How do you decide which dolls you REALLY want and which you're just infatuate...

I'll be honest, I haven't a clue...I've bought impulse dolls that I loved and I have saved for ages for dolls that were "meh" when they showed up. I have learned some basic things, though--I don't do tinies and not really msds, and there are only a couple of companies whose dolls I consistently love. I also do better with second-hand dolls because owner photos aren't "dolled up" to be super pretty, and I can see what faceup I am getting.

 

Well before i already know wich are the dolls i want, cos i started checking out pictures of them, and there was some models that really caugh my attention and make me fall in love with BJDs, i think that if you are not sure of which doll do you want or you aren´t sure if is "infatuate" you should keep searching dolls, watch pics of them, visit the blogs and companies web sites. This way must be easiest to know which dolls are for you!

 

I think it feels different. I could want any number of dolls but would I bring them all home, no way? There has to be something more, something special. I think doll lust really wears off for me in about 2 weeks. It really has to move me. (..to put my hand in my pocket and fork out.)

 

The most helpful tool for me has been deviantart. That way I can see a sculpt that I like with multiple faceups. Sure there are so many super attractive sculpts out there, but the ones that I find myself adding to my shopping list are the ones that I can imagine in my home, the ones that Im still looking up on DA weeks after I first discovered them. They're the ones who look more alive to me than any other doll.

 

I have learned the hard way over the years. I would buy any doll I "loved" in the pictures. But, in some cases, once certain dolls arrived, I just could not form a bond. Those girls went to new homes.

These days I wait to order. I need to give myself the time to think it through before I place an order. I agree with the heart vs. gut theory. I have had dolls I quickly ordered because they touched my heart and I "had to have" them. Some of those dolls did not meet my expectations. I have learned to give myself a few days (or weeks) to think about if the doll will really fit in with my others. Giving myself the time to think has made the decision to order a new one much more successful. I have not had any disappointments recently.

It is not always so easy to hold back, but it is what has worked the best for me.

 

When I fall in love for a certain mold I put it on my wishlist right away, but then, when we're just not meant to be, I usually lose interest within 2/3 months and so I know it was just an infatuation.

Sometimes it takes me years to understand that a specific mold wasn't so good for me as I first thought, like it happened with Zaoll Luv, she stayed on my WL for ages, but then at one point, I just didn't want her anymore and I guess that's why I've never purchased her in the first place.

So my point is that when I really want a doll I ended up buying it. My wishlist is always pretty long (6 to 8 doll at a time) so I have plenty of time to decide which one to buy first and eventually the ones who always stay at the bottom of my list are probably the least wishes, then if they keep on being present it means I really want them, I suppose!!

 

I like lots of different styles, types, colours etc. of dolls, so I don't buy on impulse anymore- because they're the ones that inevitably "leave the island" :/ I have to admire a doll for a LONG time before I invest in one nowadays. For example my newest doll (Supia Rosy) I have admired for over 4 years- it's only recently did it feel right to bring her sculpt home.

Also, over the years I've found that I tend to hang onto dolls with a certain aesthetic- small eyes and realistic features have longevity around here. I still WANT lots of dolls- but I don't NEED to own them anymore

 

I still think DollZone Brant is one of the most gorgeous dolls I've seen...

But after handling SD's at my first dollmeet I was totally put off by the size. It felt like I was holding a toddler so I think I'll stick with MSD's...At which there's so many I adore and want it's kinda sad. XD;; Especially since I'm going on a slight break in buying doll stuff to see if some of the sculpts I want are still well...Viable to me.

 

I am in DEEP trouble right now actually XD I want 2 Supia Rosy doll :/ One tan, one normal skin. It's the same sculpt, should I do it?? I just think she is soo pretty -_- and i've seen user photos (having been tricked by company photos before)

The dolls on my list have been looked up fairly well. There are also I few dolls I really want now, having let them out of my mind for a year or so. I liked them then. revisited, love them now. Having sold half my doll family due to bonding issues or their face not matching my character. I feel like I'm sure D: of course, not all the dolls have a planned name or look, I just love the sculpt and want them...

So, I have learned how to calm down about new releases and come back to it later. Still have issues with wanting dolls I don't have a full plan or character for lol

 

Obsession!!! OBSESSION!!!! OBSESSION!! and whatever else Volks wants me to own LOL LOL

 

Do you just get a 'feeling' when you see a special doll? '
I get a feeling yes. Like a tingling in my stomach and my eyes grow big and teary. It is the sort of reaction I've had to things I find beautiful be it books, paintings, pictures, people or animals.

Could you bond with any doll you bought or are some dolls just a temporary obsession?
I don't particularily "bond" with my doll and don't see that as a necessary thing for me to keep a doll. The ones I like of course get a high level of sentimental value, and I guess all of them have one way or another. I get easily attached to my stuff, but if I find that when I look at them and nothing creative comes forward, no idea, no pleasure at looking at them, no want to buy them anything then... well of they go.

Have you ever bought a doll only to find you liked the idea of the doll more than the doll itself? Have you learnt to tell the difference?
Nah, I haven't learnt to tell the difference. Often times I like the idea a whole lot more and I find that I just can't force it through. That's why I've stopped making characters for them, like most others do, and just let them "create themselves", so to speak. Some molds suits a type of colouring and wigs, that again leads me to buy clothes that match etc. That's how they become characters to me.

And are you satisfied to just enjoy wanting some dolls or do you have to try and buy every doll you want?
I'm satisfied wanting. I can't possibly buy everyone I want. I wouldn't have time or money to spend on them all xD

...how do YOU choose??
Initially I fall in love with the company pictures, then I look at owner photos as far as I am able. If I like what other people have managed to do with them, that I can properly see the dolls potential, I might go to the step of bringing it home.

 

When I saw a Dikadoll AAAAA (boy) for the first time, I felt a sort of click with him, and I just knew when I saw him that he will be my first. Right after I first saw him, I did a layaway plan. I don't think I can explain the feeling of setting up the layaway for my first BJD; I've been looking and searching for 'the one' for five-six years, so, I was nearly hyperventilating. Now I'm trying to patiently wait out the next five months. =^-^=

 

It's hard to distinguish! I try not to make any impulse decisions and let the doll sit on my list for a long while. If I still like it after all that time, I think it's a better bet that I'll like it in person.

 

Now I just want Asleep Eidolon 1/3 EVAN and nothing else. Im usually pretty picky on the ball joints. But this BJD is just perfect for me, even the face look really androgynous

 

I never really kept a wish list. I'd think, oh I really like that doll...but unless I was actively looking to shell a specific character, I was content to just admire it from afar. I mean, there's just so many amazing dolls out there, right? I wound up with a lot of dolls over the years, but just did a complete revamp and major sell-off. And the one doll who stayed is my Dollzone Anson...the doll I fell madly in love with in a single instantaneous jaw-dropping moment and simply had to purchase the very first day she became available. Ah, that sweet and complete obsession!

 

The dolls that I'm more "in love" with the idea of having are usually ones I don't buy. They go on the wishlist and I may think of getting them but that's as far as they get. If it's a doll I really do want, I hyper focus on how to get it and then click buy.

 

it happens when i realize that i am madly in love with the doll and it fits perfectly into the family.
it's been the same for every single doll i have and for all the ones on my wish list
it starts by me falling in love with everything about the sculpt, then hopelessly start to give them a personality and character in my mind, fit them in the family and realize that i must have it!! i can tell it's a crush when i like a doll but find no use for it...i know i will get bored soon, so i lose the desire to buy it.
every doll i buy i do it convinced that i will keep it, unless i am 100% sure that i bond with it and will stay in the family, i don't buy it.

 

Save their pics then ck them every so often over an extended amount of time. If a doll still trips my trigger, he/she is likely a good candidate. Otherwise, it was probably a temporary infatuation.

 

There are two factors that play into it when I choose to buy a doll. First is do I really feel like that doll is talking to me? Do I love it enough to spend money on it to have it myself and secondly can I actually afford to go there. Is this a doll that's reasonable for me to buy? There are much more expensive dolls that I love but that I could never afford. I'm a doll addict and I am the first one to admit that. Given a bigger wallet I could go hog wild buying dolls. But my financial circumstances keeps me humble. I really sweat to make my money. The type of work I do I never know from one day to the next how much money I will have and it's not like I make a small fortune all the time. I can't afford to get too ambitious with the doll funds.

I ended up on the low end of things because that's what I can afford and also because I genuinely like the dolls I've gotten so far, but I do tend to skip the ads for dolls that I know are simply out of my range, for clothes, and stuff like that. It's kind of pointless me torturing myself with stuff I cannot even afford, smile. If I can afford a low end doll once in a while I'll be happy. The rest I can manage to do on my own but this hobby it's actually a bit expensive for me otherwise. I still want to do it but I will never be buying Iples or Sooms etc no matter how much I admire them. Used RS dolls and Miro dolls are about what I can afford and even then I need to think about it usually before I go there.

I'm always glad when the person selling offers a lay-a-way plan or even to trade. It helps a lot, but with the more expensive dolls even that's not an option. Other than getting my Kelly a body down the road I'm probably done for the rest of the year. I do really want a RS Dai but I'm rather hoping she'll show up under the tree for Christmas. Probably won't be buying one myself unless I happen to see one for a good price with lay-a-way in the market, and that's not likely. She doesn't seem to be a RS doll that people sell a whole lot unfortunately and I'd really have to sacrifice to buy her new so she's going to wait a while unless she ends up being a Christmas present...