How do you decide which doll to buy next?

I tend to get the limited ones first too. Cause if you miss it, it might be gone forever. For the regular ones, I look for other owner pics and also wait for a few weeks to months to see whether I'm still thinking about that doll. Due to the hefty price tag of BJDs, I try to refrain from impulse buys or just buy a head first if its possible. That way I can decide whether to buy a body for it or sell the head later on.

 

I look for individuality
I want all my dolls have their own character
And therefore I would consider dolls of different brands.

I tend to be more willing in spending on a new sized doll that I don't have
For I would love to be able to buy all the beautiful dresses and I can easily find a doll at home that can wear it.

 

I have many characters already thought out whom I'd like to shell as dolls, so I usually try to find sculpts that match those characters as closely as possible. I try to go in order from most to least beloved OCs. I'm not usually one to buy the doll first and create a character after, but I could imagine that happening too if I found a suuuper gorgeous must-have sculpt.

 

Deciding beforehand which doll to order next usually never works with me. If I decide I'm gonna order doll "A" within a couple of months, I might end up ordering doll " B, C, D or E" on my wishlist instead. When I'm ready for my next order I order based on which of the dolls on my list I feel most like ordering.

 

My dolls are mostly shells for my role play characters, and I've learned that if I get a doll with no character in mind, I don't usually enjoy it or keep it very long. It's harder for me to write a character around a doll. So, I typically go with whichever unshelled character I've been enjoying playing most for the past few months before I'm ready to buy.

.....

...but sometimes I end up with spare money and just impulse buy myself a cute tiny or pet doll. >.>

 

I see dolls that I may save as favorites but what makes me purchase is when I see one and I'm just like WOW. Then the saving starts

 

If it's an older limited release I'll check the going rate at multiple locations, jot it down and when I'm thinking the doll I'll check to see if there was any changes in price and keep track. If the price gets too high I'll re-evaluate how much I want the doll and whether or not there is a different release that I like more and etc.

If it's not a limited release, I'll wait for an event or a sale. Sometimes I'll check and see what other owners have done with the sculpt and see how versatile it is. Another reason why I'll wait is to see if I still like it a few months down the road, and if I still have plans for the doll.

 

I'm struggling so much with this right now and this is just for my first BJD. I was trying to come at it from a character-based angle but I've raised so many questions for myself concerning the aesthetic I'm going for and if the dolls will work well together etc. It's actually almost comical how much I tie myself in knots over it, but I feel like my first doll is going to set the tone of my collection to an extent. Perhaps I need to change my approach and just go for one I like...

And then I find a sculpt I like but they end up being limited and not ones I can afford right now. ::head desk:: patience is not my strong suit and I start wondering if this hobby is really for me but then I've been dreaming about them for weeks...

 

I don't really plan my next doll purchase. I just sort of watch for second hand sales or preorders. When something speaks to me I know that's the one.

 

For me I decide based on a few factors, I do have the benefit of only being interested in dolls for a couple months of the year (April-May and sometimes August-October, however August-Oct I typically restrict to only buying accessories unless the marketplace has a great deal.) So I save for dolls all year until around April-may and then I make my purchases. So the Criteria I use to choose is as follows:
1.) Is it limited? if so it's the next doll I buy.
2.) Gender. Typically when looking to get the next doll on my wishlist I try to go in knowing if I want a male or female next and that usually cuts the options in half.
3.) Sales/events. typically after all the prior criteria are said and done I go for the doll that's company is having a sale or event to maximize savings/ value.
4.) Is one of the dolls on the wishlist available for a great price on the marketplace? If so unless I'm after a limited or it's not the gender of doll I currently am interested in that's the one I get. (though that's only ever happened once so far which is why it's so far down on the list.)
That's the system that works for me. I find checklists really help to narrow down selection. It's so interesting to see how everyone else goes about choosing their next doll purchases.

 

I am trying to stay in my storyline and get my main characters set up first so it's important to get those dolls at the start. I have pictures in my head of my future stars but it is hard to find the perfect actors. Then of course I have to save up the money. It's the search and research that has proven to be very time consuming. Of course since I wanted both fantasy and modern day characters I wrote a story so I can eventually have both! Best of both worlds.

 

I usually find my next doll by accident. I just always am saving up, and I buy what strikes me. I did look for some dolls specifically, I knew I needed a MSD unicorn girl for my story so I was looking for a RS Yao body, and I did find a really pretty one luckliy. Her head was a purely random find, but it's perfect for her.

 

In my case it's similar to animals, they always chose me, no matter what I imagined to do. I see/saw a cat/dog, go to the shelter and one of these beautiful creatures choses me.
It's similar with dolls, I'm browsing the Internet and sometimes a doll tells me she/he wants to come home and /or want to be rescued.
I know this sounds a bit crazy but it's the way it is.

 

OMG I don't have a wish list I only have one sculpt in mind for this time and since I'm new I don't have much advised to give. because aside from bjd I do have a few other dolls and all of them was an impulse buy. But when it comes to BJD this is the first time that I have actually think about things throughly. Also maybe one important thing is to have a taught what will you do with the doll? Is it enough that you love the sculpt and just have a doll that you end up not bonding with? I don't know I felt there is so much thing to consider before buying a sculpt because they are pretty to look at.

 

I kinda just wait, and when the time comes the perfect doll appears before me. I've tried in the past to plan out which doll I wanted for so and so character, but I feel the ones I find by chance feel more special.

 

I try to work out why I want that particular doll - is it really unique enough that I need to own it? Do I have plans for it? Or do I just think it's pretty in a general way?

I also like to think about how available it's likely to be in the future - not just in terms of being limited runs, but how limited, and how often dolls from that company become available second hand. I've bought several dolls just because they were limited and I was afraid I'd miss out, but almost without exception I ended up having opportunities to buy them again later (either because they were available on the MP here, secondhand on Mandarake, or because the company did a re-release).

 

I would prioritize my wishlist and make my purchases based off of that when I was actively collecting dolls. Many dolls I purchased were "impulse" buys because they were newly released limited edition dolls that were available for a short period of time. I prioritized those because I didn't want to take the risk that I might pay more on the secondhand market and I always prefer buying directly from the company for various reasons.

 

THIS! Both of my cats chose me, and I believe that things, living or inanimate, that are close to your heartwill choose you too.

I do have a mental list of dolls that I like and would like to own one day, but I don't feel intensely about them. I've occasionally bought dolls that I didn't feel anything for, and so I passed them along to someone else.

A doll has to really sort of call out to me -- like, I see them and can't get them out of my mind for weeks. I see them in my sleep. I start saving money with them in mind. I stalk Google images looking at the various ways that sculpt has been face-upped (faced-up?) and I see how others have customised them (often I don't care for the factory face-up). I research their sculpt and body types (what are the pros? what are the cons? what size clothes and wig and eyes do they wear? how do they pose?). When I'm satisfied that I will love them, I'll put the order in.

So far that's only happened twice, but I am super happy with my girls.

 

The doll decides for me.... lol I see his picture & he lures me to get out my wallet and purchase him to come live at the all male bjd condo with their 3 kitty overloads