Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

For a while, I actually am limiting myself to cheaper dolls. Not to complain, but my family rarely has plenty of money, not even enough to save. And I can't work until I get my diploma. So it's gonna take me a long time to get my Shiwoo XD

But when I got Blaise, I really did love him, even if he were admittedly a 'test' doll. If it's any consolation, I picked my favorite 'cheap' doll after much consideration of other companies XD and I really do love Blaise, even now when he's yellowed, dirty and wearing a mediocre face-up.

I'll be getting my second doll very soon, and yet again, I limited myself to $300, which was gift money. But I don't feel bad at all for choosing another cheap doll. Because I totally fell in love with Lettice, my Asleep Eidolon Yara. I love everything about her, and I can't wait for her to come home!!

Even though I'm not ashamed of having cheap-ish dolls, I'm actually often worried what other doll owners might think about me. I'm afraid they'll think my dolls aren't good enough or don't compare to theirs, even when I love mine as much as they do theirs, or more.

I'm not the type to buy a cheap doll just to have one. For instance, I really dislike the Bobobie scuplts, except for the Sprite head. And I'm not too much into tinies, either...well, there's my two cents!!

 

i have no problem with people preferring to buy the cheaper ranged dolls. for me, its all about the connection. If i see a doll i like, and i feel a certain connection with it, whether or its the charcter im looking for, or the mold that i love, i'll buy it. regardless of price. i just spent almost 1k on my doll. and that was definately out of my price range. But i know it'll be worth it. As long as you love your doll, then i dont really care, how much you spent on it

i personally prefer sd sized dolls. i dont really like, any bjds smaller then that . but thats my cup-of-tea. i have nothing against people who get the smaller/cheaper dolls. i dont think less of them at all. ^^~

 

My first doll with be a B&G Sharon. I'm not buying him because he's cheap, it's cos I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him and knew he was the one for me.

 

i find it hard personally for me to save up large amounts of money. i think i'd much rather just buy one that is cheaper that i like rather than one that costs twice as much that i love.

but, like alot of things, this all comes up to personal opinion. for me, i think, if you can afford it, why not? but don't go overboard if you'll be hurting because of it later.

 

I feel like I could save a large amount of money in order to buy a doll that I really really want to have at home ! But I understand that some people are not going to do the same ^^
And I have no problems with cheap doll too...
If you love your doll, its prize is not a problem !

 

Pretty much everyone is in agreement that if you like the doll, then who cares how much you paid for it - whether it was $180 vs. $600 makes no difference in the long run. This concept can be applied to any consumer item, really. Most things have various options (like TV's and computers). Each has its own pros and cons, and as previously mentioned, just because one of them costs more doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

Now, to the younger set who have a more dispensable income, saving up and not batting an eye at $600 just for the doll (not including all the necessary accessories like wig, eyes, and clothes) doesn't mean much. I'm not saying all younger collectors practice this; it's just a generalization. On the flip side, for those of us who are older with monetary commitments like rent, car payments, food, and bills, parting with that same $600 is a lot harder. This is not to say that older collectors are incapable of saving money especially for their dolls in addition to all those expenses ... but in an age where costs are rising and wages aren't meeting the hike, buyer's remorse is at an all time high.

I haven't become a doll owner yet. I eventually would like to become one. My "dream doll" right now is a Dollzone Megi-2 ... while I don't get why some individuals would call Dollzone's dolls "cheap" (because honestly, $300+ is not cheap to me) ... at this point in my life I just cannot justify even saving up the cash, for there are other priorities that take precedence. So what's wrong with finding a more inexpensive doll that one likes just as much, or likes in general for being a different doll? I've got a thing for Bobobie's Apollo, and he's significantly more reasonable. It's still a lot of money ... over $200 with accessories ... but that's OK. This is NOT a cheap or even a "light" hobby to get into without some serious research and thought. It would be such a shame for one to drop a fortune on a doll without knowing all the details or even if they like the hobby ultimately at all. No one should be looked down upon because they opted for a cheaper doll out of finances. Obviously you liked the doll enough to purchase it, so who cares if there's a more expensive model you were looking at too? One day, you could have the money. But for now? Be happy with what you decide; that's ultimately what's more important.

 

Fifteen years ago, a couple of my dearest friends got heavily involved with Mattell's Pink Princess. I not-so-secretly thought they were kind of nuts to be spending that kind of money on "mere" vinyl dolls, but hey, we all have our own priorities. Ten years ago, a different kind of vinyl doll captured my attention by reminding me of my long-gone childhood favorites, and my beloved husband bought her for my birthday. That first child doll led to a new obsession and a couple hundred companions. Three years ago, some of the vinyl collectors at our local club meetings started showing up with ABJDs... and I found these new resin creatures, well, meh. Perfectly lovely modelling, adorable sculpting, the kind of microscopic tailoring & attention to detail that sent me into raptures on a 16" vinyl fashion doll -- but none of the increasingly varied dolls that showed up at our meetings each month set off my WANT buttons. Volks, Berman, DiM, Naripon, limited editions, special face-ups... all very nice, but I could admire them without being in the least interested in owning one.

Then one month a collector with an extensive collection of tinies showed up with a Puki Sugar. I was intrigued, and curious. Went to the Fairyland site and saw my first Pushika. Three days later, my poor appalled husband got to hear me explain how I *needed* to spend more than I'd ever paid for a vinyl doll on the Pukisha he now refers to, with only slight exaggeration, as "your hundred-dollar-an-inch doll".

So... I try to remember never to say never. But do I regret "wasting" ten years and mumble-mumble dollars on vinyl child & fashion dolls that are, right now, probably unsaleable even for pennies on the dollar? No, because every one of those dolls gave me great pleasure at the time. Theoretically I could have saved or invested that money and be much better off financially today, but IRL, I'd have "wasted" every dollar on some other transient joy. Some people smoke, some people amass wine cellars, some people travel the world or buy Jimmy Cho shoes. I buy books... and anime... and dolls. Is all good. Even if I'm probably the only ABJD collector in the world whose doll gives her nostalgic flashbacks to a 1950s children's novel called Impunity Jane.

 

When I was first pointed in the direction of the BJD world, I found myself saying, "Are these people insane? How can they be spending $500 on a DOLL?! It's like...tiny!" Then after a few more hours (yeah, it didnt take long) I realized that what I had originally thought was ridiculous.

I soon fell in love with BJDs, and was destined to join the community...needless to say, I already had a list of BJDs I wanted to eventually own.

Some were cheaper than others, but my dream doll was the DS Hound. I decided to go for him, simply because I wanted him and I wanted him NOW! XD I do not think that everyone should go for their dream doll right off, especially if there are other dolls that they'd be happy with that would be home with them sooner.

I don't think I'll ever ristrict my budget to cheaper dolls...but that's just me.

The way I see it, if you want to get a doll really badly, but it costs more than others, just take that extra time or effort to wait for it. If there's a doll you'd love to obtain, but also a few cheaper...and you're looking to get one ASAP--go for the cheaper one for the time being. Kinda keep you company and encourage you to go for the more expensive one ^^


Even though I've got him home now...I really wish I could save up money better. I had no problem stashing it away when I was saving up for him (since I wanted him home by Xmas)...but it was still soooo tempting not to take money and go shopping >w> Hopefully it'll be better once I'm older and have a job...haha. Then I'll be worrying about other things though --ugh-- Can't I stay 16 forever? >< haha...not really. I'd go nuts.

 

I fell In love with DZ Yume and Feilian before I even saw their prices which were in USD anyway, and I use GBP, so It wasn't very clear to me anyway.

When I found out it was only about £120, It didn't change how much I loved their cute faces. I chose Yume in the end, even though I liked them both a lot.

 

I think its okay to buy more cheaper dolls, there are some people who cant afford to do it and just wish to have one. But i also think that those people still look how the dolls looks.

I for example bought obitsu parts and made one myself, it was very heap but he came out to be very cute (have to post pics of him *reminds herself*). Anyway every person is the boss of his money ^^

 

My first doll was chosen because she was cheap.
I'm not ashamed of it, nor did I regret this.
I love her mold and I wouldn't change it even if I would have all the money in the world. I however am going to change her body, because it does have it drawbacks.
I chose a bobobie because I didn't want to spend alot of money on something and find out I wouldn't like it. Now that I know I love it I'm looking at the more expensive dolls, but I also look at the cheaper ones.

 

When all of the dolls on someone's wishlist are Dollzone, Bobobie, and Angel of Dream, it really does bug me... if you fall in love with a doll, price shouldnt matter, and some people seem to only buy from those companies because they want a BJD quick and they're cheap, while others really do fall in love with the dolls from those companies.

I don't have a price limit, but I have a point where I start to get wary.. It does help that I don't like most of the bigger dolls. I have my eye on a 63cm doll, but I'm not going to commit to her until I see more owner photographs. ^_^

EDIT: I don't think everyone buys those sculpts because of the price! But I do think those companies are so popular BECAUSE they're cheap, even if some people really do love the sculpts, others are settling

 

But unless you ask them personally what their motive is for buying only these three brands, how would anyone know if the person really wants them, or if they just want a quick fix? All of my wishlist dolls are from Bobobie and Dollzone. But I agree, if there's a doll you really want, you shouldn't default to another brand you don't really like because it's cheaper than the other. My friend and I debated on which doll type she really wanted and decided that, while one model is a bit more than the other she was considering, she likes DZ Megi-2 better.

It's not really for any of us to make the call of, "You only like Bobobie [or whomever] because they're cheaper!" Because my answer is, "Well. Yes, I do. That is a reason why I like them a lot, but it is not the only reason. They're pretty and I can afford them." So, what?

Thing is, you can't tell a person the only reason they wait for books to come out to paperback to read them is because of price. And if you love an author, you shouldn't wait for the paperback version, the price shouldn't matter.

Unfortunately, price does matter, it matters to a lot of people.

A Bobobie Weylin IS on my wishlist, as is a Shoyo from Dollzone, and a Rin from B&G. But why should it matter if I like them above the $700-900 dollar doll? I fell in love with a Rin sculpt, and truth be told, he is the most expensive one on the list. And yes, price is a factor. I like him because he's less expensive and still gorgeous. Will I get him first? Probably not. I'll probably get a Weylin first. And I'll love him as much as I'll love a Rin.

 

Yeah, I don't get that. Why would you get like 20 cheap dolls that are somewhat cute and pretty, when you could have fewer dolls that are amazingly gorgeous. I always thought this was at least SOMEWHAT of a collector's hobby, with people buying dolls they love because the dolls are beautiful and make the owner go . The owners would try to make the doll look as pretty as possible by getting the perfect faceup, wig, shoes and outfit, and take well thought out and posed pictures of the doll.

Now it seems like we have a looot of new members that come in, see these dolls in the gallery, and think "how can I get me one of those, and how can I get it CHEAP?!" Then they proceed to dress it in a sock, buy the cheapest eyes and wig possible, do their own shoddy faceup or leave the doll blank and take pictures with their cellphone. I know this is mean, but if you're going to do that, why are you in this hobby? The main aspect of these dolls is the visual beauty. There are other reasons we collect them, sure like expressing a storyline/character, living vicariously through it (it may wear clothes we dont have the body for, etc...) but if its only the non visual elements that are getting expressed, it would make more sense to take up writing instead.

I bet some of those cheaper dolls could look really nice if a professional faceup was commissioned, they had nice, well fitting clothes, good quality eyes and wigs, but so far *I* have only seen these dolls with varying degrees of the treatment described above. (with one or two exceptions)

 

What I don't understand is why people seem to have such a hard trouble believing that people actually can fall in love with a sculpt from one of these lesser priced companies. Maybe you ( in the general sense you ) don't like them, but have whatever happened to the kindergarden lesson we all learned in that everyone is different? That we all don't have to like the same things and that someone's tastes may gear them toward a Bobobie or a B&G?

There is a thread, I think, somewhat related to this in the General Discussion about which company people favor for their sculpts, and I'm pretty sure that's a clear indicator that usually if people absolutely adore one sculpt from a company, chances are pretty good that they'll probably like other sculpts from the same company. So doesn't it just make just a little bit of sense that if someone falls in love with a Dollzone it's not highly unlikely that they'll like other sculpts from Dollzone as well?

I find it very assuming to think people like these 'cheaper' dolls only because of their price tag. To ask why would someone want 10 cheaper dolls instead of 3 or 4 more expensive dolls is pretty much assuming that the owner can't truly love their cheaper dolls as much as they would a more expensive one. I'm sorry, but I think that's ridiculous. I don't love my things or my dolls because some may be more expensive than others, I love them because of what they are and what they mean to me, and my $200 Angell-Studio means just as much to me as my $450 DoC, not any less.

 

You are making some major major assumptions that you should not make. You assume that the only reason people are buying them is because of the price and not because they genuinly like them. Just because you don't find them as gorgeous as some of the more expensive sculpts does not mean that other people feel the same as you do. What's the point of spending money on a more expensive doll if you don't like it as well? Why do you assume that people don't know what they like or want? You need to look beyond your own preferences and accept that not everyone has the same opinion about sculpts as you do. I know what I like and every doll I bought from the $150 Bobobie to my $670 Unidoll I bought because I think they're beautiful, and I get a great deal of enjoyment from them. I know many people who feel the same way about their dolls.

Through out all price ranges you will see dolls done up in a variety ways--some more polished looking than others. If you look around you'll see some fab inexpensive dolls and some rough looking expensive ones (and vice versa, of course). Having the money to buy a more expensive doll does not garauntee skill level, or taste for that matter (though that can be largely subjective anyway). I've seen some darn nice inexpensive dolls and would like to see owners get a little more credit than they are often given.

 

Amen, InkyBear. Criticizing collectors who prefer the "cheaper" companies versus the more expensive ones is pretty egotistical. Since when has $200-400 become cheap for a doll? And most of the time, that's before accessories! Everyone who is into this hobby and claims to have done so "on the cheap" probably got their dolls as gifts and make everything themselves. Does that make them any less of a collector? No! It's pretty small-minded to only consider a person to be a BJD collector if their dolls all come with $600-$900 price tags. That's like saying you're not a real collector of fine art unless you possess an original by one of the Masters. Beauty and art is all in the eye of the beholder, and you should stop and consider that owners of the "cheaper" dolls actually like - and dare I say, prefer - these particular companies molds.

I personally don't like the Volks molds. They aren't appealing to me. That's the God honest truth. I've looked at some of the other companies that are considered "high end" and all have $600+ price tags, and honestly, I don't see much of a difference with them, either. Some are pretty, and very nice. But I don't see too much of a difference. Now, I fell in love with B&G's Sky. At first I was going to shoot for a Bobobie Apollo - because yes, I am a new collector and am very against spending so much money on a doll. But I'll save a bit more money, and go for Sky, because I clicked with him. My best friend has two Bobobies. They are adorable, and well made. I have two other friends with B&G's. They adore them, and they are excellent dolls. One of them does her own face-ups, the other makes her own clothing.

What people do with their own dolls is their own business, and criticizing those who want to be a part of the BJD collecting world but can only do so on a budget makes you a poor sport. These "cheap" dolls aren't cheap once you add the wigs, eyes, and clothes. So what if the owner does everything themselves to save more cash? Does that hurt your dolly "reputation"? I didn't think so.

 

I've been skimming this on and off and I find myself amused. I ordered a Bobobie March recently. That's "cheap" for what I've seen but... >.> Still got a pretty price tag when it goes down to the fact that it's a doll. I wanted my first doll to be an Obitsu, I love them but I just can't explain why. And I utterly adore DZ dolls as well and that has nothing to do with price.

Same as my thing for a few DOD's. Just random taste. I think part of my thing with March was that she's got less of a price tag for my first doll, but I honestly couldn't stand how most of the Bobobie dolls looked before I saw her. And even then I didn't like her but was so drawn to look at her again and find owner pics and... Well just downhill from there. Had to have her!

Yeah, I'd much rather spend less money but if I have to save up for one I really, really adore then I will. It's not just about the price tag, if it was I would have turned my back on this hobby and told myself no a while ago.

 

Agreed.

>_> Even the "cheap" dolls are still pretty expensive... I mean, my parents still kind of go "What were you thinking?" occasionally when they look at Saif. Though now my little sister thinks all the higher end dolls are insane because Saif with hair, face-up ,tanned, and clothes was $365 and then an Iplehouse Tatiana is $345 naked and face-up-less...



And in the end... is anyone going to go out and buy a Narae if they like a DOD Petsha more? The Petsha is cheaper than Narae at least at base price. Why should it be any different when someone picks a DZ Feilian over a DOD Petsha? Why is there so much suspicion about whether someone actually likes the Dollzone or whatever? Heck, does anyone question when someone decides to buy a doll cheaper on the second-hand market instead of the same doll direct from the company? Getting something good at a nice price is just icing on the cake... or more money for clothes and shoes...

 

I have a bunch of stuff to say on this topic, but I want to read through the whole thread first and haven't finished yet... in the meantime, since it seems to be relevant to the current conversation anyways, could someone tell me why people consider Dollzone "cheap"? It always comes up when talking about lower-price BJDs. I would peg it as being at the lower end of the "normal" price range, not cheap... a blank Dollzone 1/3 is $440. Meanwhile, blank Buddydoll 1/3 girl is $478 and blank Soom Gem is $500 and yet nobody refers to them as cheap - it's not that big of a difference, really, so I find it absolutely mystifying o.o does it have something to do with the fact that Dollzone' aesthetic is a bit different from most other companies? ...hang on, I just realized DIM Memory is $375 x_X (at least ATM... perhaps they're having a sale?) Honest to goodness, why is it always Dollzone that = cheap?!