Is it possible to collect too fast?

I think it really depends on the situation. For me, so long as you are taking care of and giving special attention to each doll, I don’t see a problem in collecting a large quantity in a short amount of time. The only thing I worry about is the sudden hole in one’s wallet. My fiancé already has nine dolls and she’s only been collecting for a year; not to mention my two dolls she gifted to me. So I often worry about the finances, but the number of dolls does not bother me.

Again, just take care of and love your dolls equally.

 

If people have the means to buy many dolls at once, then yes! as for me, I can't collect fast. I need my time with each doll, I just don't want to buy any kind of doll and just have it there, I want to have a doll I like a lot and I can connect with. So, the most I can buy because of those reasons is 2 dolls per year...the most.

 

I think it is possible to collect "too fast". I have seen this in other doll communities. Someone will enter into the hobby and be extremely excited about it, and they'll want EVERYTHING immediately. Usually, these seem to be people who haven't done enough research (or any research at all). They end up buying a ton of stuff and then not long after that, just fade away. I'm guessing it's because they're overwhelmed with too much at once, or because they didn't realize there's actually work involved in good doll care, or because they suddenly have buyer's remorse for having spent all that money. Worst of all are the ones who just seem to give up once the novelty wears off.

For people who have done their research and have the financial resources to expand their doll families more quickly, I don't see any problem with collecting a lot of dolls close together. I think the key for "fast" collecting is to know what you're getting yourself into.

 

This is actually something I'd been wondering...

I've been in the hobby six months, I have a total of three dolls and a floating head... I originally only planned on one doll.
But now I know I'm getting one more at the end of this year, and then that will be it for buying dolls for a while, so I think I have myself under control haha

 

So much of this hobby, I've found, is about learning and refining one's preferences, in terms of size, company, wig, fashion, and eyes. I think if my finances were equal to my impulsiveness, I would have collected way too much, way too fast. Even so, I think I have gone a little more nuts that I should have, and am now trying to pare down to a core collection of "keepers" - my two SD girls, one MSD, and one tiny. But unless you go to meets with a large variety of dolls to examine and handle, you simply can't know what will work for you until you've lived with it a while.

 

The problem of collecting dolls 'too fast' only really affects certain types of people. If you're the type of person who sticks with a hobby through and through and take time with each of your dolls, then it doesn't matter how fast you collect them. As long as you know when to draw the line, it should work out fine. On the other hand though, if you are prone to jump into a hobby, collect as many as you can, and then drop it (like me). Then, it'd probably be better to just slow down, and think about each doll before you buy it. Be as sure as you can before spending the money and be sure to take time bonding with the ones you already have.
Of course, there are all shades of gray between these two types, but it's good to realize what type of hobbyist you are.

 

I think it's very individual how it affects people. Some people can buy 10+ dolls at once and feel good about it, and then there's some like me who gets all "maybe I should just sell them" when I buy too many at once.
I can't handle waiting on too many things at once and begin to think of my dolls as problems instead of enjoying them.

So I try to limit myself in buying (though I'm not good at it )

 

It's totally possible to go nuts when you start out, but as long as it's not hurting you financially, who cares? Just don't forget your other financial goals (like vacations) and the feelings of those whom you share living space with.

 

I get roughly 10 a year. So mine averages out. 7 years in the hobby...over 70 dolls.

 

I would love to see a photo of where you keep all 70 dolls. That would be an awesome photo.


As for the subject, only you can tell yourself if it's too much or not, it's your money! You worked hard for it.

 

For me, I did have times where I'd collect too fast. The longer it took me to save and get a doll here, the more I seemed to appreciate it and what I wanted it to be for me. If I got too many too fast, they just stacked up and took up space and eventually moved on. It really has to be a speed at which you're comfortable obtaining your dolls.

 

I don't think it's possible to collect too fast.
If you can affort it, why not?!
If I had the money I would have more dolls than 2 at home, too xD

I only think it's wrong when your single dolls don't get the attention they need.

 

I am one of those fast collectors. I purchased my first BJD in October 2011 (after researching for three years.) I now have four dolls and two on layaway. I don't think I will always be acquiring bjds this fast but have no regrets about my purchases either.

 

Hi I really like you. As I too think that when you buy your first that it's the end all be all. I have been collecting for about3 year now, and I already have about 50 to 60 bjd. I got my first doll Morphoa from my x I loved her so much that I order Wing, Megi,and Yuri all once. It's been down hill since than. I have them in all sizes. I only buy the ones that I really like, that is with any thing that I buy. You have to look at the coast of the doll, and be very sure that you will not be unhappy with with you buy, because you can't send they back. There are a lot of co. out their as I am finding out. So what I have learned is to find a store that has a layaway that sales the doll that I would like to buy. If possible a 6 mouth layaway plain. That helps with the pain of paying right out the gate. Plus it seems to me that it is taking them about six months to get you the doll.

 

I started slow: almost a year before I bought my first doll, then a year before the next one (which was a present), but after that I lost that initial reluctance in buying new dolls. I'm now four years in the hobby and have 15 dolls, so I feel it went very fast, especially the last 1,5 years. It's ok though, I know what I like now and I know what works for me, even when I still discover molds that might fit my family. But I do want to slow down somewhere soon, and I think I will seriously start to do that when I reach that magic number of 20, which just seems massive to me, uncomfortably so.

I do think you can collect too fast, but it's entirely personal what 'too fast' actually means. Having the money is ofcourse number one, but that is obvious. I think it's trickier where the enthousiasm is so great that you cannot really sense that it is indeed going too fast. And sometimes people end up saying that it went too fast in hindsight because they realise when they look at their collection that it is somehow overwhelming, or in some way not what they would have chosen if they could re-do it now. And since people get so attached to dolls selling (pruning really) might be very hard or not even an option, and then there's no easy solution for that situation. That is the situation I fear for myself, I want to be happy with every doll I have and not keep dolls for sentimental reasons alone.

 

In my opinion, if you love dolls a lot and if you do enough amount of research about the doll that you want to get, fast collecting is not a problem at all.

 

I agree with many here that if you have the funds and are responsible about your finances and your loved ones - then there is no harm in adopting as many dolls as you like. I think a lot of research for any hobby is a good idea.

As for me, I have been in the BJD hobby for about 2 years and my greatest first goal was to adopt as many of the older dolls that I really liked that are a bit more rare.

Now I am getting to that point where most of those dolls I really like are all here and for this year I think I have about 3-6 dolls to go before I take a good long break and just focus on fashion, dioramas and photography.

 

I did the same thing. The second I took the plunge and bought that first doll it was like - why not?!?!? Now that I've gotten six in a pretty short amount of time it feels like I need a break. I think it's ok, but you'd probably be happier waiting a bit. There's nothing WRONG with it. But I have found that I wish I had more time to just enjoy each one for a time on it's own instead of going from zero to a collection. Now I have to step back and think "ok - they're all cute, sure....... but how do I really FEEL about each of them?" If you move too fast you might end up even wanting to sell some........

 

If I can afford the expense, why not buy my loved dolls?
It depends on everyone, perhaps some can buy 5 dolls at a time easily, the others can only buy 1 doll by saving money for a long time