Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

If I have to settle for a second-choice doll just because it's cheaper, then I'd rather have no doll at all.

Some of the new wave of "affordable" sculpts are appealing to me (especially B&G Rin), but most aren't and none are in my plans right now. So, if I tried limiting myself to 60cm dolls under $300, I wouldn't buy anything.

I do not consider price when evaluating whether I really want a doll, but I do have an upper limit: $1500. There are very few dolls that are that expensive, so I think I'm safe.

I try very hard not to allow my impression of a doll to be influenced by how "cheap" or how expensive it is. I remember for a short while I was wild about Bermann, and in hindsight I see that this was just being impressed by its tremendously high price and demand. I'm so glad I didn't go for it. Same goes for B&G Rin, a "cheaper" doll, which I yearned for because it would be fast and easy to get enough money for it, but which I later decided I didn't actually want.

 

As has been said before - if the doll makes you happy, then that's all that matters. And I'm more likely to be happy with a doll if I know they didn't cost me $500+.

I have other hobbies that take up my resources as well, so there's only so much money I'm willing to spend on dolls. (That said, I still seem to spend an awful lot. ) There have been plenty of expensive dolls I've considered buying, but I sometimes suspect that the angst of knowing I've spent $500+ on them will negate the enjoyment I get from their beauty. Plus, weirdly enough, I'm actually kind of ambivalent about a lot of the more expensive sculpts - and if I really like their face that much, then I'll probably just buy their head and find a cheaper body that matches. That limits my options a bit, though. (I really like the AoD 1/3 girl bodies, and the Dollzone 1/4 boy and girl bodies, but I've yet to see a 1/3 boy body I really like.)

I've never really seen a sculpt that instantly made me go, 'OMG I MUST HAVE IT REGARDLESS OF PRICE,' apart from Tinybear BonBon and Vintage Ai Odree. I spend a lot of time weighing up the pros/cons.

If it's a limited that I really like, though, I would definitely consider paying more for them.

 

Well, they are toys, after all. If you find one you like and it's cheaper, then go ahead and buy it, I say.
That being said, the reason I don't have a doll yet is I'm still happily saving $600 on the amount of money a full-time student gets for my dollie ^^

 

I settled for less and then sold 3 for the one dream. So to say settle for less would be so wrong and so expensive in long run. MK

 

As animemom said.. if you buy the cheaper doll just because it's cheaper, you'll most likely pay for it in the long run. I, myself bought a DD body for my Lishe head. Many people are perfectly fine with this body, but.. I was really unsatisfied. So... Rey got sold.

A lot of people buy cheaper dolls and are perfectly happy with them. There's nothing wrong with a doll just because it costs less than others. But if you buy a doll for no reason other than it costs less than the one you really love.. you're making a mistake. Go with your gut! Buy the doll you fell in love with first, and you'll be glad you did.

 

I restrict myself to purchasing only the cheaper varieties available just because of the cost - I couldn't afford $400 + for the doll alone, then add face-ups and clothing into the mix. Doll Zone is absolutely my favourite brand and I think I'll be purchasing a majority of my dolls from them - I think they're really well made and affordable.

 

Personally, I buy the dolls I -want- and damned with the price.

If I am paying out any money, I don't just want to be happy with it, I want to -love- it.
If I liked a cheaper doll, by all means I would get it at once, but I would not choose a cheaper doll over the one that I want purely due to price.

 

For me as long as the doll is a sculpt I love, and the overall quality of the doll is not affected in anyway by the price then I will pay for it...and if that price just happens to be cheaper then the more money I have to buy clothes,wigs and other accessories

 

I don't think it's a problem at all. How many people want an expensive car of some sort, but end up buying a cheaper one?

My current 'dream' doll is a DZ Yuu. Some might say he's on the cheaper side of the hobby, but he's still more then a bit out of reach since I can't get a job at the moment. This christmas, I paid for the majority of a Bobobie Charisma, and got the remainder of the price as a gift. She is completely awesome and I wouldn't have traded her for any of the more expensive ones at the meetup.

As long as you end up with a doll that you like, I don't think the price should matter. In the grand scale of things I'm thanking Bobobie for a price that I could actually attain. If I didn't buy anything at all for a year, sure I could bring home a Yuu. But the fact is that Bobobie's are almost in my grasp. I've had $100, even $200 dollars numerous times in my life. It's something I know I can do.

I don't plan on ever paying more then $300 for a single, nude doll. Sure there may be some exceptions, and if I ever actually have the money to get my Yuu he's coming home.

 

I agree w/Pawpaw & Animemom: if you buy a doll just becauseit's cheaper, you'll end up regretting it. And if you're at all like me, you end up getting the cheap ones AND the expensive ones, and being stuck w/dolls you didn't really want to begin with. IF you really love a more expensive doll, wait for it. IF it's price that counts, how much does it count? Is it the major factor? Can you live with a cheaper doll & be happy with it?

Thus far I've got a soul doll and a Limhwa - both fairly pricey, as dolls go. Add in the eyes, wigs, materials for faceups, shoes, & fabrics for clothes (thank god I sew my own!) and we're talking over $2K so far on both. BUT I don't love any other sculpts the way I do these. I wouldn't be anywhere near as happy with a sculpt I didn't feel was as lovely as these.

On the other hand, I also get quite a bit of enjoyment out of dressing my motley collection of 1/6 Volks & Obitsus, all of which I've modded, which was additional enjoyment, playing with modding the features, etc. in a way I don't dare with the two far more expensive 1/3s.

It all depends on your motives as well as your means. I don't think I would ever pay over $1000 for a doll, especially if at least half of that went just for costuming. I'm fortunate enough to be able to reproduce whatever I see as far as clothes/etc. go...but I can understand someone who can't, who dearly wants that one fantasy doll & outfit, if they can afford it.

 

I didn't look at the prices until I started saving for my first doll... I had to look up the prices of the other dolls in question now, to see which would have been the most expenssive... since I don't find the prices for Mini Fees anymore... I can't really say... but it dosen't matter... I chose him because I loved his face.
I wanted a MSD-sized one... not because they are cheaper, but 60 cm is a little too big for my taste...

I can't really answer the question, if it's okay to buy the "cheaper" one first, since all the dolls on my wishlist are from the same company, same size...

I don't prefere to see expenssive dolls over "cheaper" in the gallery... In fact, most of the time I don't know which are the "cheap" and which are the expenssive ones... what I don't like, are poor photographs with no artistic value... blurry... bad lightnig... a messy background... and this can happen with every brand of doll...

 

I think you should only buy dollies that you Love regardless of the price ^__^.

 

People should only buy what they can afford. Do not make yourself go starving over a doll. If the doll is too expensive, then don't buy it.

 

Personally,I don't mind the price unless it's a LE that won't be around a long time.

Most of the dolls I'm saving for are $400-$700 with/without face-up.

But most of them,I'd like a custom face-up on.

 

Well I looked at a lot of sites that were really expensive, and I liked a lot or the dolls, but the major price turned me off of them. I couldn't imagine saving up that much money, and had a sickening feeling that if I did, by the time I bought it and went through the long days of shipping, I would want a different doll. v_v, sad, but true.
Plus, after one buys the doll, they usually want some clothes too, which just adds more to the cost.

So I looked at a cheaper site, and instantly loved one of the dolls ((I'm almost have enough now!)) And looking back at the expensive ones, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much ((for saving up i painful when there is so much manga and anime out in the world that I must have *tear*))

 

Well I think you should get the doll you love first. I have a list of dolls (around 5) that constantly get moved around on my list but it has nothing to do with price. if you get a doll that is cheap because it is quick and or you have the cash on hand then you wont be as happy later I think.

 

I just spent 35 pounds (yes just 35) on a Tiny... I never would have got a tiny but seeing as she was so cheap I went for it... and I could not be happier with her and all because I did not look down on her because she was cheap

 

buy the doll you love or the doll that moves you. The cost is irrelevant. It's not anyone else's money but yours, and nobody's doll but yours

 

well for me..
i've been eyeing a cheap doll as of date, and i guess it would suit me just fine because im only starting on this bjd thing..

but i guess i'll settle for the cheap ones rather than the expensive $450 dolls that can be similar to what i want despite the price, and beside all i want was one...

yeah~ only one.

**edit
~sigh, i guess its a bit right to look at the doll you like the most, you can buy a head first then find a more affordable body afterwards...

i guess i really do change my preferences now...
but for the recors, not all 'cheap' dolls are'nt lovely, i like bobobie dolls and especially resinsoul and some other doll companies.. so i guess a whole lot of research is important, before deciding on buying one. I guess that is the bottom line.

 

I think first and foremost one should always go for the doll they love the most. Settling for a doll just because it is 'cheap' is never a good idea, imo. I think those who limit themselves to the 'cheap' dolls are really losing out on many incredible dolls that they could have had if they just saved for a little longer.