Is it odd to want to buy a doll simply because it's so gorgeous?

"Because it's pretty" is the reason why I bought the majority of my dolls.

Because you're a self-admitted newbie, I'd like to give you this advice: Don't go wild buying so many dolls at once. Pace yourself and give serious thought to each purchase. There are so many pretty dolls in the world, but wallets and house space have limits.

DOLL RESPONSIBLY.

 

Then I suggest you pick up a sub-hobby like doll-scale knitting, photography, etc. to tie you over between dolls.

Just seriously pace yourself. I've witnessed multiple newbies get into serious financial issues because they want ALL THE DOLLIES RIGHT NOW! There was one local newbie I knew of who had something like a dozen dolls on layaway at the same time, and multiple parts out for commission services, and then they realized they couldn't afford the accumulated costs and it all imploded. Very sad to watch.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a doll because it's pretty, I got into the hobby because a pretty doll made me change my opinion of BJDs, however, I don't think it's good to buy too many dolls at once. You really should pace yourself like Mage said ^ ^;;

 

It's not odd at all to want something because it is pretty

I would recommend to wait like the others say.
As far as I know neither Nana nor Sia are limited. If i was you I would ask myself; what if the perfect doll come next month and that it limited. Would you rather be able to buy that? Or If your pet needs to go to the vet; do you have the money to buy Nana/Sia and still take care of your pets (or other unexpected things like that)? If I was you I'd wait to see what comes out later or wait for Racoondoll to do an event, where you might be able to get extras for the same money.

You said you have two dolls that you have just about finished now. How about taking more pictures of them, and be active like that and tell stories about you characters in photos?
You also have two dolls coming; have you bought their outfits, wigs, eyes? If not then maybe look only for things for them.

I usually say that I am not allowed to buy a doll unless it has a character. It does not need to be a well defined character but just something to fit that doll in with my other dolls. You can work on Nana/Sia's character, and when you feel you have a good character for her or when Racoondoll does an event or you just can't wait any longer, then you can buy her.

 

Of course it's not odd! Before A-bjds were a thing, people were buying porcelain dolls for a heck of a lot more money, and this was also long before character shelling was ever a thing. But yeah, wait a month or two and see if either of these two beauties still steal your attention or randomly cross your mind. If they do, well then have fun, go mad!

 

there is absolutely nothing odd about it! i am a newbie myself, who has purchased a doll but haven't received it yet, and ive come across several sculpts that immediately went onto my ~want~ list! i don't have a doll yet, but have plans for around... 10 dolls? haha, and they aren't even for established characters of mine, i just want them cause i love the sculpt.
as wisely mentioned by the others, it is fine as long as you do not financially endanger yourself. if these dolls you want aren't limited, its fine to wait until you save up enough and can afford it. for example; i'll wait until i have a bit of money saved so i can purchase the doll PLUS accessories such as clothing, wigs, eyes, etc, so they come as complete as they can and aren't sitting around naked! that way i can splurge a bit and get what i would like for them, as opposed to compensating with something less than ideal.
there is no rush, because as far as i know by now, this hobby has a lot to do with patience x-D and apologies for the long reply, this topic really resonates for me because waiting for my first doll has me wanting more dolls RIGHT NOW, so i totally get how you feel!

 

Thank you for this advice! Am also struggling with the same issue and it almost feels so overwhelmingly easy to keep piling on layaways >_<;;

 

I have definitely bought a doll because it was pretty! That's how I ended up with Hazle (DC Queena). I usually only buy dolls to represent my OCs, but in her case, I got the doll first and built a character around her.

My advice is the same as above: pace yourself. At one time, I impulse bought so much that I ended up with nearly 40 dolls, and they were in various levels of completion because I couldn't afford to properly finish all of them. When I did have money, I bought more dolls instead of finishing the ones I had. It was overwhelming! I ended up selling about half of them, and now I keep my total under 20 dolls, and I've been actively in the hobby for almost nine years. All of them have their proper wigs and eyes, several pairs of shoes, faceups and blushing and at least 3-5 full outfits. I am so much happier with my collection now that I have 18 nice looking dolls with full characters and backstories instead of twice as many poorly put together or incomplete dolls with barely even a full name, much less character.

 

I would wait a while, especially till all your other stuff comes in, just because like everyone has already said, its easy to get in to financial trouble very quickly! But also you might find that its just the wait thats making you itchy for more, when everything comes in you might find you forgot how much you loved the dolls on order and find you have no time for anything else!

 

one of the wonderful things about bjd as a hobby is that part of collecting the dolls is creating an identity narrative for each one (not that everyone does this, just what i observe--also a newbie). i choose my first doll purely on aesthetics as well (also bella!), but there are so many lovely sculpts, i could go crazy. how would any additional dolls fit into yr doll family? are there things you could do to invest in the hobby without investing in another doll right away? making clothes, searching for in-scale items, going to meetups, taking pictures at interesting locations, etc.

 

There is nothing wrong with buying them just because you like their look, and nothing wrong wit buying many if you have the money up front. Like others mentioned getting caught up in multiple layaways or in tons of debt is NOT fun. I do understand layaway and credit cards, but I'll never buy a doll, or anything just for fun unless I have the money. It's to east to let those pile up once you start. However I do think, if you have the money, and it's what you want to spend that money on, why not?

If you like working on the dolls and don't mind taking your time building them up and making them perfect then getting a few to work on would be nice, because the waits to receive the dolls can be quite long. I got two just recently because I knew I wouldn't be happy just working with one. Some people have tons of dolls that are not even finished, but they are not in debt and they are happy to have them, even if they are all unfinished. So really it's up to you and what you feel you will enjoy.

 

If you have the money for all of these dolls, go for it! Why not? Just enjoy

 

There are quite a few dolls that I want to buy simply because they're beautiful. I am one paycheck away from putting one on layaway... because he's just too pretty not to.

My first doll was to shell a character of mine, and I do have several more characters I need to shell, but the right beauties just haven't come along for them yet. Sooo... chances are I will buy a pretty simply because it's pretty. Nothing wrong with that!!!

 

Thinking it's gorgeous is pretty much my main reason for buying dolls x)
I'm still waiting for my Bella, and so I couldn't help but buy a second hand doll while waiting (cheap, and with a head sculpt I adored!).. but like others said, you should be sure you have the money, and maybe you could spoil the others first or try some crafts for them while you wait?
But if you can buy and are sure you want to then why not :P

 

My usual reason for buying a doll? "Ooooooh, hello, gorgeous, how about I get you home?" XD

That said - I agree, pace yourself, don't buy too many dolls at once. It's quite a chunk of money to spend, even on the cheaper ones, and personally, I won't buy a doll unless I've at least slept over it, even when it's a doll I really, really want or have been wanting for a while. It IS a huge chunk of money. In fact, I only ever buy dolls FAST when I've been wanting them for a while and they pop up somewhere (here or Mandarake) for a good price. Dolls that are NOT on my "Most Wanted" list - well, I have been stalking some of my dolls for weeks or even months here or on Mandarake before buying them (kinda like "Okay, if no one else wants it though (x amount of time) has passed then it's probably meant to be ..."). I'll notice it's time to buy when I start considering that doll as "mine".

 

If you're so worried about whether or not you'll fall out of love with the doll after buying her why don't you sit and think on it for a while? Maybe just mentally step away from Nana for a bit then come back to her when your mind's clear and see how you feel? You don't have to buy her right away after all and it is understandable to worry over buyers regret. Personally, I've had some dolls I've wanted to buy off looks alone, but decided against buying after thinking it over.

 

Don't beat yourself up lol. I want a DD Mia Shiranui even though she won't fit in my crew at all....just because the's the most something doll I've ever seen....I can't even find the right words....