how has covid affected your doll collecting

Covid definitely got me back into doll collecting. Yes it’s expensive but other than my dogs, these dolls are also my stress relievers and they make me forget real life problems even for just awhile

 

I got really big into the hobby the last year, but not so much because of Covid itself. However being home a lot helped with attempting to Lear new things like processing alpaca and wig making. Also facups is something I started. I enjoyed the time ago home quite some So overall it was a good time for me to get further into it.

 

The pandemic made me pull the trigger and purchase my first dolls instead of simply continuing to lurk.

 

I found myself buying more dolls during pandemic mainly due to the fact we weren't able to go outside. The postage tho..... it was slow due to brexit but since covid started it's a snail mail here. I'm currently waiting for some wigs and clothes. Been waiting for over a month so far and so far no luck.

 

I'm hoping we will be able to arrange some meet ups after (if) covid will go away because I can see all dolls meet ups were cancelled.

 

I re-entered the hobby after a hiatus in October or November 2019 - just before COVID really hit. So I had 1 normal doll meet at the local group and then everything went digital. It pushed me to learning how to use Instagram and seek out hobbyists and friends online more than just local. And...I definitely bought way more dolls than I ever intended because spending most my doll/social time on social media exposed me to so many new sculpts and creators.

 

Exactly you're finding all these new sculpts you didnt see before

 

Sooo...I got slammed with twice as much work as I was used to during the main lockdown, and while the bulk of it all went into funding my move across states, I found myself with a bit of extra $ and a hell of a lot of time after doing said move. Then at the same time a friend was looking at BJD's to get a gift for her mom, and I fell in love with a MYou sculpt, and.. that was pretty much that. I have Remi here, Parker is on order, and I just placed an order for a little Kitsune boy. Whoops. Good thing I have a job again.

 

The pandemic triggered my depression and anxiety disorders really badly, especially because I and the rest of my immediate family have pre-existing conditions but some haven't taken it as seriously, causing some family drama that's always stressful. But in this time with my dolls packed away in my closet for two years now, I've realized I sort of made a mistake when I was finally in a position to get dolls.

When I found the hobby in my early teens, I was mostly interested in SD sized dolls, but wasn't able to buy one because the money I had for my first doll was spent by my mother without my knowledge and never paid back. I gave up on the hobby and forgot about it until after finishing college and finally having the funds to enter the hobby fully, I opted for quantity over...not really "quality", but over what I was truly the most interested in. I got MSDs instead, and while I have fallen in love with one of the full dolls I originally bought, I plan to sell the other, as well as sell some floating heads I have. I've made a spreadsheet during the pandemic of dolls that actually pique my interest and ideas for characters and stories for them.

It's been nice, and even though it will take a long time before my collection is ever "complete", I'm excited to collect again and get dolls I'm truly wanting. It took a while, but I think that all this time to think about what I want out of this hobby will be good for me in the long run!

 

I've gotten more into collecting but I don't know if that has anything to do with covid. Apart from uni moving to remote teaching which actually eased up stuff for me who doesn't live in her uni city, covid hasn't really affected my life at all. I'm normally a type that just sits at home, too, lol. If anything, it has brought my workplace a lot of lawsuits related to epidemic insurances and I've been able to work more as an assistant on those and make more money. So I did have a record amount of money to spend on my hobbies and pretty much nothing else to spend it on, thanks to covid.

 

I can totally understand you Nocturne. To me the doll collecting hobby started when my dad suddenly passed away during pandemic. He was fine and then one day we just received the call. There was a lot of unnesseccary drama and pain created by his ex that cause me to go into depression. Then my husband bought me 1st doll. And I swear to god... these dolls helped me beyond belief. I was changing them doing their face ups, sewing wigs and with time I felt better. Since then I bought probably about 10 dolls. Some I didn't bond with sadly so will probably sell them one day but there are some I love with all my heart. I can totally understand why people call them their babies. I think with the pandemic qere more prone to get them as there isn't many things to occupy us outside.

 

I got into the hobby in December of 2019 before the pandemic hit the USA. I was happy with my one girl Coco but when we got the extra $600 I went a little crazy. I got totally overwhelmed and sold most of my BJDs. Now I’m slowly building back my collection.

 

I'm so sorry for your loss, but I'm glad you were able to find the hobby and that it helped when you needed the distraction. I hope you and everyone else in your family stays safe

 

The pandemic ultimately caused me to get a fully remote job, so now I get to work amongst all my dollies all day, which I love - and I've been fortunate to be able to grow my doll collection during it too. I think overall, it's made me spend more time with and appreciate my collection even more, which has been a comfort during such scary times.

 

some offline doll partied got canceled which is upset but more artists do more online business now which I think is much more better on the other hand.

 

Thank you so much. Yes its getting a little bit easier every day.

 

I want to go to Japan to join the DP so much but I can't because of the covid 19.

 

I got back into the hobby largely due to COVID. I got laid off, so I had a lot more time there, and I couldn’t see friends, so I had more time there as well. I was kind of cycling slowly through the hobbies I had when I was much younger as a way to reconnect with myself and seek comfort when I was feeling terrible about everything. I then -cough- kind of tried to use shopping for dolls as a way of filling the void & that was ill-advised, but I’m trying to develop a healthier relationship with that side of things now as well. I’m just happy to be back

 

I actually returned to the hobby full time because of the pandemic. Since "pausing" collecting a number of years ago, I was focusing on fulfilling travel dreams and attending concerts. Which, I was able to do, and then the pandemic happened right after. So it weirdly worked out. It's a great "at-home" hobby too, so it definitely helped me emotionally during everything too.

 

Both positive and negative impacts.

Positive because it meant that instead of travelliing I purchased my dolls and had the opportunity to work from hone. Usually I would save up to travel places.

Negative because shipping fees and wait times.