If you could see/want a positive BJD breakthrough...

We should also look at the breakthroughs that have already happened. Ones I've seen:
Boy dolls. (volks)
Larger range of MSD (volks)
2nd manufacturer of note (CP/Luts)
Direct ability to purchase dolls instead of having to pay some unknown person in Japan, or a shopping service, to go get it for you.
Availability of after market wigs, and shoes.
Clothes from multiple souces
Many more manufacturers of dolls from Korea, and a huge range of choice.
Businesses devoted just to BJDs
Recognition in doll magazines.
Dozens of web sites full of many pictures one can enjoy (there were about 4 web sites when I started!)

We've got it way better than we ever had!

 

I like the higher price on clothes... But that's just because it will make my saving a little bit easier since I can sew and know how to professionally finish garments. heh... I keep pushing my fashion line back in timeline because I keep learning new things to impliment. That way I can do one thing I want to see more of in the market place.
*insert drumroll here*
A choice in color and small variations of style!

I see lots of really pretty one off clothing that I'd love if it were just a bit longer or shorter or had pleats or was this color or that color. That and actual lines would create more clothes that actually can be mixed and matched.

I also want to see more quality bjds from american makers(ex. someone starting a larger company or maybe getting picked up by an existing one). Some of the ones in the artists section are absolutely amazing but since there are so few cast even if someones selling a few it's almost impossible to get ahold of one.

*thinks* I second the vote for american stores.

And I'd like to see more people making shoes. We have more people making wigs which you used to only be able to buy from companies. I say more people should make alternative shoe choices.

 

Companies to offer a choice during checkout of shipping options so if I needed just a single pair of shoes, for example, I could pay $5 airmail shipping instead of $20 EMS shipping for it.

More jointing. My SDC Arashi and my SD16 Yukinojo are my favourite posers because the greater number of joints allows for a larger range of motion and more natural positions. Also more *female* bodies with a larger range of motion - Sadly even Volks' female SDC and SD16 are nothing like their male counterparts joint-wise! Olivia seems at least to be a bit better than the SDC girls, but she's still sadly nowhere near Yukinojo for posing. So I'd like to see more companies produce bodies that include things like double elbow and knee joints, shoulder and thigh caps, swivel thigh joints(Maybe swivel upper arm joints too? Heh.)

More variety in clothing. Too much of what is available is either generic casual, generic 'goth', generic 'lolita', generic 'punk'... And the casual can be hard to find too. More period and ethnic costumes, more variety of casual/street fashion(Let's see some cyber stuff! XD), more fantasy/sci-fi...

More variety and creativeness in wig design and colour availability! I'm having a terrible time wigging my Arashi because I'll have to find somewhere to get a completely custom wig for him as the style he needs has to have the wig wefted a certain way or the style isn't possible without it looking really bad. >_< It's not even an off-the-wall style(Basic high ponytail), but nobody makes a proper one in blonde in a size that'd fit an Arashi or even a MSD. >_<;

More shoes that don't have huge platform soles. >_< None of my dolls go for that sort of thing. X_x; Shoes to match ethnic/period costumes and the like.

Speaking of wig variety, more readily available wigs for the odd head sizes - Of seven dolls here, only two of them can wear standard sizes! Three of the SD-sized dolls have DD-sized heads(Isao, Link, DD Femi), the mini has a small Unoa-sized head, and the tiny has a head too small to wear Dollfie Plus wigs without them falling off. >_< Only the F-08 and the Yukinojo can wear standard wigs. (Oh LeeKeWorld, why can't you make an 8-9" size? ;o

More varieties of hands for all companies. (And easier hand changing systems for some of them. >_< CP has a great selection of hands, but the way they're done it's a huge pain to change them! )

 

I'd like to second this with a variation.... More wigs with elasticized caps! The stretchy wigs fit so much better and also fit a variety of head sizes instead of just one!

 

This is a weird one. I wish there was a list/magazine/pamplet/website that was a ranking/feedback system for BJD dollstores, and web stores. You have five basic questions rating them on price, quality, avability, shipping and an over all ranking. (These questions would be rated by stars 1 star for the worst. 5 stars for the best.) Then a comment section. But on top of user input there would be "professional" input where the maker/makers of the site give you a overview of what the store is like and put in their 2 cents.

This would be great for the stores and the people who buy. Because it would give smaller shops the chance to play with the big dogs like Volks, and Luts. But it would help to promote the big places too. And for the buyers it would make them more informed and make things easier to find.

 

Like a dolly Zagat!

 

I feel so dumb. I had to google "Zagat" to find out what it was.

Yes, just that!! It would be so awesome. And I bet whomever started it would get a lot of freebies so they could a better review of the store.

 

You're not dumb! We all know and don't know different things.

What's CP dolly wise? I believe it's a company but I don't know the whole name... Wait is it cerberus project or something like that?

 

yup. Cerberus Project.

That's part of what I like about this fandom. The diversity of people. Ya learn something new everyday.

 

I've been planning on eventually doing this with Volks products and other companies that can fit Volks dolls on my Volks site. I would suspect that one so large as the one you're proposing would have to have several well-known responsible people collaborating on it though, to ensure that there weren't things overlooked or just misunderstood. It might be easier to have individuals do it for specific companies, though.

 

I agree completely. And I know that it very hard to make this work. It was just idea.

Because not only who you need people who understand BJDs you would need people with a large income or at least some who has been this for a number of years. Then there's the problem that some of the problems that come up with BJDs aren't really problems with the company persay but reigional problems. Like a person in Italy may have huge fuss getting their doll and hate the company for their shipping while a person in the UK had no problem.

Then there's the fact, that BJDs is a worldwide hobby. So the site would mostly likely pick a language that would limit the people who could use it.

Then there's the problem with users. How we even know if they bought something from that site? If a smaller store or an EBay they may a problem with the person and leave negative feedback. I know in time it would even out but that not fair to the company.

 

For Obitsu to hurry up on the male body!!!! *whines*

I'd love to see more patterns, and maybe a giant list of everywhere that sells clothes/shoes/eyes/wigs/dolls (with or without rankings) Something maybe like Froogle.

I've spent ages trying to find wig manufacturers that people have mentioned, or someone says something about an "obsure" doll company, and google might not always let me find it easily.

 

It seems like more and more dolls are coming out as limiteds..and that's a shame, because usually it's like 'hey! new doll! but it's limited! And we're selling it in three weeks!' but how can you ever save up the money limiteds go for in just that time period? O.O And often, it's even less time! So, either you won't be able to have the doll, or you'll have to get it second hand at a higher price..

..or get a credit card, but that would be the death of me XD

so uhm yeah..less limiteds, or limiteds with layaway, like they did with Musedoll's Thalia and Erato..

 

I would like to see more companies offering dolls sold as unassembled kits, and replacement parts sold seperately (not just hands and feet)

 

An International Doll Party.

Just one day, one country...everybody around the world to come with their dolls and meet each other ^__^

 

That would be so great... If you could buy an extra set of arms or legs for mods or replacements! It would be cool if they had different musculature too.

 

i got a few things i'd love to see change within this hobby....

1) For the Tanned Dolls to ACTUALLY be MOLDED in tan...instead of coated.
I found out recently that the Cocori, contrary to popular belief, is actually NOT molded in the same "brown" as her skin looks, but the under-resin is actually a blotchy tan color, but still lighter than the surface, which means you STILL can't sand her, or mod her. ::: sigh ::: It's RIDICULOUS.

I've known people who have molded stuff in resin before, and they have told me that the excuses we are hearing about "blotchy" tanned resin is a crock.

2) i'd like to see Doll parties happening around DIFFERENT states, instead of just Tokyo, New York, and LA. it's a little ridiculous. You'd think that EVERYONE who is ANYONE lives in those cities, and the rest of us just aren't really collectors at all.

3) More variations on hand sculpts on different companies. It gets SO old to see BORING "flat palm" hands. So far, there are only a HANDFUL of companies that do GORGEOUS hand sculpts...one of them being LUTS.

4) a way to paint Face-ups, so that you don't have to worry about them coming off if they are touched, or rubbed. That way, i wouldn't have to be redoing my face-ups on all my boys once or twice a year (i have a bad face touching habit when i move my own dolls heads.)

5) I want to see the prices of shoes/boots coming down. Paying 65-100 dollars for a pair of shoes for a DOLL is a tad ridiculous. MY shoes don't even cost that much, and it takes ALOT more work to make MY shoes than a pair of doll boots.

 

I definitely agree with the shipping post. I don't like paying for EMS shipping when I only ordered a wig or some clothes and nothing delicate.

I don't want to pay $100+ for a chair when my own furniture doesn't cost that much.

I would like to see nicely made swords/guns as accessories from proper online doll stores rather than trying to find miniature scales in toy shops that are cheap and ugly.

Less limiteds, most definitely! My credit card bill is hating me for the limiteds that I recently bought, simply because they all came up for sale so close to each other and I couldn't miss the opportunity.

 

I think the main thing I'd like would be a little more accessibility for non-US or Japanese BJD owners. As far as I know, VolksUSA won't ship outside of the US, which makes things difficult for we European owners and others besides. That would be my main problem point, I'd say, though I also agree with the person who said it would be good to be able to choose cheaper shipping options (I mean, come on: you really don't need expensive insured shipping for a pair of eyes or a wig or something. Safe, expensive shipping for dolls themselves, yes, but there should be an option to go for something a little cheaper if all yo're getting is an outfit or the like)

 

Better, clearer communication from the companies. Even Volks' English-language ads in <i>Haute Doll</i> are largely incomprehensible, and the US site is frustratingly vague on available stock, shipping cost and times, etc.