If you could have a do over in this hobby what would it be?

I wouldn't "settle" and remain patient instead, got two dolls at one point that I could afford instead of the ones I wanted. Eventually sold them, and got the ones I did want instead.I could have saved some shipping and the loss on both of those dolls if I had waited :')

 

If I changed one thing, I think it would be waiting longer to get my first doll and doing more research. My very first doll (grey feather/ash plumage Fina) is a project doll I bought from Ebay and her head is legit, but the body she was on was not. I found this out after I did a bunch of cleaning... She's on a legitimate body now but the color and style match isn't perfect. I wanted a doll I could change without feeling bad if thing went wrong, but it's turning out to be more work than I planned.

 

I remember seeing dolls for sale so long ago that I wish I had bought back then. I took them for granted and now some are impossible to find.

 

Selling my Minifee Nanuri 19-2 head that I got as a free event gift. I miss her so much, and she’s so rare now, that I don’t think I could ever afford to buy another on the secondhand market.

Also, taking on too many layaways at once. I never seem to learn my lesson with this though, because it has been a common theme in my 3+ years of collecting.

 

Honestly I've done a lot of things that in hindsight I probably shouldn't have done (buying things from expensive dealers for too long instead of off taobao, buying clothing/wigs/eyes in the wrong size, etc.) but to me it's all part of the learning process. I wouldn't want to go without those experiences because, like... then I wouldn't have that knowledge.

Especially when it comes to using Taobao, my previous shopping experiences saved me from making some much more awful mistakes.

If I could literally turn back time and do one thing though, that would be buying Dollzone Tabitha. I had multiple opportunities to buy this head, secondhand and from the company, but for some reason I didn't and I'm kicking myself now that she's discontinued. It's so rare I doubt I'll ever see it for sale again...

 

In hindsight? I don't know...I am pretty happy with my collection. Maybe if mature male fashion dolls existed earlier, I would have gone for them. But I also quite like the height of my big boys, so all is good.

Maybe not to start a thousand projects and hardly finish anything. But that's just how I roll. I am trying to get better at that.

 

I would have listened to what the fates were telling me and not re-bought the SD doll that went missing in shipping. While I love her face, SDs are just too big for me. She's going up for sale as soon as I can take some decent pictures of her.

 

oh man, I don't even know where to stat lol
But, anyway, I got to say that I learnt not to regret things I did in the past too much because they'r ein the past and as long as I've learnt my lesson, I'm gonna be fine. That being said, there are some things I wish I didn't do.

1. settle for a doll after a week of "research"... Gosh, I'd not even call it research... Browsing through literally 3 companies' websites is not a research.

2. settle for a doll just because it's cheap. Then I thought 200 bucks would be my max for an SD doll... now I know that this is nearly impossible when having my taste (I'm into 80% realism), no 2nd-hand MP access and just being simply lucky, in the right place at the right time.

3. settle for cheaper shoes & accessories. I have resold all of them anyway and bought those I'd really wanted to own.

4. waste money on clothing. I've bought a lot of items in the past and due to my shifting sizes so often, I had to sell these clothes away. Always at a loss. Often, not even having my dolls wear them. So much money wasted.

5. engage in the local community just because it's local. Yeah, I'm bitterly s***ing into my own nest right now, but man, my local community made me depressed and disappointed, even willing to sell all my dolls away and never go back. At some point. I wish I'd never cared to join their forum. Really. A bunch of gossiping, spiteful and detached from reality ... people, for the lack of a better word. Well, fortunately, I've moved on to the point I don't miss anyone's company when dollying and I'm fine with sharing the joy with non-hobbyists who are either my friends or my own students on IG They matter to me and they accept my dolls and that's all that matters

6. not buy the doll I've always wanted earlier. Well, eventually I got great deals on each one of them, but had I known my Supia Rosy or Volks Nanas would give me so much joy, I'd have gotten them much earlier I'm glad though that I am at the place where I love all the dolls I have 100%. It's been a long journey (nearly 8 years).

7. focusing on the OCology for so long. Nowadays my dolls are just like fashion models, so when I need to sell or buy another one, I feel no pressure I'm selling "someone's daughter" or buying someone who "doesn't fit in with the family". They're just dolls to me now. It makes things so much easier. I think keeping Barbies has helped me with this transition. They're all funny cute ladies with names I always forget and no personality aside from a cute smile over a new dress I made them. Awesome I now think of my BJDs in the very same way.

Overall, I'm happy I don't regret selling any doll. Any time I miss some doll, I always go online and look up other owners' photos. meanwhile, I remember I had a valid reason for selling the doll and I shouldn't go back.

Also, I think that one the one hand I did waste time, money, nerves and so on, but I'd not be able to appreciate what I have now if not for remembering the past. I love my collection now. I love that I am far more decisive and strict with it all. I'm into fact-over-feelings phase of the hobby now and it's awesome.

 

I would have done more research, and been more patient. Quality over quantity!

 

i just got started in the hobby and I am trying to do this now! It’s hard haha

 

I don’t regret buying or not buying any particular dolls. The dolls which I sold as my tastes changed did make me happy during the years I kept and played with them, and I still remember the sense of wonder when I unboxed each of them.

I would have made more effort to keep in touch with local friends I met in my early years in the hobby.

 

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I'd have bought that SoulDoll Celestyn when I had the chance...and probably a DZ Anson, even though I'm sure I still wouldn't have a clue what I actually wanted to *do* with a big, fragile "flower-doll".

 

I would have been more patient and bought far fewer dolls throughout the years. Although I knew which SD dolls I really loved I did not want to spend that kind of money or exercise patience. Instead, I bought other dolls and now realise it was to compensate for not getting the dolls I actually really wanted. I enjoyed all of them and they were all beautiful, so maybe I needed to go through that experience so to grow as a person (trying to see the positive, lol). I also would have told myself to buy more outfits by Aoi Hamilton on YJA before her prices skyrocketed and to buy far more wigs on the secondary market on YJA rather than new ones.

 

Perfectly put as to how I feel! Of course I regret the outdated scale flip phones and passing style phases, but that's only expected for being an actual teenager when I began collecting.

My only do-over would be the way I hunted down props and furniture down. Turns out I'm content to be the simple "display them standing on shelves" kind of guy.

 

If I could go back to the beginning with my current knowledge, there’s a lot of dolls (and clothes) I wouldn’t have wasted my money on and others I would have never sold. That’s kind of a boring answer, I feel, but I actually often think about how much money I’ve lost over the years through resales :/ and of course, I missed certain dolls that are now impossible to find or too expensive.

 

I would have saved up and bought from a now defunct doll company. Or maybe not. Financial security only really occurred for me years after I became aware of the hobby,

 

I’ve thought really long and hard about this, and happily I’ve come to the conclusion that I actually wouldn’t have changed a thing. There was some trial and error along the way of course, a few sales as I refined my personal aesthetic within the hobby, and an occasional surprise when a doll suddenly “jumped” character on me. But all in all, it’s been a fascinating experience and I’ve enjoyed every experiment and learning experience along the way. Even for the very few dolls that eventually moved on, I truly enjoyed them while they were here, and any dolls that I missed out on I’ve been able to obtain second-hand...even some I never dreamed I’d be able to own.

 

I had a fullset FL F60 Sionna - the Mandrak Moors version - and I sold her off in parts. I regret that. I kind of wish I still had her. I also sort of wish I had bought the second Mandrak Moors girl, Lunnula. I loved her full set as well. Neither would really fit with my current dolls...they would because witches, but they wouldn't because FL, so selling Sionna was the right thing to do at the time. But she was so pretty >3<

Other than that, I don't really regret much. I like my current dolls a lot, and everything I owned and sold over the years led me to the dolls I have now.

 

I would have found someone trustworthy to drive up to NYC with me and to watch my stuff when I had to go to the bathroom. Had I done that I'd still have all the dolls I lost including my Ringdoll Edward hybrid.