Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

Very good point. This hobby can make you lose perspective. How many stories have we seen about people harassing collectors because "you spent how much on a doll"? When you step back a bit your "cheap" doll could be considered pricey.

 

I bought an AOD Wang Zi for my first doll. I was incredibly broke but I knew I wanted a doll, so I shopped around for a cheaper doll that I really liked. I struggled to find a doll that was under $200 and it felt like a blessing when I finally found AOD.

The shopping experience was... horrible. The first time around, they sent my doll to the wrong address. The second doll I got was delayed three weeks...

I absolutely love both of my dolls, though there is something off about my Le Le's face that bothers me. I tried to fix it with a new face-up but it only made it worse (plus I'm still learning with face-ups, so...). My Wang-Zi, however, is beautiful - I adore his face, but I'm going to buy him a new head. It's not that I don't love his face - it was the only one from AOD I could stand! - but the person I see him as has a rounder, softer face, and his face is very angular.

But I've strayed~

There is nothing wrong with buying a cheaper doll, if you ask me. Although I have tried several times to save up for a more expensive doll and I haven't managed to because each time I save up a little bit, I look at the price tag and give up. But if you want to save up for your dream doll, be my guest~

 

i think it depends on whether you actually are buying the doll because you love it, or are buying it simply because of the price...

now for me personally, i have to deal with both. my parents will not, and i mean WILL NOT, let me buy a bjd that is over $200...so i have to only buy dolls that are lovely AND inexpensive...which is alright with me. i dont have a job, since im only 16, so thats not a bad thing. annoying, frustrating, yes...but oh well.
and honestly, when i first got my girl, i LOVED her...but thats because i will still a major noob and didnt really know anything about the hobby....and once i started getting to know more, i started really hating her...wishing i never bought her....i wasted my money....blah blah blah. but i have put in a lot of time, energy and money into "fixing her up", and now i wouldnt trade my dear Candance for the world, i love her so much i'm sooo glad i got her....so i guess basically what im saying is that should you buy a doll just for the price? no, no no no no no! but if the doll is "cheap" and you happen to fall in love, then is it ok? absolutely. i was lucky, i gradually fell in love with my girl over time, and i learned my lesson. so yeah...it just depends on the reason that you are buying the dolly for....the price....or the doll itself...

and also...honestly, ok, if you have the means to spend $600, $700, even $800 on a doll, and you personally think it's worth it, go for it. but let's be semi reasonable...i mean, that's a crapload of money! thats like, being able to pay all of the bills for that month, or a payment for a new car or something....so again, dont get me wrong, if its an expensive doll, and you have the money, then i salute you for getting your dream doll but sometimes, you only have to spend a couple hundred to get a boy or girl that you love just as much, ya know? this is my thinking anyways.

 

I think you should be sensible about it. With my current finances, I certainly couldn't afford a more expensive doll (or rather I could, but at the cost of things like text books and food, which are higher up my priority list). Therefore, if there's a doll I want I will set myself a budget and look around. I tend to set my budget up so that it's a certain amount per month - and then if I fall in love with a more expensive doll, then I will save up for it gradually, but luckily that hasn't happened yet. There's nothing wrong with only buying cheaper dolls, though it's still only worth getting them if you actually like them.

 

For me it would depend on how much. Sometimes the doll is way too much expensive to my own taste. And even if I don't get it, it's good enough just to stare at other owners pictures XD
My only 'personal rule' is to have only 3 dolls.
whenever I want one, I would sell another, because I can't afford to take care of more. @_@

 

hey its a good idea accualy!! :0

 

That´s my "Lati" Rule, too x)
And i do agree with the owner pictures ; )
I keep telling myself if there are only three of them , those three might be expensive too, but important is that you love them
Therefore you can trade or sell if you find another you think you would ,out of the blue, love even more.
I do have a number of every size in my mind and of particular companies, too.
I could never buy dolls just to "have" them. They are so much more to me than toys. They are Art, Hobby, Talk, Love ..
But i agree with pretty everyone, that people can do whatever they want.

 

It's all about falling in love with a doll. My girlfriend and I are on the hunt for our first bjd, one that will be based on a character, and we need a large nose, the rest of the face is up to fate, whatever we find that we like. It'll be a while before we buy our first doll still, we won't do it until we move in together so he will truly be ours, but a few days ago, I saw the resinsoul Feng doll for the first time. Before I noticed the price tag, I fell in love with the face. I'm obsessed with that nose! The soft cheeks and smiling lips draw me in. My girlfriend loves him too. Of course when we noticed the price, we freaked out over how affordable he is.

In fact, his affordability is driving us crazy because with the money we have, we can easily buy him right now, but sharing him when we live so far away from each other still is not something we really want to do. So this story got a little personal, but I think it's a good example of how the price can come second. The cheap price even caused a problem because we want a bjd so badly and he is perfect and affordable!

I'm still tempted to just buy him and surprise her! The price tag is just a great convenience set upon a beautiful doll we both love.

 

I'm finding more and more that many of the dolls I really love the sculpts of are tinies. They're absolutely adorable on all levels, and their considerably cheaper price tags help to shut up the part of me that says "you shouldn't be spending this much on a doll!" Will I buy the $100 tiny anthro kitty because it's all I can afford in the near future? Absolutely. But I also adore the itty-bitty face and paws, and the fact that she can be held in the palm of my hand. It'll be a fun challenge to give her faceups instead of letting her be a blank white kitten, and I can't wait to get her.

 

There have been a lot of posts and discussions on DoA that I'm glad I didn't see when I was a newbie, because it might have affected the dolls I chose. I choose a doll because I fall in love with it, not because it is a popular sculpt or considered "acceptable". If it's more expensive but I love it, it simply takes me longer to get it. I have dolls from all price ranges and I love them all. Only in Bizarro World, especially in the current economy, would anyone consider spending $100 on a doll "cheap". In fact, when I show people my "cheapest" doll, an $80 bobobie tiny, to my non-BJD friends they are amazed at how expensive she was! They would probably pass out if they ever saw a puki!
I think you fall in love with the doll that touches you emotionally, and that's the one you get. If it is on the less-expensive end, get it anyway and don't worry about what (rude people who should mind their own business) people might say. If it's expensive and you love it, then start saving your pennies- you'll be happy you did when you finally pay it off and it arrives.
Basically, remember that YOU make up the rules; what anyone else says is irrelevant.

 

I just bought my Toshi-chan for 370. It came between her and the Yukino dollfie dream so there really wasnt much price difference to begin with. She is a senior body and I looked on all kinds of bjd makers sites and randomly I looked on cosplays marketplace for the heck of it and there she was. I just had to have her and she was way cheaper that the others I was looking at that I liked, but didnt quite love. For me, it also depends on if they come with anything and how much the seller has accessories/face ups, etc.. because even if the doll seems like the "right price" one must consider those other things as well. For me, the 370 was super cheap but my grandma about died when I told her the price (although it was my munies anyhoo:p) but in my world the "expensive" pricetag is about 1000 bucks.
This hobby doesnt bother me considering the dollfie stuff is easier access and I dont have to go through proxys all the time to shop on yja. You see, Ive spent at least this much on shipping and shop fees from these proxys and dollfie stuff is wayy lighter if I ever decide to go shopping on yahoo againXD Im proud to be part of this artistic hobby no matter what anyone says.

Well said, cirquemom!

 

To some people, there is no such thing as a cheap dolls. Some still think spending 100-200$ on a doll is a rip off. Like my mom thinks I am being ripped off of my doll that is 400$ (shipping + wig + a shirt included) Some people don't understand why they are this price.

Some lower priced sculpts are nice and if I do get another doll. I am getting one from Kon'D since their prices are affordable and have cute sculpts. That and I am awing at their 43" Chu..

 

I'm of the mindset where if it's your money, you have the right and privilege of doing what you want to with it. If that means buying a super expensive doll, then more power to you. I think what matters most is that you care about your doll and that it means something to you...that's more important than how much it costs.

 

Dolls are not cheap to own. They cannot be wearing just a set of clothes all the time right? And clothes are not cheap... My dolls wear clothes more expensive than mine! So if I can get my hand on cheaper dolls and save up a bit for clothes, I would!

 

I just bought Bobobie's Mei - she satisfied my doll craving without breaking my bank. I'm fairly new to this world, so I've been practicing changing her eyes and playing with wigs. She's pretty floppy, I can't get the top of her head to stay on, and she twists out of shape easily, but you get what you pay for, I guess.

I was still just as excited when I got her as I was with my other two. I think the less expensive dolls are great vessels for happiness when finances are steep.

 

This is not a problem if you really like the cheaper model.
It is a problem when people want a limited, very expensive doll but they buy some "look like the same" illegal copy and much cheaper doll instead.

 

Your Mei needs her strings tightened, that's all that's wrong with her-ResinSoul and Bobobie send them loose on purpose so they won't get hurt travelling. This thread is not the place for it, but go to Customizing/Aesthetics and do a search. I think there are explanations there that tell you step-by-step how to fix it.

 

Well, if the ebony Ashanti comes up again I'd snap her up in a heartbeat, she's gorgeous

But mainly I'd probably stick to cheaper dolls because I can't really afford the more expensive dolls. (Maybe if I had less snakes, they cost about €20 per week to feed, but I won't be selling any of my older snakes apart from the two youngsters remaining from last year)

 

So true! Damn, that is one doll I regret not buying...

 

I would save up like *crazy* if this doll came up again, too. I saw a picture of her when I was looking up info on dark colored bjds and I loved her looks!

If I like the way the doll looks, then price is a secondary concern. It helps if the doll is on the cheaper side because it's that much easier to save for. The distance isn't so great. ^_^;