Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

One thing that really bothered me (although I really don't have the right to be bothered by it, but it still did anyways). Neither of these people go to these forums so I hope it's ok to post this... it's to illustrate my ideas on the first page of this thread.

I was familiar with two girls. One of them saved up for ages and ages (upwards of 800 I believe) to buy her dream doll which just so happened to be a DZ. She spent lots of time choosing her perfect eyes, wigs, wardrobe and custom face-up down to every last detail. In the end, she really loved her doll, gushed over it all the time, and didn't seem concerned with the price or "lack" thereof. I think that doll was really the perfect doll for her and she knew it.

Another girl I knew told me she bought a DZ only because she "wanted a resin doll" and because it was "cheap". She turned up her nose at expensive dolls and wasn't shy about voicing her opinion that spending big money on resin dolls was stupid. She... didn't even do any company research or sculpt searching and probably would've believed you if you told her Lishe and El are made by Volks. She did the make-up and clothing herself... looked terrible, were poorly done (blotchy, uneven... like a crayon), and horribly oversized. It was probably one of the worst looking dolls I've seen (irked the heck out of me seeing it on her avatar all the time), and not because of the brand... but because of the whole mindset and treatment by the owner.

I know it's not really my place to judge but I think the later person didn't really "get" the whole doll hobby... she just wanted to fit in with the rest of the "resin club"... and did so by limiting herself to the cheapest dolls and putting the least amount of effort into them that's the kind of thing I don't understand...

 

I started with an Obitsu Gretel. She has gone everywhere with me, has not yellowed, and in many ways she is still my favorite doll, even though she cost under $200. She poses so well and holds the pose forever. I bought my Elfdoll Red to be Gretel's boyfriend. I got my Feilian because my friend got a Megi and I loved the sculpt in person. Most people who have Feilians are crazy about them not because they are relatively cheap, but because they have such personality. Then I ordered an AoD Chen, again because I fell in love with his very Asian sculpt. I got frustrated with how long it took him to come, so to tide me over, got a Souldoll Yewon, which is the same general price range as Mini Super Dollfie, but assembled, sanded and with a face-up (a very nice face-up, in fact).
When my Chen came, you would never have believed he cost almost 1/2 of what the Yewon cost. These are very, very nice dolls.
I also got a DZ BB because I wanted a small doll, they are very cute, and frankly I can't see spending anymore than what I did (just under $200) for such a small doll.
Finally, I needed a girl doll for an outdoor photostory, and did not want to pay an arm and a leg for a doll that was going to get dirty, wet, etc. I had always been drawn to the AoD Zi Yuan and finally decided to order her.
Again- you would not know that these are "cheap" dolls. She is very heavy, poses very well, is extremely expressive, and her resin has a beautiful, luminous quality.
Now I need a boy for another outdoor photostory, and decided I would pay whatever it took to get just the right look. I checked out all the male dolls- I wanted a mature sculpt, not one that looked like a pouty 13 year old boy. I did find some that I really liked (like Jace and Mir) and would have paid that much, but at the time they only came in the very tall sizes and I don't want dolls that big.
The doll I finally decided on as having the perfect "look", ironically, is Bobobie's Apollo. Yes, one of the cheapest dolls out there. But I fell in love with "Luis"- he has a great face.
So- I say, get the doll you like. If you can afford the more expensive dolls, but fall in love with a cheaper one- get the one you like.
And just don't hang out with people who are so superficial that they look down on people with "cheap" dolls.

 

Some people can't justify spending a large amount of money on a doll if they just don't feel they are worth it. That and some people just don't have the money. Even if they save it must be hard to spend $600+ on a doll when that is the equivalent of the rent, or they could buy something for their kids/partner/house etc.

 

I agree with Damson. As much as I would love to purchase the more expensive dolls, I can't afford to. My solution is to find sculpts that suit my taste in the $200-$300 range.

 

I am coming at this from the perspective of a long-time doll collector who has already paid much more for a wax-over-porcelain doll than I've managed to spend on any of my (mainly limited) resin children. Five or so years ago, at an academic conference in New Orleans, I fell hard for a one-of-a-kind doll that cost over $2,000. A graduate student at the time, I didn't have that kind of money for a doll. I put her on layaway and did without a lot of other things for the year (plus) it took me to pay her off. I've done that for quite a few "luxury" items -- if I really, really want it, I will give up a lot of other things (except the mortgage <grin>).

For me it's not a question of "permitting" myself to buy a less expensive doll. I purchase the dolls I like, because I would not be happy if I "settled."

 

DOLLS ARE CHEAP?! *looks about frantically*

I saw the topic, and for the moment I thought it was bizarre, but I get it. Though, it all depends on how serious a buyer is about having a doll.

Luckily for me, the one in my shopping cart is cheap(sorta) -and- gorgeous. Though, if it weren't pretty, I'd just give him a proper face up and whatever facial feature previously flawed would be fine to me.

 

I think the amount of money you spend on a doll should be proportional to how much you love it...and if it's not, it's probably not "worth it". Worth of course, is a thing that varies from person to person. I guess what I mean is that if you like one doll more than another, and that doll costs more, then it i probably worth it...
I had to ask myself for a while about my first bjd...Domuya was having a sale, which I stumbled upon in August, almost at the end of it. I looked through the dolls, and immediately fell in love with Fay. Then, I saw the 50&#37; off sign. I about had a heart attack. I have a hard time avoiding a sale...and I stopped myself from ordering for a while to make sure I wasn't just trying to get a deal....but in the end, I knew that I really loved her, and I ordered her. The fact of the matter is, I had about $2500 in my bank account(college financial aid hehe......), and I chose to spend some of it on her, instead of getting a more expensive one, because she was beautiful, I fell in love, and after looking at pictures of her for two weeks, I knew she was what I wanted.

 

Wow, great discussion.

I buy what I like. Right now I am saving for 3 dolls. All different for me, 2 very large 24"/60 cm dolls (normally I only get tinies) and one 25 cm doll.

But, I love these dolls. They are my escape from real life when I need it - and I enjoy them. I don't over spend, I buy the dolls when I have the money, so I am not creating debt. I guess that is where I draw the line - no dollie debt.

Hugs
Mary-Lee

 

Agreed.

Though, Oh man.. I feel as though I'm part of group of people who jumped at the "cheapo" dolls. Let me just voice my small opinion but picking out the right words seems kinda hard. Haha.

I've wanted a BJD for a quite some time and I knew this isn't a cheap hobby. I wanted a Mini with a mature-ish face for a price that was affordable to me and I found Angel of Dream. I do respect the various load of people who spend quite the amount of cash into their dolls but I didn't feel as though I needed to spend 500-800+ into one doll to be satisfied with what I have. I'm very happy with the mold I bought and even though I'm not the richest person, I'm trying to keep up with my dollies 'needs'.

The thing that gets me is that people look down on those who don't have the wallet-killer kind of doll. x_o I'm sorry for jumping at an opportunity to finally own a doll of my own? It's like criticizing people for wearing cheaper clothing instead of designer threads.

What's wrong with starting small, am I right?

 

The way certain molds seem like fads does cause a lot of stress for the owners who didn't buy them for the fad. For instance, I bought my first doll before I had even heard of Den of Angels; I looked and Volks, Elfdoll, DoD, Leeke... everything. Eventually, I decided that an El SS was perfect for me.

When I finally found DoA and joined, I saw that just about everyone had an El, and I was disheartened. I immediately felt an overwhelming urge to hoard my doll and not post pictures, because I didn't want everyone to think that I bought him just because he's popular, and that he would inevitebly become gay and wear skirts. I was upset with all of the stereotypes pointed at my doll, that I did not know was a popular mold when I purchased.

But, I couldn't help it. I had no outside knowledge. None the less, my first doll was my dream doll, regardless of how many people own him.

I eventually got over all of the stereotypes and the fadding around El, and none of it annoys me any more, but it did at one point. I imagine the owners of cheaper dolls feel the same way when they buy one and then find DoA, or when they buy one before it becomes a fad.

 

Sorry to qoute all of what you said, but I couldn't find just one little stanza to qoute on. I just agree with everything you just said. I'm just like you falling in love with El and later find out that so many others owned him too. El little did I know at that time, was the first BJD I ever saw and competely fell in love with him. Later on I found him on the Luts site after searching many many other sites for my dream doll, but kept going back to him. I didn't get him at that time since my parent's wanted to get me a BJD for christmas and decided to wait for him till then. Then the rest happened just like you, found DOA, saw how many others had him and then I felt like he just wasn't special anymore.

I'm one of those people that never liked things or lose interest in them after finding out that so many others like it too. I was like that with bands, fashion, etc. This led me to hate designer purses since EVERYBODY had one either if it was a fake or real one. Anyhow after awhile I realized that I still kept going back unto Lut's and just spend a few minutes staring at him even though I knew that so many others owned him too. I even went to check out the gallary sections here for him too. So I came to a conclusion that I would wait for him until next year to get him myself to discover more if I really want him or not. At this point I'm still aching for him kind of like a first love *in a way it's true haha* or crush.

However I also found many other dolls that I completely fell head over heels for that all range from doing a Volk's FCS *can't remember the head mold name but I think it was one of the L.A/Sato only molds* to a bobobie doll. So in my opinion I think its all in the Head Mold. If you love it and want it then I don't think price really matters. The more you love it the more it'll be worth your money for. I always believe that a person is just drawn the doll of their dreams no matter if it was considered a "fad" or so. The doll calls to them *sounds creepy but I think its true!* and that person will know later on if that doll keeps calling them, then that must be your dream doll!!! I think I may have sounded cheesy here haha, but I guess that would be my philosophy on this whole thing right now.

so far El is still calling to me as much as he called to all you other lucky El owners

 

If you really like El, get him. If you really like a Bobobie doll, get it. What you do with the mould is what makes it special, unique, and utterly yours, regardless of how much you paid for it. I didn't bond with my El until I got him a custom faceup from Illness_Illusion ($150 well spent, I might add.), and once I did that he became my favourite doll out of the 13 I have, even more so than my limiteds.

I suppose my point is that it really doesn't matter how popular a doll is or how cheap or expensive it is; if you like the mould, you like the mould. Once it's yours, it's different from anyone else's. Why should you care if everyone has one, or if everyone hates them? You like it, right?

 

This really is a great disscussion.
My first BJD was a Soom Kyrie. I had to sell a lot of vintage dolls to buy her & I am so happy with that choice. It wasn't long though before I thought she needed a friend and with very limited funds I looked around and came across a Haute doll magazine article on 60cm Obitsu dolls. These dolls looked a lot of fun and such a great price. Needless to say I brought one. I was so happy with her that I got another. Now I am awaiting the arrival of my 43cm Narae. Again I had to sell off other dolls to raise the funds for this one and I am sure she will need a friend too eventually.
It certainly hasn't worried me to buy a cheaper doll and I am sure I will again in the future.

 

I do see that, but I do believe sometimes people gloss over or don't mention issues as well. I would be totally honest that while Dollmore puts out my favorite sculpts, their quality control is mediocre.

I particularly remember seeing a thread about Dollzone quality in which owners extolled their virtues. Later someone made a thread about the arm parts of her Dollzone not fitting together at the elbow on her new doll and a number of other owners chimed in, "oh yeah, mine too".

 

Nobody here in this thread has looked down on people who don't own wallet-killers, though... this issue doesn't seem to care at all about who does/doesn't own the Cadillac-models. Many Cadillac-model owners here, in fact, also own cheap dolls, or would buy a cheap doll in a heartbeat if there was just the right face.

And [check this with utmost salamander's statistical tally a couple pages back] nobody here has really claimed that it's not OK to like cheap dolls, or to buy them. The strongest anti-cheapo complaint I've seen here yet was about people who buy cheap because it's cheap, but then claim it's because of the beauty-- Kim's award winning analogy to people who claim to "like Jenna Jameson for her acting ability". There's absolutely nothing wrong with liking Jenna Jameson, just as there's nothing wrong with adults liking pornography. But... just don't try to tell us you like her because she's a great actress, right? You like her for her, umm, nonverbal assets. (Or, c'mon, Dad, we know you don't read Playboy "for the articles". ;D )

Also, I will sound totally bizarre by venturing the opinion that there is not a damn thing wrong with fads. Fads are just styles gone out of control; they eventually die down, and are replaced by a new one; they're natural as seasons. Most importantly, there is always a good solid reason that that fad became a fad in the first place-- it has something that a lot of people love. (i.e. Dollzones' cheapness, or El's beauty, or what have you.) This hobby, however, happens to be populated by a strong number of people who have an interest in "not following the crowd", so people get very upset as soon as someone else yells "fad". There are others who don't care whether they're following the crowd, of course, and they love what they love. But most folks I meet here on DOA are really into originality, so it upsets them.

Most people here also seem to agree that the only time cheap dolls are really a problem is when they look cheap and ill-cared-for, and when they are used as 'ammo' for elitism against those who spend more money on dolls. Turynn's excellently-laid-out examples of two diametrically-opposed Dollzone owners is a perfect illustration (scroll back up this page & read).

If they don't feel that any doll is worth their money, then what are they doing in this hobby in the first place?

 

If this is concerning the MSD body, while the elbow does not match the upper arm socket completely in shape, it doesn't take away from the doll itself, quality-wise or posing-wise. Therefore, there's no reason to list it as a flaw in the doll itself.


Also, to all the people saying, in essence, "if you don't want to spend the big bucks, get out of the hobby," I feel this is a poor statement. Why should this hobby be for merely the people who can afford the expensive dolls? If someone wants a doll and will care for said doll, but can only financially justify spending below $600? I don't believe in the mentality of merely buying an inexpensive doll because it is inexpensive, but what if this person chooses to limit themselves to these less expensive dolls for finacial reasons and finds a doll in the price range that they love? Do they have any less right to enjoy this hobby than someone who can spend over $600?

I am also thinking of the youngest of doll owners. Explaining this hobby to their parents may be difficult, but imagine explaining that you wish to spend $700 on this doll. It seems much more practical, in this case, to find a less expensive doll that you love. If a child decides they love an Abio Angel, they can save $200, which is a much easier cost for parents to swallow than $700.

To restate: I do NOT support buying a "cheap" doll because it is "cheap." I support people who cannot spend large amounts of money on frivolous items who find a less expensive doll they love and choose to purchase it and care for it as though it were an expensive doll.

 

I think the reason so many people want to avoid being associated with "fads" is that they'd like to be taken more seriously than the average "fad follower" is thought to be. People who follow fads are -- rightly or wrongly -- thought to be into the faddish hobby for the short-term, incapable of independent or mature thought, and/or shallow individuals in general. No one wants to be associated with those stereotypes -- even the people who fit them!

I know that, for my part, I don't care if other people think my dolls are unique and special snowflakes. If I cared, I would have sold them and bought a Minimee. But I do bristle at the implication that I am here with my elven El only because it's the in thing, and that I will leave once the fad blows over. I imagine that many of the DollZone owners feel the same way.

 

I dunno, Jenny... I think everyone has their limit when it comes to how much is *too* much, money-wise. What's "worth it" to one person may look insane to another, no matter how much they like a particular sculpt or how serious they are about the hobby.

Using a personal example, I have a real affection for the original Volks Captain Cecile sculpt. If I had one, I'd probably adore him as much as any doll in this collection... But I don't think he's worth the $2500 that full-sets go for. So, there's no way I'd ever buy him. I wouldn't pay $7000 for a Bermann, either, even though I think the tanned version is pretty darned foxy.

Does that mean I don't belong in this hobby?

No. It just means that when I sit down and think about how much the enjoyment of a particular doll is worth to me, Bermann and the Captain come up short in proportion to their price. To another collector, a $550 CP standard may end up the same way. They love the El, but can't justify dropping that much money on him, just like I love the Cecile and won't.

Talking about "Oh, you'd pay ANYTHING if you *really* loved them!" is fine, but it's not very practical. A lot of people are more careful than that with their money, and love or not, they set limits they're comfortale with. I don't think that makes them unworthy of being in the hobby. I think it makes them prudent and a heck of a lot smarter than the people who go over-budget or put themselves into debt for their "dream doll".

 

I only buy what I like not bec. of the price. I find that if I buy a doll bec. its cheap I will end up selling it in couple of months.

 

yes i have limits as well...i think Luts Kid Delfs would be the most I'd ever pay...meaning less than 400$ as the rest seems unrealistic to me. Like I think i'm nuts for getting my Baha but she's so awesome...