How long do you wait before hitting the 'Buy' button...?

I wait 3 days to 2 weeks. If I can't get the doll out if my head, I compare the price to other things I would like. If I'm *still* thinking about it, I sleep on it and make my decision the follow morning.
This method has greatly reduced the amount of dolls I want (among other things!)

 

oh yeah for limited dolls i also wait until the last day! i tend to think very hard about what kinda character they could be, if i really want to spend the money, those kinda things. for unlimiteds, well, this is gonna sound so much more pretentious than i intend but like 99 out of 100, unlimited sculpts don't really do anything for me anymore. i mean there's always exceptions to these things, but i think my most primary thought is: how hard would it be for me to obtain this sculpt in the future if i don't do so now.

 

I don't fall for a doll very often, but I usually commit to buying it after a couple of weeks. My most recent purchase, on the Marketplace, actually ended up taking the longest time to commit to simply because I had set a goal to NOT spend any money in the month when I spotted the doll, and I had to wait almost an entire month because it was really important to me to meet that goal!

On the other hand, my first purchase on the Marketplace was one I committed to within hours, because I'd been pining for that specific sculpt/color/faceup combination for a long time by the time she appeared, so I contacted the seller the same day I spotted her.

So the method waiting for a while and thinking about the doll usually works really well for me...when I actually stick to it.

 

I look at every doll I can find that I suits my criteria several times, over several weeks. If I keep going back to the same one when I'm thoroughly tired of looking, I order it.

 

Assuming this applies only to non-secondhand dolls, I tend to mull over a possible purchase for at least a week before I commit any money. In that time period, I have to take into consideration my financial status, as well as if the doll really "clicks" for me. So far though, it has only happened twice (and coincidentally, with my male characters only).

Non-limiteds that are a mainstay in a company's roster are the easiest to handle -- I could save up for them for months and not be too pressured to buy them immediately. On the other end of the spectrum, I tend to turbo the decision-making when a wishlist item within my budget pops up in the Marketplace, with my current record being just several hours after the listing was posted.

 

I dont really have a choice but to wait. Funds are very difficult to get in my current situation. I cant afford to just buy a doll on impulse. I have a list of I think 7 dolls I have to save up for, before I can just save for whatever strikes my fancy. That being said, when I decide to add another sculpt to the list, I see if i keep going back to the sales page. Ill even do my best to forget about it. If i still think about it after a month or so Ill then see if I have a character for it. If not, I then have to decide if I like it enough to still get it even with no plans. There are also I think 5 or 6 sculpts I really like, but cant quite justify adding to my list yet. Not when funds are so hard to get.

 

If it's secondhand I don't wait. Fairyland dolls/stuff goes quick.

Brand new I'll wait a month or two and see if I change my mind (this happens a lot lol). If I'm absolutely in love like with Carol I'll buy in two weeks or until I figure out a budget for it.

 

I wait until I can save up enough money to pay in full. Depending on my luck, that could be anywhere from a couple of weeks to close to a year. If I still want it after saving up, I’ll get it.

 

At least a month.

For my current (and first) doll, I looked at many sculpts and then after I found her I spent a week thinking about it. Now that I'm following several doll artists that I admire on Instagram, I'm similarly thinking a lot about what dolls I want to get in the future, when the opportunity comes (limited order periods make it so I can't really insta-buy something on impulse). If I only am in love with a sculpt for a few weeks before not really 'feeling' them anymore, I take them off my list. My future 'want to buy' list is at 3 atm. I really hope it doesn't get too out of hand. xD

 

Provided I have the funds to pay in full or do a layaway...

Hours to days. I talk over every purchase with my SO's prior to buying anything doll-related, especially dolls. I make sure they are 100% certain it's okay for me to purchase. Sometimes, that takes a few days as either I work up the "argument" for the doll (it's not an argument, it's really an amicable discussion) and sometimes that means waiting for a time where it's appropriate to talk about (after learning about the death of a loved one is NOT appropriate for "d'you think we can get a new dollie?").

But once the decision is made and we're all in agreement, it only takes as long as for me to find the sales page and go through the shopping cart option. If I wait, I'll talk myself out of it (even if we are all really okay with it and there's absolutely nothing else going on) because I'm Like That XD

 

Unfortunately I can't buy doll right away but if I could I would impulse buy so many dolls lol but usually when a sculpt grabs my attention I'm obsessed with it. Two of my dolls are impulse buys that I could afford though.

 

Until now, I had an overall concept in my head for my doll crew. I wanted Marvel's original movie Avengers in doll form. Then it came to the Hulk. I did realize that I did not want him, but I started to look at characters from other franchises. I thought "Why not? You are not bound by contracts or licences." As I branched out into things like Star Trek or Star Wars, I discovered endless possibilities. Generally, I stay away from Limiteds (exception is my Thor, which is an limited Impldoll. But now I know that you can still get the sculpt upon request). So I have plenty of time to consider and reconsider whether I really want this or that character in my crew.
As many dolls and projects are still unfinished, there is also no running out of work. Right now, I am trying to cut down on acquiring any new dolls. But sometimes dolls are a bit mean - when they "speak" to me - so speak, a bonding that happens before purchase. I had that with Impldoll Nicolas. I really did not want to get more dolls, I was happy that my acquiring stage was finished - but he kept pestering me that he is essential (well, in reality I loved his headsculpt to bits). He needed three months to convince me, and I needed about a year to get the money together for my first Nic. And now I have two of those.

So now it takes quite a while to decide I really want to welcome one more doll. Space is also an issue (after all, these 70 cm men take up a good bit of real estate in our house. Whenever I find a character interesting, but it fades after a while, I tend to decide against him. Aquaman hit this fate, I am afraid (or maybe not, I don't know yet). Also, I have three dolls who have no outfits yet, which I hate. I am also careful now because the doll market is so slow. I can't really afford having a doll lying around for nothing.

 

I'm very impatient. When I meet a doll, that I fall in love with, my first reaction is to hit the buying button. But before I do it, my inner voice says me "stop! think! you're already waiting for some dolls, you don't have such amount of money for dolls, you haven't got enough space to keep them, you shouldn't grab everything you see".
And it can take a very long time. My inner voice is fighting with my "I want it!"and all this time I feel impatient.
In fact I was waiting for ordering my first doll for more than a year and dreaming about my own doll about five years. Than I ordered three limited dolls approximately in the middle of sales, waitinf from two weeks to one month. This year "I want it!" wins my inner voice

 

I seem to be similar to a lot of people here. If it’s a non-limited from a company, I put them on The List and decide over a period of a few weeks to a month or two. If it’s a marketplace ad, pretty much right away if I have enough money.

 

For an unlimited doll I wait till I saved the money. For limited dolls I'm doing the same as you waiting till the deadline xD
I don't wanna make too spontaneous shopping. I also only getting a doll if I have something for her in mind.
So if I don't have a fitting Charakter for her and my group in mind I'll pass.
I wand my dolls to be close to each other

 

With secondhand dolls I'm really bad- I'll buy a doll pretty much right away if it has a body or head sculpt I've been interested in and/or it's a good enough deal.

As for actually ordering new dolls, I tend to wait quite a while. Sometimes months, but at least a few weeks. Generally I'll take notice of a doll (or head or body), store it in my memory banks under "I like", forget about it for a few months, and then rediscover it a while later. The companies I like don't really do limited sculpts, so I'm usually OK with waiting.

 

For a secondhand doll auction, about 3 minutes. But I also tend to put in a low bid at first, and then think about if I should up my bid or not until right before the auction ends. So, 1 day? This method has gotten me four dolls this year.

For a new doll... well, I've only bought one new doll in the past ten years, and I thought about it for about two months. And the last three weeks of that were mostly waiting to see if there would be a winter sale (and there was), so just over a month?

 

Months to be honest. Maybe even years.
Nebel has been in my cart for 5 months, and still counting.

 

I am still new to the hobby. I have loved ball jointed dolls for years but had never found one that pulled at me enough to hit the buy button. At least until Summerbird Viola/ Mystique! I fought with myself for about an hour before buying one when the orders were open. Still waiting on my gal but it is worth it!

I know I will want to buy a boy soon but not yet. I want to get a feel for the character my summerbird doll will shell.