How To Get Doll Money: The Master List of Ideas!

This is such a great thread! As someone that has recently purchased a couple of dolls I'm in need of rebuilding my doll money. I love to sew so getting back to making and selling clothes is probably the best option for me. I also recently got a resin 3D printer so I bet that making and printing accessories and furniture could be a lucrative way to make some doll cash. Wishing everyone luck in their doll money making endeavors.

 

where to get money to buy new dolls: 1. Birthdays, Christmas and other holidays give gifts, I ask friends and relatives to give me only money, because everyone knows about my passion for dolls. 2. in order to buy something, you need to sell something. If you have a large doll collection and not a very large one, you can always sell it to someone and buy a doll. For example, I always leave some amount of money in my bank account specifically for the purchase of new dolls. What if I like it and need to buy it urgently, after all, it’s not always possible to sell a doll quickly and it’s difficult to make a choice about who is the odd one out in my collection - I love them all. 3. Bank loan

 

Not sure if already posted but 3D printers are a great way to make and save money! Printing things for people can make a ton of money. You will also be saving lots of money by being able to print things for yourself instead of buying them.

If anyone wants recommendations I recommend a resin 3D printer for the high detail, just be sure to do lots of research into safety!

 

Once i thought about this but upon research found out in some places (including where i live) is very hard and expensive to maintance 3d printers cause there isnt many people with expertise to fix the little mistakes necessary, so yeah, also look into this before spending on a 3d printer expecting to become rich

 

It is definitely not a get rich quick kind of thing, however repairing these kind of machines is definitely learnable and there are an abundance of youtube videos on how to do repairs.

 

Sometimes you can also access 3D printers from other places! At my university, there's a ton of 3D printers that are free for students to use as long as they get certified, which is a really quick process. Some libraries also have them, as well as makerspaces if you have them in your city. Though I believe my university may only have filament 3D printers- whenever I need a resin thing printed I go to someone on Etsy who does it for a fair price, partially because the swords I need printed in resin are tall and skinny and I'm not good at supports.

 

This is a great point! You can even make files and then sell the files online for money, while testing your files on these community printers.

 

If you are good at massages, there are people who will give you money for it.
You can also help elderly people with shopping or dog walking.

 

Not sure anyone's mentioned this yet but, while both of these companies have a wait-list to join, Pinecone Research and Prolific surveys are great ways to make money in your free time!

Pinecone Research emails with occasional surveys, and while they don't send them often, I almost always qualify and you get a guaranteed $3 per survey.

Prolific offers less, though the amount depends on the survey itself, but there's a ton more surveys available and I rarely screen out of them. You can pick and choose which ones to do - no penalty for turning any down. On Prolific, I made almost $100 in roughly a week of doing surveys for a few hours a day. I don't know how long the wait list is on either website at the moment, but it's worth looking into.

 

If you're willing to keep a workbook or something, keeping track of expenses is really helpful That way you know how much money you need to set aside to pay for your hobby without eating into your savings or pinching pennies elsewhere. And you can use a workbook like that to plan ways for your other hobbies to pay for this hobby.

For example, I sell bookmarks/jewelry/other crafts as a hobby and based on the profit margin, I've set a baseline allowance to pay for my BJD hobby. That way, my day job covers anything to do with living expenses, and my hobbies cover each other. Setting boundaries can help ensure you don't generally overspend, but also if you're struggling to save up for that grail doll, achieving incremental goals can be motivating.

 

I’m sure this has been mentioned but if you have a car or even a bike and are at least 18 years old you can sign up for delivery driver apps like DoorDash, UberEats, or Grubhub. This is how I fund my doll purchases in part. Busier areas tend to be more lucrative for this kind of work but even in a town of about 30,000 or so like where I live I tend to make roughly 60-100 dollars a day depending on how long I work and how busy it is. I know this isn’t an option for everyone but for those who can utilize it the sign up process is quick and if you’re approved you can usually begin working within a matter of days! Plus you can schedule yourself based on your personal availability. Hope this helps!

 

Collecting BJD's is a passion that can sometimes strain the wallet. Here are some practical tips to help you afford those beautiful dolls that you dream about!

1. Explore Second Streams of Income

Side Hustles: Consider taking on a side job or freelance work that aligns with your skills. This could be anything from graphic design, writing, tutoring, to pet sitting. Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and TaskRabbit are great places to find gigs.

Online Selling: Platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Depop allow you to sell handmade crafts, vintage items, or even digital products. If you’re crafty, consider creating and selling BJD accessories such as clothes, wigs, or props.

2. Sell Unused Dolls and Accessories

Declutter Your Collection: Go through your current collection and identify dolls or accessories that no longer bring you joy. Selling these items can free up space and provide you with extra cash.

Join BJD Marketplaces: There are many dedicated online communities and marketplaces for selling BJDs and accessories, such as Facebook groups, and Instagram (not so much anymore, but still).

3. Mindful Purchasing

Avoid Impulse Buys: It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new release or limited edition. However, impulse purchases can quickly drain your funds. Instead, take a step back and consider if the doll truly fits your collection and brings you joy.

Create a Wishlist: Maintain a focused Wishlist to prioritize your purchases. Keep it small and specific, and regularly review and update it. This helps you stay disciplined and only buy items that you really want and need.

Happy collecting!

 

As someone who has struggled with a bit of a hoarding tendency, one thing you can use to get more doll money and convince yourself to let go of less treasured items is to plan to sell things you would otherwise hold onto but not do anything with (this includes BJDs, in some cases, or fandom merch, old figures etc), and consider the money from selling them to be "free" doll money- once you actually sell the item(s). It can be a good incentive to stop keeping things for the sake of things- follow that one method of "does this spark joy" and you might realize that even if you wouldn't normally let something go, you might be able to for the sake of your dream doll.

Of course, don't buy, or sell, on impulse- there might definitely be regrets there. But in the end a lot of things are just things and if the only thing they mean to you is that you have them, it may be time to consider letting them go. And then the funds can go to something you really want, knowing that if what you end up with after saving doesn't work out either, for whatever reason, you can let it go as well and try to find something you care about more.

TL;DR: being a "revolving door" collector is not necessarily a bad thing; keep and save for the things you really want, with the bonus that if you don't want it, you can sell it for the sake of something you do.

 

This is so true! That's how I afforded my first two BJDs. Cleared out old manga and figures that I didn't care about anymore, each time made enough to buy a fullset Ringdoll (first time Xie Lian, second time Hua Cheng). I've been a lot more thoughtful with what I purchase since, and I've really streamlined my collection quite a bit towards two fandoms (well, now three main and one secondary fandom) to avoid wasting more money. I might eventually move on from those fandoms and sell them off, but for now, I'm really happy with where my collection stands! I might be done with BJDs for a while though, I am completely out of room for my big 1/3 scale boys.

Selling old items both feels good in clearing your space out/streamlining your collection, getting money towards new dolls or doll accessories, and giving someone else the opportunity to add a wanted item to their collection. Win, win, win!