Poll: How picky are you???

I have a list of dolls that I want to save up for, so I usually stick to that list when purchasing a new doll. I check out new dolls that come out, but most of the time I won’t impulse buy dolls I see (unless they really speak to me or if they’re limited).

 

I mostly window shop for the heads and am picky for the bodies. I of course have heads/dolls I want a lot, so I do have a (short) list of future dolls, but as I like window shop, I quite often end with unplanned heads. These heads usually wait years for their bodies.

 

I have a short list of dolls I’m interested in, but if one of them comes up or something I like shows up, all bets are off and my wallet is running the gauntlet. I’ll usually wait until near the end of a limited sale time though, just to be sure I actually want them, or follow their making on instagram or what have you.
Fortunately, most of the ones on the list are rare or not particularly high priority.

 

I've definitely become more picky the longer I've been in the hobby. This is partly a function of having examples of more types of the dolls I'm interested in, and also honing in on what I want to collect. Now that I have more dolls, it's easier to ask "do I really need this? do I already have something like this in my collection"? Before the answer was no. Now, the answer is - maybe!

 

I'm a mix of the above. So, generally, I have a few grails that are now available even on the marketplace, but I either don't like the state they're in, or the price. Or generally, they're 'softcore grails', where I love looking up their pics online, but I don't feel like I need them unless I get a really good deal. So I'm looking for a deal on them.

But then, again, i literally have just purchased a secondhand body for one of the heads i'd had for sale and wasn't sure I really wanted to sell. So... I broke several of my promises (downsizing, no more boys, no bigger than 58cm, just no more dollz. period!) and here we are xD

Also, often when I needed something specific, e.g. a doll body (usually of alice's collections), I'd just go and buy it whenever they had an event. Either on the particular company's products, or generally, so I could grab some accessories.

So... I'm a mix, no specific strategy or pattern to it.

 

I'm a combination of the above answers. I have lists of Grail dolls that I'm always on the hunt for and save up and have those in a higher priority than standard dolls that are always available. I also have a list of dolls I wouldn't mind buying and could even buy if I wanted to right now, but I'm saving up and being financially reasonable. I also know my favorite doll company tends to sell dolls in cycles or in lotteries so I just wait until the opportunity arises and either purchase at that moment or hope I get a chance to buy if it is a lottery system. It really just depends on my situation at the moment, what dolls are available at the time, and how much I really want that particular doll.

 

I consider myself to be very picky when it comes to choose and purchasing BJDs. Most of my dolls were planned for months or even years before obtaining them.

I have been interested in BJD dolls since... late 2016 i think? But I haven't been able to afford the hobby financially until 2022. My second doll was my grail from 2016, a Minifee Rendia Full-set and I could finally afford her in 2022 via second hand/WTB posts.

I have also purchased some discontinued dolls that I had on my wishlist for years until I could finally find them. ^_^

 

i tend to make impulse buys i end up regretting later if i don't create a strict wishlist to go by. a clear wishlist also helps me envision dolls ready for some reason which helps me to get excited over the dolls and end up being happier with them

 

I do like window shopping, but have a wishlist to keep myself in check! Generally, I take my time to plan and contemplate for several months/years before purchasing a doll if said sculpt is not time limited or I know it will come back. When I take my time, I can avoid impulse buys and be more confident that the doll I am purchasing is one that I for sure want!

That being said, when a sculpt is time limited (but not limited in quantity) I will still think about it but usually reach a decision faster (ex: Ringdoll Hua Cheng).

If a doll is both time and quantity limited (ex: SOOM Idealian) I will not hesitate. This is a very special circumstance/exception since I have only one, maybe two, doll(s) I want from SOOM, which is Hyperon. Even still, I have been planning to buy a Hyperon for years for one of my OCs; I know he will come back, I just have to be patient and be prepared to purchase him when the time comes (I have money set aside specifically for him!)

As for being picky, I have always been picky! Since most of my dolls are my own already existing OCs, I seek the perfect sculpt for them, hence the window shopping but also extensive planning. It can take a very long time to find what I'm looking for, but I usually don't budge once I do unless the sculpt is forever discontinued.

 

I'm more interested in 1/3 dolls, so every purchase is an investment that needs thorough consideration, otherwise it's a lot of money thrown to the wind all at once.
That said, I am fortunately EXTREMELY picky. Everyone wants a beautiful doll with good poseability, but dolls that catch my particular eye are few and far between. I only have one Limited doll because my picky self have never found one that really enticed me.

With that said, I take months deciding whether I want a doll or not. The good thing is that me making impulse purchases are incredibly rare!

 

I am the impulsive buyer. Huge sucker for a deal on a secondhand or in-stock doll. Mandarake has me to thank for unloading quite a bit of their inventory.

Thanks to some wonderful folks over in Brigadoon, my impulsive spree is finally, finally starting to relent. I have so much envy for folks who have plans and characters they want to shell. I am a "ooh, pretty! -> buy" doll collector. Fortunately, this too is changing. I guess my tastes are starting to "mature" in the sense that I am figuring out what I want out of my collection, and I do have some characters I want my dolls to cosplay as - mostly Disney and DC Comics villains.

I say that, and then a company releases a new big girl, and sigh...

I say Iris (my off-topic monster) is my grail, and she is, but I'm still looking for that one perfect body (a bit obsessed with bodies). The body I'm still waiting for is a big girl body with the perfect combination of sculpting and posing. I will find it! One day...

 

Price is a huge factor for me, and even one impulse purchase as expensive as a BJD would throw my bank balance into disrepair.

That being said, I don't meticulously plan which doll I get next - I go by gut feeling, shortlist dolls I like, and keep an eye out for one of them on Mandarake and Dollyteria. They make their way home if/when I can afford it. That's how Sumi got here

 

I save my money in 2 different ways: What I have to save for the future and what I can spend for my hobbies. So I prefer to have a list of wich dolls I really want to have instead of buying everything I liked it as I made last 2 years. I think I'm more responsible atm than when I started the hobby.

 

I should sign this.

My "master list" is seemingly endless, tbh. And I can't get myself to shorten it.
When it comes to actually buying one of the BJDs (also eyes and wigs) on that list, though...
The process is meticulous:
1# - A certain amount of money has to be already saved up or I'm not even going to entertain the idea of buying something.
2# - Take a look at what's available from my list and for what price.
3# - Does one of the dolls on my "master list" happen to be...
a) - a discontinued sculpt that is currently available or available again for a short time?
b) - discontinued soon?
c) - on sale right now?
5# - Do I REALLY want this doll? Do I really NEED this doll? Have I looked at the blank sculpt? Owner pictures?
6# - Am I lying to myself? Is this a last minute purchase due to FOMO or am I not feeling too great at the moment?
a) - Yes to one or both. Don't buy it.
b) - No. And I'm doing good. Buy it.

Sometimes I break my own rules... Except rule 1#. I frequently stop after 2#, though.
Might sound a bit dumb to others, but I tend to accumulate a lot of stuff that I don't need if I don't control myself.
Sure hope that my taste will become more specific once I've owned more dolls.

 

I know exactly what I want. I have my wish list and I shop accordingly. And, of course, according to the current state of my finances.

 

Yes, I follow many of the same rules. I'm always weighing one doll against another, but as I have dolls already being paid off atm...it shortens the available list dramatically. I can only support so many dolls at a time, yanno. In the meantime, I try to have a base of "surprise" fund available in case anything I've been watching decides to discontinue.

 

My threshold for buying is pretty high, yet my criteria are mostly "vibes" right now. While I admire many sculpts, that doesn't mean I want or need them in my collection. What do I want? I'll know when I see it I guess And there are only a couple sculpts that I consider "soft-grails", in that if they are available I would seriously consider buying, but if they never come up again I won't be crushed.

 

That's me!

 

Oh my, I actually have a surprise fund as well on top of all these rules

 

I call my surprise fund my "Woosoo fund" even though I already managed to get a Woosoo, and I didn't even have to dip into the Woosoo fund to buy it. But it's still "Woosoo fund" in my head