Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

In the meantime, I've had my 'cheap' doll(s) that I love for months, and have had lots of fun finding them perfect wigs and eyes, sewing them outfits, drawing pictures, making stories, and learning about how to paint, restring, and modify them. ::shrugs:: A lot of the qualities that attract me happen to be found at a lower price, and not a higher one. If you want a hotdog, is it 'better' to go hungry and save up for beluga caviare?

A 'dream doll' isn't a purchase, it's a process that only starts with a box-opening.

 

My doll I just ordered was $145 and about $230 all together. and most the dolls I have my eye on are around the "cheap" price. but I only did because I loved her model! I think its your choice but It's better to buy something you will appreciate a lot more than something you won't love as much. one of the dolls I have my eye on is about $400 dollars and I'm planning to save for him once I get my others. and I'm definitely willing to wait for a model I fell in love with

not to sound way cheesey but you should follow your heart~ XD

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

If someone loves a "cheaper" doll, then there's no reason they should force his or herself to look elsewhere. Who am I to tell someone else what (or what not) to buy?

If someone is buying a "cheaper" doll because they feel they'll never be able to save up for their "dream doll," I would simply help give them some encouragement. Saving takes time and effort, and if he or she would not be happy with the "cheaper" doll wouldn't that just end up being a sad situation (for owner and said doll included)?

When I first thought of entering this hobby, I considered getting a $75-100 doll to start out - to test the waters, so to say. But I wasn't attached to that mold - she didn't fit my character. My husband helped me realize it would be better for me to save for a doll I'd love as opposed to one I didn't have any emotion for. Of course, I know this isn't true for everyone... that's just how I work.

Besides, someone else - someone else who really loved that doll - was able to purchase her since I made the decision I did. Knowing that makes me happy.

It's just my opinion, but I think people should purchase the doll that makes them happiest ... whether that be a "cheaper" sculpt or a "pricey" one.

 

^This.

Just because I choose to buy a $130 BBB Bei over an $160 dollar PukiPuki Chichi doesn't at all make my Bei less of a dream doll, it just means I budgeted myself for my first doll purchase.

I can understand the joy and satisfaction of getting the $500+ doll you spent so long saving for, but I don't see why someone choosing to instead purchase a cheaper doll they also love over the more expensive just to save some money. I see that as smart shopping!

 

I'm not sure if you meant it that way, but I interpret your statement as "you can love any doll if you spend enough time/care/etc...on it" (correct me if this isn't what you were trying to say). Well I completely disagree with that. There are many dolls on the market now that I personally could never love. Dolls are not alive, they can't speak, and they don't actually have souls or personalities. If a doll is ugly and poorly sculpted, there's none of that to fall back on. A doll needs artistic skill put into the sculpt, and engineering skill put into the joints. If I could design and sculpt a better doll myself, especially if I could do MUCH better, then I will not buy that doll, and I would never be satisfied with that doll.

I bought a cheaper doll for modding practice one time from a very popular lower priced company. The time I spent modding that doll was extensive. I modded the heck out of it. I know a lot of people become attached to a doll when they mod it, but with me I resented the doll more each day.(I know I should have stuck with random mods, but I saw improving the body as a challenge) The body and hands were just so poorly designed and sculpted that it would have been less stressful to sculpt new ones from scratch than to get what she had up to my standards.

I'm not saying all less expensive dolls are going to be like that, but it's something to be wary of if you're buying a doll and think they're all the same. If the doll is a lot less expensive than others in its size range, it probably isn't quite as well thought out.

 

I have another dimension to add, if anyone cares to comment.

Does anyone find themselves tempted to buy dolls just because they're cheaper? Like, say someone is selling Doll X in the Marketplace at 35% of their normal selling value. Even though you're not crazy about Doll X, you can't help but think "That is a GREAT bargain, maybe I'll grow to love him/her/it..."

I definitely am. >< I fight the urge to buy dolls just because they're cheap, even if I didn't formerly like their sculpts.

 

I think you misread my meaning here, and perhaps to communicate my idea more clearly I should have put in the modifier 'to me' (hay, I was posting from work ). On the other hand, though...it is a process; it's just, what that process involves and how it works out is different for everyone (and mebbe every doll, too).

I enjoy the process of working with a doll (and stuff in general)...and I do believe this is the core and substance of the pleasure I find in dolls. I don't resent a doll for not being 'perfect' - I see an opportunity to transform it...which is a good thing, because I would be haetin' on every single one of my dolls for not being tibbies right out of the box, see? It's not -to me- about the final product embodying some ideal, but the process of choosing and implementing the path to get there...
...downside of this is, it's so hard to say when something is 'done' and everything is in danger of permanently being a 'work in progress'; but, it's how I roll. ::shrugs:: I also suspect it is a more 'realistic' way of looking at things: not just dolls, but life in general; it's something I think about quite a bit.

Part of that process is being able to identify the things that are worth trying to change, and those best left alone. The hands you found so unsatisfactory might have been just the thing for somebody else, because they were after something different, or simply needing a viable base for something original they wanted to try. I adore the beautiful, expressive hands on my Lati, for example, aesthetically, but sometimes I wish they were more stylized, or less-realistically proportioned, because it can make him an everlovin' pain to dress!

There are so many different things a doll-lover can be looking for when they choose a BJD, it's impossible to service everyone with one blanket statement. Sometimes it is true 'you get what you pay for', abut it can also be equally true that 'more expensive doesn't mean better'. What is key to finding satisfaction is understanding yourself and what you want from a doll and where it is most worthwhile for you -as an individual- to invest your time, money, and enthusiasm.

Thinkin' about 'process' some more...I realize selling a doll that isn't working out on the MP or wherever -for some people- is prolly also part of their 'process'...interesting :: ponders :: Certainly not my way, but I can see how it might be so.

Yes, and I've bought the doll, and was I ever glad!! Not so often from the MP, but more on new dolls frow resellers and companies. I have a few dolls I've chosen this way, and all of them have worked out very well for me - but ymmv.

I recently got one of the uber-cheap Brownies, and my lil' 'Buttercup' is a perfect addition to my super-tiny crew (Puki, Orientdoll So, and Brownie); it's fascinating to compare the differences in their sculpts and how it effects appearance and poseability, and their sizes are close enuff to share outfits, but also different enuff that what is 'too small' for the largest will nicely fit the smallest. I also picked up a super-cheap unpainted DZ Leo, and it's been a blast trying stuff on his I haven't before: dyeing, and sanding down that DZ nosie; in that case, it was nice to have an opportunity to check out the qualities of a popular company whose general aesthetics make them -usually- a 'no-go' (no slight to DZ fans at all - I know very well this is a personal taste quibble that's all my own).

 

Oh, no, I wasn't referring to people who've gotten a "cheap doll" because they genuinely find it beautiful! I was talking about someone who might settle for a doll just because it has a smaller price tag. If you love a doll, it doesn't matter what the price is. All that matters is that it's perfect for you.

 

@tigerbaby: I do agree with you and know that for me working on my doll to make him/her my own is fun and an important part of the hobby. Yet, even then I still want a mold I'm head over heels for, not just an 'average' doll. I can never have a dream doll if I think the face-sculpt is merely so-so, no matter how much time and effort I've put into it. I've tried this several times with different dolls and failed.
So for me the recipe is: Dream mold + WIP = perfect doll.

This is why I do believe in dream dolls and that it is better to wait until I have enough money to buy the doll I actually want, then choose one that I'm not crazy about.
Doesn't mean that this goes for everyone, this is how it works for me.

 

I also love working on my own dolls and making them to their full potential. http://www.denofangels.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=4401&pictureid=22558

 

Nefla; I agree with what your saying in that, if you hate the sculpt, but buy it anyway becuase it's cheaper, you may never grow to love it. Although you seem to have thrown yourself into what I think is called a catch 22. You bought a cheap sculpt you hardly cared for to mod to your purposes, but only ended up never happy with the results, making you hate the sculpt even more. As Silk just explained, one major piece of the dream doll conumdrum is having a mold you really like from the start, then building up from there. If you don't like the mold, but don't feel like saving your money for a mold you do like, then that's your own problem, and that was your own fault.

Just as a side question, do you mod or make BJDs regularly? Or was this just an experiment?


I'll give an example with my choice of getting a 'cheap doll' over the more expensive ones.

Volks was one of the first lines I looked at when I decided to purchase my own doll, and I was dissapointed with what they had. Volks, being the company that started the hobby of collecting and modding BJDs, seemed like a great choice for a refined doll, but it wasn't what I wanted aesthically, and the prices scared me away.

I lalso ooked at dolls from DoD, LUTS, Soom, LeekeWorld, AE (who also make relatively 'cheap' dolls), and FairyLand, before I finally saw a few Bobobie dolls that I really loved, eventually settling on the 1/6 Bei. I really like the aesthetic of Bobobie's dolls, and the prices didn't seem daunting for someone who has to pay all her own bills on a part time job. Handling a friend's BBB dolls, seeing how they pose, how their faces look up close, along with all the pics of them here from other BBB doll owners on DoA, sealed the deal.

I'm fully happy with my purchase, even though others may look at my doll's price tag and come to the conclusion that's a it's a POS cheap doll, depite it being my baby. Tigerbaby worded it best; your miliage may vary, but that's part of why this hobby is what it is, right?

 

"How do you feel about people who restrict themselves to only buying "cheap" dolls." (I can't figure out how to use the quotes option, LOL)

I am new to this... I was introduced to BJD a couple of months ago and almost immediately fell in love and developed a sense of 'covet covet covet'.

I think I am going to be a person who buys cheaper dolls. Most of what I love about this hobby is the potential for creation... for creativeness. I figure that in some ways, the less expensive dolls will be more of a challenge.

I fell in love with a doll from one of those expensive doll makers... and oh... she's lovely... but I've also found a less expensive doll that i think I can love. This is a hard question... it really is. I am still struggling with buying something for myself that is strictly a luxury item...

 

I'm a BJD newbie, and being that I've been a doll collector for over 15 years (antiques and artist dolls my first love), I've learned from past experience that, for me, it's best to take it "slow" and perhaps start with less expensive doll(s) first -- to get rid of the "angst" -- until I learn more about the dolls and figure out exactly what I really, really want. Afterwards, I tend to go after (and save up for) exactly the doll I really, really want.

 

Thank U Mod..... Hugz U!

 

My opinion on the whole matter is that if you buy a doll because a) it's cheap but you don't like the sculpt, or b) you really, really wanted a doll but feel like you're "settling for less" by buying a cheaper one, it may not go so well if you can't stop thinking about a "better" doll or a doll you "should have had."

If you like the sculpt and it happens to be cheap, that's awesome - if you're pulled into an impulse buy because of the price and then later grow to really like the doll that's fine, too.

Err, maribabs, what do you mean by "angst" exactly?

 

This really makes sense to me. My Lati Red was my 'dream doll' and when the line was announced discontinued, I realized it was time to bite it and shell out.
I adore him, but the whole process - ordering, waiting till he shipped, following the tracking, heck -even the box opening were fraught with anxiety: what if I found him 'too big'? what if he got damaged in shipping? what if -oh the irony- after all the 'cheap' dolls that have delighted me, I got him to discover I really didn't like him all that much? What if the face-up that stole my heart in the company photo didn't live up to my expectations irl? What if customs/Canada Post suddenly woke up and decided to charge me duty and tax, for the first time -like- ever on anything other than new cut textiles?

Fortunately, I don't hold the angst I felt thru the purchasing process against him! And I'm setting my hat to do it all again, for a Domadoll centaur, but...for me, the 'bargain babies' are a lot easier on these frazzled old nerves, nothing but pure, unadulterated fun from the get-go.

 

Hm, it's not that I was unhappy with the mods, on a doll that needed only one or two of the mods mentioned, I think they would have been just what was called for. It's just that the doll needed (IMO)so many things done that it was just more trouble than it was worth. I'm opposite of most people in that to me, the body of a doll is much more importand than the head. Where there may be stylization in a doll, you can tell (maybe just if you're an artist?) the difference between something drawn or sculpted by a good artist but in a stylized way, and someone that just made mistakes on the drawing/sculpture.

The mods I did focused on the body and were:

-Sanded off her odd, ball-like nipples and sculpted new more natural ones.
-Fused the bottom two pieces of her torso because the joint was floppy, unnatural, and left gaps. I then epoxied over the line where they meet and sculpted new fat/muscle definition and belly button
-Modified the upper torso joint so it could actually move
-Half closed the eyes and modded the general eye shape(practice mod)
-Added elf ears (practice mod)
-Added s-hooks to the non-moving wrist joints (this didn't fix the problem, I later realized the sculptor had made the ball joints too small so they got sucked into the wrist and didn't allow for motion)
-Modded her hands to try and imrove the 2-d, unnatural look they had

The things she still would have needed for me to be satisfied with her:

-Variation of width in the legs and arms (thinner ankles and wrists, wider where the calf and bicep would be, etc...) instead of tube-like limbs. (the resin wouldn't have been able to take the amount of sanding needed to get the slender wrists and ankles, it would have become too fragile/thin.)
-completely sanding away the joints and resculpting new ones that fit flush and didn't flop and spin around.
-Entirely new hands

To a lot of people this stuff is probably unnecessary, and if the face is cute, that's all that matters. I'm not necessarily saying that every "cheaper" doll will be like this (I hate the new dollshe bod for example and that's like $800) but it *is* more common with the less expensive ones. I have owned or bought as a gift 4 "cheaper dolls" and one of them was really nice, I had absolutely no problems with it and would definately buy one to keep(this was a dollzone mini I bought for my friend). The other 3 which were all from different companies had these in common: poorly/akwardly sculpted hands, and simple, non-detailed bodies. 2 of those had nice jointing, the other was the one I've talked about. They all had cute faces. Of the 3 supposedly more expensive dolls I have, I've been 100% over-the-moon in love with their bodies and hands. I'd say if you're like me and are super picky about the body and hands, do a lot of research and look at a lot of body and posing pictures before you buy.

I've made a few bjd before although I've never finished one. I've also done a few mods here and there but nothing to this degree. I've done a lot of sculpture, some 3d modeling, and a LOT of drawing and painting. So yes it will take a lot of artistic merit to satisfy me. Basically I want my dolls to be mind-blowingly gorgeous, and on a whole different level than what I would have played with as a child.

I don't actually care if it's cheap or expensive, but I am extremely picky. If someone else has different things they prize in a doll, I will definately not think less of them, hate them, or look down on them.

 

I usually know perfectly what I want. Price is not the top issue for me; I'd rather have less dolls, but when I decide on one it must be like 95% of what I want.
And so far I'm falling in love with LE mostly, so the short answer is: NO.

 

Nefla, was she a Bobobie 60cm? The flaws sound like one. I think some of their 60cm faces are beautiful, Elena and human Charisma in particular, but the body has always got in the way of me ordering one - yes, I keep them fully clothed, so it shouldn't matter too much, but I wish they would resculpt the body. A couple of people seem to be planning on trying them on the ResinSoul body, which would resin-match, so I'm waiting to see how it looks before adding them back to my wish-list. I adore my ResinSoul 68cm body, although she has the huge nipples thing going on too (they looked pretty once blushed, though!)

I guess, in general, I don't see why the choice is so often posed as an expensive doll you really want vs one you really don't want but is cheaper - for me it's more like tens and tens of dolls I really, really want, some of which are more affordable than others, so I plump for them.

 

If it's a bargain, I'll buy. XD Well, not always, but I'm easily tempted. I don't really like tinies, but they are smaller, thus "cheaper" and I can hear myself thinking "Oh, it's not that much money. Look at how cute it is!"

I've bought expensive dolls on impulse, but I wouldn't buy if I didn't see some potential in it. Same thing I have with cheaper/bargain dolls. If I can't see some potential in it, I know I'll end up selling it and may as well not buy and keep the money in my pocket.
Seeing potential is not the same as loving a mold, though. I usually end up having issues with impulse buy dolls, but make it work in the end. Bargain or not.

Now that I have mentioned tinies, I wonder how many people don't limit themselves to "cheaper" companies, but to "cheaper" size. A standard edition tiny sized doll usually costs less than an MSD sized doll, which costs less than an SD sized doll.