? If I put it on my credit card how would price + interest compare to the second hand price. How quickly would be able to pay it off if I put on my credit card? Would I able to still deal with emergencies if I bought this? Is there a split or GO order that I could get into?

Step Three: Decision
If I have run the numbers, and I can't do it financially, I weep for could I have been. And if I can, then I treat like a layaway dutifully putting my $300 payment every month.

 

This situation either goes one of two ways for me.

1) If it's something that catches my eye but I'm not really like... "OMG MUST HAVE" this then I'll typically just tell myself "you don't need any more freakin' dolls man, you don't even have room for what you have!"

At that point I'll be sad to overlook it but I'll suck up my losses and lack of funds and move on, appreciating what I have.

2) If I *REALLY* want something... I actually have fairly good credit. There are a lot of credit cards out there that offer 0% interest for new accounts for a certain amount of time. As a general rule, I have a policy with my own purchases that if I have to pay interest I'm not going to buy it (with the exception of like a car or a mortgage). If I really want something it's a possibility for me to apply for a card that has a 0% interest offer, purchase it on that card, then pay it off within the 0% period. If I get declined I'd just move on but if I am accepted I'll go ahead and make the purchase as soon as I get the card.

Last month I made a purchase that was under situation 2 and just today I had a situation 1 lol.

 

I look at all the lovely company photos then I close the page and forget about it. I don't want to be tempted (can't afford it). If it's a sculpt I really want later on (when pre-orders close) I usually just haunt the marketplace. I'm really picky about the dolls I get and only a few are limited (one of which I was lucky to find on the marketplace after). I am very happy with my current doll family and I have no real need to buy more. So while it's fun to look at new limited ones, I'm never really tempted to actually buy any.

 

It's the worse when I see a time limited doll I want. I don't do impulse buys so I usually have something saved up if I need to buy a doll like my life depended on it. Plus layaway can be a lifesaver! When I started the hobby I would want to buy time limited dolls and thank god I didn't. Looking back some dolls weren't even my style. I really think about the sculpt and what I wanna do with it and if I see myself with it in the long run. I trust my judgment when it come to time limited dolls and whether I have to have it or not.

 

As soon as I see that a doll is limited, I ignore it so that I don't fall in love with it when I know that chances are, I won't be able to buy it before it is sold out! That way, I am not disappointed, and there are so many other non-limited dolls that I want anyway!

 

This is what I tell myself when I see something that has caught my eye and I want it but haven't the money for it. "If it is meant for me to have then I will find it at a later date at a price I can afford". If not,then it wasn't meant to be and I will find something much better than the item I originally wanted.

 

I don't look at them unless I know I have the money. There are so many lovely dolls I know I'll find others I love just as much!

 

Luckily for me, limited runs never tempt me. I just ignore them when they do pop up.

 

I wish for limited editions more companies allowed people to just buy the head. One time I was really worried if I would be able to buy a limited doll, but once I found out they were selling just the head it was a relief. Buy the head now, worry about he bodyt later. I usually never have $400 or more saved at one time so if I ever see a limited doll I want. I'm out of luck!

 

I rarely find myself in this situation as it usually takes me a long long time to fall in love with a certain doll. I need to look at pictures over a period of time and let it sink in until it feels that that's the right one. So I just don't usually have enough time to do that with limited editions so I don't feel the need to buy them.
But if I know I'm looking for a doll to shell a new character I will start saving up and if a limited pops up and it looks just right for the character then I have the money already set aside.

 

I always have some money for such situations And layaway orders helps me too