One expensive or few cheaper?

buy which ever one you like better
although sometimes quantity over quality is not a bad thing. and cheap doll doesn't mean cheap quality anyway. if i like the expensive one little bit better than the cheap one, then i will go ahead with two cheap dolls. but if i really in love with the expensive one, then i will go ahead with the expensive one

 

What counts for me is the quality and looks of the dolls. Not the quantity. So I'd go for the more expensive one rather than many cheaper.

 

I did just the opposite of this.

When I first started I went for the cheaper dolls, usually ones that were instock somewhere as well, because I wanted a lot of dolls and I wanted them yesterday.

I mean they did have to look a certain way that I liked, but I wasn't very picky. I don't regret any of them. I do like them all or I wouldn't have bought them, but I have gotten much more picky the longer that I have been in the hobby.

I used to have this limit of $250 or under for a MSD and $450 or less for a SD, try to buy on sale, but yeah, that went out the window with the bath water a long time ago. I have now decided if I really want the doll then I am going to get the doll. I am going to treat myself to the more expensive doll if that is the doll that I really want. I am no longer going to try to find a similar doll in a less costly price range, I am just going to get the doll that I want.

I have a good collection of BJD's, I feel that I can be more picky now in choosing my future dolls. I am no longer in a rush to collect them and I want ones that are going to suit more of what I am looking for without the compromise.

 

My current collection is definitely "a bunch of cheaper dolls bought instead of one expensive one" and... I love it that way! I felt too precious with a more expensive doll and dare to do so much more with my rag tag crew now. Since I handle them and diy for them a lot, I'm bound to get some scuffs and scratches and feel better if it doesn't feel like a huge financial dent made. I also love having a few vs just one for group photos :3 That being said, I feel like I'm also good with the amount I have and will probably upgrade a part here or there instead of getting more dolls any time soon. Everyone collects differently, I honestly don't thing there is a wrong choice.

 

I'm 12 dolls too late on the "I wish I had just one doll that was extremely spoiled" train, but I do wish I had minimized my collection as I was building it. I won't be tricked again into buying a doll that was "relatively affordable" compared to one I've been dreaming of. The rush of getting a doll you've wanted for years is insanely different than "well it was only $150! that's a really good deal!"

I am more careful with the dolls I can't replace or would be a big financial investment to replace. Cheby is the only one of my largies I would hold upside down by one leg at a convention for a dumb photo, but that's just being irresponsible and not normal play.

As for just one doll being lonely, just save up again. The number of people who can actually keep their collection at 1 doll is.... almost no one. It just takes time and patience.

 

I'd say whatever you would enjoy more is what you should go for, but don't be tempted into buying dolls just because they're there and you can afford them. Much of my collection over the years has been filled by FOMO impulse purchases that I ultimately offloaded back in 2021 after realizing I wasn't happy with the way my collection had developed.

On the other hand, that's not to say I don't have any "affordable" dolls in my collection, I just got pickier about which dolls I liked enough to commit to spending money on. I don't think there's anything wrong with purchasing a Resinsoul, for example, if that's what you really want (I adore my RS Mi), but I also don't think it's a good idea to buy 3 in-stock Resinsoul dolls when you'd really prefer something else.

 

On the long run, for me it doesn't work buying other doll/s just because the one I fell in love with is more expensive. It almost made me quit the hobby the first time, so I haven't chosen the cheaper one ever again. My dolls aren't overall that expensive either (with exceptions), so I would always wait and save a bit more so I can have the doll I really really love.

 

For me, the whole point of this hobby is all about discovering my aesthetic tastes and preferences in dolls, and then buying the dolls that fit my tastes. So it makes no sense to me that cost, or the size of my doll collection, is an acceptable substitute for my tastes.

That said, I do think about size of my doll collection. My personality leans heavily towards curation instead of collection, and my main way of enjoying the hobby is to play with my dolls A LOT, take crazy amounts of photos with them, and spoil them silly with making/buying clothes and props and stuff. So I strongly prefer fewer dolls over more dolls. Similarly, I can't be bothered with hunting for rares or grail dolls -- some BJD collectors love this, but that's not the way I enjoy the hobby. I may fall in love with a sculpt, but if it's rare, hard to get, unavailable now, or beyond my budget/personal spending limits, I'm less likely to buy it. But I do this accounting/price consideration after I find a doll that fits my taste. Taste is always king.

I don't think there's a simple answer to the OP's question, because everyone has different collector preferences and ways of enjoying the hobby. Sometimes the answer is one doll you can spoil silly; sometimes the answer is a few dolls that you can enjoy as a group. But I think it's easy for some hobbyists to conflate price and aesthetic taste, and substitute one for the other -- which will likely lead to disappointment, and it leads to the common BJD adage of "don't settle, save up for the doll you really want." So I'd separate "expensive vs. cheap" from "one vs. few". They're completely different things.

 

For me it really depends on the doll. While I will factor in price (Australian dollar is making me cry) I have to love the doll at the end of it. Quality will win over quantity.

I would rather have the one than a potential 2.