Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

I think it's important to buy a doll because you love him or her, not simply because you think he or she is within your budget.
I understand being restricted, especially due to the dreaded 'economy issues', but I don't think that's any reason to buy a doll /because/ he or she is cheap.
And personally, I have my heart set on a doll that I intend to save up for and purchase, no matter what state I'm in financially.

 

When I was choosing my first doll, and my knowledge about dolls was at minimum, I resticted myself to buy one of 'cheaper ones'. There was absolutely breathtaking dolls, ones I would like to grab right there... but I didnt have much of moneys, and I didnt want to save for months and months and months. I wanted a bjd, as soon as possibe, to put on it little shoes and lovely clothes... for me, as long as I liked a face, it was fine. I wasnt going for DREAM DOLL.

So, I end up buying B&G Aurora as my first. And you know what? I am not regretting it, even for a tinies bit. I know, if I had more moneys, and didnt restrict myself, I would have buy different doll. THAT'S why I am happy I resticted myself. 'Cheap' dolls often overlooked because 'cheap' seems like 'bad' by defoult. And it's not right.
I loved my 'cheap' doll from first instant I opened the box, I had great fun making her clothes and bying her stuff... because of her, I purchased good expensive camera, just because I wanted to capture her beauty. And also because of her, my 330$ doll, I realised that 600$ is not that scary and it's not that hard, to save moneys. With her, I learned whole lot about dolls, and realised what kind of taste in dolls I have. My eyes do not look in 100 directions at once now, I know what I look for, and, also, I found my dream doll (zaoll luv, which I see as masterpiece doll, most perfect doll I ever seen among bjds. And it wasnt love from first sight, I must say)

So, I want to say, that resticting yourself is not always bad thing. Yes, I restricted myself because of childish and spoiled I WANT IT NOOOOOW but I am happy I did. I love my girl so deeply, I would never ever exchange her for any other doll, pricy, or limited, or even my dream doll. End every time dollpeople ask me how much she costed (not so popular mould, you see), when I see their shocked faces, I know, I take good care of her.

 

The choice of buying my first BJD has been a very difficult one indeed, I've been looking for my first for a year and a half now and there have been some many releases that have all caught my eye its been rather overwhelming...

I like all dolls whether it be the expensive LE monthly dolls that Soom have or the 'cheap' B&G dolls. I don't want to limited myself to only the 'cheaper' dolls but I find myself doing it unintentionally. It doesn't bother me that much thought because I love so many of the less expensive dolls I know I will be just as happy with one of those than if I got a Limited doll

Eventually I will save up for one of my dream dolls but in the mean time i'm happy building up my collection with the more attaintable dolls that I like.

 

It's very important to buy a doll you LOVE I think. At first I was going to buy a very cheap doll, I won't announce the company because it's offtopic I think. It was made of ABS. Then I thought thoroughly and decided that I'd be saving up until I'll be able to buy the doll I really LOVE. It isn't very expensive doll, but it's twice more expensive that one I wantad to buy first. So... we should all listen to our soul I think.

 

I use to be more the other way around. I refused to buy dolls under a certain price. I felt that if I was going to be spending that much money, why wouldn't I just go all the way and get exactly what I want? Once you pass a certain amount of money, in my mind, what's the purpose of bargain shopping? Choosing something mainly on price? You dropping massive amounts of money on something just to settle on something that's not your top pick. What's the point? Well, that's my view. ^^

 

Sometimes the price is too much. I guess while if you had that dream doll that was mega expensive you have a problem.

On one hand this is a dream doll and if possibly you can afford it but on the other hand you might be worried that when it arrives it just isn't as good as you hoped originall and have wasted a lot of cash, there are other reasons also.

If people are on a budget and decide to restrict themselves to a budget cool for them. I have tried, originally it was to not spend more than £50 on a collectable and now it has gotten to the point I just spent £413 on a doll.

 

I don't own a doll yet, though I do have a goal and am saving up towards getting him (A Dollzone Mo3) even though it is a rather expensive (for me) doll since it comes to about 400 USD. I don't really care about the price of a doll so long as I like the doll itself which is why even though I could get a bobobie msd for alot less than my current goal I wanna stick with it. All it means is that when I do get my first doll it'll feel like I really accomplished something.

 

When I choose a doll, I do not look at the price. If the doll is pleasant to me, I buy it. My doll can be road, or not road, but I should like it.

 

I feel that it is kind of silly for someone to limit themselves to a certain price range. The longer you collect, the more your collection steps up - sure you might start with cheap dolls, but it goes to another place.

My first doll wasn an El, and at the time, the CP dolls were the only cheap alternative to the more expensive Soul Doll, Volks or even DIM. There were no less expensive companies then. Now, an El is considered expensive, even though the price has gone down by $200-300 a doll.

It's all perception in the end.

 

My first bjd was a DD. Not because she was cheaper than most of the other dolls out at the time, but because I wanted a mature body and there weren't as many to choose from 4 years ago as there are now.

Limiting yourself buy price range doesn't sound like a wise thing to me. What if you really want a minifee, but your spending limit is half that? Will you long for what you really want forever while buying dolls that don't make you nearly as happy? Is that healthy?

I know that there are many people who probably think I'm a fool for 'wasting' my money on a Sist, but I've wanted one for years. Knowing that I will have my girl by the end of this year makes me so much happier than staring at a bunch of other dolls thinking, "man, I could've bought my Unoa this year".

 

I got blasted on my blog when I said I wanted to get a Dollzone Hid because he was cheaper that LUTS Delf Yder...*expects more blasting from the forum*

No, really...I myself am low on cash, so I decided once I get a job, I will save up to get a BJD. I was looking at Latidoll first...then decided to look at LUTS, then Dollzone.

I have to say, Dollzone Hid looks really hot, and i thought to myself "Why, he is like 60 bucks lesser than LUTS Delfs...and he is good-looking too..."

This was my mentality; If the doll is to your liking and he comes at a lower price, why not? I decided that a Dollzone Hid was going to be my first BJD...

Until I got this advice from a fellow DOA member who happens to be a close poly-mate of mine..."If you like the doll, and you have the money, go ahead...But in the end, is that what you really want?"

I have been looking at Abio Angell as well...and their sculpts are not bad either, as with the pricing. But after some contemplation, and looking back and forth...I then decided for myself that I will definitely get a LUTS Delf as my first BJD.

Not only are the sculpts gorgeous, but the price is fine and affordable to me...hopefully.

I think that it is perfectly fine to buy a 'cheap' doll, like from LUTS, Abio Angel and Dollzone...just as long as the doll is the one they really want. Save for the doll you really want...and you will never regret spending all that cash.

 

I think you should reread your last paragraph--you knew what would make you happiest and you did it and are happy with the result even though some might disagree with your course of action. That sentiment can also describe some people who set a budget for themselves which gave them a result they're happy with--it could be because they are able to fully participate in the hobby sooner, or it left them more money for clothes and accessories, it kept them from overspending money that really needed to go someplace else, etc. What end result is going to work the best for people and make them happiest is going to depend on the individual. For some people such as yourself, it made more sense to save and wait, but for others, picking a less expensive option may well work better. You asked is it healthy to buy a doll just because it's less money...well I would ask, is it healthy to either hold out so long it sours a person on the whole experience or to overspend?

The assumption that floats around here sometimes is that everyone is pining for a particular doll. That doesn't necessarily happen, though. Some people can easily pass over a doll they like, but is too much money with no regrets. I've always been like that. If I miss out on a doll or if one is out of my price range, I don't fret about it, because there are so many dolls that are really lovely that are within reach--there's a lot of dolls I like, but I've never had a holy grail doll that I just had to have. I don't regret my first doll (a mini) in the slightest, even though price had been a contributing factor in making my choice. It's a situation that is really very individual and you can't go in and say "you shouldn't limit yourself"--it's really up to the person to give it some thought and decide what's going to work best for themselves in the end. What's really great about being into the hobby now, is that there are so many choices throughout the different price ranges, that it much easier to find a doll you'll enjoy even if you are budgeting--that was not the case when I first entered the hobby where if you where trying to spend less you had to restrict yourself to smaller dolls or vinyl.

Oh, and by the way, it's very common for a lot of people to have some kind of upper limit. Where that limit falls varies, but often there's some kind of budgeting going. Unless a person is fortunate enough to have large funds at their disposal, price is going to start mattering at some point.

 

In my opinion these dolls are quite expensive to start with so i like to save up the money so i can get the one i really love even if it does cost $600 ^^; it just means you have less chance of the whole oh ive bought him but i dont really like him does anyone want to buy him off me. I think your better off in the long run waiting to save up the money

 

Well, I think it is different for everyone.

By the word "limit", I get the impression that you don't really want the doll. You are getting the doll just because you can't save up or due to other circumstances, are unable to, you splurge just to get cheaper dolls you don't want. If you have the ability to spend and that the doll you want is within your ability... Why limit yourself to cheaper dolls?

( Don't know I if I make sense here.)

I think that it would probably make more sense to save up for a doll you really want than to get one you don't really want. It doesn't make sense to spend hundreds to get something you don't really want just because your can't wait.

BJD can require loads of saving and waiting, especially when you are not all that well-off. It's not something you grab off the shelf.

Get the doll you want because you want it. Not because it's there and you can't wait or are unable to spend that much. It all boils down to weighing the pros and the cons. How much do you value what the doll stands for and how much to do you value money?

 

You may not have intended it that way, but I find this paragraph horribly offensive. What you're saying here is that, unless you're willing to spend like a government official, you don't really want or love your dolls, and that "cheaper" dolls have no value at all to anyone, they're just something for people who lack the discipline to save thousands of dollars for the world's most expensive one-offs. You're saying that someone like me, who has a number of less-expensive ("cheap" doesn't really apply anywhere in the hobby) sculpts--but sculpts I chose because I love them nonetheless--doesn't actually like the dolls and doesn't belong in the hobby.

Choose your words carefully.

 

I dont think they were meaning it like that, especailly not to course offense. I dont think they ment that if you buy "cheaper" sculpts, then you dont belong in the hobby. If you buy the cheaper sculpts because you love the sculpt then thats great, but i think they were meaning that if you are only buying them because you cant wait to save the money for the sculpt that you really want then thats not really good At least thats what i think they ment

 

I personally look for dolls in my price range when I'm searching for a new one, and my price rang could be considered "cheap" by those who can offered really expensive BJDs. But with our economy how it is, money is a big problem. I do not just settle for a doll because it is cheaper though. I have to really love it before I spend the money on it. I also think that even a cheap doll can be something gorgeous just by putting it in beautiful clothes or giving it a beautiful face-up.

 

That may well have been, but seeing "limit" as being synonymous with "not really wanting the doll" (which is what the poster stated) is making a really big leap--it's very possible to stay on a budget and still like the dolls you get, and there are a lot of choices out there these days--it's not nearly so limiting as people sometimes make it out to be.

I don't think people should buy dolls that they really just feel meh about, but at the same time there's nothing wrong with deciding that you don't want to wait. For some people (depending on their financial situation) saving up for a more expensive doll is really no small task, and long waits can also be limiting in themselves, as without a doll it's not possible to fully participate in the hobby. If someone is really pining for one particular sculpt, then I do think it does make sense to save up for that doll. But I get really tired of people holding up waiting and saving as the overall ideal, because it just isn't going to be for everyone.

 

If I had to limit myself to cheaper dolls, I'd just stick with 1/6 dollfie and obitsu, it'd be a heck of a lot cheaper. I don't really like the inexpensive bjds, so for me it would be a waste of money.

 

I don't think it matters too much. My first doll was a $1000 purchase with everything I got with him. My second was a $400 purchase, my third was $120 purchase. XD and I love them all equally, because I picked them out specifically for me! Thats the important part. I love almost all of resinsoul's molds and they're some of the cheapest prices you can get. But from what I can tell they have excellant quality, color, and even joint structure( with a little hot glue sueding) 8D
I plan on at least 2 more from Resinsoul and another BlueFairy before the end of the year.
I do have a dream doll- but they stopped making them long before I got into bjds, so I have awhile before I can find someone selling him second hand. ;.;