How do you decide what doll to buy?

If it's me, I'll sit on the problem for about a week or two to clear my head. After that you would subconsciously know what you want :p

I believe wants will change over time. From what I've read, you may not want your JID as much as you want the Tiny Delf so I'ld say wait a while , and then go for it

 

Just think of the prospects. Does the prospects of getting and playing with your tiny delves trump what you feel when you think about all the things you'll do with your JID? Which of the two inspire you more right now?

I personally have a humongous wishlist and yes -feel free to laugh- save really slowly as well! I know sometimes it seems like I got a hundred dolls but those are all dolls I get in extremely long layaways so that I may afford them and have the tremendous help of my best friend in real life who is also in the hobby to back me up just in case. I'm also an opportunity seeker so I like buying secondhand. For example my Dollfie Dream Aoi would have cost me a good six hundred dollars to get new from the company, however mine cost me a mere $120 instead.

Also, to give a recent example, I've been planning to get my Crobidoll Tei for two whole years as well, and yet decided to delay him one last time before I go into a break period from buying dolls (so that I may spoil my current crew better, get some of them faceups from artists I admire, and get some of my floaters their bodies!) in favor of a rather ambitious hybrid project. The reason why I did this is because I really wanted a doll that I could really go crazy on as opposed to most of my others that are shells for characters far more tame and simple and the idea of putting a doll together from so many different parts was extremely fascinating to me. Needless to say, of course I adore the character I built for my Tei and of course he has a lot more depth being that much older but the idea of customizing him doesn't quite make me spring with as much glee and want to squeal with joy so to speak as my new one does.

 

I think you just kind of know which one you want and that's usually the one you gravitate towards the most. I've learned that knowing and wanting are two very different things, and my 'wants' have ended up leaving me. (I thought I wanted x doll, but getting them in person.. it just didn't work.)

If you feel more strongly with a TDF I'd say go for that one but in the end it's whichever one makes you more happy.

 

Being on a budget can force you to make some difficult choices. I have two sets of dolls, one are fan dolls and my own original characters, and then I have the ones that I have because I think they're neat dolls. Buying dolls for characters gives me some criteria that I can use to help me make choices, but when it comes to the other dolls I go with my gut. From time to time I see a doll that just makes me go 'wow! I've got to have her/him!', and when that happens, most likely that's the doll I will end up with. Those are the dolls that I just can't get off my my mind, and I find myself planning what I want to do with them, what I'm going to name them and so on. In other words I fall in dolly love. They're also the ones I tend to hold on to no matter what. Characters change bodies, or I may unshell some completely, but when the doll in question is one that completely grabbed me from the get go, I tend to stay in love. After so long in the hobby I find that my gut trumps rational planning.

 

I'm also on a fixed income (student too) and I have a doll wishlist a mile long, what doll I buy really depends on
a) what funds I have available
b) if the doll is limited edition or not
I'm also more likely to save up over a while for a large doll I love rather than just immediately buy a small one.

 

For me, I decide when I see a doll I like só much, the amount of money that he costs doesn't feel that bad anymore. Only going for the dolls I really, réally love has kept my collection quite managable. When I first got into the hobby, I bought two dolls in half a year, and after that none for two years because I didn't see any that made me fall in love like those first two did. Also, I know this isn't the 'how do you save for your doll' thread, but when I was a student, I would withdraw a certain amount of money each monday, and that was my spending money for the week(for food and other things you need)and then on sunday, whatever I had left went into the dolly fund. While you still need to buy the things you really need, it works very well to keep yourself on your toes if you really need what you're about to buy, and it's an easy way of saving money because you're saving little bits instead of waiting for a big money heap to come along, which rarely does xD Of course, this way is rather slow, but it's steady and keeps your mind on saving. Maybe that will help? ^_^

 

As for me - sometimes there are new releases appear, and i think "Oh, God, i really need this one!"
Then i start keeping the money. I'm knitting for dolls to order, and when i have enough money - i pay it for new doll.
On this case layaway is very comfortable...

 

haha, i buy dolls all by sense. when i see it. i will got feel. the one deserve u, you will feel at the first sought

 

This does not always work for me, but I try to think of each doll purchase as "If I could only have ONE doll, which one would I pick?"

That means that I will HAVE to prioritize... and that the choice will content me, even if I have to wait or if I can't save up again for a long time (maybe never).

This doesn't work when one is a limited that I think will be hard to find on the secondary market. MOST limiteds will come up second-hand IF you really keep your eye on all the postings here and auctions and postings elsewhere. I've seen dolls that only a couple of people on DoA had come up for sale... The problem is, with second-hand, you need to have the money ready! It's hard to save for such an unexpected time/item! But it IS possible. With most companies, you can do layaways if a limited comes up and you don't have enough saved up (but you should, of course, be sure you can come up with the layaway payments on time--otherwise that won't work, either).

Anyway, I will go for a limited over a basic in most cases, even if I know I really want the basic. But usually, the same thinking applies--if I could have only ONE, which would it be? If it is the basic, then maybe I don't really have to have the limited, even though it looks really appealing.