1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
    Dismiss Notice

In a hobby for longer than 4 years? How is it going?

Mar 15, 2011

    1. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

      This is my 5th year of owning them.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

      I am a lot more picky now! But that is something that has just happened to me.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?

      I'd just about reached 100 when recently I had to sell some.

      and the question that interests me the most:
      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

      My first doll has yellowed,rather he has creamed, so its not so bad. They are all in pretty good shape. Couple of broken fingers on one doll, but that happened when I got him t-t
       
    2. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      I've been in the BJD hobby since 2006.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      I'm more relaxed with my dolls, thought more secure with handling them. I'm not as scared as I used to be. With my first, and my second I was very cautious about buying and spending so much money on a doll. But as time passed, and more dolls came to me, it got easier to spend money on them... Now I'm trying to limit my collection so my entire possession won't be all dolls. :lol:

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      I'm not sure actually, I haven't kept track of them. Since 2006 I've owned about 40-50 dolls perhaps (my vague guess), but sold most of them away and bought new ones in their place. Now I have 11 dolls at the time.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      The one I got in 2007 (That I still have) is WS and not so white any more. She was paper white and now bright yellow. I couldn't sell/separate from her thought because my fiance bought her for me. My other dolls aren't that old, the second oldest is from 2009 and is in new condition.
       
    3. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      6 years this month; I saw my first BJD on LJ in late 2004, ordered my first doll in Feb 2005, and joined DoA just before she arrived in March.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      I've come a long way with face-ups since then, and I'm pretty confident when it comes to mods, restringing, etc. When I first got into the hobby I possibly went a little overboard; I would take a doll with me everywhere, including some places where maybe it wasn't so appropriate, such as to work or to nightclubs. I very rarely take dolls out of the house now except to go to doll meets. I've seen fashions come and go in the BJD hobby; there's been an explosion of new companies in the past couple of years, some of which didn't stay the course. I've seen doll prices reach silly figures (such as an Evenstar Juri 05 who fetched $5100 on ebay, and the Evenstar tanned Lishe who went for $5300), and I've seen the market drop drastically due to worldwide recession to the point where right now, it's very much a buyer's market.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      Currently I have 13, with one plus one head on the way, and there are another 9 I've owned in the past but have since given away or sold on.

      and the question that interests me the most:
      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      That's varied over time depending on whether I bought the dolls new or second-hand; my 2005 BW Breakaway vampire has yellowed far more than my 2004 BW Shiwoo twins, but I don't know how much of that is down to the batch of resin and how much is due to how he was kept by his previous owner. My 2005 Hound hasn't yellowed anywhere near as much. My normal skin Juri 05 has hardly yellowed at all, but my normal skin 2004 Shiwoo (bought off ebay; I am his 4th owner) has yellowed quite a bit by comparison. On the whole though, my dolls haven't yellowed too badly; I don't store them in boxes but they do sit out of direct sunlight.
       
    4. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      Around 3 and a half to 4 years, although for maybe the first 9 months or so, I just owned a Lishe head on a vinyl Obitsu body.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      Hhhhmmmm, I think over time I have become far less precious and scared of harming them. I've learned that they are fairly robust.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      Right now I have 8 heads and 6 bodies, which is the most I've owned at one time, and apart from one who has been on the MP, I don't see me selling them. I have owned then sold 6 others and 2 more heads. Don't really regret any of the sales, I liked them for a while then got bored and moved on.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      Non of my dolls have anything more than slight yellowing, even the one I have had for the longest. When I said I am not precious with them. I am careful never to leave them in direct sunlight or even in a bright room. I have never taken them out on bright days either, that way yellowing will not be much of an issue. All my dolls are fine and the face-ups (by me) are all holding up well, they get a magic sponging if they look a bit grubby from clothing changes but so far no complaints :)
       
    5. I’ve been eye-balling bjds since 2005 but didn’t get my first until 2007. I think the biggest change I’ve had was the style I’m interested in. It switched from a dark gothic style to young and sweet, haha. I have always treated them the same though. Over the years I’ve had five different dolls and am currently down to two (and thinking of it, four of them were purchased here at DOA in the marketplace, lol). They all held up pretty well. There is very little yellowing (if any) to all as I keep them out of the light when not being played with.
       
    6. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

      4 years

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

      my preference in sculpts, clothing styles and characters. Now after four years the dolls and their characters are pretty much cemented. Also I have learned how to take better care of my BJD's in general.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?

      11. Many have sold, now I have 6 and half (body on order) that are my true collection.


      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

      Most of my dolls are white skin and those that have aged have turned a nice ivory color. Very pretty. My Euclase, notdoll and volks haven't shown any signs of change. Oh and my NS luts boy body from 2008 has become a beautiful pale peach color almost like volks normal skin (from 2010). I like the color much better now. XD
       
    7. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      Since before DoA was an actual forum...

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      I'm less gentle overall than I used to be (except with one doll specifically), I've given up on girl dolls and collect boys exclusively now

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      10 dolls and 2 floating heads (most have been sold)


      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      The oldest dolls I have (4 years old) are a nice mellow color and its nicer than the brand new tone.
      I just sold a doll that is 5 years old and she's almost the same color she was when I got her brand new.
      My oldest doll is no longer with me, but friends dolls that are as old are still the same color today as when they arrived, just a little more mellow
       
    8. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      Almost six years at this point.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      Well, I went from MSD/SD to pretty much just buying tinys. I'm also much more casual about my dolls, they've shown me how durable they are. I'm now sewing for them and others in their size range, so that's been a great byproduct :)

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      A buttload. But most of them are tiny, so they take up way less space.

      and the question that interests me the most:
      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      I've got a couple of French Resin dolls that are yellowed (BC colored elves, etc), but it doesn't bother me. The others have "mellowed", but nothing scary or tragic. My dolls have held up very well, no issues at all.
      [/QUOTE]
       
    9. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      First got interested in the autumn of 2006, and actually got my second-chosen doll first, because he was off the marketplace, while my first selection was bought from a company, with the usual waiting time.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      The major change was discovering that chronically grabbing the chin to change head position is not the wisest of habits. Spot-replenishing/refreshing chin MSC is a delicate, annoying procedure. I've learned what liberties I can take in transporting them, and what extra protections they should have.

      Size preferences have changed. I started with 70cm, went down to minis, and now find a mix of minis, tinies and 65cm max, prefererably 60-62cm at the most.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?

      MANY. They really are resin Pringles. I think I'm in the 20's somewhere now, but am insisting that tinies don't count in any survey, or only count as fractions. Still have a collection of about 8 floating heads, the specific population of which tends to slowly change since I have no character-equity in them. And body parts -- a hand collection that attempts to match every possible skin tone as it changes over time.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      Since most of my dolls are secondhand, I don't know how they started out. But of the ones I've had since 2006 and 2007, the normal tones have held up quite well. Some lightened a bit, others got a deeper tone, but nothing displeasing. I've seen a few pink tones change to peachy as well. Some whites have gotten ivory or cream-yellow. A couple of "whites" came to me greenish-white, and one of them was straight from the company. A yellow-normal has become more yellow.

      But none of them are colors that skive me. They are as they are, and although they all stay in boxes when not in use (has nothing to do with light exposure - I just fail as a good duster and am a so-so cleaner-up-er), and when in use I don't let them sit for days in sunlight, if it's photo time they go outside and into light and bright sunlight if necessary. They're still aging better than I am.
       
    10. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?:
      About 7 years since I was introduced, this year will make 6 since I've owned a doll.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc:
      Yes and no, I have gotten less paranoid about their fragility. I'd be sad if something like a broken finger or a damaged head happened at this point, but a stain here or a scratch there is so easy to fix I don't spend time fretting anymore. The no part is that despite owning dolls of multiple sizes from Puki to Dollshe, I still continue to have a preference for SD range dolls, and male dolls. Even with so many new stores since I joined the hobby, most doll stores still fail to design female dolls that meet my preferences. I also still continue to have a preference for White Skin dolls, nothing to do with ethnic preferences, I still just don't find the typical "normal skin" color to be realistic. My Iplehouse Real Skin EID is a much more alive looking NS in my opinion.

      Regarding other aspects of the hobby, my ideas of what is a fair price for dolls and clothes/shoes/eyes etc. has remained about the same. At this point in the hobby I have found that fewer and fewer big name doll stores actually have any clothes I wish to buy anymore, my crew have moved on to a different level of fashion standards. Styles that many stores I used to buy from simply no longer make enough unique....believably real, maybe is a better description, clothes, I've started seeing too much of the same stuff in too many places. Seamstresses and needing to learn to sew better have moved up my ladder.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?: uh.......Had 19, sold 2 and a body, have 16 now and 5 floaters. All are named and highly developed characters with backstories, including the heads. They get to share bodies at the moment with the more fortunate complete dolls. All of them are male save for 1 SD girl.

      and the question that interests me the most:
      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?:
      Yellowing is complicated. My oldest doll is much yellower than when I bought him, but I've seen dolls more yellow than him from having yellowed under different circumstances or being made of different resin. He is a white skin Shiwoo from right before luts had the mishap with the beauty green delfs, and he has yellowed to a light buttery color, he's earned himself a nickname here due to it, Butter Bri, it's cute. My second oldest is a white skin old body kid delf Ani elf, and she has clearly yellowed differently than my Shiwoo, she yellowed with tan lines as well as in a marbled fashion, I've tested out whitening methods on her with minimal results, sanding as well has done little. Her and my Shiwoo are both yellow completely through and through. Be careful of what sort of bangs they have when exposing them to the sun is what I suggest to any new doll owner.

      All of my others are still in the mellowing stages.
      I do have one interesting boy though. My white skin Minifee Shiwoo elf is still very white, he has seen very little sunlight and is turning 4 this year in May. I have white skin dolls from 5 different companies, and 3 Normal Skins from different companies, and a Grey Skin, so I have a good selection of dolls to watch age.

      Hope that at least some of this info is useful to someone.
       
    11. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      On and off since 2006.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      I've changed a lot in that time, so naturally I've grown in how I view and treat dolls... When I was younger, they were often an impulsive thing, and unfortunately I was in a place in my life where I turned to material objects for comfort and distraction rather than dealing with issues. Now, however, I like to think I'm a lot more realistic and appreciative of the hobby :) And a lot, lot less impatient- which helps in all sorts of areas.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      Four, all of which were sold around 2007. Looking to get a few within the year, though.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      I wish I could tell you for sure! I like to think they're all doing well, and honestly, every time I see dolls of their type I can't help but see if I recognize them at all.
       
    12. I am still pretty new to this hobby,Howecer I've already been into another hobby which is still on going for 17 years counting... I'm foreseeing that this hobby will last equally as long as my other one though

      How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      8 and half months

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      Not much except that creating a character for them improved my skill in character design.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      19 at home,2 on their way home and 3 floating heads

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      Some of them are heads that I grabbed off marketplace or yj so they have a bit of yellowing,very minor though.However my 2nd boy,which is less than 8 mths has already started to yellow abit even though he was kept indoor all the time:/ The rest are doing fine still
       
    13. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      Since Feb 2006 till now... complete 5 years my first girl with me... ^_^

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      Yes, their way of living and the family members too...

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      14 for now. But I did put 3 of them up for adoption and I re gain back another baby home after. But my first baby still here with me and always the top love!

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      My first got yellowed evenly but still fine looking. Her default face up remain till now never change! Other members some had color changes but basically, they all still look good to me. Except my DOT camine till now he still remain pinkish tone even thou he's already quite some years... xD
       
    14. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      5-6 years now :D

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      After my first SD came home I definitely became much more careful about their faceups and clothes stains. At first I figured, "I'm not gonna sell 'em so what's the problem?" but it's all just basic maintenance to me now. Like doll hygiene, haha

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      Just eight. Ten is my limit.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      My oldest doll is over five years old; he's definitely yellowed, but not severely I would say. He's a lovely creamy color. My Tony is my oldest SD, my second doll overall, and he's yellowed too, and not severely either. He's Volks pureskin so he's much less peachy than he used to be, but nothing abnormally noticeable.
       
    15. In a hobby for longer than 4 years? How is it going?
      Just fine :)

      How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      First discovered them in mid 2004, bought my first doll about a month later.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      I still treat them the same; I still make clothing for them, still search for scale items when I'm out shopping, still love looking at them. I did take a break for a while, but even during that time I appreciated them (they were all perched on furniture on a high shelf). It was also during that break that I moved to a different house, and even then the two things I packed in my car to bring with me (instead of the moving truck) was my tower computer and my dolls, all safely wrapped in bubble wrap and in their personal boxes even though I was only going across town.

      How many dolls have you gotten over the years?
      I've had several dolls and heads that I've turned around and sold later because they just didn't "click" with me, but I've lost track of how many they were over the years (at least a dozen). I currently own 4 (with a 5th being shipped any day now) complete resin dolls and 2 bodiless heads. I also have 4 Dollfie Dreams, one with a resin head (though this may end up being temporary).

      and the question that interests me the most:
      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

      All of them are holding up very well. I've never had a yellowing problem on any of them. I know this is a major concern with some new collectors, but unless you're leaving them in direct sunlight, you shouldn't have a problem. They have mellowed a bit in color, but I like the tone they all are now even more than the pinky color they were when they arrived. None of them, however, is yellow. Even the BW colored dolls I have. I do bring them out in the sunlight for pictures on occasion, but not for extended periods of time.
      I've had to restring a few of them, but that's not hard to do; and I've had to tighten all of them at one point or another. That's about it. I love my family of dolls and even if I take another break from the hobby, I don't think I'll ever sell the resin ones I have now. They will be with me as long as I'm around.
       
    16. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

      2004-2005 ish, I don't remember. I heard of them a year before the Haute Doll profiling Volks came out and after that I was doomed. Saw my first ones in person that year and a got a Lishe.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

      I don't worry about how fragile they are. They are pretty sturdy and I treat them well.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?

      Oh my, read my profile! That is the only way I keep track! I've owned and sold a number of dolls and doll parts over the years and right now my count stands at about 29 dolls.

      The most severe yellowing I have encountered is Crobi Doll's sherbet white! Which I DO NOT recommend buying. My Marie looks like butter now and I'm a little sorry I didn't wait for a Marisol to appear on the market place. I have a very yellowed old Volks body but it came to me that way.

      Other than that everyone has held up well! I've never so much as broken a finger on a doll so far!
       
    17. Jumping the gun slightly:

      • Been in for about 3 1/2 years, will hit 4 in October.
      • I treat my dolls about the same, though I am much more selective in what clothes I buy nowadays.
      • I started with two dolls in my first year. They are still with me. Now I have 10 from 4 different companies. More if you count the 3 I've sold.
      • Age wise, my oldest resin girl, an almost 3 year old Volks white skin has visibly yellowed, quite gracefully though because she's now a pleasant shade of ivory. None of the girls have had their appearance significantly harmed by age (just physical damage from me), and I live in warm/humid year-round Hawaii. I do not expose them to the sun.
       
    18. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      Around six years ish? I remember DoA before it was a forum, let's put it that way. I got my first doll in the summer of 2006.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc
      In the way I deal with the dolls? Not a damn thing! I've been taking them apart, modding, fixing, engineering and sewing for and on them since the start, the only difference now is that other people ask me for advice more often than me being the one asking questions.

      The hobby however, has changed immensely in that time. The sheer choice and ease of buying now astounds me! I have strong memories of the days when you could only get a hold of CP dolls direct for instance, the very idea of being able to just order whatever you want on an English speaking website without any sort of issues remains amazing to me and is one of the main reasons I don't understand the sense of "customer is always right" entitlement that some people have. Mind you, I also remember the days you could import things into the UK without paying through the nose and having to do battle with customs and excise to get the box released, so maybe I've just been in it all too long.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?
      Enough.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?
      My first doll has mellowed into a glorious, soft tan, 99% of them are in the same state they came to me in because I've been intensely lucky and managed to avoid any major damage. The only one I have severe problems with is in French resin and hey, we've all seen that before so it's not like I didn't see it coming there! I like to think of my lot as long standing proof that you don't HAVE to be uber careful with resin in order for it to survive just fine tbh.
       
    19. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?
      I bought Harumei, my first doll, in the fall of 2007. She and my participation on the hobby will be 4 years old in October.

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc When I first started out, I was really obsessive about leaving her (and my next three dolls) in my totally-dark, cool bedroom whenever I left the house for the day, but these days I just don't worry about it as much. They all sit on a shelf in my room where they don't get direct sunlight, and that's good enough for me so far. I know some people like to put their dolls away in boxes and cool, dark closets when they aren't playing with them, but that never appealed to me. Once I came to terms with the fact that they're going to yellow a bit no matter what you do with them, I stopped worrying and focused on enjoying them my way instead. When I moved to Japan for the year I did ask my parents not to open the blinds in my room (or to at least be very vigilant about closing the blinds if they had to). The only time I really worried about anything with the ones I had with me in Japan was during the summer of 2010 when it was hitting over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (over 37 Celsius) outside and getting into the mid-90s (low-to-mid 30s) inside my apartment. Then I started worrying what the heat would do to them, and made sure to ship them back to the USA even before shipping my clothes or anything else.

      How many dolls have you got over the years? As of right now, I have 11, with plans to buy a pair of tinies at the beginning of April and less-solid plans for an Iplehouse EID woman and a few other assorted dolls somewhere down the road.

      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time? Harumei has definitely gotten darker, but it's not really noticeable in certain lights. I mostly notice when I set her next to my newest dolls, but even then it's not bad. I think Kazuya has shifted in color a bit too, even though he's newer, but he was one of the white dolls from Luts and I have heard that color can be a bit sensitive. It's difficult for me to tell though, because I look at them all every day and I don't trust my pictures to give a totally accurate representation of what they used to look like color-wise. I certainly don't think any of them look bad.
       
    20. How long have you been in the BJD hobby?

      I've been in it for four years now! WOW where did the time go?

      Did anything change? like the way you treat your dolls, etc

      Yeah the size of dolls I have changed...my first doll was an MSD but almost all my dolls afterwards have been tinies and most of them have been from Fairyland whereas my first doll was from Angel Fantasy.

      How many dolls have you got over the years?

      Over two dozen I'm sure...mostly Pukis, trying to figure out which ones I liked the best and in which skintones. I currently have four BJDs though.

      and the question that interests me the most:
      How are your dolls doing? Severe yellowing..etc. How are they holding over time?

      Well my oldest doll is almost three years old and I don't really notice yellowing with her. My Chocopuki has a skin color change to a more caramel brown than the pinkish brown she used to be. My two year old BJD still looks fine and I did have one doll who was pure white who yellowed to a lovely ivory color!