How much is too much for a company faceup?

I think yes, that it does depend on the quality of the face-up, but also, I do not prefer the factory/company face-up since I tend to not like sculpts with the default face-up because of the lack of some originality but that's just how I feel on that subject. I also think between $40 to $90 can be acceptable for the normal company/factory face-up. But anymore than that, I personally think it is ridiculous since the face-ups usually look real bland unless it is a limited doll, etc. For limited dolls maybe $100 for the face-up would be fine but more than that, I think it would be a waste of money. The wait-time, in my opinion, is understandable if they do add a face-up; face-ups do take a bit of time to do. I would not ever get a face-up done that is half as expensive as the doll whether it be an affordable or an expensive doll though. The only time that would ever happen is if the doll was under $100 and the face-up price was $50 but that is very rare and probably won't EVER happen. Haha. I personally think the company face-up isn't really that unique unless it is for a purely limited doll but even then, sometimes I don't think it's that great even then. Of course, financial reasons come into play when I perceive a face-up to be too high but for the most part, for me, it's just basically knowing whether the face-up is really worth getting, especially if you are wanting to change it anyway. :P

That's how I feel on the cost of company face-ups and if they are too high (in my opinion).

 

i think $50 and under is a great price.. i mean anything over $100 is the cost of some dolls.. i always get a face up as i cant do them for the life of me.
and most dolls i get or like i like the faceups and thats one of the reasons i love that doll. i dont think id get a doll if the face up looks like crap.. i mean less i learn how to do them.. lol but im sure that will not happen

 

I'm sure it depends on the individual...

At what price do you think, or have you in thought in the past, that the price was too high for a company faceup?

Artist faceups from top artists can be $150 or sometimes more. If the company's faceup is the one I want--then I'd pay that much. Thankfully, most companies do not charge that much!


[*]When considering the factor of 'too high', does it depend on the quality of the faceup?

Well, that's part of it, but basically it comes down to what I want for my doll... A high quality faceup that doesn't match what I want won't work, no matter how nice.

[*] Is it purely a number-based thing to you that is a solid fact regardless of factors? (Ex. $30 is low, $55 is reasonable, $150 is too high)

No. Depends on what the faceup is like. If it's cheap, but not what I want, then that isn't good, either!

[*] Does it depend on how long the wait time will be extended to if a faceup is added?

No.

[*] If it is a relatively affordable doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?

Again, depends on the faceup and if I like it.

[*] If it were an expensive doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?

Depends on the faceup and if I like it.

[*] Does the fact that the faceup would not be unique to your doll determine how much you are willing to spend on a company faceup, compared to what you could commission an artist to do a unique faceup?

No. I don't care about that at all.

[*] Are there other things you take into account when considering if a company faceup is too high? (Ex. current financial situation, holidays, etc)

Financial situation ALWAYS matters. If I can't afford it, I can't afford it, right? But if I can, and I love the faceup, I'll pay a good price for it. If it's less expensive, that's good. If it's more expensive, then I just have to pay the price if I want that faceup.


I have to note that I don't like sending my heads away for faceups. If I don't like the company faceup I'll usually just do it myself.

 

As BJD newbie, I've been looking at manymanymany pictures of them. One of the things I notice, of course, is how beautifully the dolls are photographed to promote them and I wondered how the actual doll would compare. From reading on the forum and my own two (so far ;-) ) dolls, which both have company faceups, the doll company artists get favorable reviews. I want DL Aurora, and her elaborate company faceup costs almost $100. I have to admit I've been hesitant about that extra cost, enough that I keep looking at her blank head, lol.

 

When considering the factor of 'too high', does it depend on the quality of the faceup?

​For me, it depends on how much I like the faceup, and whether it suits the character the doll is for, rather than the price/quality. I've only paid for 1 company faceup before because I didn't think I would be able to get a faceup (by myself or commission another artist) that does the lips in the same way as the company's. And I've been quite happy with his faceup until now! Of course quality matters too, but sometimes even if the quality is good, but not the kind/style of faceup I want for my doll, I'll skip it altogether. For example, I think Luts does pretty good faceups, quality wise, and the linework is very nice, but it wasn't right for the Lishe boy I was buying, so I got him blank. Same thing with Migidoll. I love their faceups but it won't work on my characters...D: And both companies offer rather reasonably priced faceups for the quality!

In my case the price isn't the biggest factor, but I would say I probably won't pay more than $100 for a company faceup because I would most likely be able to do/commission one that would suit my characters better.

Is it purely a number-based thing to you that is a solid fact regardless of factors? (Ex. $30 is low, $55 is reasonable, $150 is too high)

Nope, it depends on how much I like the faceup and how it would suit my characters I probably won't pay $150 for a default faceup but maybe if it's a limited edition with a different styling etc...

Does it depend on how long the wait time will be extended to if a faceup is added?

Sometimes, which is why I would get my dolls blank unless I really want the faceup. But my main factor is still whether I want the faceup rather than the price >_<
If it is a relatively affordable doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?
If it were an expensive doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?

Answering both questions together since my answer is "probably not" for both. I think for that price, I can probably commission someone else to do the faceup! (Not to "copy" the company, because if that's the case, it'll mean I like the company's faceup, in which case I'll try to get the money to buy the doll with the faceup)
Does the fact that the faceup would not be unique to your doll determine how much you are willing to spend on a company faceup, compared to what you could commission an artist to do a unique faceup?

I think so, yes. I do feel a bit more justified spending more on an artist faceup than a company faceup, because it'll be something I commissioned the artist for, specially for my doll/character. However, I find that I usually commission artists who charge about the same as most companies' default faceup price (around $50-70 for an SD head). ._.
Are there other things you take into account when considering if a company faceup is too high? (Ex. current financial situation, holidays, etc)

Financial situation is a definite factor (but to begin with I probably won't be buying doll stuff if I'm broke >_<), and if say I have just about enough for a doll but not the faceup, I would probably get the doll blank and experiment with doing my own faceups instead of say, saving for a while more to get enough for the faceup. It depends on the faceup though. And I would try to avoid holidays when there's events etc because I don't want to prolong the wait time for my doll if I can, haha.

 

At what price do you think, or have you in thought in the past, that the price was too high for a company faceup? I have never really thought this, mainly because I have not found company faceups that interested me in the wake of knowing of several artists that I could commission for what I like at the same price, or just slightly more.

When considering the factor of 'too high', does it depend on the quality of the faceup? In a way, I guess. I want the price to reflect the quality of the work done. If the work does not look all that nice, I will be less likely to pay for it. In fact, I will more likely leave my doll blank until I can commission.

Is it purely a number-based thing to you that is a solid fact regardless of factors? (Ex. $30 is low, $55 is reasonable, $150 is too high) No. However, the higher the price, the more likely I am to look much more closely and closely consider whether the purchase should be made.

Does it depend on how long the wait time will be extended to if a faceup is added? No. If I like the faceup enough to buy it, I am willing to wait longer for my doll to get to me.

If it is a relatively affordable doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?Depends on what that price actually is. And again, it depends on the quality of the work.

If it were an expensive doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll? Same answer as above. Though, as I said, a more expensive faceup makes me more likely to really think hard about whether I want it or not.

Does the fact that the faceup would not be unique to your doll determine how much you are willing to spend on a company faceup, compared to what you could commission an artist to do a unique faceup? Considering that these faceups are hand painted, it is doubtful that it would look exactly the same, and I doubt it would prevent my doll from being unique considering eyes wig color and style, and clothing.

Are there other things you take into account when considering if a company faceup is too high? (Ex. current financial situation, holidays, etc) Money maybe. If I have the money for the doll, and I really want to buy the doll quickly, but not enough for the faceup too, I may not go with the faceup.

 

I do my own faceups normally because I'm so picky, so even if the company one is free, I'll request NOT to have it done. I think most company faceups are either bland or too innocent/neutral for my tastes, so I've never purchased one (unless it was an instock or secondhand doll and already had it, and it didn't affect price.) However, for those who do buy one, I'd say maybe $50 at most. You have to cover the cost of supplies and the time it takes the artist to do it, but since you can get a good custom artist faceup for $50+, I think a basic generic default shouldn't be more than that.

• When considering the factor of 'too high', does it depend on the quality of the faceup? Absolutely. A beautifully done, detailed, limited faceup shouldn't be as cheap as a very simple, natural, not as professional one.
• Is it purely a number-based thing to you that is a solid fact regardless of factors? (Ex. $30 is low, $55 is reasonable, $150 is too high) No. I've seen some company faceups that I think are beautiful and unique and worth every penny of the $60 or whatever they charge if they fit your doll's style/character, and some that were free or $10 and I'd still wipe.
• Does it depend on how long the wait time will be extended to if a faceup is added? As someone who won't buy a faceup anyway, I especially wouldn't pay exra to wait longer, but I don't think price should reflect time. Lots of things contribute to the time it takes a company to do faceups, everything from production backlog to weather. I don't think an artist should make less money because of things out of their control.(Unless it's highly unreasonable, like an additional 6 months or more.)
• If it is a relatively affordable doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll? This doesn't really apply in my case, but if it were a $100 doll and I thought the faceup was perfection and better than I could do, then I might be willing to pay $50 for it, though probably not.
• If it were an expensive doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll? No way. I'm happy with my own work, and I just couldn't justify spending, say $400 on a faceup when I feel I could do satisfactory work myself.
• Does the fact that the faceup would not be unique to your doll determine how much you are willing to spend on a company faceup, compared to what you could commission an artist to do a unique faceup? YES. My dolls shell very specific OCs, and that's why I normally do my own. Of 31 dolls, only two have faceups I didn't do myself, and they're both artist faceups. I have not found a default yet that i liked enough to keep, let alone pay for.
• Are there other things you take into account when considering if a company faceup is too high? (Ex. current financial situation, holidays, etc) normally just if I think I could do my own as well or better for the character.

 

When considering the factor of 'too high', does it depend on the quality of the faceup?
Not really. It depends on whether or not I like the face up and if it works with the concept I had in mind for the doll.

Is it purely a number-based thing to you that is a solid fact regardless of factors? (Ex. $30 is low, $55 is reasonable, $150 is too high)
Not really. Most of the company face ups I've seen are between $30 - $90. I would need to consider what "too high" is for me because if it's what I want for the doll and I can afford it at the time, then I would get it.

Does it depend on how long the wait time will be extended to if a faceup is added?
Nope. I don't consider extra wait times as a factor. I've have a few company face ups and it really doesn't add more wait time that sending the head off to an artist.

If it is a relatively affordable doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?
I don't consider the cost of the doll in relation to the face up. I think of them separately. I consider how much I like the doll and then how much I like the company face up. If I like the company work - I add it and don't really think about the cost.

If it were an expensive doll, would you get it a company faceup that costs half as much as the doll?
Same as above. I collect SD's and haven't seen a company face up costing 1/2 the price of my dolls yet. But if I loved the face up for that doll I would get it.

Does the fact that the faceup would not be unique to your doll determine how much you are willing to spend on a company faceup, compared to what you could commission an artist to do a unique faceup?
No. I'm not really worried about my dolls looking unique or different. Most of the dolls I collect don't offer company face ups so I commission artists.

Are there other things you take into account when considering if a company faceup is too high? (Ex. current financial situation, holidays, etc)
Well if my current financial situation is such that I'm considering not getting a company face up or option to save money, then I probably can't afford the doll either. For me it still comes down to how much I like the company face up for that doll.

 

The only thing that makes a company face up too expensive is if it looks like something I could make on my own. This is why the three Sooms I had I ordered blank. There wasn't anything super special to me to justify paying for a face up.

 

Since I have never done a faceup I don't know how hard it is or how long it takes. I have never asked someone to do one for me. I don't have marketplace access so I don't know how much people charge. And all my dolls I buy with company face ups. Except the event doll Arwen from DollLeaves that I have not gotten yet but will probably sell. But when I buy online I feel over $40 is steep..

 

The Popovy Sisters body blushing and faceup runs around $500 US. I think it is worth every single penny.

 

For me, it depends on how skillful and fine work the artist can do. Some companies have beautiful face up and some not. In between 45-60$ is the best price for company face up which I would pay for.

 

$50 seems to be the standard for most companies, at least for larger sized dolls. I don't really mind paying that much for a company faceup if I like how it looks in the promo pictures, but company faceups tend to be a hit-and-miss to some extent. Some companies do incredibly high quality faceups as their default, but others less so. Particularly things like lip lines are often less detailed than I would like.

Unless a company has a faceup I'm absolutely in love with for a doll I buy, I doubt I would pay for over $70 for a company faceup - any more than that and I'd rather just send the head to a faceup artist so I could get it the way I wanted, without having to worry that the artist will rush it.

 

I think 80 dollars or less because most face-ups in the doll markets are only 70 dollars.

 

A year ago I would have answered much differently, because I was still interested in company face ups. Now....I like my money in my wallet. And I am more interested in painting my own. So unless it's a particular artist whose specific work I was interested in, it would have to be free

 

*nods* I don't get that. If its something so simple it almost looks as if its already blank, and yet its still as much as a face up of another doll that is much more detailed.

 

50 to 70 dollars is good price for me, but I don't like company's makeup. I like people do the faceup by faceup artist or themselves!

 

Company faceups
1) $60 for a YOSD (Peakswoods), 2) $32 for a tiny (LUTS) and 3) $50 for a SD (Soom).
I ordered the company faceups because the doll was so small, I liked the faceup, and I didn't want to go blind so for me, they were worth it.
However, the last company faceup from Soom was so displeasing to me and deviated so much away from the promo pics that I decided I will never order a company faceup, no matter how much I like the promo samples, and I've stuck to my word ever since.

Customized faceups
I've seen FREE, $66, $150.
The free ones were free because someone wanted to practice their faceups. I do my own but even if I couldn't, I wouldn't send it off to someone who had no experience.

The $66 were done by a faceup artist friend and I've seen her work...they're definitely worth it. However, she can keep the price low because she lives in Asia where the most important art supply (MSC), can be attained at half price compared to other Western countries. She asked me if she should raise her price and I told her that she should keep it as is since it gives her an edge. However, westerners will have to send the head to her so that's gonna cost them.

The $150 I saw was SDink whom I believe is completely justified in her high prices. I mean, her work makes the sculpt just so much more alive and special. If she hadn't stopped, I would have really wanted her to paint a head or two for me, but, yeah.

 

For me it depends. I would be willing to spend more on a very intricate, detailed face up that looked unique to the sculpt. If it's just a basic face up, I would expect a basic price.

What it comes down to for me is if I feel the artist is earning a high price through putting in a lot of effort, or if the price just seems inflated for no reason.