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

Research a little more before each purchase, consider sculpts a little more, save up as opposed to choosing layaways, and figure out just what I want from my dolls. I have so many laying in boxes or sitting around, it's not fair on them.

 

I would buy all the Fantasia Doll 2017 female versions while they were available. Turns out they're the only female heads I like, to this point I have nothing else but them and one Dollshe woman. I'm starting to be pretty well off with my 2nd hand collection, but buying them new from the company would have saved me a lot of time and money.

 

I kind of wish I would have gotten my first doll much sooner. While I absolutely do not regret having my first doll now, I had so many choices I loved years ago that I wish I'd have gotten.

 

I wish I hadn’t acquired so many so quickly in the beginning, spent more time focused on my first. Though the two I bought after I still have and love, they were limiteds I don’t want to change and customize, and suddenly having three was a tad overwhelming, as one of the original attraction to the hobby was customization and accessorizing. And there was such an explosion of choice a few years later! Missed out on a lot of interesting things because of those choices early on. I also might’ve mostly stuck to minis if I’d started later, because there was so so much interesting variety.

Also, probably contrary to the above, I wish I’d jumped on getting a UNOSS

 

Def look more into the second hand sales on Instagram, didn't really take advantage of that. I also wish I didn't start with a boy character as its harder to buy clothes and made me not as enthusiastic to dress him. Now that I have a girl it made me love the hobby again.

 

I would have not sold my first dolls. If I needed the funds, I should have kept the heads

Totally the same place!! I’m looking to see if I can get one on FCS

 

I'd have waited to buy my dream doll instead of buying 4 or 5 dolls at once

 

What a great story! You could do a doll portrait narrative of it.

 

Omg this is me right now. My other half is awesome but he is super judgey about stuff like this. I'm scared of his rejection face but being afraid made me wait until I found the Mystic Kids Eli and Milo to shell two of my favourite characters before I bought anything so that's one plus.

I am dreading getting the packages because I don't want the boxes to be a million miles high and my other half to be all like: 'what's all this then?'. I JUST COULDN'T SIT BY AND LET THEM NOT BE MINE!!!! I hope that made sense.

Anyway, so glad it worked out for you. Wish me luck for my situation.

 

@The Narrative Nerd
Lol, no- there are boxes piled high in the my garage, too. I have to sell some of my dolls so I've been saving some boxes. I've sold things on eBay before, but never have I sold any dollies. I had to choose which to sell, and put them in a separate room. If I see them, I will convince myself to keep them, lol.

What would I do different? Nothing. Dolls come to me in a syncronicitous (is that a word?) way. They don't immediately become their best. It's sometimes a long process, but it's so fun when they come together, when they start to shine. I work with off-topic, antique and vintage dolls, mostly.
This website has taught me much to enhance my styling and display skills. I love seeing people enjoy their doll friends as much as I do.

 

There was a period where I was in the same city as a blogger who was then starting out with BJDs. I'd been looking forward to seeing her at meetups, but she was too shy to make the final step. She mentioned later to me in the blog comments that she would have been braver if she knew there was someone eager to meet her. So my regret is not telling her in advance.

My other one is being too ambitious or scattershot with projects. I have left too many unfinished over the years.

 

ah yes boxes...ugh the bane of my existence..lol.,I have an actual box room in the basement, its ridiculous..I broke down some that were easy to break down...but I'm hesitant to throw any out because people typically want the boxes when you resell. I've sold other kinds of dolls on ebay but not BJDs...the 10% is such a huge cut and now that they have changed Ebay and you have to update to your bank account I'm like nope I don't want to have to open an entirely different account just for Ebay transactions because I certainly don't want them to freeze my bank account if someone disputes something.
Ah putting them in a separate room is such a great idea..because your right if I look at them they end up back on the shelf..lol. I'm about ready to finally build my doll house and need to downsize so they'll fit in my doll house or it will look like a constant frat party or something crammed into each room..lol.

I post a while ago about my do over and it still stands...i wish I had stuck to my guidelines and not gone over XXX amount because once you do it well everything is fair game..lol.

 

I would have bought a Minifee Liria in normal skin. I loved her when she came out but was trying to save money at the time, and of course now she's super rare. I am so lucky to have gotten a modified tan skin sleeping head for a great price secondhand, but I don't think I'll ever get another one.

 

LOL I would have quit being a DoA moderator before it destroyed my tendons. I think I still have PTSD from building the Marketplace.

And I would have immediately sold off all the poor quality crap I've bought over the years as soon as it arrived instead of keeping it thinking it would work for some future doll. DO NOT DO THIS. It is garbage now, it will still be garbage later. Kick it to the curb and forget the sunk cost.

And my biggest regret, not commissioning more clothing and face-ups from some incredibly talented people before illness and death took them from us and the hobby.

 

*laughs in manic* I would just get SD girls. The bigger the better. I think I made a mistake by not getting SD sized dolls. I have realized that they hold so much more presence and the heaviness makes them more valuable and real to me. But who knows.
I have never seen or held an SD doll in person so this is all just guessing.
Hopefully, one day, I will go to a BJD meet or convention and get to hold an SD and truly test if SDs are for me or not.
For now I am happy with my MSD collection but...
If only I started with SD.... who knows.

 

*whispers* It's all true.
Speaking as someone who sold off every last 1/6 and fashion doll I owned in order to buy my first SD, it's not too late.

 

I would have gotten in sooner when Fairyland was still making the Realpuki and Pukipuki dolls.

 

I would never have bought a Doll Chateau doll. She just doesn't fit in with my other dolls, and her articulation is just all over the place. I don't know if many other bjds are like this, having only had FairyLand dolls. I couldn't even find the proper height of a doll stand to hold her up, due to her very long legs. I try and consider her abstract art, and I still find her very pretty, but I'm still a bit disappointed she didn't come with the full outfit she was displayed with (apparently it was only part of the advertisement pictures; a choker, anklets, and a key on her back (possibly puttied on or using magnets). I'm hesitant to buy bjds from other companies because I don't know if it'll be the same experience. I just love how the articulation seems more natural and realistic with FairyLand dolls.

I know SDs are popular in the community, but I never could grasp my head around owning such a large doll (my place isn't big). I didn't realize how big my biggest doll (an MSD, 41cm) would be. She takes up a bit of space, too. I much prefer 1/8 scale for the time being. I'd go 1/6 more if I had the room.

 

Knew what I want before I started my collection because it ended up costing thousands of dollars in mistakes from having to redo a whole collection.

 

Getting into this hobby a little earlier so I could get my hands on my grails, hands down.
Also there's a doll or two I wish I hadn't bought.