Is it possible to collect too fast?

If I could afford it right now, I would buy all the dolls on my wishlist today. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, as long as obsession doesn't put you in a financial bind.

 

Finally getting my first dolls made me go slightly crazy, yeah. I actually bought my third doll while waiting for the other two to arrive. I still love his sculpt but in hindsight I almost wish I hadn't bought him because I don't give him all that much attention compared to my other dolls.

I don't see anything wrong per se with buying several dolls right after getting into the hobby but it could definitely lead to buyer's remorse if the person doesn't do their research. People can do what they want though, provided they have the means; there shouldn't be some sort of unspoken rule about only buying x number of dolls until you've been in the hobby for y amount of time.

 

Perhaps buying several rather quickly is just a natural response to waiting so long to actually start your collection. If you've been looking at them for years, surely you must have some idea of where you want your collection to go. Some years I've purchased multiple dolls...some years I've just refined what I had or reshelled a few. It's really all about how you want your collection to grow. Sometimes it's a good idea to start off with a burst right out of the gate. As long as you know where you're going with it, there's still a roof safely over your head, gas for the car, utility bills paid and food on the table, I don't see a problem. The most important thing is to enjoy your journey in this hobby. If you start feeling stressed about how fast you're going, you can always slow down at any time.

 

It did open the floodgates I have to say, I still have my first which was an msd. Collecting them has helped me to understand the different types and I realised I prefer SD and Yo-Sd. I am on 21 dolls I believe and waiting on two they have taken over my life, but I love them and they are my treasures. It is easy to go nuts, but hey why not its life!

 

It really depends on the individual. What is too fast is going to completely depend. My first few years in the hobby were my fastest buying years, and sometimes I think that I should've taken things a bit slower so that I could really considered what I wanted my doll family to look like and what I really really wanted. However, I'm also not sure that it would've made much difference, because tastes can change so much over time anyway. Now if I had the money to do it, I would buy faster again, because now that I've had the time to think long and hard about it, I do know what I want!

 

I think the perfect expansion would be about 1 doll per year. At first, you think that's ridiculously short, but for long term hobbyists, if you keep getting like 4 dolls a year, you'll end up with 20 in only 5 years. :/ It's a hobby but it shouldn't be your focus point in life... Although I do think first time hobbyists start out fast and then slow down dramatically in the end. I mean, you are most enthusiastic when you first enter the hobby. As long as you can control yourself and its not an addiction (which, trust me, it can become), and you pace yourself, you're good.

 

from my point of view, yes it is possible to collect too fast.
if someone orders a new doll almost every week I think "at this rate, she/he'll have over 50 and I bet she/He won't even remember the name of each!". I just don't see how you can enjoy your dolls properly this way.
to me, the best is to wait until doll1 arrived before ordering doll2. or else, as I said, you don't take the time to properly enjoy them and it just becomes hoarding. (from my point of view, never doing anything with your $500 dolls and just forgetting them in a cabinet is a waste of money. but I don't have a lot of money so....)

 

I'm new to the hobby and already I can see what a slippery slope getting your first doll can be hehe.
I had just put a doll on order when I already started seeing other sculpts I like and would like to have. I asked a gal at the meetup group here in town and she asked me how long I'd been researching. I told her and she said that it took her almost a year for things to slow down for her. On the other hand it gets so tempting to buy when it feels like someone in our Doll meetup group is getting a new doll just about every week!

 

It is an issue if you cannot afford it and are unable to pay for needed things or are going into serious debt. Otherwise, I do not think it is a major issue. If you enjoy the dolls and you can afford to buy them, why not?

 

Buying dolls rapidly sometimes means you're making impulse buys. I know from experience that dolls bought impulsively almost never work out. As long as you slow down enough to really consider if you actually want the doll or if it's just a passing fancy, you'll be OK

 

I'd say that it depends on the person. Some people will look back and wish they'd gone slower and others won't be bothered about it at all.

For me, I was trying hard to go slow! I don't like impulse buys and I'm not in a big hurry to get dolls. I like to try and appreciate them as I get them, and all that. AND I don't like to sell dolls. I get attached, so I have to make sure I don't go crazy...

So... for the first three years, I was not as good as I hoped I'd be (I was trying for ONE doll a year), but I pretty much got TWO a year... and then I'd have spurts of insanity and buy more than that... and sometimes less. There was one year where I actually did stick to ONE...

Aside from the crazy-buying years, I'm pretty happy with the rate I bought dolls at... That's the main, thing--to do it at a rate that is OK for you.

 

Nine months in the hobby and I've already picked up eight dolls, with a couple more at the very front of my mind. I'm sure some people would cringe at that, but it's been great--I'll spend a while cuddling and playing with one or two specific dolls, then flutter over to a different one or two (or three xD), and so on.

And you know what? I'll own it. I've been sprinting to get my doll family set up and fleshed out. Why? Because I know in a year or two I'll be out of my parents' house, and that I'll have some serious responsibilities, and saving big sums of money will be increasingly difficult--much easier to save little chunks for clothes/props, in my opinion. Even still: with my dolls, I make sure to "finish what I start" initially (wig, eyes, clothes, etc) before moving onto the next. So it's not like I've just got a bunch of naked bodies (or floating heads!) drifting around.

I hope all of this doesn't make me sound sleazy. I have a job and all and I work hard, I just don't have to pay rent/utilities yet--so I figure, why not take advantage of that while I can?

 

How many & how quickly one gets dolls is a personal matter & an individualized one. My best suggestion, which goes for anything, would be to know what you want. Research & plan. I have been fascinated w/miniature stuff all my life - I loved dolls not so much for the dolls themselves (I mean, Barbie, you know?) but for all the little tiny doll-sized stuff they had! I wanted to get American Girl dolls so much for my kids - & not because I ever thought the dolls themselves were all that (although really kind of easy to sew for LOL)
So when I found BJDs, well, it was WOW - dolls that are in & of themselves miniatures & worth getting all that stuff!
Which, BTW, I already had a lot of....
So I've gotten a lot of dolls really quickly. But, I'm a writer, knew exactly what I wanted & have spent hours & hours over the past year researching sculpts, etc.
For others, their decisions will be based on different criteria.

 

this is a thought I can relate to!
when I started collecting, I would spend all my money on dolls. my mom was getting a bit frustrated by that but I told her I was better to get them now, while I didn't have anything else to pay for.
but as time go, I prefer to have a smaller collection so by the time I move out I will probably not want to buy any more dolls just a few clothes here and there

 

This is one of those many questions that just plain depend on the collector.

I went very fast my first couple of years, partly because I was in Japan and partly because I had a well-paying job; plus, it was a new obsession for me, so I was excited by just about everything! I think I topped out at about six dolls in one year?

I regret nothing. I've had some re-shellings and sent a couple to new homes, but for the most part I'm quite happy with my collection. I now lack money and space, and have already brought home my grail of all grail dolls, so I've slowed down quite a bit. Now it's more about wigs, eyes, clothes, and shoes for me. Over time I've narrowed down my wants and needs to be more specific, too.

I say if you've got the money, the time, the space, and the enthusiasm, then go for it.

 

To me it gets overwhelming quickly. If I collect more than three a year, say. Life's very busy and I need more time so as to be able to spend it with them! Bonding time, painting and restringing time, clothes making time, photography time.... waaaaaahhh I need a clone of me!!!

So to me, going slow is the only way. I think it is what suits you personally, do what feels good

 

I'm personally of the mind that as long as you can afford it and you feel you're enjoying your dolls in the way you like, your pace is fine.

Obviously one can go too quickly by spending more money than they can afford, and I can see why some people wouldn't want to get another doll right away if they're of the type that need to go through a "bonding process" or want to have a doll totally complete before they feel comfortable with it. But I think that's all a personal matter relating to how one wishes to enjoy the hobby, not something that could be dictated by anyone else.

(Then again, I could be biased. Judging by what some people are calling "too fast," I'd almost be embarrassed to admit my own acquisition rate. )

 

I guess you can collect too fast when you first get into the hobby. But if I had the funds, I would buy a few several dolls on my wishlist right now :3. But I've also been sort of into the hobby for over 3 years now and I know where I want my family to go now just as I ordered my first doll As long as you like what you get and aren't impulse buying, I don't see why it would be a bad thing to collect fast, unless you kill your finances.

 

Several people I know personally have over 50 dolls and know the name of each one, including me. Everyone is different and collects in different ways over time. I think it's silly to make sweeping generalities about people one doesn't know personally.