Only allowing yourself to buy "cheaper" dolls?

I allow myself buy only dolls I really like. I'm not sure where is "cheap" line is, I bought mine from $600 to $900. I saw dolls for less or more money, I liked some of them, but I didnt like them enough to buy.

 

Hrm...there are plenty of "cheaper" dolls like that I like (this is where I shake my fist at DikaDoll ;A; ), but I probably won't get because there are those few, very few, dolls that I know I won't stop pining over unless I get them. I think...if I bought cheaper dolls, I'd definitely have more dolls instead of the 2 (one at home, one on its way) that I have right now. But I'm very happy with my smaller number of expensive dolls, so...

That's how I look at it, at least. XD

 

i like this thread ^^ so far most have been of the option that it's ok to like what ever doll that you want. i know to many that are snobs about stuff.

 

@Pannytheangel: I like your logic!

The only time I really think about price is if a doll costs more than I can justify spending on a hobby. The upper limit that I can justify is still around the average price for most doll brands, so I don't feel like I'm limiting my selection pool too much. Many of the dolls currently on my wishlist probably fall into the slightly cheaper end of the spectrum just because they are Chinese manufactured, but there are reasons that I want them other than price (no seam lines, FTW).

 

I have some 'cheaper' and some more expensive dolls. So I just buy the dolls I want and I love. It doesn't matter if they are 'cheap' or expensive. I just love them the way they are!

 

I think that if someone really likes or loves a doll then it really shouldn't matter about the price, and if the price (low or high) bothers someone to the point where they decide against purchasing that doll then perhaps deep down they didn't actually love that doll enough to want to own it in the end anyway.

If there were two dolls next to eachother one that was in the lower price range and one that was more expensive then the price should be temporarily set aside to decide which one the person prefers, it'll be worth it to save that bit of extra money to get a doll you really love and will keep and take care of rather than getting the cheaper one just because it's cheaper then deciding you want to get rid of it after a matter of months.

But I don't think any dolls are "bad" just because they're cheap, my wishlist contains dolls that range from under $200 (USD) to over $600 (USD). I just think that people should consider what will make them the most happy rather than their wallet because, let's face it, if we all did what would make our wallets happy we'd work several jobs and have no hobbies and only ever buy food xD It's probably not really the right hobby for someone who is tight with their money just for the fact that it costs so much (totally worth it though).

 

Guess it depends, like if they're on a budget, or they're trying to make a statement. I mean I don't really care what other people buy, but if they go about it like that, they shouldn't complain if they not as happy as they could be because they went the cheaper route. I'd rather have one expensive doll that I'm in love with, than 2 or 3 cheaper dolls that I barely attention to. I have a friend like that who only buys dolls that are $300 or less, but the dolls she really wants are like $650+, but she's too impatient to save. Go figure.

 

Definatley, both of my dolls are cheaper than the average. There's nothing wrong with it. What I really dislike is the way people say bbb/rs owners can't say tha they are in the hobby because they don't cost much. I think that's appalling and I think it is sometimes better to restrict yourself to less expensive dolls rather than blow all your money on one. However if you do fall in love with a more expensive doll then it is definatley worth the extra time saving up.

 

Weeell.... So far I have Dollzones, a Resinsoul, and two DikaDoll boys coming in the mail.
So, I guess that would be cheap for some people. It's not cheap for me, only the RS is cheap to me.
I don't really buy Dollzone because they're "cheap", I buy them because I adore their sculpts.
Infact, I've noticed I tend to prefer mid range chinese dolls over most korean and japanese dolls.
They look better to me, generally.

Although I will be getting a Souldoll Kagel(But he may be a hybrid, since his body isn't tall enough for the character I want him for), and a hujoo action doll soon. (Off topic, I know)
That'll add some korean dolls to my home, although the hujoo MSD will actually be the cheapest doll I own.

But I'm rambling... I say buy what you want, if you really want it, but if I see two dolls I like equally for a character, I'll usually go with the lower priced one, so I can splurge more on clothes and eyes.

 

I don't see any problem with that. My dream doll was School A but they were really expensive. I chose to start with another type that I also liked but was much more affordable. At the end, I got my dream doll but I loved both dolls.

 

I see no problem with it as long as you are buying a doll you actually want, if you are buying a doll you wont like just because its "cheap" its still a waste of money. There are plenty of dolls on the less expensive range on my wish list, like resinsoul mei, but its because I really like the sculpt, not because I feel cheap. You should buy what you like and feel financially comfortable buying, its also bad to spend money on a doll that you simply can't afford if it is going to cause you significant financial problems.

 

There is nothing wrong with a person only spending a certain amount. Most people seem to spend what they can afford, myself included. We all set goals with our "Hobby", we work with what we have or we may not be able to justify larger amounts, so we spend less. I have a friend who is a single mother and makes a very limited amount of money, I have shown her how to buy what she likes and can afford via layaway. Now she is happy with her choices and has no regrets for buying what she can afford.

 

I'm definitely with most on "cheaper" dolls being just fine if they are what you love. An "I've searched and searched and keep coming back to *insert less expensive doll here* because it just speaks to me" scenario gets my full and complete support. If you absolutely love it, then it does not matter at all to me what was spent.

I admit it. I'm a little defensive about this hobby. I've been collecting for a very long time and I have a strong attachment to every doll made, mine or not. Like.... kittens or something. I don't want to see a single doll go to a home where they will not be loved. So when someone brand new to the hobby walks in the door for the first time and the very first thing out of their mouth is "What's the cheapest doll I can find?" - I sometimes can't help but feel that they should turn around and walk right back out. If all they want is the cheapest thing they can find... I just feel that they might not be genuinely serious about the hobby.

Because yes, this IS an expensive hobby, and even the "cheaper" dolls aren't "cheap", so if you're going to be spending money anyway - then for goodness sake, make the effort to find something you will really enjoy. I'm not saying I want everyone to buy the more expensive dolls. I'm saying that when this much money is involved, I'd like to see people spend it on something they truly think is worth it -something that they will be truly happy with.

 

I would say buy what you love and can afford. I find dolls I love at all price ranges but I think if I spent more than I could comfortably afford it would ruin my enjoyment of that doll. I certainly do not look down on less expensive dolls but truthfully, I think my idea of expensive is probably less than what some would consider. My most expensive doll was $300.

 

I think the "cheaper" dolls are a great way to get into the hobby. It's what I'm doing. Not to say that I am just getting them b/c they're cheaper. I came across my first doll, and Aod Meng Li on ebay while I was looking for clothes for my DD and fell in love with her. She was 300 with a face-up, fur wig, and shipping. So I was pretty stoked. But to be honest, with my present financial level even that was a lot of money. So I think it's all relative as well. What is cheap for one person may actually be expensive for another. I was drawn to ResinSoul dolls b/c of the variety of skin tones. They're probably the cheapest I've seen except maybe for Hujoo. But for me that's a win-win. I got the elf eared girl (1/4 Ju) I wanted, with a unique skin tone (Deep Grey) for a great price ($205 w/shipping).

There is a DZ girl I really like but she's just not in my cards right now. And honestly, Idk if I could ever justify spending $500 on a doll. I could buy a computer for that much and it's 2 months of school loan payments.

I guess to sum it up, the price is actually a sort of pull for me. The look of the doll is definitely important, but the lower price just makes it all that much sweeter.

 

^I agree^! I happen to love RS, BBB, and DZ dolls. The ones I have are beautiful sculpts.

When I got started, I had never even seen a BJD in person, and I didn't know one single person who is into the hobby (still don't, really.) So I wasn't sure if I would love the dolls as much as I loved the pictures of them. Naturally, I didn't want to sink a grand or so into a doll, not knowing how much I would like them. So I started with the first doll that I really liked that was inexpensive. It was a BBB Sprite. I really liked her, and I still do. But it wasn't a major expense, so if I didn't end up getting into ABJDs too much, it wouldn't have broken my heart.

I'm still fairly new to the hobby, so I am still learning how to do restringing and face-ups. I'd much rather learn on an inexpensive RS, that I can afford to replace, than on a "grail doll" that broke the bank!

I think it's crazy that there are still people in the hobby who think that people who start out with cheaper dolls should be looked down on, or not made to feel just as welcome as everyone else. It's not like there are so many ABJD collectors that we can afford to exclude folks. We need new collectors, or else our hobby will eventually die out. I want lots of variety of prices in dolls and accessories, so that there is something for all tastes, and also so that I have lots to choose from! More collectors=more choices for all of us. There will always be the limited edition high-priced dolls to get if that's your thing, so no reason to be snobby about letting in more budget-minded collectors, too! But just think: if ABJDs become as popular as collecting pandora beads, for example, there would actually be shops that carry clothing and maybe even dolls in your town. Wouldn't that be great?

 

i have this problem

i see a lot of expensive dolls that i'd LOVE but i can never bring myself to spend that much money in one go

on the bright side that's more money for clothes and accessories!

 

I don't have any problem with people who limit themselves to cheaper dolls... maybe I am one. Spending $400+ on a doll still terrifies me, though my limit is slowly rising. My first doll is an Fdoll Amber, and I was looking for a less expensive doll to start out with, but I still looked at lots before choosing her (okay, over the course of like, a week... I'm impatient.) But I think that the guilt would have overridden the enjoyment for me if I had bought a really expensive doll, and I really did like Amber to start with... and now she's grown on me so much that nothing could replace her. I think I may eventually end up with more expensive (at least to me) dolls, but at that point my shopping will still be based on really liking the doll, not on the price.

 

Well, when I first mentioned to my parents that I wanted a doll, they said that if it wasn't too expensive I could get one for Christmas So when I started looking, I kept coming across all these beautiful dolls that I loved but I thought were too expensive to ask for as a gift...and I ran into RS Mei I loved RS so much that when I had a character to shell out I'd look there as one of my first stops, and incidentally found almost exactly the right sculpt every time! XD Because of this, I have five dolls from RS, three MSDs and two tinies, but now I'm saving for a grail MSD that's more expensive than an RS SD, so...I just buy dolls that I fall in love with

 

One should always try and get the doll you really love, but sometimes it just isn't possible. these dolls are expensive, and you can't always justify it. Because they are so expensive, I would only buy one i truly love. As of now, I have two dolls, one who I bought on an impulse when i started the hobby, and another that i stared at for months on the computer screen. Initially I thought, "Is she really worth it? not really." but I couldn't stop looking so I saved up until I could get her.
If its really worth it to you, you will get the doll, and if it isn't, there are things that can bring you greater happiness in this world.