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

I think it's just fine to think of dolls as a type of investment. I do. I may not treat them like they're just objects to be resold, but the idea is always there. As others were saying, if I had an emergency, I would sell one of my dolls if I needed to. I love my characters, but just because I sell their resin bodies doesn't mean that my character and my love for my character goes away!

 

Generally in the whole doll collecting world, the rule is to never buy a doll you don't love. If it gains in value, then great, if it doesn't, then you have a doll you love.

 

It's curious - when I read this topic a few months ago, I found the idea quite incredible. But now, with USD going up and some sculpts (for example, Soom monthly dolls) bringing so much more than their original price on the second-hand market... maybe, it's not such a bad idea. But... I really can't handle it. Morally, I mean. For me dolls are joy and love, I buy a doll because I really love it and can't live without it. I can't see them as a kind of investment.

 

I'm a newbie, so I probably don't have much to say that's any good to anyone here, but still. I haven't bought my first doll yet- I'm looking to purchase one, but I personally woudn't buy one for the resell value. I look at things like this as hobbies, something that I can love for ages and then maybe pass on to the next generation of my family- treasures. Maybe that's just the romantic way to see it, but for what I may end up paying for my finished doll, I sincerely doubt that I wouldn't get attached. Especially since I basically want to start from scratch with just a basic body to work with. Everything else will be bought assembled or designed by me- I woudn't want to sell something like that after all the work I put into it. But hey, that's just my take on things.

 

I spent tons of money on my new hobby in less then one year, even did a bookcase dollhouse in my home office! I just looked over at the dolls and asked myself....if I had to sell one who would it be? The answer is .......no one!
I guess I have become a "doll nut".....hahahaha

 

I am new to 60cm BJDs (only have 1 hoping for another) but I have many old dolls. My mother and I have never sold a doll in our lives. We have been through tough financial times but we never resorted to selling dolls for money. We work to make ends meet, not sell possessions and certainly not dolls. I have also looked at all the dolls we have and asked the same question you asked, the answer is the same. NO ONE is to be sold. I am very careful when bringing home a doll because once bought, it is never sold. The responsibility of caring for them is very high. When I'm tired of playing with dolls, I pack them up, keep them in the closet and forget about them. Many years later, I'd catch the doll fever again and start to take the dolls out and play with them again. Selling is not in the cards for us. However, I sell and throw away doll furniture all the time.

 

I'm someone who's always liked taking their toys out of the packaging and playing with them, so I wouldn't like to buy a doll purely to keep them in their box to sell on in the future. This is particularly true for limiteds - if I don't want the doll myself, I feel like I would be preventing other people from enjoying it by buying it. It's similar to the idea of concert tickets appearing on ebay a few hours after being sold out from the venue. Of course, there is nothing wrong with selling a doll if you realise it's not for you or need the money (it's nice to know that they retain some value for if an emergency crops up), but I would feel a bit iffy about getting one with the initial intention of selling it for profit. As a side note, I love my boys and have no intention of selling them on in the near future! That's what I intend to do: what other people do is up to them.

 

I think of them as an investment in a way, because if you take good care of them, they are likely to maintain or increase in value, it seems.

But I don't think I would buy a doll with the intention of selling it at a later date. Though I don't have any dolls yet, I think I would only buy them if I really wanted them, and then if I happened to not bond with them, etc. only then would I sell them.

 

I buy my dolls because in a way they are my only companions. I live alone without pets or children and all my friends live thousands of miles away. So I think of them first as corny as that sounds, family. Its my hobby that fills me up with joy. I love seeing their sweet little faces, and can fill them up with as much imagination as I want. If I didn't have that, collecting would be sort of dull for me.

I think the dolls are investments anyway, if we choose to think that way or not. Its a hobby where you can buy a doll and if you decide that doll isn't for you, can easily get your money back and find that doll a new home in the process.

But I think its a bit weird to keep a doll in its box to try and get value back. O.o I had purchased a doll for a friend for example and he sat in his box for a year until she could buy him from me. It was sorta...weird, lol to just have him sitting there. I don't see the fun of just buying a doll for an investment and having stacks and stacks of boxes in your closet or something, lol.

 

I agree that if one has the money, the Soom monthlies SEEM to be a good ivestment. But, just like all things, the earlier ones are going to be worth more, because there are fewer out there. Once it becomes popular to buy em andsell em, there will be too many. And, oddly enough, the normal gems appear to be a horrible investment. Close to a 50% loss on resale.

 

I don't think of dolls as an investment, just a hobby. However, if one were to ever lose interest in this hobby it would be a lot easier to recoup some of the expenses by selling the dolls. I don't see people losing interest in dolls anytime soon, myself included (I've wanted a doll since May, and I still haven't changed my mind) so there will most likely be people willing to buy them.

Pokemon cards on the other hand, I still wish I had sold my limited first edition Pokemon cards when I had the chance. Would have made hundreds on cards that are worth pennies now.

 

I mean, if you were someone who bought heaps of limiteds, left them in boxes for years and then sold them for extortionate prices, then yeah, it isn`t really "nice" persay.
But I suppose that`s just because if I had those dolls, I`d be putting use into them.
But y`know, there are people who buy cars and just leave them for ages, maybe doing them up a little, but never driving them once just to sell them.
So it isn`t any different, just we feel differently about it because of how much we love our dolls.

 

I think that anything that has a collectability factor to it can be a little bit of an investment. However remember that the investment on a collectable is only as good as long as there's a market for the item. That said look at items like Beanie Babies. People invested tons of money into them. But they really don't hold that much value because they are too easily forged. Dolls in general are a bit more substantial and I think there will always be collectors willing to pay for something unique and what's good about BJD's is that they tend to hold their value for the most part. Of course depending on the doll that's not allways the case.

Now as to weather I would ever compare collecting dolls as an investment to buying realestate or a house. That's apples to oranges and sadly the market just doesn't work that way for dolls. The big deal with a house is that in owning one even in a poor market I earn equity in what I buy. Of course my house also serves as my place of residence. But If I were to purchase an investment property, even if I couldn't sell it I can still make money off my investment buy renting it out and it's still going to gain equity. Dolls..as much as I love them, they don't accrue equity (collectables just don't do that) and um...I don't foresee renting them out anytime soon even if I wanted to.

Christal....proud home and doll owner (sadly I won't retire on my doll money...at least not at this time).

 

I believe as BJDs fall into the collector item category, and are in a way mass produced goods in a niche market they likely wont be a good investment. They should be bought for the enjoment of the owner not because of how much they can be sold for.

 

Buying dolls is a bit like buying SLR lenses. They are generally expensive and, if well kept, can resell used for a large percentage of their original price. But generally speaking, they are expenses, not investments. The norm is light depreciation, because while old models don't really become useless, new improved models are being introduced all the time.

On occasion, a specific model or two may "hit the jackpot" and rise in value over time, but again, these are the exceptions, not the norm. I think you'd be better off "investing" in postage stamps. You're probably better off still with an old fashioned CD from a bank.

 

I don't consider dolls an investment simply because you don't really make that much of a profit, if any, when you sell them. In general, the retail price is a good starting point for the asking price on the secondhand market, but you'd still be out shipping and/or paypal fees. And if there's competition, or if you happen to have an unpopular mold, you might have to lower the price (sometimes repeatedly) or offer incentives like free shipping.

The returns on the secondhand bjd market are much better than most things (like, cars, books, video games), but in general there's not that much money to be made. Getting back what you paid, or most of what you paid, is not an investment. That's equivalent to putting a stack of $100 bills under your mattress and "finding" them a few years later. As gaiaswill said, you'd be better off putting that money in a CD.

So I don't buy dolls with this mentality. The high resale value does take some of the pressure off...but I just buy the dolls that call to me.

 

hmm... I too have had a type of doll that I could sell quickly to get some money; but normally I wouldn't look at them as investments; you rarely get what you paid for it in my experience. even jewelry nowadays isnt' a sure bet for an investment... but if you love the doll I say go for it! I would consider dolls as an investment in aesthetics; adding some beauty or joy to your life/house.

 

I don't really see them as investments at all; rather, I see them as something to amuse myself. I buy them as posable, customizable art. The fact that they're resellable for nearly their original price, depending on their condition, is certainly a plus, but I don't really base any of my purchases on that fact.

Granted, if I were ever in dire need of money and had to sell one to get some cash, I'm sure I'd be a bit more concerned. *knocks on wood* Hopefully that won't happen.

 

The normal Gem line seems to be one of those that is very under appreciated--as much as I do think the Soom monthly dolls are really cool, I still love the plain old Gems. Back when I thought I was going to stick to minis, I used to always say that if I were to get an SD size doll it would be a Soom Gem (I've ended up with two). However, that's just how it goes. People like different things and somethings become very sought after while others don't. That's why it's important to buy the doll you really like and not get too caught up in the idea of possible resale value--you just never really know what something is going to be worth down the line. In my mind, it's better to just buy what you know you're going to enjoy.

 

Would the answer not be "situational"
A typical investment (and I would venture to say the kind you are speaking of) is to collect a return i.e. profit or income.
The vast majority of dolls would serve as a poor investment, most do not increase in value aside from the limiteds.
So aside from the limiteds they would not make a sound investment.
Remember, just because you can sell soemthing at a later time does not make it an investment. You've made no profit from it, you generally are only able to recoupe what you bought it for.
Maybe some of us are rationalizing them as an investment so we can have more of what we want/like.
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