How do you know it will not work with a doll?

If it is a Volks doll you should have no trouble selling her, and then perhaps you can get the same girl in a Normal Skin-- and then she will fit better with the rest of your doll family.

I usually find I like NS dolls a little better, though I still have some WS dolls because that was how I found them (I buy second-hand dolls). There is nothing wrong with selling a doll, and it means someone else will get a chance to play with her!

 

I can empathize with ares76! After making the decision (lots of agonizing choices out there!), waiting for the doll to arrive (months), and then discovering it doesn't fit is very upsetting! I have done this myself, and have had to sell a couple. Unfortunately, the ones I sold, I did not get my money back. I lost money on them both! Any new dolls will be CAREFULLY thought about!

 

You already hit the nail on the head, it just feels different. You can try all sorts of things, give it a year, try different wigs and eyes, clothing styles, characters. Sometimes you just know from first sight it's not gonna work out. It's a shame but selling the doll gives you the money to replace it with the one you will really love. Also someone gets to love the doll they really want by buying it from you.

When you know you've tried everything you can to make it work you can move on without feeling bad.

 

My policy is to wait a while, but sometimes I wonder if just going by first impressions would be better. One reason I like to wait is that the idea of selling something immediately and losing money bothers me more than keeping the doll a while and getting some enjoyment from it before selling it. (I don't think this is really rational financially, since selling one right away would net more money usually.) Also, I'll admit I'm a bit stubborn and have trouble admitting to myself that I made a mistake in ordering the doll. My mom has referred to one of my dolls as "the one I don't like" and I always protest.

 

I'm going to go against the whole "bonding" and "give yourself time to love it" approach. I know this is par for the course in the hobby, but I just don't agree with it.

My answer is: if the doll doesn't do it for me. To me, these aren't kids or pets or anything else that will get its feelings hurt if I don't do everything in my power to try to bond with it. They're pretty, expensive things.

I can more or less tell straight out of the box if a doll is going to work for me. If it isn't what I hoped for, I'm not going to spend time and money trying to "bond." From my own personal approach to dolls, it's just silly. Especially when there are other dolls already at home who need a new body/wig/outfit, etc. Or when there is another sculpt out there that is closer to what I want.

Yes, this means I flip dolls fairly regularly, but it also means I get to experience a wide variety of sculpts in person. It also means that when I find one that is perfect for me, I cling to it fiercely.

Figuring out what I don't like has made it easier to figure out what I do. And sometimes, a doll that looks awesome in company and owner pics just doesn't work for me like I thought it would. But, in almost every case, it has made me realize what I am looking for, and that always works out much better.

 

I can kind of agree with aceinit. I do kind of hope to bond with my dolls, but at the same time, they are just things, you can only expect so much. If you love the sculpt, but can't find a way to make it work for you, the doll is probably not for you, no matter how much time you give it.

I got kind of nervous with my floating heads when I got them because they just weren't what I was expecting. Souldoll Miryu was/is one of my most desired sculpts, so I was SUPER disappointed when I wasn't really feeling it. I gave her a new face up, and things were perfect! Much the same with my RS Lan, only it was that I found a wig I like (albeit it doesn't really fit...) and it just works now.

Maybe you need to give the doll a new face up or something? there's not really much else you can play with other than wigs and clothing to try and make it work.