Impulse Puchases: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)
I purchased a 10 year old doll in what had once been white skin but now was more a creamy or buttery colour. It was from a company I had never even wanted to own a doll from before that day, although I knew of those dolls for a long time. I'm normally a strict "new or mint in box only" kind of person, but something got me to want this old doll with uneven yellowing the day it was posted for sale. It was not cheap either, cost me near a grand. I in the end kept the doll for less than a month, and failed miserably at painting it because it was a completely different style doll from what I was used to. I sold it for several hundreds less than I paid to just get rid of it fast.
What did you learn from this experience?
It did affect my relationship with that company's dolls negatively for quite some time. I swore for a couple years that I would never buy dolls from that certain company again. Now I do own resin from that company again, but this time it was a doll that was sold to me in a mint condition, and I do like her and could own more dolls from that company. In the long run, I learned that while "saving" old pre-loved dolls appeals to many folks, it is just not for me and I shouldn't try to buy an aged doll and expect to bond with it after I treat it back to looking more fresh.
What was your best impulse buy decision and why?
I impulse bought an Iple nYID girl. The impulse purchase and me ending up liking it held a special significance to me emotionally, because a couple months before I had been gravely disappointed and underwhelmed by my first Iplehouse SID girl (and my first femalle doll) that I thought had been my grail. I had planned her for long before I ordered her from the company, but turns out she just was not the right one for the character, and even the skintone I had paid extra for was sadly not what I'd expected from pictures. It was more my poor choices that put me off than the quality of the doll, really. So when I saw someone selling their nYID girl second hand, I just jumped at it impulsively. I never cared for Iple heads much, but the body is still one of my favourites now. I think this experience let me love Iple dolls again and give them another chance despite feeling underwhelmed by my first Iple.
What did you learn from this experience?
I think that there is a certain feeling about seeing something you absolutely know you will love. I have had this feeling with my every grail when I saw them for the first time. The feeling that I "must have this". Well, sometimes my expectations have let me down, but more often than not it has been something I simply would have not been able to tell from the pictures. Like that the doll's elbow joint poses like an absolute horror or that the doll has an anatomically very odd side profile.
What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?
Well, occasionally staying poor enough not to afford a new doll has held me the best. Lol. But even I have a pay day once in a while, and I'm neurodivergent enough to be an expert of impulse purchases. I do think it has helped me a lot that when possible, I will sleep a few nights before deciding. This is possible on many preorders that are not quantity limited, and there have been quite a few dolls where my mind just switched from wanting it to not wanting it during a few days. And when it's second hand sales, I wouldn't rush myself on at least any common dolls that are readily available because it's not the end of the world to miss it this time even if it's "a deal". I have regretted not impulse buying some more rare dolls when I saw them for sale, though, so sometimes it's good to just go for it if the other option is to lose it forever.

 

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)

Pretty much all of my purchases have been impulse buys but probably my worst decision was buying a huge clothes/accessories/shoes/wigs lot off of Instagram. Nothing really fit my dolls' aesthetics, a lot of it is dirty or stained, and some of it is falling apart. I'll probably have to send it to Goodwill or give it away on Instagram for free. I still haven't done that but now that I'm having problems organizing everything, I probably need to.


What did you learn from this experience?

Don't buy things sight unseen! A lot of what was included in what I bought wasn't in the pictures. Some of it was a nice surprise but most of it was in bad shape, missing parts, or simply was kind of ugly.

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?

Heh heh. I'm actually pretty pleased with my decision to buy Momoko, my Volks SDGr. I really only wanted the body (having vaguely thought about it, which is as close to planning as I can get) but when I saw a beautiful head for sale by the same person, I took the plunge. It ended up being my most expensive doll purchase so far but I haven't regretted it... yet.

What did you learn from this experience?

Uh, don't be like me? Impulse buys are okay once in a while and might turn out well in the end, but I really encourage people to take their time and think about their purchases. I've found myself in hot water before due to my excessive spending.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?

Decide if it's worth it for you. Take a few days to think about it. Avoid shopping on social media if you can (haha) because it incentivizes impulse buying by having a constant new stream of dolls sold by individuals (and therefore are limited in quantity and you're limited in your time to make a decision). I'll try to take my own words to heart. orz

 

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)
Probably several lucky bags of clothes or wigs that didn't fit because I didn't read the measurements correctly. I've kept them because they will fit a future doll.

What did you learn from this experience?

1. There are different sizes in a doll category. And you can't make assumptions that it will fit on any limb.
2. Lucky bags are a hot mess of styles.

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?
Sartoriaj outfit for my first doll. Over 150 usd and bought because I had a sale without really looking into if it would fit. Totally did.

What did you learn from this experience?
Quality and craft is incredible. Would buy again.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?
Make decisions in mind with your budget. If I can bin that money I just spent and would not feel the impact then it is ok.

 

Well for a very broad definition of "impulse", which for me means less than 2 weeks of thinking about it. ^^



What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)

A bunch of cheap clothes and 3 wigs on Taobao. I wanted to get basics for my dolls, but a big part of it ended up not being what I wanted for them. They were not bad items for the price, but I could have used that money to buy a single beautiful piece that I love rather than a bunch of stuff that I ended up being disappointed with. I still want the same sort of items, but made with better fabrics or more detailed.

It wasn't THAT big of a loss, but it still gnaws at me. I still can use 3/4 of what I bought (most notably the items I shelled just a bit more for haha) thankfully, and I ended up selling the stuff I didn't want for cheap on the Marketplace just to gain space.

What did you learn from this experience?

Don't get sucked in by promotional pictures, you get what you pay for and I better learn to sew because I don't have the money to custom order the doll wardrobe of my dreams. XD

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?

A limited event head Willow from Maskcatdoll.

What did you learn from this experience?

It was a limited head, so there was not that much time to think. (Though I definitely made my decision very early) Besides, I was confident that even if I ended up not liking it, as a limited head, it would be fairly easy to sell with little to no loss.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?

For me it helps to think in terms of time. How much do you earn per hour/month OR how much is your allowance for week/month? Is the item worth x hours/week of your time?

What will you do if you end up not liking the item? Could you sell it/trade it? How much would you lose in that hypothesis and would you be okay with that?

 

Oh I made quite a few impulse buy decisions lol Like.. A LOT… And I love most of them.
I had some unpleasant surprises that weren’t disclosed in the sale (even tho i had asked) which made it frustrating such as applied puffy paint, and other things that shouldn’t have been applied to resin.
Or hidden cracks (old April story body/doll) who was sold as great condition with no damages.

But overall I like fixing things up, and enjoy a good and challenging project. So I can’t say i regret any of them.
I haven’t let go of many dolls.

I did learn to ask very detailed/specific questions, ask for more images, check feedback of the seller.

I have many dolls that were amazing impulse buys and I don’t regret any.
If somebody would ask me, and it makes sense to their collection, I would encourage an impulse buy! I am an enabler if the circumstances are right. I think its a beautiful hobby.

I had passed up some dolls before and did regret that. So I will continue to impulse buy. But at a bit of a slower pace.

 

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)

My first doll surprisingly enough! She was a secondhand Bobobie Elena and I bought her when I was 17 because I wanted a doll and she was inexpensive. I ended up selling her to someone who wanted her as a project doll. It was the worst because I hated that doll. I almost thought the hobby wasn't for me because I did not like or bond to my first one.

What did you learn from this experience?

Research a sculpt and the company before purchasing! It didn't stop me from impulse buying in the future, but I definitely now at least watch some body reviews in advance.

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?

My Doll Chateau Colin, he was never on my wish list but he was in stock at Mint on Card back in the day and I grabbed him. The head is in storage but the body turned out to be a perfect skin match with an older Dollzone Pandora I found secondhand later.

What did you learn from this experience?

It made purchasing floating heads and hybriding dolls a less scary idea. Even though I know dollzone and DC are sister companies the age of the doll was what I was concerned about, but matches exist.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?

How bad do you want it and is it limited? Also consider the popularity of the sculpt if you have a track record of not bonding with impulse purchases because it will affect resale value.

 

BJDivas is very reliable. They've had it pretty rough over the past couple years, but I've always received what I ordered packaged very nicely, and shipped in a relatively decent amount of time. I've gotten in-stock OT stuff from them, and it went well.

As for where they're located—they're in WI, near Milwaukee I believe. So they're US-based.

I hope that helps

As for the impulse buys topic:

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)
Worse impulse buy....It'd probably be have to be that time I jumped too quickly on the Classydoll male SD body. I regretted the decision shortly afterwards (I ended up having my eye on another option I liked better, bah), and was a bit nervous upon receiving him after I heard that resin near the knee joints was known to be fragile on their dolls. The body was alright in person, but didn't really work out for the character I originally intended to use it for. So I moved it on quickly to somebody else who would appreciate it more.

Another more minor one for me was when I bought Dearmine Angela. I saw a Dearmine girl at a local meet and fell in love, and went and ordered Angela without a set plan in mind as a result. She sat in her box waiting for me to eventually getting around to work on her, but the muse never struck.

What did you learn from this experience?
Don't make rash decisions. Sit on it, look at the alternatives, and don't let limited time-frames scare you into making rash decisions you'll regret later.
What was your best impulse buy decision and why?
Maybe not so much technically impulse buys, but there are two cases where I didn't have plans made beforehand when I bought them, so I think of them as impulse purchases (I'm a develop OC/get bjd shell later kind of collector).

First is quiet brief, as I have yet to receive them, but...Dream Valley Moon. Yes, I did take a bit of time to actually put in the order, but the desire to get them was strong from the onset. I've been dying to get a larger scale bjd winged cat for a long time, and jumped on it when the opportunity arose.

The other case might fit impulse buy more so than with DV Moon. I managed to cross paths with a Fantasiadoll Isaac head on IG on a whim, and just had this strong desire to obtain him. No plans, nothing developed, no explanation as to why I wanted him—I just knew I did. I did wait a bit before finally taking the plunge (for other reason outside actually obtaining that Isaac head), but I did end up going through with it.

In the end—Isaac ended up working perfectly for one of my main OC boys.

What did you learn from this experience?
There are times where a strong desire resides at the back of your mind for long periods, only to be awakened when the perfect opportunity strikes. That perfectly fits the case with DV Moon, and maybe Isaac to a degree. Also, sometimes there's just something too unique about a particular sculpt to just let it go.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?
Weigh the reasoning behind why you want it. Is there something underlying from you interests that makes it perfect for plans you hadn't really focused on, but kept at the back of you mind? Or is it a case of "oooohh, pretty!" that makes you just want it badly? In the first instance: maybe it's the perfect time to just dive into something you've wanted to do, but had put far onto the back burner mentally (financially permitting, of course. Don't put yourself into debt for that unexpected dream opportunity doll). In the second case: sit on it for a bit. Take a few days at least to think it over. Time usually offers perspective. If the strong want is still there after that time's passed—go for it. If not, then just give it a pass.

 

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)
I lost the 2015 lottery for DDS Mariko Summer Festival version. Seeing as Mariko had always been one of my grails, I was heartbroken. I turned around and bought a nude Mariko off of Mandarake ASAP thinking it was the student version, but it turned out to be the original white skin teacher version with a smaller bust piece. Volks was in the process of discontinuing white skin DD parts at the time, so I never played with her like I wanted to because I was scared of breaking her (like the early versions of the DDS body were prone to) in the event I wouldn't be able to fix or replace parts of her. I sold her last year for about half of what I originally paid for her and bought an unused summer festival Mariko as a replacement.

What did you learn from this experience?
Always read the fine print on what you're buying! Ask questions if you aren't sure! Also, don't make impulse buys when you're sad about missing out on the option you wanted. It's better to hold out and wait for the doll you missed to hit a reasonable price on the secondhand market than overpay for an option that you don't like as much.

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?
Definitely my Feeple 60 Juri 2012! Juri has also been one of my grail sculpts since my early days of knowing the hobby, and I'd long since come to terms with the idea that she may be out of my grasp. However, I was browsing the DoA marketplace in mid-2019 on a whim, just to see what was available, and lo and behold, a Juri on a moe line body was up for sale at a price point I could afford. I snapped her up immediately and I'm still thrilled to have her!

What did you learn from this experience?
Sometimes, things fall into place when you least expect them to and you can get your hands on a sculpt you always wanted. Also, no sculpt is truly out of your reach, no matter how old or rare, if you're willing to wait for it.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?
Take a deep breath and really think about this purchase. Why are you wanting to make it? Is it one that you would've purchased anyway, independent of being time limited? If it was, go for it. If not, or if you're wanting to purchase because you're sad about missing out on something else, maybe hold off for a bit. See if you still want it in a few days or a couple of weeks before committing.

 

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)
I purchased a head without doing any due diligence on the sculptor/company because the promotion photos look very appealing.
After doing more research and thinking about it more, I transferred the pre-order to another buyer who like the head but missed the order period.

What did you learn from this experience?
Always do your due diligence before purchasing. Money is one thing; It takes too long and too much energy to transfer/sell a doll/head/related items. Also, think twice if you are hesitant about purchasing a doll.

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?
I never had a good impulse buy decision since the first one was pretty memorable and bad. However, it was a good lesson and always reminds me not to do anything for the sake of spending money.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?
Think twice before you make the purchase. If it is a time-sensitive or limited item, make sure you like the doll itself, not because it is limited.

 

What was your worst impulse buy decision and what happened in the end? (Sold, kept, etc)
I started collecting in 2011 and from the start, I was very conservative with my purchases, buying only the dolls after doing extensive research and thought. But when covid happened in 2020 I became very isolated and depressed. I was living alone, and could not see friends or family for such a long time. By the end of 2021 I was so depressed that I started buying dolls, thinking it would make me happy and less lonely. I actually bought 3 dolls on impulse, one after another over a 6 month period. When the covid restrictions lifted and I could once again see friends and renew my social life, I felt really stupid for spending all that money on what did not really make me happy. I put all the impulse dolls up for sale immediately. I lost money, but I feel so much better now.

What did you learn from this experience?
Hopefully I won't be in that position again. I do suffer from lifelong depression, but have always been able to get through it with activities and socializing. Hopefully we won't have another lockdown. If we do, I will need to find other ways to cope.

What was your best impulse buy decision and why?
For years I have been wanting to create a doll of my favorite Final Fantasy VII character, Reno. I searched hundreds of sculpts but could not find one that was a match for his exact facial structure. I was browsing Denver Doll for the heck of it and saw Resinsoul Mi. On impulse I bought her. I figured I could use another 1/3 female for my doll family.
When I got her home, for fun I put her in the clothing I'd been saving for my Reno character. Suddenly it struck me - she could be another one of The Turks in FFVII, Elena. I would need to alter the man's suit to fit her and bu a couple of other items. On Aliexpress I found a keychain with a realistic replica of an automatic pistol in the perfect size for my doll. Elena's weapion in the game is such a weapon. I even found a wig that looks exactly like Elena's hair in the game.
I will still attempt to create Reno someday, but I am SO happy with my new Elena. I love her to bits.

What would you say to someone on the verge of an impulse purchase?
Wait at least a week without looking at photos of the doll. After that long, if you still want it, fine. If not, then let it go. Don't let emotions guide your decision. Look at it from a practical standpoint.

What keeps you from making them? Finances is #1 and space limitations