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Is it ok to think of BJDs as a form of investment?

Feb 27, 2008

    1. IAWTC.


      that is so well put, heck, you made me smile a little! :)
       
    2. If you are the first owner I guess it could be an investment.
      but I think of my dolls as more of a "black hole" attached to the end of my wallet.
       
    3. Now THAT is some smart investment! ;)
       
    4. The good thing about these dolls is that unless they get damaged they loose little to no value, and some dolls and accessories will even go for higher then market value. For me, I will put my hear nad soul into them and hope one day to pass them on to someone who will love them as well.

      They can be investments for different reasons, to maybe sell later, to pass on, it all depends on you.
       
    5. At first I considered them an investment in MY enjoyment. But now I get double that by watching my oldest grand daughter have as much fun with them as I do. We make regular trips to the "Doll Store" (Denver Doll Emporium) so she can see what's new and pick up an item or two for the ones already here. I'll probably get her an MSD for Christmas, if she can ever decide on one! lol.
       
    6. I've mentioned that they are a form of investment. I use the term loosely though, because I know it is nothing like investing money in the stock market or real estate. I realize I am not going to "get rich" off of buying dolls (quite the contrary XD). I do consider them an investment in a way because there is so much you can put into them. My dolls inspire me to be creative in so many ways. They are a hobby that ties all my interests together and it is great for me as a mom to have them as my "me time". And as some have mentioned, in a pinch or an emergency (I hope it doesn't come to this) they can be sold and the second hand market is not too bad. How many of last year's Coach purses, or cameras, or cars can be sold for close to retail?? I have told people they are an investment to keep them off my back about the price (though only one friend knows how much my Narae was).

      All that said, I do love my dolls very much. I would not buy a doll strictly to jack up the price and resell. I don't judge those that do, it is just not my thing.

      What is funny is I am far more likely to resell a Blythe or a Pullip than my two resin babies. (feel sort of bad lol)
       
    7. Speaking from a business perspective, Dolls in general aren't a good investment at all. Even if you manage to be able to sell a doll for the same exact amount you paid for it a year ago, inflation will ensure you're not getting as much purchasing power back. The few dolls that are instantly worth more than they were bought for, ie limiteds, are investments, but speculations, which are never a good basis to drive a portfolio on. spending hundreds extra on the possibility that the item will increase in value shouldn't be a driving force to buy one of these.

      That said, if you bought the dolls for pleasure and later wanted to sell them, they do tend to retain value better than comparable commodities; consider,
      a pre-owned car that you just bought from a certified dealer for 10 thousand dollars is typically, by the time you get it to your driveway, going to be worth about half that to another certified dealer, and usually less to a private owner. Then factor in that you're spending money on the upkeep of the car, gas, etc.

      Dolls, on the other hand, like most collectibles, you can usually keep in mint condition just by not taking it out of the box, but who wants to do that? :p
       
    8. I 100% agree with this. I have noticed the people who hype the "but it is an invesement and they will NEVER lose value" angle tend to have spent ALOT of money on their dolls. I think back to the popular stuff my parents have spent tons of money on, like beanie babies, in the 90's tons of original animation cels, Disney collectables, stuff like that, and NONE of it is worth anything now. But it was all going to "retain it's value".
      Star Wars was a fluke since there were limited people who own the old original toys, especially in good condition, once people realized toys were worth money everyone and thier mom started buying them MIB to save to resell later. Plus with ebay that "special rare" item you have, well tons of people all over the world have it too. Collectables just are not what they used to be.
      Plus it is only worth as much as someone is going to pay for it, so buy it if you know it will make you happy for years to come and then it is always worth something to you :D
       
    9. Exactly, the dolls ARE an investment in my happiness, in that they are what makes me happy Right Now. If you spend one hundred bucks, or eleven hundred bucks, on something... and 3 years later, it still makes you smile and giggle and pat its head whenever you walk into the room..., that money was well-spent. Put a price on joy, go on, I dare you. <3

      Angelicfrizard hit another point, too: While they may not be the most immediate-return investment out there, dolls also keep indefinitely for love & posterity of coming generations. If my grandnieces-to-be don't sell everything to auctioneers, maybe they'll love these dollyboys in 2038 just as much as I love them now. :)

      Well, you ALSO have to wait 20-30 years for the value to really freak out like Star Wars figures did. In the 80s, do you think they were worth a red cent? Naah. We'd all finished playing with them in the 70s, so everyone's action-figures (or bubblegum cards, in my sister's case) were all beat up by the 80s, so we threw em out... It wasn't until later in the 90s that we slapped our foreheads and said, "Crap!! They're selling for HOW much??"

      You wait another 30 years, and those Beanie Babies & animation cels will be worth something again (market depending). Someday, my grandnieces will make a killing on "Antiques Roadshow" with this doll collection, I'm sure. But not now, and probably not in 10 years. My giant Disney snowglobe collection, ditto that; I'm not going to bother even looking up prices until, say, retirement. ^^ But their value will someday rise, probably. Long-term investments are so unpredictable because, after their heyday, there's huge fallow periods where nobody's ever sure if it'll come back again. So they panic, & jettison the collection at a loss. That's why the "glass case in the attic" collectors are the only ones to ever make a profit-- because they never threw anything away!

      Right now, I am witnessing this same phenomenon with 1980s clothes. I never threw them out. Now that the 80s have returned, you wouldn't believe what the clothes are going for. My silver ankle-boots were snapped right up at the vintage-shop by the salesgirl, who never even let 'em see the sales racks... And just today, I saw this eBay auction for a vintage 1986 Slayer 'Reign in Blood' tour shirt that I still have, which is starting at $179 and going for $193 BIN. When someone recently offered me $75 for my '84 Flock of Seagulls tour shirt, I laughed at him and he didn't know why. ^^ (But I prefer to keep the memories of those tours, rather than get money for them, so neither shirt has been sold. Nor do I intend to sell them-- unless I get in a bad way financially before the 80s go out of style again, of course. :| *knocks wood*)
       
    10. I suppose if someone bought a volks doll they would almost certainly be able to sell it at a higher price but I think that if it was me, in the end I would love the doll too much to let it go. So its not so much a matter of Right or Wrong. More like Can or Can't and I definately can't :sweat
       
    11. I followed an Ebay auction for a 2005 Volks Special Edition Dollpa something-or-other doll. Beautiful thing in kimono full set, designer faceup, the works. A little on the bland side though. The seller started it off at a $1 and put a reserve on it. I hate reserves, so I had to ask. Her reply came back $1000 minimum, though she'd paid considerably more. Scarcely 3 years old and the perceived value on a rare doll had dropped a third or more.

      I'm happy for those folks who have the resources to drop mega bucks on hobby. I also believe folks can get pretty far up the River Denial, calling collectible hobbies "investments." Enjoy every facet of your hobby, whether it's saving up for the next one or cherishing the ones you have.
       
    12. yeah if you have kids and then think of them as an investment?
      LE dolls maybe, but I sold two once and it was like loosing a kid.
      never again. Investments are meant to be sold in the end, so nup, not for me.
       
    13. this is accually pretty coincidental...
      last week my minimee head came, right?
      I rushed him home to show my folks, the enevitable question was asked "how much":roll:
      when i told them my father replyed "how do you justify (spending) that (much money)?"
      without thinking i just told him it was a sound investment, he was 1 out of only 10 ever and, on the secong hand market, he was worth much more than i payed for him.
      now i dont know a thing about re-selling and its not like im about to jump on the forums and evil-bay, but im pretty sure, if i ever absolutly had to, i could make a resonable profit.
      I dont think thats a bad thing.
       
    14. Perhaps on the short term you could make back the money you spent on a doll--make it back or more, depending on rariety or other factors. But as a long term?--bad, bad, bad. This year's cutting edge will be a ho-hum in a couple of years. I've seen fashion dolls that went for $500 a few years ago go for under $100...

      I can't think of anything sadder than a doll in a box.

      Buy them because you LOVE them. That way you'll never be disappointed, whatever happens in the future..
       
    15. It is my belief that dolls are an investment, it has been ingrained in me from childhood.
       
    16. For me I think that having some money tied up in a doll is not a bad thing. I'm currently saving up for a particular doll, and when I have him it will mean that I can't spend that money on anything else but can easily on-sell him to recoup in an emergency. But in New Zealand there's not really that many collectors of ball jointed dolls that I'm aware of, such a rarity would fetch good money on trademe.co.nz simply by virtue of lower shipping costs.
       
    17. I could never consider ABJDs as an investment money-wise. As the economy worsens (here in the U.S. anyway) the demand will drop as people just can't afford them. Many may be forced to sell and of course, the prices in second hand market will lower. It's all just too risky and I'd much rather invest my money in silver or gold.

      Now investing experience/learning/happiness wise, it is totally worth it!! :D
       
    18. I've noticed a lot of people calling them investments. But they rarely are. Unless you have a LE or a Unoa, you're going to have a hard time selling it for even what you payed. "Investment" is mostly what people call them to make themselves feel a little better for spending such massive amounts of money on them.
       
    19. I'm glad to see so many commenting on the fact that things like dolls are fickle investments. It's very unlikely that we will be able to resell our dolls in the future for more or even as much as we have spent on them. Right now, more people are getting into the hobby (myself included) and so many companies are getting into the market with many more dolls. Eventually, the vogue of buying BJD's will be saturated, and no longer in vogue. For me, I buy what I love, and never fall out of love. I have all differnt kinds of dolls, and love them all. I've sold a few, and feel that was a big mistake. Lost a lot of money selling each and every doll I've ever sold. I only am happy about one sale, which was my biggest loss however, the new owner LOVED her and displayed her in her living room and is enjoying her completely. That makes me happy! There was no room for her here, and I had her in her box the whole time she was with me. I don't like having my dolls in boxes unloved!

      It's good that for right now, you can expect to sell your doll for about 80% (I'd say average) of what it cost you, so you can pull out some of the money if you need it, but I wouldn't count on the market being there for you 10 years from now. So beware :)
       
    20. i don't think of my dolls as investments, but i'll admit that i have used the "if i have to sell her later i'll probably get my money back" as a rationalization to make a purchase before. then again, on the other hand, i tend to get too attached to them to sell. :|