if dolls were less expensive...

This. If dolls were less expensive there would be fewer companies, the quality would plummet and the hobby would probably fold.

There already are dolls out there that cost a lot less, but they are not as customizable, not as detailed, not as elegant, or not as much a Fine Art Object as these dolls are able to be due to what they are made of and how carefully they are made.

 

In a magical world where everything about them stayed the same but the price, I'd be in trouble. I'd be buried by the mountain of dolls, and my husband would have me committed for hoarding. Lol, that may happen anyway.

 

Agreed.

You can buy lower quality dolls for a cheap price, but is the trade-off worth it?

 

I feel, if bjds were cheaper I might end up with just 1! I think a big part of the hobby is the fact that these resin pieces are so unattainable and there is desirability in them. We all love the things we can't just buy on a whim.

Call me elitist whatever, but I love that there is a little bit of pride in owning something that costs so much that it filters out buyers. As it is in this hobby, we've all seen what happens to practice dolls gone wrong and it's heartbreaking. I can't imagine the heartache I'd go through if dolls are made easy more accessible /disposable.

I also like the deliberation process each buyer goes through before a purchase. It goes to show how serious said person is about bjd and that ultimately reflects on the care of the bjd after arrival.

 

Frankly, I care about all my dolls equally, be they my Monster High girls, my mini Littlest Pet Shop Blythe girls and their pets, my Pullips, my porcelain dolls from the flea market, or my BJDs. The BJDs do get more personal attention, but that's because of their customisability and posability, not because of their price. I'd probably have one or two more, not too many more though, or I'd run out of space.

 

If bjds were less expensive it wouldn't change the way I feel about the hobby or the dolls I collect. I also collect action figures that cost much much less and I love them just the same. I also wouldn't collect more dolls because they're less expensive just because I could. No matter the cost, I collect the dolls I love.

 

It depends. For me a big part of the hobby is the saving, the finding, the waiting. Also sometimes that dolls are not readily available. If I could just go shopping for them in the mall just like everyone else I doubt I'd still think of them as this alluring. The effort involved with getting one gives me much more opportunity to REALLY think about what I'm going to do with this doll and purchases I could quickly and easily make just don't have that same impact. They often suffer the fate of being forgotten. ^^;

 

I would love it if BJDs were more affordable, ASSUMING that it didn't hurt artists in the process. I think I would love my Arania even more, because I wouldn't have the fears of her getting damaged and would maybe have been even bolder in modding her than I already am! I think it'd probably encourage a lot more people to try modding, or current modders to go bigger and more daring.

More importantly, I think it would allow a lot of people who are financially shut out to participate in the hobby. Yes, it's within almost everyone's capability to save up for even a huge pricetag; but some people feel morally obligated to spend savings on family, put it toward career, or simply save up for future houses or cars. I would love if they were able to feel the joy of customizing their own BJD without having to give up a car or their safety net of savings. It would also let teens join the hobby sooner (many who can't get jobs and don't get allowances, or have to focus on school), and let them really build up their creative skills sooner. If I were to ever sculpt and cast my own BJDs, I would love to offer cheaper ABS options or something for those that want to get a foot in the hobby (though I don't really know how ABS casting works, so *shrug*). I guess I'm firmly of the belief that the more, the merrier!

 

This hobby is about creativity as much as it is about patience and hard work. You want that doll, but you work a dead-end job and barely have pocket change? Then, girl, you better plan for it.

If the dolls were cheaper, I would not be as "developed"; I grew up in a VERY sheltered house. To be able to do things by myself is an actual life-changer. I don't think I could afford the dolls being cheaper. XD

 

If they could still be as customizable then heck yeah! I'd have a room full of them! The other day I found some cheap plastic ball jointed dolls with sweet faces on Aliexpress and got one for my child, cause she wants to play with mine now, and was sooo tempted to buy one for myself, eight bucks! Can't beat that.

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I'd have more as I wouldn't need to sell others to help fund new purchases! I seem to turn my collection over every now and then to keep it fresh, so they would have more chance to accumulate if the price allowed for such

 

I used to collect MLP's and because they were inexpensive I had a herd in a very short time. So with bjd's it would probably be the same as long as the quality remained.

 

Then I would be a hoarder instead of a collector.

 

The price has nothing to do with my love for them. I have cheap dolls like obitsus and Isuls and I LOVE them just as much as I love BJDs. Having said that, if they were less expensive I would have a big army^^ I have a mini army of Isuls because they were affordable and I have so much fun with them.

 

I hate to think what I would do if they were really inexpensive. I would probably have a population explosion then have to have a major cull before they completely filled my house. Really though I feel at 16 that I have more than enough now. I do not really want to get anymore as I feel it's to hard to concentrate on those I already have. I feel the same about my ot dolls and had to recently cull them back to 16 as well but think I need to let go of a few more.

 

This.
I think there's a part of me that likes the excitement of saving up for something special, or working hard and carefully choosing which doll I'm going to get. It's more exciting for me! I wouldn't love my dolls any less if the prices suddenly decreased, but there would be a part of the hobby that I'd really miss if BJD suddenly became really inexpensive.

 

A cheaper price would just make this process go faster for me. I don't appreciate a high price, which turns me off some of the higher end companies. Spirit Doll is my high end limit, and it's about $100 more than the cheapest (of MSDs), to give you an idea. And everyone is always complaining about the second hand market being slow, but honestly I see more people with wishlists than ads for dolls for sale. Just my opinion though (via Tumblr and Facebook, so maybe I'm a bit biased). People expect crazy high prices for dolls that are a few years old and are used.

 

I feel the same way. It takes some careful thought and consideration for me to bring home a BJD. If they were cheaper, I don't think it would be as special since I could buy so many more of them.

 

Price doesn't make me love them more or less. It only matters because I have to worry about the cost of these things and don't have endless money around to buy them.

I wouldn't buy more or less, if cost was less, though. There's only so many dolls I like, only so much space in my house, etc. I have too many dolls (and other things) already. If there was a super-sale on all things bjd, I'd be happy to pick up some items, but I wouldn't go crazy since I have no need of all that stuff and no place to put them!