Is it too expensive?

This hobby is definitely expensive, much more so than, for example, collecting keychains. But there are tons of equally expensive hobbies out there.
Although initially it is expensive it's only as expensive as you make it, there are ways to make it cheaper just as there are ways to make it more expensive. How expensive it is/becomes depends on your personal tastes and how much you're willing to spend on it.

 

It is certainly expensive, but I think it is worth it~

 

I think it's as expensive as you make it. eventhough I think that if you're absolutely in love with a doll you should get it because, the feeling of having something you really want is wonderful. So by all means, save up and get what you really want. But again it all depends on what you're looking at and what interests you. That's what makes the hobby expensive or not.

 

The hobby is rather expensive. I also collect CDs and books, so every time I buy an outfit or a doll; I mentally do a conversion to x CDs or y books. Now when I consider the number of hours of direct enjoyment anticipated in dressing, posing, photoshooting, that tends to palatably offset the conversion.

That said, I would have difficulty actively encouraging someone to consider the hobby that wasn't well off financially or generally fiscally responsible.

 

yes, and the fact it is in reality a tiny market that makes it inherently expensive, and no doubt doll companies base their prices on the market and what other companies are charging for the equivalent models, but how much do they really cost to make? they come out of korea so that means cheap labor, and who knows they could be making them for less than $100

i think dolls like dollfie dreams are more overpriced than resins, to the point of being quite ridiculous, especially the limited models.

i tell people what they cost and most fall over at the price, and i speak to so many people who would love to own super dollfies but they are to to far out of their price range to afford, i am sure if they were cheaper a lot more would take up the hobby.

but having said that, take up modding cars or collecting guitars and it gets expensive really quick, and spending $700 on a part is nothing

 

To me it is definitely how you make it. I think the most expensive part would just be buying the doll (Depending on the company your going with). With shops like etsy it's hard to really say this hobby is expensive. And it's not like you have to put a down payment on something every week. Like me I personally buy stuff for my doll maybe once a month maybe twice if I feel like it. I treat this hobby just like it is, a hobby. I still have personal bills and finances to take of and what ever little cashI left from that I would splurge a little for my dolls but make sure I have all my bills paid and have money for food XD.

 

I will say that the hobby is very expensive, but I do agree its as expensive as you make it. The doll doesn't really need a lot. A wig and a set of clothes should be fine, but we constantly want to change it up. We want to see the doll in a new look.

 

Well, it's all relative, isn't it? There are certainly hobbies that can be as expensive or much more expensive than bjds. And yes, you can refrain from buying lots and lots of expensive stuff for your dolls. Or just not buy a million other dolls. I think it's very true that people can make a hobby really expensive or not in this manner.

I think people just look at the price of most dolls and are surprised by the price... but they don't really think about how much they pay for their own hobbies if they add up everything.

 

Is this hobby expensive, or is it as expensive as you make it?

Both. It starts at a certain level of "expensiveness" (is that even a word?), but it's our own decision how far up the endless price ladder we'll go. My own choice was to go for rather expensive dolls because I love the sculpts, but make my own clothes / accessories, because it costs less and I'd rather use my limited funds to get the dolls I really love. So while I do own expensive dolls, I'm pretty sure I don't spend as much money on the doll hobby as a whole as many others would.

I'll also second what pretty much everyone else said - most hobbies are expensive once you take a closer look. I think the reason why many people think the doll hobby is extra expensive is because a doll costs a huge chunk of money all at once, other hobbies "spread out" the costs so it doesn't look as much.

 

I'd have to agree with this wholeheartedly. I think a lot of folks in the hobby start off with one doll (IT'LL BE MY ONE AND ONLY I SWEAR) and end up buying another, however. Totally went through that.

 

It is an expensive hobby. But it's not too expensive unless you make it be. If you have high quality taste, where you want to only buy your dolls very tideuos or well made clothes and accesories, it will be very expensive because those will add up to the price. And lso if you want to give your dolls a lot of very nice accesories and props it's gonna add to that. It peoples personal taste or preference actually. If your good at sewing, count yourself lucky!

But all in all, if your are veryinterested in this hobby, EVERYTHING will be worth it

 

I think The hobby can be very expensive. I find it very hard to stop buying things for my dolls, I try to save money and make stuff but end up spending money on loads of materials. I think to some people it can become a kinda of addiction. If you can control what you spend on them then it become far more manageable. This is something that I still haven't learnt yet

 

This hobby is very expensive. And to a degree; too expensive. At least for me.

A lot of things happened in my life these past years, a lot of economical crises etc and so my dolls were safely put away and stored until very recently. I grew curious about the hobby again, and found it sad that my beautiful dolls that I used to spend so much time and money on were just lying there in the dark. So I took them up, got them dressed, fixed their wigs and logged back on Den of Angels again ( ). But what I also did was re-check all my old favourite dollsites and... wow. Really, wow. I had seriously forgotten how ridiculously expensive this hobby is >_< And I honestly can't even remember how I managed to afford all this to begin with! I could just drop 780 dollars on a doll just like that, then another 400 on clothes, wigs, eyes etc. How?! xD

Now I am planning on finally finishing my Migidol Jina head, but this time around I am actually saving. Putting away a bit of money now and again instead of just buying it straight up like I used to. The hobby is VERY expensive, but now at least I have learned to plan it better. Gotten older and wiser about money

 

I agree this hobby like any other hobby or life itself is as expensive as you make it.

 

It can be expensive if you make it that way. There's plenty of 'cheaper' dolls that people have done marvelous things with, but some people only want the more expensive ones like Volks.

But realistically, it's not any more expensive than any other hobby. Some people buy a lot of shoes, clothes and purses and they don't bat an eyelash at spending a few hundred on those, or a few thousand on a classic car/motorcycle/equivalent... or even some models (airplane, anime, etc.) and stuff like that.

 

I definitely think that for the most part, it's as expensive as you make it. I think the big thing is that the hobby does have a big entry cost, but then again, if you plan to be a collector and buy multiple dolls, then yes, it does continue to be expensive.

But for a lot of people, I've noticed one or two dolls us enough, and once you get past the hurdle that us the cost of the doll, it's not a whole lot more expensive than many other hobbies. (For a pretty fair comparison, collecting posable figures and their accessories is about as expensive as doll accessories, but it's probably seen as a more affordable hobby.)

It also depends on how handy you are: a lot of stuff can be made to by yourself quite cheap if you have the skill.

 

It's a mix. I think yes, the dolls themselves are always going to be crazy expensive, even if your perspective on the value of dolls changes over time, it's still a LOT to pay for a hobby! But other than that, it's about choices that define how much you will ultimately spend. Yes, quality eyes\wigs\clothes\accessories are expensive, but not as a rule, and there are a lot of okay quality things for less that can be made better, or you can even make these things yourself if you've got the skills! Or faceups even, I've seen people charge over $100 for a FACEUP. But yeah, no matter how much you can justify spending a lot to yourself (and I have nothing against that!), it's always going to be a lot compared to other hobbies.

 

It is an expensive hobby, even to buy just one doll requires some serious saving for some people. But once you've made that initial investment, I don't think it necessarily has to be overly expensive. There are so many tutorials out there for clothing and accessories. I'm really excited to start sewing outfits for my boy!

I think it's the same as any hobby, really. You have to make a decision about how much you can afford to put into it, and work with what you have.

 

I will go with the opinion that it is as expensive as you are willing to make it. It is a hobby, after all. You chose to get into it in the first place.
I spent my first years of being interested in BJDs by doing research and looking at pretty pictures of other peoples dolls and I consider that part of the hobby as well. Not the same part as owning one of course, but a part of it non the less.

Even if the dolls are expensive, the wigs eyes etc. can add upp to huge amounts of money, you do not have to get it all at once. Dolls can wait if you don't have the money right away. They don't starve or freeze or die of neglect. The doll will be every bit as pretty in the end if it took years to save up for the parts as if it was done all from a single paycheck. I will not show how long it took, so I think it's fair to say it doesn't have to be very expensive at all.
Even if you can only set aside a small amount every month you can still have a wonderful doll in the end!

 

I agree with people who have said it is as expensive as you make it. Years ago, when the hobby was much smaller, it was certainly lots more expensive. Now, however, your chocies really determine how "expensive" a hobby it will be. And most hobbies do have some sort of "expense" associated with them.

Things like choosing a specific type of doll (size, manufactuer, body type, etc), the quality of items you buy for them (glass eyes or acrylics or custom silicones) and the way you purchase them change the expense of getting into the hobby. But making choices once you are in it also can add to the expense. Some people already sew and have a sewing machine and fabric, others buy those things for making doll clothes. Some already have artist-level equipment and some purchase airbrushes, brushes, paints, pastels, etc to get into doing faceups. Others pay for those things from artists or the doll companies.

I don't think they nessicarily even out (for example, someone buying clothes from an artesan vs. buying a machine and fabric could be saving money) so there are certainly more "Expensive" routes to take in doll ownership.