Keep OR Sell?

@CutieKitty

Pardon my artist jargon.

A doll reaches the end of our time when the sculpt stops 'speaking'. Does that make sense? I no longer desire to take photos. I don't feel the urge to change clothes or hair, and when I do, the sculpt still feels bland. As though the life is missing. When a doll 'speaks', it gives me ideas. Photoshoots, outfits, stories I want to tell. And when I'm no longer inspired, it's as if they fall silent. They're no longer prompting me to be creative.

Sometimes a doll needs a break. I put them in a box for a while, and bring them out when they feel fresh again. But if I don't miss them after some months? It's as if they don't exist? Then it's time to move on.

Good dolls satisfy, even when they grow old and the first thrills are gone. Just looking at them brings enjoyment.

When it comes to your MSDs, I cannot speak for you. But you may want to start fresh. Neither doll is satisfying you, and from the look of it, never will. I went through that too, early on in the hobby. I had two SDs and two MSDs. Out of all, the shorter SD was the only doll I truly enjoyed. I sold the others and moved on with SDs and YoSDs. It was years before an MSD sculpt caught my eye again. And now I have seven.

On the flipside, when it comes to your Volks girl, if you love the sculpt and the faceup is all that's bothering you, you might send her to another artist of your choice? You wouldn't have to wipe the face yourself, and you could have her remade any way you liked.

...Although, you said you've considering listing her more than once. Maybe now is a better season in life for car money.

 

This is going to sound really stupid but it is the advice I give everyone who is having issues making a decision. Do eeny meeny minnie moe. I know it sounds stupid, but keep reading. When you are done, if you find yourself hesitating, or disjointed, or really relieved and happy, or hoping for one outcome, you will know how you truly feel. it works for me with a lot of things. Like I said, sounds stupid, but works really well. Hope this helps!

 

When I lost my job in 2015 I had to sell most of my personal possession to make ends meets. Back then, credit card companies chased me up for late payments. I wish I have sold them earlier because I gave far too many interests to the bank it's like pouring money in the drain.
Then recently, I had an argument with my older sister because my older sister was being a "b". She always complain about tiny things like water droplet on the floor, the vacumn cleaner not placed properly, table cloth not dry, light switch not turn off etc. When I argued back she shouted at me to move out of the house.
These incidents like that had really waken me up. Survival is the most important thing. How do I survive? I needed money. I purged and throw away a lot of dolls and potted plants because I cant carry them all with me. However I am keeping 2 of my dolls because they will be like my companionship.
Try to imagine the most tragic scenario and you will know that simplicity is all you need.
Fix the car. Driving a unserviced car can be dangerous to you and other drivers. You dont want to live in guilt do yo? Dolls can be replaced. And ask yourself do you really need that many dolls?

 

For me, if I have any doubt or hesitation, it’s not time to sell.

If I’m certain about it, it’s time. This is usually when I stop caring about the character or have a new doll that’s better for a character, have no interest in buying new things for it, and start seeing dollar signs instead of potential.

If I’m unsure, I put it away in the box, out of view for awhile. I’m a hands-on collector. I like to do something with the dolls daily, whether it’s changing clothes, roleplaying, taking pictures, sewing, painting. I like to look at them often. If I can put the doll away for a month and not feel the urge to take it back out, then I’m ready to sell. If I miss it and bring it back out, I’m not ready.

 

Ah that is a good way of doing it. lot faster too, though you need a coin.

Thats a good idea too.

 

im kinda in the same spot as you too! i was deciding if i wanna sell my napidoll rogebell, because i can't really bond with her...maybe it's the faceup as well(?) like I want to wipe it and send it to my favorite faceup artist, but because napidoll doesn't really make her anymore, so her factory faceup is kinda special I mean I'm not really in a super tight spot where i need a new care like you, but I'm still worried about my finance even though I'm still in high school and living under my parents roof xD

 

If I look at a doll and all I see is a big, fat dollar-sign - it's time to sell it.

 

What I do if i am unsure is, I box/bag them up and put it where I cant see it. After a couple of days, If I cant stand not seeing them then they stay, if it doesnt make a difference, they get sold. I did this a week ago with my one boy and he didnt even last in the box for a full 48 hrs before I was in tears.

 

I ask myself if a fire/tragedy destroyed this item and its purchase price were in my hand again, would I jump to buy it again? No?

Do I experience positive emotion when I hold it/wear it/use it/see it? No?

Then why do I have it?

Life is far too short to drown yourself in *things* that don’t fill you with gladness every time you land eyes on them.

 

Great answers above tbh, many of which were deciding factors in me selling off a lot of my own dolls, with or without regret. I think it's also worth looking at from different angles, since not everyone views dolls as having a kind of life to them, or something that pulls at their heartstrings. Or it could just be that its a combination of different factors of heart and practicality that matters to you...
If you're someone who collects for value, or collecting's sake, there's also the consideration of whether or not this doll will gain value over time, if it's high enough quality to keep for many years, or if it's even something you'd want to pass down as you get older.
I personally view my dolls as more the pulling my heartstrings type, but now I have a niece I absolutely adore, and she's very enamored by my dolls, so I'm also considering now what dolls I may keep to give her one day Some dolls I regret selling a little for the simple fact I feel she would have loved them.
But hindsight is 20/20, and you cant anticipate everything eh? You gotta do what you gotta do when money is tight, and it's not the end of the world if it ends up making you sad to have one or two less dolls. I'm not very well off, so I had to sell quite a bit after I went out on my own. I miss the dolls I sold, but in the end, having the necessity I sold for was more important.

 

Your answer was perfect @Loptr I couldn’t agree more.

I know once I left the Blythe doll community and started to downgrade my dolls I picked the ones that didn’t speak to me anymore, I picked the ones that didn’t inspire me to take photos or dress them so I put them away and if I didn’t miss their presence then those were the ones I picked to find new homes for. I didn’t feel bad, I knew they were going to new homes that would love them and give them attention.

That being said sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do, sometimes we have to make sacrifices and if there’s no other financial means of you to repair your car then you should let one of your dolls go.

 

For me I like dolls that look good in a grouping. If one isn't quite on the same level as others, and I don't like it was much as I once did, it would have to go. Also if I've made endless wigs, done faceups, an am just not enjoying a doll in pictures or in person, I'd let it go.

 

For the only doll I've sold so far, I tried several things to try to better connect with her. When that didn't work I kept her in her box for a while. When I started to occasionally forget I had her as part of my group, I knew I was ready to let her go. I have a few others I'm not sure about, and I don't know how I'll decide with them.

 

For me there are several factors. If I don't feel like doing anything with the doll, have no plans for it, haven't bought/made anything for it (like wig, eyes, etc.,) or if nothing I'm doing "works", then that's usually a sign it's time for us to part. At that stage I think about whether or not I'd buy it again if I could go back in time, or if I'd be sad or upset to lose it. If the answer is no to both of those, then yeah, up for sale it goes.

I haven't sold that many dolls, and all the ones I have sold (with one exception- I just knew that head wasn't going to work) have been careful considerations. But they also haven't been particularly hard decisions. And that's how I know I made the right one. So far I don't regret selling anything.

 

Another thing to consider is the availability of the doll. Is it limited? Is it one you've had customized and would be hard to duplicate? Could you always just buy again when you have the money in the future? That's something I often consider, too. If the doll company consistently has that sculpt available and I know I can repurchase in the future then I'll sell. Other dolls that I sold have been due to impulse buying or just lack of interest in the doll once it got home. It's kinda like the mannequin syndrome when you go clothes shopping, looks good on the mannequin but not on me.

 

hi everyone I'll get right to it, I have a doll which is my first ever bjd and I bought it second hand from a very nice lady, and unfortunately me and the doll haven't been able to bond very well I've been considering the possibility of selling her, but I feel conflicted about it for multiple reasons.

1: She's my very first bjd and of course that's special, but she's definitely not my favorite doll and I feel kinda bad about that. I think I may have rushed into buying her because I got caught up in the moment.
2: The woman who sold her to me is extremely nice and was so friendly through the whole purchase. She told me the doll was once a grail doll of her's and that she was sad to sell it but she was saving for a very rare doll that suddenly became available. I feel bad to have promised I'd care for this doll and then turn around just a few months later and sell it.
3: I do love the doll's make, but the resin color and face sculpt isn't my favorite of the options, I would prefer a different face and resin color, I had jumped on the change to buy her just because of what doll she but I realize now I think I'd be happier were she a different sculpt. However it feels kinda silly for me to sell a doll just to later buy a slightly different version of the same doll

Now of course I realize she's my doll in the end and I can do whatever I want with her, but I can't help these conflicted feelings if anyone has any advice it'd be much appreciated!

 

My very first doll was a wedding gift from my husband. She was a cherish doll faith (tiny) Alley Unicorn. And when I had picked her out, I only did so because wishel was no longer around and I was desperate to get ANY doll. We couldn't afford the luts or soom dolls that I had originally wanted. Once I had her in my hands I was so overwhelmed with excitement at "my very first doll" that I completely disregarded any negative feelings I had for her awkward size. She was between a yosd and a lati yellow size. I had a hard time finding her clothes and I couldn't sew despite my best efforts to learn.(Eventually I was able to sew and it made it easier.) It went on for several years where I fell in and out of bonding with her. I got her in 2007 and finally in 2013 I realized that she just didn't fit. I gave her faceup after faceup, character change after character change. In the end I talked it over with my husband and decided that she needed to find a new home. I ended up trading her for my teenie gem Dolomi and bonded with her instantly! The guilt over selling "my first doll" and my wedding gift kept me trying beyond what I think most owners would have. The bottom line is that if there's something not right about the doll and it's keeping you from feeling happy when you're playing with her, then you should do what will make you happy. You can give the lady you bought her from the option of buying her back. But it's really not that uncommon for dolls to move along down the line if they're not bonding. Some other nice person who loves that sculpt and resin color will bond with her and give her a loving home. You do you. Do what will make you happy.