How long and How many?

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
Took about 6 months!

How many dolls did you get after a year?
Haven't quite made it to a year in the hobby yet, but I only have one doll currently! Got my eyes on a second, though...

How many after 5 years?/How many in 10 years?
Who knows!

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
Haven't sold any yet, but considering selling my first doll - I'm simply not bonding with her

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
I first saw a bjd when I went to my first anime convention, which was Katsucon in 2004. I thought maybe there was a vendor that was selling these neat dolls I've never seen before, so I asked the girl holding the doll. I don't recall the bjd's name or sex/gender, just that they were about 1/3 sized with pale skin and at least shoulder length black/dark hair. She was super kind and told me it was a bjd and ballpark ranges of cost, which was quite a surprise for me at the time! Then she offered to let me hold her bjd, but as I was politely declining out of fear of dropping them, I suddenly had an armful of bjd (and an inner freakout lol). She gave me the info for this forum in case I wanted to get one myself someday. Eventually I stopped lurking, signed up in January of 2006, and ordered my first bjd - a DOT Camine.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
Initially I thought I'd be fine with just one but he looked so lonely, so I bought him a sweetheart - CP Delf Soo - and figured two was the magic number to stop at.

How many after 5 years?
I decided to treat myself and bought six more over the next five years, while making sure I could always pay my bills.

How many in 10 years?
Once I hit the ten year mark, I was happy with stopping at nine for quite a while. I'd sometimes get little props or do faceups or mods, or just enjoy having them around. I didn't leave the hobby but I did focus on other things that had to take priority for quite a while. But towards the end of 2022 I found sculpts that looked like characters I'd created that I'm using in my 2D thesis animation. So I managed to bring them home the following year. And then there was another head I liked and one of those cute off-topic blind box bjds. And then I got four more blind box bjds for Christmas and my hubby got me another one for Valentine's Day. And then I ordered two more tiny rabbit bjds a few weeks ago...

So after ten years I had nine bjds and once everything arrives, my eighteenth year will put me at twelve full bjds, six off-topic tinies, and two tinies that may be on topic since they're resin?

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
None yet, but I plan to sell one full doll (with extra head), a spare body I have, and some extra heads. I may wait until summer though.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
I first found out about them maybe around 2013? I can't remember the exact year. My mother had passed away recently, I graduated high school and didn't really know what to do with myself, so I wasn't in a good financial place to start an expected hobby. I finally got my first doll in 2023, so it took about 10 years.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
This is going to sound bad, but 8 and a floating head All but 2 of the dolls were bought secondhand, including the first head, and I'm working on getting the head a body and finishing 2 that are just blank. I have one that arrived earlier this month, too, that'll be my project going forward.

How many after 5 years?
I'm newly active in the hobby, so not sure! But I have a feeling that after 2024, I'll probably slow down significantly with buying them. I've got most of the variety I wanted, including some that I don't expect to arrive until the end of the year, so I'm more interested in buying clothes and accessories than I am in new dolls.

How many in 10 years?
Who knows?

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)
None so far. Currently, there aren't any I want to sell. I'm still happy with them, but I'm sure down the road I'll want to change some out.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
I'd occasionally seen BJDs from browsing anime figure collection sites and similar, but it took a while until I took a serious interest in joining the hobby. When I did, I first bought a cheap off-topic doll to see if it suited me while I did research into all the different BJD companies and so on. I think it was about six months until I made my decision to order my first BJD, and then another six until it arrived at my place.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
I think I had two dolls after being in the hobby for a year.

How many after 5 years?
It's not been quite 5 years yet, but I currently have 3 full dolls and 2 floating heads, with one more doll currently on layaway.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)
I haven't sold any dolls so far since I've been very careful with my purchases (and selling would be a hassle)

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
I first became aware of BJDs in 2007, but didn't seriously consider getting one for years because they cost so much more than my collection of fashion dolls. In 2012 I discovered Soom, and ordered my first doll as an assemble yourself Xmas kit. She arrived in 2013. So maybe 6 months months from being sure I was interested to actually ordering. I joined Den of Angels around the time I ordered her.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
I got 4 my first year.

How many after 5 years?
I'll have to reorganize my BJD list to figure that out.

How many in 10 years?
Last year was year 10 and I currently have 33.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
So far I've sold 8 full dolls and a faceplate. I have 3 more I'm planning to sell.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
Maybe 6 months or so. I ordered pretty quickly after my friend showed me she had ordered something.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
Probably around 4?

How many after 5 years?
I hit up to 15 pretty fast. I suspect that was after about 5 years. Then I hit some financial difficulties and had to sell many of them.

How many in 10 years?
I was back down to 4 by that point I think.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
Based on what I have kept track of, roughly, I sell 3 out 4 that I purchase. So roughly 75% of them don't stay.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
About a year.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
Just the one!

How many after 5 years?
6 on-topic dolls and 2 floating heads.

How many in 10 years?
11 on-topic dolls, 3 floating heads and several off-topic BJDs.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
None - I've kept all of my dolls.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
Hmm, i first saw pictures of BJD on deviantart in high school in the early 00's, but didn't get one of my own until like 2020 sooo...almost 20 years?

How many dolls did you get after a year?
I didn't get another one until a couple of years after i got my first one.

How many after 5 years?
I haven't been buying them for 5 years yet! But I currently have 4, sold my first one, and have a loose head on the way.

How many in 10 years?
n/a

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
I've only sold one, and that was after having her, blank, for 3 years. Learned the expensive way that I need to have a more concrete plan in mind for when I buy a doll or i just get super frustrated with choice paralysis.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
I think it was about a year after I first found out about BJDs. I bought my first in 2005.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
I think 6? Interestingly, I remember quite distinctly feeling overwhelmed with too many dolls when my ninth came home in my second year. Obviously I got over that. XD

How many after 5 years?
About 18, I think. I remember I did an average around 2016, and it turned out to be approx 4 dolls per year.

How many in 10 years?
About 43.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)
I think I've sold maybe a third of the total I've bought. I currently have about 70.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
Probably a couple of years. Can't find any proper info on it, as it seems I only joined my country's BJD forum once I had ordered my first one, but I know it took me quite a while to even find out what these dolls were called and where to get them and so on.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
Still had just the first one for the first two years.

How many after 5 years?
10 + 1 pet doll + 1 floating head.

How many in 10 years?
17 + 2 pet dolls + 1 floating head.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
Haven't sold any, but 1 doll and the floating head are abandoned / I've sort of sold them off in my mind already. The floating head was a gift head that I hated the look of to begin with, but poor newbie me was all "but it's free if I order over $300"... never mind that I had to order a $60 outfit I didn't like either on top of the doll I actually wanted for my order to qualify for that "free" head.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
Hm, I believe I first discovered BJD dolls as a concept around 14. My sister had gotten some Obitsu dolls, and I was promptly fascinated. I wasn't able to afford a doll until 11 years later! I researched resin BJDs throughout those years and knew that my goal was to own on. I so, so happy when I finally put together my first doll, Vesper.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
2? I bought my doll Myriad the same year as Vesper, and I may have bought Harlow also within that next year.

How many after 5 years?
Um... 8... and in the beginning I told myself no more than 2...

How many in 10 years?
Hasn't been 10 years yet, but I'll definitely still be in the hobby come then.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)
I haven't sold any dolls yet.

 

Sorry for changing the format... my timeline doesn't fit with the questions :'3

I first heard of bjds around 2002, then got my first doll in 2014. Took 12 years but I finally got one!

I didn't acquire another doll though until 2022. 8 years of just enjoying the one.

From 2022 to 2024 I now own a total of 6 proper bjds, and a bunch of off topic ones too. Though my first doll is no longer part of my collection.

I have only ever traded dolls away, my original doll and an alt head for my minifee. I'm sad about it but I was never happy with my first doll's size, as I found him too big to handle properly.

 

Only ever sold 1 1/2 dolls (The half was just a body)

I'd almost at 15 years in now, and have 52 on topic dolls

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
~4 years, I believe. I discovered the hobby in late 2009 IIRC and purchased my first doll in spring of 2013.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
2 and a floating event head

How many after 5 years?
Maybe 9?

How many in 10 years?
12 on topic dolls plus an additional off topic doll

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
I actually did a hard reset on my collection back in 2021 where the only survivors were my F60 Juri and a Dollfie Dream 06. A lot of my dolls had been FOMO impulse buys and I was deeply dissatisfied with the collection I had, so I purged it and used the money to work on building my dream collection.

I still have 2 dolls to clean up and sell, a floating body I want to part with, and a body I recently sold on layaway, then I'm done selling for the foreseeable future.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
I found about BJDs back in 2006, but my first doll was bought in 2012, so 6 years after.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
By the end of 2012 I had 2 dolls

How many after 5 years?
By 2017 I had 6 dolls.

How many in 10 years?
By 2022 I had 10 dolls.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)
During my time in the hobby I have sold 3 dolls. So, out of 13 dolls I ever had, only 10 remain with me to this day.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?

Pretty much as soon as I decided I wanted to get into the hobby. He was a Lati Blue Rei, one of the few mature mini boys on the market at the time.

How many dolls did you get after a year?

I think it was just Rei? I know I got a second one somewhere around the 1-year mark, but I feel like it was a bit over a year.

How many after 5 years?

Purchased - 4? or 5? I had that Rei, a Luts Bory, a Soom Chrom, a Yo-sized doll from a defunct company, and maybe Soom Lami fell into that time frame too (but maybe it was a bit more than 5 years). I also had a floating head I meant to practice face-ups on and never did.

How many in 10 years?

I had a bit of a buying spree in college when I worked two jobs and lived at home, so I did acquire 5 more dolls (3 Iplehouse, Atelier Momoni, and Mydolling) and 3-4 floating heads. I've been in the hobby for 16 years total and bought 1 (soon to be 2) dolls after the 10-year mark.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)

Almost all of them. My tastes really changed, and I also had two long hiatuses from the hobby where I sold nearly everything I owned related to dolls (and other collectibles). So after 16 years in the hobby, I own 2 (just paid for 3) dolls. Am I gonna sell more? I dunno. I do find myself more content with what I have for longer now, but I don't know if it's a "finally found what makes me happy" thing or a "just gotten older" thing.

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
Roughly 7? 8? years? I found out about BJDs in high school but never had enough money for them until I finally went to college.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
I bought four dolls my first year in the hobby. Two of those dolls came with extra heads that have now become more dolls, but at the time it was four dolls.

How many after 5 years?
I'll skip this one since I honestly don't know. I'd have to dig through all my records, and I lost a lot of those on my old PC.

How many in 10 years?
Approximately 27 dolls. This is not including pet dolls and heads that are still bodiless, but I am including heads that became full dolls later.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold?
Not very often. I've sold a decent amount of heads, some parts, and a few bodies, but only two full dolls (and one was a pet doll, so it's up to you if it counts). I sell when I get something extra with a purchase (so, event items mostly) or when I realize I don't have any plans for something. I did once sell a couple bodies and some parts for quick cash when I was in need, but have since replaced what I missed.


Just for another quick stat, at 12 years in the hobby I now have 38 dolls (3 are pet dolls) and 4 heads. A lot happened in the past two years...

 

How long did you take to finally get a doll?
7 years. I found my favourite doll maker when i was in secondary school and start saving money since than. In 2022 I finally bought my first bjd.
How many dolls did you get after a year?
1 doll and 1 doll head. That head is unique but its hard to find a body in porper scale&skintone for her.

 

@Vimes that's an interesting one, thanks for the prompts

How long did you take to finally get a doll? - about 1 year after first seeing them (then closing the firefox tabs asap when I saw the prices, then rediscovering not every company is iplehouse lol) then giving it a day or two of research, so that I knew more baout paypal than about bjds... then 3 months later my first doll.

How many dolls did you get after a year?
I think somewhere around 3? or two?

How many after 5 years?
about 30+.... not all of them at once though - I was flipping/revolving door

How many in 10 years?
I had my 10th anniversary last year.
I have owned 55 dolls. the largest amount of the dolls at once was 12, I think. Now I have 6, but one awaiting new home, so 7 in total.

And if you've sold how often did you find you sold? (1 out of 5 dolls, 3 dolls total ECT)
Well, seems like the majority is gone I don't miss any particular ones... aside from maybe Migidoll Jina from time to time? I loved having triplets of MSDoll Drayton, An Angelheim massive body, an Onlydoll TingYun. I'm happy the others are no longer with me.

I went pretty crazy over the first several years, very often I'd find "deals". Then I slowed down and got a job after studies, so I could afford more. Now that I could easily buy a dol/two per month without having it affect my budged severely... I am buyign none lol xD Just wigs. And shoes. And trying to keep my collection at 6, maybe going down to 5, then 4, 3 and eventually 2 dolls only. We'll see I love them, but I'd rather have fewer and be able to spoil them to no end

Last time I bough a full doll was last year, I think? And the year before I also bought only one doll.