How do you find a good doll company?

Well, my personal system is to search the company sites for a doll I like, then check out the owner pics to get a better idea then I start checking out the company to see if I dare order from them. The doll has to come first, not the company and it took me years to find the doll I fell in love with enough to buy. I'd also suggest making a list of the features you definately want in your doll - it makes it easier to discount some of the sculpts you come across when you're bombarded with possibilities!

Re: Brands with good reputations - I'm thinking of CCC and Felixdoll who were having good feedback until they recently failed a lot of their customers so I suppose you can do as much research as you like but there will always be an element of risk in buying from anywhere.

 

I know when I started looking at dolls, about five years ago, I was quickly overwhelmed and I was only looking at Luts and Volks. It was so overwhelming and expensive that I gave up. Last year an online friend of mine reintroduced them too me. I swear there a zillion more options now than in 2004. However this I time I knew what doll I wanted to make. Part of the frustration I encountered the first time was that there were so many options and I had no idea what I wanted.

I still get overwhelmed sometimes. There are so many companies, so many resin types, and colors, so many different kinds of bodies, etc. As many of the others have posted, look, look, look. Figure out what you want or if you aren't sure, find what you don't want, that helps narrow the playing field. Then ask. There are sources here on DoA. I prefer asking a person I know, so if you feel overwhelmed by DoA itself, find a local meet. Touch and hold their dolls. Look in their heads. Compare different eyes and bodies. And ask questions.

I don't know how long you have to be in the hobby to not feel like there is still a ton of stuff you don't know. I've been in for a year now and just last week I learned that heat resist wigs tangle worse than non-heat resistant wigs. So as I've mentioned, ask, ask, ask.

 

i think one should do if you really don't know try and find out a idea of what you want then you could ask what doll has whatever you like in so is there any and you will get a answer and a link to see that doll that is with all your likes.

also don't forget that any doll can be customized in a verity of ways. also if you don't know what you like or dislike think back to what got you into bjd hobby anyway and go from there. there is alot of types alot of kinds.

see for me im going with the first doll i loved that i sare the very first time i sare it in a search that i was not even searching for bjd now im saving for it.

back then i did not even know this site even existed then much much later i found this site and they did not have open register then later on i came back again to check on it and it was open and i thought about it for a bit and i joined.

i have learned so much here that i did not know before i joined i even thought there was only 3 or less sites lol now i know better.

 

Yay! I'm a new buyer, and am quite overwhelmed on where to look for dolls. Reading this thread has been very helpful, thank you all for the good tips!

 

When I was buying my first doll, I looked at many websites and took quite some time looking at all the dolls. I wasn't sure about the sizes too coz I've never own 1 or see them before. So I looked at everything, the dolls (of all sizes), wigs, accessories, clothing, etc! There were sooo many dolls that I wanted! I looked at both ebay, the official companies websites as well as official dealers' websites. I narrowed the list to those doll molds that I really loved, then did a bit of reading up on the company both on their websites (ordering procedures, how long it takes to deliver, etc) and also reviews from other places. And I always email them a few questions at least 1-2 (but normally average 3) times to look at how fast they respond and their attitude to the customers.

I decided to stick to buying from the more known official companies (like DoD, Luts, etc) for now since I am so new to the hobby, and longer established companies are less likely to "run" and are likely to still "be there" in case I do have any future questions or problems with my doll. In the end, I narrowed my list further down to 3 or 4 dolls, and took the one I like best (and will get the rest later XD).

That said though, it depends on the research you did. Mine wasn't very thorough at that time when I ordered coz I still didnt have access to DOA so I couldnt get a second opinion. But I guess in the future I wouldn't mind buying from lesser known / new ones if I really love their dolls!

 

You can search on everywhere in the online world..but yes I suggest you look at BJD Company Links that was made by one of our members..and clicked every link and enjoy. Cause that's what I did too..
And if not even one doll caught your heart..you may wait a little bit longer for new companies to come up..or looking for OOAK Artist dolls. In april when I join this forum there is no 2s Dolls company..but now there is..

Oh right..I suggest you see Flickr Group of BJD. There are tons of owner photos of BJD that maybe will make you interested. Sometimes company photos are not enchanting..like Volks or Luts..but when you see owner pics I was like.."I can't believe this" ...but ask the owner of the dolls too if their doll has been customized or the default from the company. So be aware.

And you can PM everyone in this forum. We will happily help you and vice versa. I did a doll survey not long ago...the people whom I ask reply me wonderfully. I really do love this forum..the people are so warm-hearted.

 

Just a matter of looking, to be honest. I suggest going to http://bjd-wtf.livejournal.com/
They have a wonderful array of companies and dealers listed at the very bottom of the page.
Again, I also suggest searching the name of the companies here (usually by the use of the search bar) to see if there have been any red flags risen or if they have good reviews. Any information is good information. Good luck!

 

I took the time and looked at A LOT of different companies and did research on the ones I liked most.
Also looking at other peoples photos help because sometimes a companies site may not have the best photos.

 

Sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith! I bought my first doll from Doll-Love, when I hadn't seen anyone with any of their dolls. But I knew I wanted my doll, the ebay seller had great feedback, and we had good communication, and I just girded my loins and bought from them. And I haven't regretted it at all.

Other owners are the best source of info, when it comes to dolls, aside from my own headstrongness. xD No amount of company spin actually makes up for talking with people who own the dolls and/or scuplts.

 

Tez, that's a good point. However, not all companies have a Q&A board unfortunately. The company that took a month to get back to me was one of those. I'd hate to not be able to contact them if I received a damaged doll as the companies I would consider buying from seem to have a 24-48 hr notification policy for damage reports.

 

I think it's a really good idea, as others have said, to just go through all the links of doll company websites (here and other places like BJD_WTF and BJDCollectasy) and see if there's anything that catches your eye. Also, take a look at the BJD Database to see what the sculpts potentially look like in owner pics (if they're listed there...some of the artist or unpopular sculpts are trickier to find pics of). Aside from Deviantart, you can also check out Flickr for pics too. Doing your research is really important as sometimes a sculpt may not look the same in person or the posing may be different that expected.

 

@Pristine Crimson
Your dolls are so fricken cute! X3 You have good taste!


I usually look for dolls that are pretty/handsome, pose well, and something I can afford. LUTS is my favorite because of the poses. My girl poses very well and she has a lot of character to her. Though I must say, PC kinda got me into some new companies just now XDXD

 

For me it was hard... lol... I am so picky when it comes to certain things about the body, so it was basically a trial and error process...
But what i would suggest is to do tons and tons of research, look at the picture requests part of the forum for specific pictures of the dolls you think you may be interested in. Go to doll meets and look at other peoples dolls... look at the possible companies stock photos of the dolls bodies.

 

When I started I looked at lots of company sites -- also, owner pics are really helpful. Not all companies photograph their dolls well, and owner pics let you see sculpts from different angles and with different looks. Sometimes a doll whose company pic you aren't fond of can look completely different in real life, or when photographed by someone else. Going through the different databases could really help you with that.

Finding dolls I liked was never a problem for me, though some of the characters I've bought bodies for have made things more difficult. Usually it's a matter of patience and being willing to look at lots of pics.

 

Ditto this. Hours and hours and hours of reading... and that was what, closing in on five years ago? O_o There were MANY fewer companies to look at. I actually spent some time reading some guides on eBay, too, as I had purchased several Obitsu 27 cm dolls and didn't really know the difference between those and resin dolls. It was all exceptionally helpful.

The "Links Out" section here is your friend. Gigglegeek is highly useful but is, as you mentioned, pretty dated.