Is your doll really 'Limited'.

Absolutely! Thank you.

Limited is "limited" - if you're arguing that you want to redefine the current definition of "limited" - Restricted in duration, extent, or scope; confined. - then that's one thing but to say that "limited" has lost its meaning because the difference between a Bermann limited to eleven and a Soom MD limited to 200 doesn't meet your personal criteria for qualifying as a Limited Edition is a bit....ahem....limited.

It's amusing to me that for the most part the word "limited" is negative in definition/connotation but in hobbyist circles we consider it the highest form of collectible!

I think Limited Edition indicates that the mould was released in X amount of limitation and thus is a Limited Edition item - when a company re-releases said LE mould....that irks me insofar as the initial category of the first run, however, I'm thrilled that those who wanted a harder-to-procure doll are now able to - maybe - bring one home.

 

Yes I know the Soom dolls are 'limited', but when there 200+ of them made can they really be considered limited?
The Soom MDs are deffinately limited. I think we all know the pain of missing one their sales periods and trying to acquire a doll later. And 200+ in the grander scheme of things isn't so much.

Or atleast do you think/find that some people place to much weight/value on their doll being Limited when it's not very limited?
I think the value placed on a doll- at least for me is #1- how much did I pay for it to begin with, and #2-How hard would it be to replace it. I cringe at the thought of trying to replace my Sard if I sold him, same with Kurumi despite the re-release. She still commands a hefty amount on Y!J though not nearly what she WAS.

When do you consider a limited doll to not be 'truely limited', and/or when does calling it 'limited' really lose it's value?
Limiteds are a gimmick no matter what. They are designed to hit the pocket book hard and fast. Your fear of missing out overcoming your desire to save up for that new washer and dryer. But it's hard to say no when there are only 5.

Feel free to discuss a doll that you first have seen that was not very limited and then became a sort of 'true limited' doll. So when does a doll really become limited?
Those discontinued Dollshes. People now seem desperate to pay hefty amounts for what were standard dolls like Saint and Husky. Personally I don't get it.

Also those Tans from Luts which they discontinued. Those seem to fetch a pretty penny in the MP. There don't seem to have been many sold to begin with so I can see why they are extra special now.

At what point do you think people can really charge more for a 'limited' doll, because it's limited?
I think the general market forces generally set the price, along with Y!J Auctions. Plus what people are willing to pay. I think if someone sees a Soom sell for $5000 on the MP than the next person to sell that doll will want to get the same amount for their doll.

Because a doll is 'limited' does that suddenly just make it more valuable or more important then 'standard' dolls?
Well, in terms of a collector market- yes, absolutely. Scarcity is a driving a force behind the prices and interest in items. Otherwise I could have bought Suigintou on Y!J auctions for her original price. It's to be expected.

Have you met people who think their 'not very limited' dolls are so special, while your 'Standard' is more rare or was hard to get, and what do you do?
No, not really. Also I only have one three standards left in my collection

Is there a point when a doll isn't really 'limited' just not for sale any more, and is there a difference? (Such as a discontinued mold, is it suddenly just as valuable as a limited, or not?)
Wow I have no idea... this goes back to those Dollshes- ask Dollshe collectors...

Is it simply 'numbers' that determine if a doll is truely limited? Or is it just because a company says it's 'limited' that makes a doll limited?
It's the company AND the numbers. If a company sold a doll limited 5,000 I think they'd have trouble selling them all. Limit it to 50 and now your onto something.

 

Limited may not always mean rare or hard-to-find, though they were produced with some sort of "limitation" (# of copies or duration of production). Strange how that works! I've seen quite a few standards that are way harder to find simply because they didn't sell well at the time and were discontinued early (Volks MSD Fairy series, for example).

If it's a limited it may be hard to get, or it may not. A doll's availability tends to have more to do with strange popularity cycles, I've noticed. Suddenly "Doll X" is a must-have, when last week it wasn't. That happens a lot!

Raven

 

Why don't you get that? The original run of Dollshe moulds was not limited - outside the Bermann, of course - but rather sparsely supplied, however, once Dollshe discontinued those dolls - bodies and heads! - they then became "limited" by virtue of the fact that they simply are not made any longer! Some Dollshe fans did try to purchase the classic DS boys at time of production but were too late - I completely understand those "now limited" dolls being sought after and going up in value.

 

200 is hardly a large number of a product, IMO. Regardless, as has been posted above, "limited" has a clear meaning, and what companies usually refer to as limited editions are well within it. If there was a limited time ordering period or only a certain number were made, it doesn't matter how many specifically were made. It doesn't matter what happens on the aftermarket. It's still a limited.

Now about whether or not people go overboard bragging about their LEs I don't know, but this is a collecting hobby. Limited items are of value to collectors. The actual monetary worth of a collectable item after it has been purchased is determined by those within the hobby. If someone's being rude or snobbish to your face because you don't have an LE doll, or brags too much about their own, that has more to do with their manners than the existence of limiteds ^^;.

 

Like Raven and others have said up-thread, there's a difference between a sculpt that's Limited and one that's Rare. (And neither Rare nor Limited status necessarily means that the doll in question is Valuable... That's still a different can of worms. o_0)

For instance, strictly speaking, a Volks School A is a Limited. You can only buy them at certain times and in certain places. You can't simply go to Volks' international site and order one any time you like. In spite of that, they're anything BUT rare. I suspect those boys are among the most numerous head sculpts in the entire hobby. They're also one of the less expensive SD-scale heads from that company.

On the other hand, there's the doll I happen to have sitting next to me as I type; a CP/Delf Edgar. As far as I know, there are only four Edgars among DoA's users... counting this one. He's a Rare sculpt, by any reasonable definition, but he's not a Limited. Edgars are freely available. They're just unpopular. Like Dambi, Kum Ran and Jess, even if they're up on eLuts for years, I doubt they'll ever catch enough owners' fancies to become as common as a School A.

So, are even the most common Limiteds really "all that", or are the Rares more of a collector's item? I honestly don't know. For me, it doesn't really matter. I tend to buy what I like regardless of its popularity or chance of future availability. I have an Edgar and a School A because I like them. It doesn't really matter to me how the rest of the community sorts out their relative value. To me, they're equals. Likewise, I don't think of my dirt-common Standards as less than any of the others, either. My Shiwoos aren't inferior to my Eden, nor are my Breakaways yards ahead of my Moons.

 

I agree with a lot of the sentiments about "limited vs rare" that have been posted... they aren't necessarily the same thing. And even if a doll is limited to 1,000... it's still technically a "limited", whether it was a time-frame or quantity limited.

But there are plenty of rare dolls that aren't limited at all. Edgar (from the post above) is one good example. I have a Soom Nion, of which there only seem to be a handful on DoA, even though she is a standard sculpt available at any time. For that matter, near as I can tell there is only one FantasyDoll Victor on DoA, even though he was an inexpensive standard sculpt available for a couple of years (until the company discontinued their mini sculpts). However, he still isn't a "desirable" sculpt by any means.

As for "specialness", I've never really held with the belief that a doll is somehow automatically more worthy of respect/awe/ogling/etc solely based on its "limited" status. I like the sculpts I like, and I dislike the sculpts I dislike... limited/standard status isn't even a part of the equation, really. That's why I have dolls that are all over the map, as far as limited/standard goes. Now, if a sculpt I really adore is rare, I might be a bit more excited to see it when it pops up... but that's just because it might not show up as often.

 

Limited, by definition, is a restriction. Confinement, a definite end. Whether there are a million or five, if there will never be another re-release, or re-releases will always be in limited numbers or for a limited amount of time, then yes, it can be considered 'limited.' There is a restriction on its release.

In this hobby the term 'limited' has an altered meaning, mostly because of exactly how many different 'limiteds' there are out there, how common 'limiteds' are released, and also because it's really still a niche market, though it is growing.

Soom MDs are limiteds, yes, despite having hundreds sold around the world. They are sold under a time restriction, and therein lies their limit. As Soom continues to release MDs and re-sculpt their fantasy parts, and as other companies begin to sculpt and sell their own fantasy parts, their limiteds could end up enjoying only minor inflation, deflation, or even remain at par. It all depends entirely on how people view these limited dolls in a year or two.

I've met some people who put far too much weight on a doll being limited/discontinued. I used to chat with one girl who only liked limited and long-discontinued dolls. She put a lot of weight on this point. At the time I myself had mostly discontinued dolls and event heads, which she took to like a moth to flame. When I talked about being excited for my incoming Bory, a very popular sculpt, she was disinterested and waved it off because of how common it is. While I think it's perfectly fine for someone in this hobby/as a collector to be only interested in limited editions and discontinued dolls, putting so much weight on only this type of doll and dismissing anyone else's interest outside of this is quite silly and rude. In other words, it's fine for oneself, but not when it comes to insulting another for their tastes.

Truly limited is really in the eye of the beholder. I can see how just about any doll that is temporarily released, even multiple times, can be limited. Some Limited Editions are on a different level of consideration altogether. One-offs and LE25/50/75/ETC even of a general release sculpt are still limiteds because the combination of makeup and/or clothing make it such. Take away these things and the doll is no longer limited.

Supply and demand dictate the price of 'Limited Editions'. As has been stated previously, if there are enough people who don't have the item who want it, and only a small number are being (re)sold, the price can be driven up. Especially if the seller does it as an auction. At this point it's in the hands of the buyers who decide how much it is worth to them. A seller who doesn't sell as an auction can determine their own price however they wish, but whether it will sell at that price isn't really up to them. It's up to the buyer.

Limited does not automatically indicate importance or value. A limited edition doll could actually flop and not sell very well at all. After it is sold out it could still not sell on the secondary market very well at all. On the other hand a limited edition doll could easily sell out very quickly, almost instantly, if it's popular enough at release, and re-sell for an exorbitant amount right off the bat. To some people the word 'limited' piques their interest immediately and they'll shell out the cash for it, but honestly, it's all really in our minds, I think, that because there are so few they're more important.

Discontinued != limited. People use unpopular sculpts as an example here, but there are some more popular ones or ones that enough people liked that get discontinued as well. Finding these on the secondary market can sometimes be tough and drive up the price. They aren't official Limited Editions, but they obtain the same qualities, simply because of the demand after the fact.

Numbers aren't the only thing that makes a doll limited. I mentioned earlier that outfits and makeup also make it limited. There are a few things that factor into what makes a doll limited and what makes it simply scarce. A company has every right to call a certain run limited, and if there are no more, or even small, limited runs later on of the same sculpt, the doll can and is still 'limited.' You can't always get it, therefore there is a limit on obtaining it.

 

If it isn't now, and hasn't ever been, a standard doll available at all times... it's limited. That's what limited means! Sure, some dolls were standards and are now discontinued, and those can be more rare than dolls that are actually limited that sold better, but they're not "limited", they're "discontinued". One of my standard dolls seems to be much more uncommon than any of mine who are "limited" (meaning my gift event MNF heads and the Clockwork Xi-Aliester - nothing rare there). He still doesn't qualify as "limited" though.

Are limited dolls more valuable? Some are, some aren't. Are they more special? Some are, some aren't. Prices are what the market will bear, and they will fluctuate based on availability and popularity (Beanie Babies for example... once rare coveted ones are now easy to find for a quarter at many thrift stores). A Soom monthly might not be rare, but it's still "limited" - once it's sold out, no more are available.

So yeah, if only a certain number were made, it really is limited. And if it was only available for a limited time (even if a zillion were sold) it still really is limited. Maybe not a valuable limited, but it is limited.

 

It doesn't matter whether something is limited to 10,000 or limited to 10-- if it isn't regular stock, then it's limited. There's no grey area about it. Like trying to be slightly pregnant.

 

hah, I like what Jenny said just above me. It's very true. The marketplace may seem flooded with certain "limited" dolls right now, but someday they might be highly sought after as it cycles back to supply and demand. Their limited status doesn't fluctuate with the number available. And with new people coming into the hobby each year, demand tends to increase for most sculpts.

 

This. I would probably say limited to me means they were produced for a limited amount of time, or there were a limited number made and sold. It wouldn't matter how many were made during that limited time, be it 10 or 10 000. They're still limited.

Rare on the other hand, is a whole different ballpark and I think the distinction between "limited" and "rare" is a factor in this debate. Just because it is limited does not make it rare, even though the term 'limited' is usually considered to be synonymous with it. Just because something is rare doesn't make it limited - but what if you couldn't get a 'standard' anymore? What if there were only so many in the world left? Does that make it limited? No. However, it does make it rare.

Frankly limited dolls to me are just that. Limited by time or number made. I don't think limiteds are better, but hey, some people might. I quite like a lot of my standard dolls and I think they're great. Some other limited dolls I kick myself for not buying, but I hope they come up on the MP later (at a reasonable, non super-inflated price).

Rare dolls are what I consider to be something that is worth more than what was originally paid, unlike super-inflated limiteds. Like my Serendipity Valencia boy. I just got him today and man, I have to say that I am so glad I snatched him up. He may not really have been 'limited' but the fact that he is out of print now and he's no longer made - to me that makes him rare. Especially since you don't see very many of him around at all. To me this 'standard' doll is worth more than my Heliot in terms of personal and monetary value because it is rare. If I ever resold my Valencia (which I don't see happening), I would price him higher than I would the Heliot (relatively speaking of course).

I suppose everyone has their take on things, but that's just my view, really.

 

I believe there are a few things we are really discussing here being limited, rare, in demand and discontinued dolls.

As I see it a doll is limited if it's availability is limited whether there are 5 or 5000. It could be limited by the number ever intended for production eg elf lishe was 78, elf user was 200, or it can be limited by the order period after which they are no longer produced such as soom monthlies.

A doll's rareity is not necessarily related to whether it is limited but to how many are sold out into the world. Dollmore makes limiteds where only 50 are made but non limited dollmore dolls such as Ray are possibly more rare as they are less popular and therefore more rare. Soon in question euclase and chrom are equally limited by the company but since chrom was more popular at the time of ordering euclase is more rare he is not more limeted he is more rare. Not the same thing.

Discontinued dolls are standard release dolls that are no longer produced. They are limited in number but do not count as limiteds as they were not a limited release in any way. Examples would be soom gem dolls, the early souldoll dolls such as Paris and similar. Discontinuation may or may not affect price dependant on desirability or demand and rarety.

Desirability or demand is how much demand there is for sales. If a doll is in high demand it will sell easily.

When you combine the above factors you get an influence on price. A high demand rare limited will fetch a premium at sale while a low demand rare ltd will fetch a lower price of take longer to sell. A high demand standard maybe worth more than a low demand limited.

Personally my collection is mostly limiteds most of them were bought aftermarket and I love them as much as my standards. I have the dolls I have because they suit the characters not for status or presteige or because they are limited.

I despise showboating based on company volume or limited status of dolls. I have a large collection with a lot of limiteds and consider it less worthy than those of people with just a few that embody their time care passion and love. My collection has a wide assortment of sculpts and I can say I have been accused of showboating but it is generally a desire to share the experience of so much variety. I have never had to deal with limited eliteism and if I did my stance would be "good for you, that's nice. I hope it brings you pleasure and I wll take pleasure in my own dolls in my own way"

 

I am wondering where all this showboating by limited owners is happening, because I NEVER see it here. No one has ever said to me here, or anywhere else for that matter, that their limited is so much better than my standard. So I do wonder where the complaining comes from. On the other hand, I have had so many people ask me "Why did you pay that much for that thing?!" and tell me my LE10 boy is a piece of shat, and omg why did they even make one of him, let alone ten, just because he is so limited. Not because of their own personal tastes, because every single one of them loves The Crow and goth stuff. Then they compliment my Minifee Shiwoo, possibly one of the most dirt common dolls out there.

I think that limiteds are just that - limited dolls. There could be 1,000 of those dolls out there, but it's still limited because the number itself is a limit imposed. Take for example some Tonner dolls that are limited to 1,000 - that number is nearly unheard of in BJD-dom, and I can guarantee an LE1000 would not sell out as quickly as some of those Tonners do.

The market will determine the price for the doll, as others have said. The buyer will pay what they are willing to pay.

Limiteds are not more valuable. See my statement about an LE1000 - an LE1000 doll would definitely not be more valuable. Now, if the limited was also rare, it would definitely have more monetary value than a standard or other more common limited. Rarity most certainly raises the price. Discontinued sculpts are not limited, but sometimes they are rare. Some discontinued sculpts could go for more than a SOOM MD because the market desperately wants one and they are rarer!

Limiteds and rare dolls are not necessarily more important or "SPESHUL" than a standard. I love my MNF Shiwoo just as much as I love my Film Noir Lawrence (Okay, kind of a lie, I love the Lawrence a bit more because he was my first doll, but that has nothing to do with his limited status!). People can certainly play favorites in their own collections. I do it. But I don't think that my limiteds are suddenly more OMGAWESOME than a standard, be it my own standard or someone else's.

This is getting to be a bit tl;dr. Bottom line is; limited =/= rare, rare = more valuable if the market demands it, limited/rare =/= speshul snowflake, and yes some people can put more stock into whether something is limited or dirt common, but I have yet to run into one of these people personally.

 

I agree with the general "limited does not equal rare" statement.

Limited doesn't equal more valuable or 'better' to me, either. And my response to rare dolls is "Wow, well done," but that's as far as it goes.

 

i own some soom MD dolls and to me they're in fact limited. just because if i accidentally broke some piece, it's difficult to find a replacement then. even if they was sold 200+ pieces. and i think a doll sold as limited, it can become more limited while the time passes, look at the sard, for example.
but in fact i give more value an a doll sold in limited number than a doll sold in a limited period.
i had a crobi limted 30 piece lance dreaming, and for me he was as a "rare" doll, because i dont remember to have seen pictures of him anywhere except mine.
i also think a color of the resin can make "limited", if it is not an option with the standard production. i own an HZ doll in tan, and he is limited 10 pieces, and even if he is not so popular i consider him very rare.
the only thing that can make me very upset is when a company do another re-sale of a limited doll (see crobidoll mikail, for example). but only if a doll was limited in a number, not of sales period.

 

In personal states, I say limited is this:

Out for a certain time limit - It's limited in this way *kinda like SOOM* cause it's out for a limited time and not out to by all the time like the 'Basic Dolls' that sites usually have.

Made in an amount - Err...okay I guess the word doesn't really make much sense but whatever. This is pretty self explanatory seeing as it's made in certain amounts, ect.

A limited doesn't loose it's value unless it is suddenly placed within the 'You-can-buy-forever' category.

 

This is really interesting to me as I recently found a "limited" doll for sale that I liked. The seller was charging more for it than another standard doll from the same company (although it had a beautiful face up) but I found it hard to see what the actual difference was apart from the name. I asked and was told the body was slighty different. Not being familiar with these dolls "in the flesh" and not being provided with an unclothed photo, I wondered what it could be. I searched on here and found that there was supposedly a difference in skin colour, but this doll had the same skin as the standard, so I was confused.

I suppose this is a little OT from the actual question in the post, but I was wondering what generally makes a limited doll different from a standard one of the same sculpt in general? Would it come with clothes or a special face up? Is there any actual difference usually in the doll itself? I know the answer may cover a wide range of things, I'm just wondering if the word "limited" is a bit redundant when noone really knows what is means, how many were made, and what the difference is from standard. :/ (of course by this I'm talking about this particular situation, not times when the informatoin is right there on the company website!)

 

Really it depends on the company. ^^; I only personally collect dolls from so many companies and only really keep track of how their limiteds work so can't speak necessarily in regards to the specific doll in question.

Of the companies I collect, when they make LEs of their standards, the differences tend to be: nicer and more detailed face-up, better quality eyes used, a special LE wig. Some also do special skin tones and special outfits. However if say someone was selling a Volks LE Elena and had wiped the LE face-up and was not including the eyes and wigs, she'd really be no different from a standard release Elena. ^^;;

My thoughts on LEs.... like so many others I agree Limited Edition does not equal the same thing as rare. It particularly gets tricky when a company doesn't release how many dolls were produced in there "limited edition" or when the dolls were pre-order for a certain period. Were there 200 dolls bought (a small number to me when you consider world wide collectors) 2000, 20,000? There is really just no way of knowing.

I happen to like the Yo size best, so many of my dolls are LEs, but I wouldn't consider any of them particularly rare or all that hard to get.

I always feel like you see a lot more of any of the Volks LEs than you see of their standard edition dolls despite those dolls being standards.

 

Ah! That explains it. It seems like they were always in stock and sold through multiple companies so it seems like there ought to have been plenty floating around. I mean whenever I went to the old site they were always in stock.